Fall-ing

Well, I think it's finally fall here. We are breaking out the long sleeves today, because the high is only going to be 78. Yes. Seriously. Long sleeves.

W: overworked with stuff I don't like.

AW: friend's husband is doing great, they are flying back home tomorrow.

W: she's out of the office the rest of the week anyway.

Whine of Obviousness: Sitting around on the internet all evening is not very inspiring nor motivating. Which then leads to dispiritedness over lack of accomplishments. Duh.

Any whining pixies out there to join me?

Good day, sunshine!

Whining works! We lost our gray, cold gloom! And Esperanza got RAIN, after this long, dry, fiery summer!

Old Skool Awards to: JenR, for a comment lost in the black hole of the internet; Sue, for a shaving accident; and Esperanza, for a lapse in the overall potty-training victory.

Elizabeth wins the Weekend? What Weekend? Award for a marathon of driving driving driving, fasting, and sorting things. With kids! In the middle of the single-parenting gig! Followed by a metro meltdown on the way to kid pickup! Oy. We all vote for you to have a day off to collapse and recuperate.

Laundry Fairies to JenR, Esperanza, and heck, everybody who could use one. Kudos to loved ones who play the role of the Laundry Fairy.

JenR wins the Emily Litella Award ("if it's not one thing, it's another") for a passel of woes, which she had to type one-handed due to the other arm being occupied by a tiny one. Most chilling are the rogue underwires -- two of them in one week! That's got to put a dent in one's ability to be a superhero at all times.

Hugs, gluten-free treats, a stress-free zone, and a Magic Wand to Sarah, who has something unbloggably stressful going on. And this thing that's making her lose weight, a product of the stress. The Cluestick Posse is happy to help; just give us the nod. 'Cause this isn't right.

Liz wins the Squashed Award, for ye olde mam. And Kudos to her employer for arranging this to happen at work, so as to avoid the Joy of Traffic.

Cluesticks to Aunt Flo, who keeps annoying the membership and showing up at inconvenient times.

Much love and warm thoughts for Sue, whose headache demon crawled back from banishment; Medical Anon, who has thrashed her way through the red tape to get a scan scheduled for next week; and Days, who started a clinical trial far from home this week.

Thanks for playing! See you next week, when the fabulous Esperanza will host!

Monday, monday...

Breaking out the whine and cheeze early. It's gloomy and damp and cold; I want to curl up with the cats; but noooo, instead I'm futzing around with a BIG project, and am so BEHIND....

No, I'm not procrastinating! This post demonstrates my awesome multi-tasking skills: reducing stress while carefully pondering what to write next, and whether I should go eat something to boost energy and concentration. See?

How are you multi-tasking this week?

Pie for all!

A Boatload of Pretzel Ms (the second M is optional) to JenR as she embarks on the craziness of family travel with family members too little to roll over, much less negotiate.

Happy ten year anniversary to Sue and her church (but not to the parishioners who forgot to celebrate it).

Best wishes to Sarah Squared and their minister, on the big day. I do love me some good weddings…

The Bandaid Award goes to Sweet for surviving two sticks and making it on to the growth chart for weight! Esperanza gets a bandaid too for her glamorous Clunk+Zit – ow!

The Good Parenting Award goes to kathy a. for supporting her grown up little one in solving her own problems, Esperanza for her “come to Jesus” with the fourth graders, and liz for teaching her small fry that bailing out of sex-ed is not the way to go. The Not-So-Good-Parenting Award goes to KLee’s twins’ mother – yikes!

The Flying Solo Award this week will be awarded to Elizabeth, for three weeks of solo parenting due to her partner’s work travel (complete with childcare late fees and the inevitable car issue).

Sympathy to Andy for his “Cryptic Metaphor Whining” – we hope whatever it is, it gets better soon.

Cluesticks to burned out light bulbs, MIL’s behaving in whine-worthy-ways, MSG pushers and deniers, sibling nastygrams (any nastygrams), spilled coffee, and parents who won’t believe their angels have the occasional demon-spawn moments. God Love ‘Em (since somebody has to) and Bless Their Hearts (in the true Southern sense), even.

Days wins the Ambivalence Award for “becoming a human guinea pig in NYC on a clinical trial - W? AW? I'll have to let you know.” All the Pixies will be rooting for you, Days, and you are welcome to whine or celebrate with us any time.

A Big Hug to amy, who is dealing with thyroid woes, childcare issues, and the craziness of Tot crying and money disappearing.

Have some pie, everybody, and please join us next week when the lovely kathy a. will be hosting!

Weather Whines for Winter

Hi Pixies!

I am swooping into this space, since nobody else claimed host privileges this week, to tell you it is snowing (snowing!) in my neck of the woods.

AW: I have new snow tires!

W: They are stored safely in the shed (I prefer them on the car).

W: It's slushy, wet, icy out there.

AW: We can all stop wondering when winter is going to get here.

What's the weather - inside or outside - like at your place?

On Top of Spaghetti.....

Many worthy entries this week, my friends!

The Style Award goes to Liz, whose son and hubby found this animated masterpiece to share!

There were some other long wiggly things in PixieLand, which we do not recommend for dinner. By general acclaim, Esperanza wins the prestigious Medal of Honor for Parental Performance Above and Beyond, for dealing with a fireplacing snake in the pool with her baby. Ack! Showing great courage, Esperanza demonstrated the grab, whack, and toss technique recommended by experts: grabbing a hoe, whacking that sucker to bits, and tossing it over the fence. Esperanza shall henceforth be known as The Mighty Slayer of Snakes. (hat tip, Elizabeth.)

In other heebie-jeebie news, Liz wins the Shower Scene of Horror Award for facing numerous spiders, including one up close and personal, in a small enclosed damp space. Ick! Kudos, too, for explaining her philosophy so clearly: "Better the dead spider you can see than the living spider you know is there somewhere hiding waiting to jump out and scare you. "

Despite this host's (minority-view) preference for vacuum disposal, even she must admit that the shower presents special challenges, not suited for the Hoover method. I confess to using the popular "smash" method as well, in crisis situations.

The shower is a dangerous place this week. Genevieve wins the Fireplacity Fireplace Award for slipping in the fireplacing shower and aggravating her fireplacing foot injuries. This award comes with hugs, a no-slip mat, and a prescription for putting the feet up, and having people fan you with palm fronds and deliver bon-bons. Glad that other things are better!

The coveted Elevated Risk of Mullet Award goes to Neighbor Lady, whose digestive complaints resolved but left her with unexpected weight gain: "And, also, curse you, you irresistable dark-chocolate-covered-pretzel-balls!!!"

The Three Dward Day Award goes to Sue, who not only experienced Sleepy, Grumpy, and Dopey, but also coined a new addition to the lexicon! (hat tip, KLee.)

Sue is also the recipient of the Belushi Award, for kinda looking like the Samurai Minister after that last treatment. But yay on vanquishing the headache monster!

Weather Whine Awards to Esperanza, who is looking for a big drop in temp, all the way down to 89 degrees; KLee, who is "ready for weather that does not involve so much sweating and icky-gross feeling"; and JenR, who reports rain rain rain wind, and "I just let my 3 year old play in a puddle until he was drenched anc cold because I simply could not stand staying in the house any longer."

Elizabeth wins the Best Anti-Whine Award: "My dad's coming to visit for Rosh Hashonah. And bringing NYC pastrami!" Happy Rosh Hashonah to all celebrating!

The Cluestick Posse is saddled up to pay Sarah's doctor a visit, for sending test results that included numbers and no interpretation, so she still doesn't know exactly what's going on. Many hugs from the group, since either way, it looks like a trial of gluten-free diet. Thanks to the Pixies who weighed in with encouragement and ideas.

More Cluesticks to facebook.

Time Machines to all Pixies feeling the crunch, including but not limited to Elizabeth, KLee and Sue.

Rooting through the Lost and Found here at Pixie Central, looking for everybody's misplaced energy, enthusiasm, get-up-and-go, can-do attitudes, etc.

Thanks for playing! See you next week!

Fall is upon us....

We never actually got a lot of summer weather out here, and the early fall glory days have not shown up, either. Heat would have been a good excuse for not getting enough done, no? I may have to sentence myself to a library carrel to get some writing done this week.

Is there such thing as post-vacation letdown?

Well, the pets are glad I'm home; I'm given to understand that the concierge service was not up to snuff during my absence. In fact, my return is so darned exciting that one or more have celebrated with a few barks.

Bring the small and large ones, the whines and anti-whines! Extra credit for Style this week!