One-Woman Whining Carnival

Written yesterday when I got to work; updated in italics today.

1. My wallet was stolen last Sunday at the pool, and has not been found.

2. It was my fault; I was an idiot.

3. I rented "Morvern Callar" last weekend, but didn't get a chance to watch it till Thursday night. I racked up three days of overdue fees. And then I didn't like it!

4. Our heater is broken and the house was cold this morning. [Update: it's fixed! Thanks to RW and Ed the Heater Guy.]

5. Our DVD player broke last weekend, which means MG can only watch videos, or watch DVDs on RW's computer downstairs. This throws our whole household routine off-kilter.

6. I forgot to call the mechanic to make an appointment about the car and its squeaky brakes.

7. My librarian's group has no March vendor, and I have to find one.

8. My friend can't catch a break.

9. I had a parent complaint about a book. I hate when that happens.

10. I didn't get all this together in time to submit it for Wednesday Whining at Phantom's.

11. I made a mixed bootleg tape for RW of all the Wailin' Jennys songs off the two Prairie Home Companion shows in which they performed in the last couple months. We'd taped the whole show both times, and I went through the tapes last weekend, found the songs, and tape-to-taped them onto another cassette as a special welcome-home present. But I put Noise Reduction on, and it turns out Noise Reduction flattens out the sound. So now I have to do it all over if I want it to sound decent.

12. I wrote offline every night for a couple of weeks, then stopped. Now I can't seem to get started again.

13. MG has to do this Ethnic Float for the Multicultural Potluck next week. It's due on Monday, which means we--all of us--have weekend homework.

14. The teacher gave no homework this week so people could work on the float, but in that time we barely got started. We are passing on our procrastinatory flaws to the next generation.

15. MG has declared that because several her grandparents live in places with snow, the Ethnic Float must have snow on it. And that this requires, not a single sheet of white felt laid across the bottom of the shoebox lid as I suggested, but hundreds of tiny bits of felt cut up and scattered about the living room.

16. She has only cut out a couple dozen pieces so far. [Update on #13-16: It's done! And thanks be to all that is holy, she ditched the snow idea in favor of my idea: line the bottom with red (for Denmark) and blue (for Judaism) felt. Photos coming soon.]

17. And I have to come up with something to bring to the Ethnic Potluck on Wednesday. I'm thinking of going with that traditional Jewish delicacy, cold cuts from the deli.

18. I signed up to do Snack for Hebrew school tomorrow, and have no idea what I'm going to bring. Also, I'm the Parent On Duty, which means I don't get to go to the upstairs study before services. [Update: I got up extra early this morning to run to the supermarket for apples and grape juice, so we were covered for snack. BUT when we got there it emerged that I was supposed to bring cups and plates as well. MG immediately insisted that she had tried to tell me about this (see #19 below). I was reduced to ripping up bits of paper towel for the snack, and borrowing cups from the preschool co-op that usually uses the space, which apparently we are not supposed to do. Darnit.]

19. MG has been lying on a daily basis, to the extent that I no longer believe her when she says anything.

20. You've heard about the rain, right?

21. There is no end to laundry.