In remembrance of No-Whining Wednesday.

Well, hello again! It's Wednesday today, and you know what that means: No Whining! I have been pretty whine-y lately, I tell you what, and so today, I've decided I'm bringing NWW back. At least, for today. For me.

So, since it's been so darn long since I've read any blogs or written in my own, here's a nifty li'l meme I found courtesy of Saranga (she found it on Let's Fold Scarves). It seems like a swell way of getting back into the groove, so to speak, since Buffy is pretty much my favorite thing ever. I'll probably actually start tomorrow, to give me a chance to think about my answers (or maybe I'll start on #1 tonight, after work). I miss writing, I miss Buffy, and I miss me.

30 DAYS OF BUFFY!

Day 1: Favorite Season
Day 2: Favorite Episode
Day 3: Favorite Song Used In An Episode
Day 4: Favorite Female Character
Day 5: Least Favorite Female Character
Day 6: Favorite Male Character
Day 7: Least Favorite Male Character
Day 8: Favorite Friendship
Day 9: Favorite Romance
Day 10: Least Favorite Season
Day 11: Least Favorite Romance
Day 12: Least Favorite Episode
Day 13: Favorite Potential Slayer
Day 14: Favorite Female Villain
Day 15: Favorite Male Villain
Day 16: Episode You Like That Everyone Else Hates
Day 17: Character You Relate To The Most
Day 18: Character Who Didn’t Get Enough Screen Time
Day 19: Character You Like That Everyone Else Hates
Day 20: Best Spike-centric Episode
Day 21: Best Willow-centric Episode
Day 22: Best Xander-centric Episode
Day 23: Two Characters You Wanted To Get Together That Never Did
Day 24: Favorite Example of 90s Special Effects
Day 25: Favorite Buffyverse Saying
Day 26: Favorite Scooby Moment
Day 27: Cutest Moment
Day 28: Character You Love To Hate
Day 29: Episode You Hate That Everyone Else Loves
Day 30: What You Think Made Buffy So Great

Should be a nice, gentle way to re-acquaint myself with the act of blogging. Lovely. I've also been thinking of a nice Real-Time Review of something awful (I Know Who Killed Me, specifically), but it's been too long since I've written anything, and I'm feeling fairly useless at it. So, we'll just take it nice and slow, and step back into it gradually. Here we go!

*Edited to change a "no" to a "know". Because I'm kind of dumb sometimes.

OMG. It's been over a MONTH since I made a post on this blogamabob thingie? What a slacker!

I suppose the truth of the matter is, I haven't had much to say. Everything's been on a fairly even keel; work's busy, what with it being year-end and all, but not horrible (I love my job, so even bad days really aren't bad); school's done for the semester, and I loved those classes, and I did well in them (an A in both), and I'm enjoying the break and looking forward to next semester; I've been catching up on re-watching Lost seasons 1-5 in preparation for the 6th and final season beginning on February 2nd (as of last night, I'm about 2/3rds of the way through s3, and the Bluray of s5 is on its way); I've also picked my Nintendo DS back up and continued on my way through The Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass, which is loads of fun and I'm excited about it; and I've also been trying to do some cleaning out, a little at a time, so I don't wind up being the subject of Misery Night Chat on the Facebooks and doing some pleasure reading so my brains don't rot from too much teevee.

Also, I think I've felt guilty for not posting any reviews on my other blog for the Cannonball Read. I've been reading; I read Ragtime and made notes and I just have to do the actual writeup and post it, but I haven't gotten around to it. I'm in the middle of two more books, and have a pile ready for after that. I'm just putting far too much pressure on myself to have some New York Times Book Review to put up, when I don't really need to do that, I think.

So, there are my excuses for not posting. I'm gonna get back to doing it regularly, though, I really am. I enjoy it, and I miss it, and there's no reason for me not to. A new year is coming, and as I've said elsewhere, I don't believe in resolutions, especially those based on an arbitrary point such as a calendar date, but I do believe in deciding to improve myself any old time. I've got books to read, and movies to watch, and I will write about them. So there. (That so there was really more for me than anyone else, by the way.) I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season, and isn't freezing to death like I currently am! Happy No Whining Wednesday, and Happy Aught Ten!

No Whining Paheeba Wednesday

Well, Hello! I know I've been relatively sporadic about this here blog thinger the last couple of weeks. I've been having some "Why me?" time. But no more! Today is No Whining Wednesday, and therefore, there shall be no whining. Not even with PMS.

Even more importantly, though: it's Paheeba Day! If you don't know what that is, I recommend you check it out. The fierce womyns of Pajiba are taking over for the day, and it is amazing, because THEY are amazing. This is a seriously talented, beautiful, thoughtful group of people. Bonus: all the ad revenue for the day is going to Li'l Alabama Pink's college fund, so click on some ads! Believe me when I tell you, I'm against it on principle (because I hate ads, not because I hate Dustin. Dustin is awesome, and I want Pajiba to live forever!), and I will be clicking as much as I can today. Turning off adblocker and everything.

Side Note: In Cannonball Read news, I have still not quite finished my first book. I'm almost there, and hopefully over this weekend I'll be able to finish it up and review it. And, soon, the semester will be over and I'll have (allegedly) more time for reading, so maybe I can catch up to y'all crazy fast readers!

Anyway, time to run off to work. Don't forget to check out Paheeba Day, and click on those ads! Keep Li'l Pink edumacated and Pajiba running! And, don't forget to make lemons out of lemonade, or whatever!

If I love you Wednesday, What is that to you?

Oh, hello, Gentle Reader. What a splendid day it is to have a No Whining Wednesday, wouldn't you say?

But Wednesday isn't what I'm going to tell you about right now. Let me tell you about my Tuesday, in food: I started off with a healthy breakfast of oatmeal, accompanied by a delightful cup of cinnamon-hazelnut coffee. Around 11:30 or so, I started to get a bit hungry, so I had a lovely snack of cauliflower with a little bit of sour cream to dip it in. Delicious, and nutritious! Now, before I move on to the afternoon feeding frenzy, let me tell you a little something about the company I work for: they are all about employee morale. Not just in a superficial way, either; they genuinely care about their employees and want us to be happy. Now, there are kind of a lot of us, so instead of every person's birthday being celebrated with a cake &c., we have a "Cake Day" once a month to celebrate everyone's birthday that falls in that month. Yesterday was cake day. Now, often, everyone will get together and chip in for a birthday person's lunch on their actual birthday (or thereabouts). So, yesterday turned out to also be lunch day for LK, who turned 40 this year. The office ordered lunch from a local deli. Now, I already had the fixin's for my daily peanut butter sandwich on wheat bread, but I said "What the heck" and ordered a half-pound of macaroni salad. Figured I'd eat a little on the side, bring it home, have the rest for a few days. Well, here's how that actually worked: I ordered it, ate a quarter pound of it along with my peanut butter sandwich, and then ate a giant slice of birthday cake along with a brownie and some cookies that DH bakes (oh she is such a good baker). Then, I went home from work. I was pretty tired, and I didn't feel like cooking anything, so instead I had a bowl of BooBerry cereal. That's not terribly filling, though, so I was still kinda hungry (I'm not really sure how). So, I finished off the macaroni salad. Then I ate a bunch of Cheetos. Unsurprisingly, I had to put on my big pants this morning. Also, I feel a little bit nauseous. I love my job.

In other birthday-related news, this weekend is my baby sister's 30th birthday. My tiny, preemie baby sister, born at four-and-a-half pounds with a heart murmur. The wee little thing whose diapers I changed, who I fed bottles too, whose ticklish spots I discovered (her neck and her knees. She makes the cutest little giggly snort when you tickle her neck). The first time I touched her was in an incubator at the hospital, a plastic case with holes in the sides and big rubber glove things you stuck your hands in. She made it through, obvs, and she's officially a grownup now. (This also puts all four of us sibs in the same decade, agewise, at least for a year and a couple of months until I ruin it for another 8 years by turning 40.) So, we'll be having a lovely famerly BBQ on Sunday, and there will be much wine and merriment. I love my family. They're all kind of crazy, you know, but who isn't? And they're *my* kind of crazy, so they get me. My sisters are made of pure awesome. I might be a little in love with them.

Anyway, that's my week right now, and where I'm at on the happy scale. Fat and in love with my family. I think it's a pretty good way to be. It's about lunchtime now, and I'm going to the diner today with my boss. She said something about grilled cheese and soup, and that sounds just ambrosial right about now. Off I go then! Happy No Whining Wednesday!

Oh, it's already been broughten.

Today's post is dedicated to the very beautiful Lainey Awesomeface Bobainey, who is illin' like a villain today. Get Well Soon, SugarTits!

Yes, it is No Whining Wednesday again, and here I am, trying desperately not to whine. I'm midway through my third week of being stupid sick, which is angering me. But, today is the first day in those 2.5 weeks that I actually feel pretty chipper, so yay! Go me. Also, I didn't get super angry at traffic today like I have been (I'm really, REALLY cranky when I'm sick. You can imagine the joy of my coworkers), so go me again!

In other news, Pajiba has announced the start of the Cannonball Read II: Electric Bookaloo: In My Pants: Not Without My Library Card: Mother May I Read With Danger for November 1st. I'm very excited about it! So much so that I started a whole separate blog just for my Cannonball Reviewing! The gist is this: You read a book a week for a year (or rather, 52 books in a year), and blog a 3-4 paragraph review of each one. Books have to be at least 200 pages, and there are no graphic novels allowed (and I think no children's books? I'd better get a bit more familiar with the rules...); I know they can be fiction or non-, and short story collections have to have at least six stories. Anyway, there are lots of awesome people joining in, and it's for a good cause (a donation to the college fund of a little guy who lost his mom, a Warrior Queen, to leukemia earlier this year. Plus, literacy, yay!). Please, check it out and also feel free to join in! I've got a list of about 20 books so far, all of which have been laying about the house in various states of un-read-ness. Feel free to give me suggestions, though I won't necessarily take them!

Meanwhile, classes are going strong still. Halfway through the semester (and I could've had three books for the Read with my Films & Literature class, but I think we'll be finished with the third before the Read begins, so only 2 from there. It's too bad, too, because I just finished The Virgin Suicides, and I have ...thoughts and feelings. Perhaps I'll blog about it anyway, as a practice review). Saw The Limey for the first time in my other class the other night, still love Terrence "Badass" Stamp. Possible more now. I've got a new niece on the way (just got a text that my sister-in-law was induced, so any time now!). So far, her name is Summer Austin. She'll be joining big sisters Sumayah Angel and Savannah Anne, who are both happy that she wasn't born on their birthdays (10/8 and 10/4 respectively) so they don't have to share.

So everything's pretty sweet, even if I am tired from the sickness, which I am NOT down with at all, by the way, thankyouverymuchDisturbed. And now, I'd better get back to work before I get fired and REALLY have something to whine about...

I'm trying not to whine... but I'm failing!

Well, here it is, No Whining Wednesday again, and I'm home sick in bed. For the fourth consecutive day. Some kind of gross, disgusting head cold-slash-plague that is making me cough so hard I pee a little and making me blow my nose incessantly. My poor, chapped nose. But, in the spirit of the day, the bright side: Today, I watched Mega Shark Vs. Giant Octopus on the Netflix Instant Watch doohickey, which is possibly the greatest film ever created. (P.S. Dear friend Myysharona has an amazingly funny real-time review of it up on her blog. Read it. You won't regret it.) My favorite parts: the guy who freaks out when he sees the Mega Shark leaping at his plane just before he gets eaten is, I'm pretty sure, the same extra who is running down the stairs behind Electric Youth (I'll never be able to think of her as anything but, Sharon) and the lab coat who's yelling at her in the VERY NEXT SCENE. It's probably a bad production decision to use your actors like that. Lamas's greezy, slicked-back douchetail. The fact that "science" = what it did when I was 5, i.e. pouring colored liquids between fancy-shaped beakers and frowning at them. Oh, and the dialogue. Amazing. I can't even begin to do justice to the dialogue.

And then tonight I got to watch Glee, all the way from the beginning (I have a class on Wednesdays that generally prevents me from catching the first few minutes, but since I'm sick, I skipped out on it). Jane Lynch is freakin' awesome and should be, as I have said elsewhere and repeatedly, in EVERYTHING EVER. Bonus: I also got to catch So You Think You Can Dance for the first time in its new, exciting fall incarnation. Oh, and another bonus to the plague: I haven't worn pants for like a total of an hour over the last four days. Yay! for pantslessness!

So, it's a short one tonight, kids, because I need to go to sleep now so I can get up in the morning and see whether I can make it to work without hacking all over everybody or stay home again and watch some more awefulsomely (TM Barney Stinson) bad movies and hack my brains out in my comfy chair. I hope everyone else's 3-month anniversary of No Whining Wednesday was good, though! (P.S. I tried, Lainey! I really did!)

No Whining Wednesday IS big... It's the pictures that got small!

Ahh, Norma Desmond. How I adore her.

Well, we've reached #NoWhiningWednesday again. (And H/T to Lainey Bobainey for the symbol! Love it!) Had a bit of a rough start due to staying up far too late doing homework, so I got out of bed around a half hour late. I still would have been pretty close to on time for work, though, except for how I got in the car, looked at the gas gauge, and said, "Oh, right, I was supposed to get gas last night." Oops. Well, if being a little late for work is the worst thing that happens to me, then that's all right. (My boss, by the way, is super understanding and doesn't really care if we're late sometimes. She knows shit happens. Very down-to-earth, she is. I hope she's my boss for a good long time.)

So, let's see. This is the first full week of class, so Film as a Medium was Monday and tonight I have Films & Literature. I have got to use the next couple of nights to get caught up (or, better still, a little ahead) on the reading and homework! That way the rest of my free time can be spent watching movies from my Netflix queues. Oh, Netflix! The most fantastic invention of my life. This past weekend, before I got crazy busy, I watched two more movies on Instant, and one of the actual DVDs (that was I Love You, Man, which I liked. I love Rudd and Segel together). But they were actual good movies, this time! I watched Teeth again, which I love. Then I watched a documentary about Andy Goldsworthy called Rivers and Tides. If you don't know, Goldsworthy is a sculptor who works only with natural elements (i.e. sticks, rocks, leaves, ice) and makes transitory art (the film's subtitle is Working With Time). His work is beautiful, as is the doc; I highly recommend it. It's a very quiet film, for the most part, just kind of following him and letting him do what he does and sometimes talk about it. Sometimes his pieces work, and sometimes they don't. And the film is done so well, I think it was as devastating to me as it was to him when some of them didn't. I had seen part of it (possibly on Discovery?), and was dying to see the whole thing, so yay Netflix! Hopefully they have some more of the docs about him, because he's awesome. They have an amazing selection of documentaries, which I love. Also on my queue: Helvetica. Can you guess what that one's about? Or whether I'm a nerd? Yeah, that's what I thought.

Oh! I just remembered something else that made me happy *technically* yesterday, but then I thought of it and it made me happy again: My friend Sharon, who has a most awesome blog, wrote a most hilarious real-time review of Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus. I now need to see this more than ever, and guess what? Netflix to the rescue! Netflix makes the whole world better.

Also, I had decided to take a personal day on Friday to take my car in for her 15-month/18.5k mile physical. It's great because the reason I took Friday is that I have an engagement party to go to Saturday at 3 p.m., and I didn't know how long it was going to take. As it turns out, that's not going to take long at all, so I have a day off! So very exciting. Plus, again with the awesome boss: I asked her Monday, and she said "Sure!" and then I started to explain why, and she said, "It doesn't matter. You have the time, take it!" Did I mention awesome? Also, one of the gifts the engaged couple registered for : A Jolly Roger doormat. Can you guess who they're getting that from? (Also the chip-'n'-dip server, because every time I go over there, we're eating chips out of the bag, and my fingers get greasy. Ulterior motives in every gift I give, people.)

Anyway, I suppose I should go eat my lunch (co-worker is sharing her vegetable barley soup with me, on the day somebody brought in many fine breads! Bread and soup are so very lovely together). Yum! I hope everybody has a great No Whining Wednesday. See you next week!

Wednesday. Has there ever been a greater day? (Probably. Just go with it.)

No Whining Wednesday again! I did not write a post last week, which apparently led some people to believe that I was tied up in someone's basement (aw, thanks for being concerned, gp, sugar!) or possibly causing havoc and mayhem, but I was not. I just didn't get around to it. But here I am, posting away, ready for another edition of No Whining Wednesday!

Tonight is the first night of my second class for the semester, Film as a Medium. It sounds essentially the same as Intro to Cinema, which I already took, but hey... who doesn't want to have an easy class that I already know everything for? Besides, I can always use a refresher, what with my holey old brain, and ... well, it's a film class, for crying out loud! Delightful. Can't wait to get a gander at the syllabus. I hope there's not as much group work as the other class has, though I'll make the best of it. It's what I do. The other class, by the way, began last Wednesday. Seems like it'll be a good time (other than the group work, which is always kind of iffy, but there's a few girls I chatted with that seem to have heads on their shoulders, relatively speaking). Anyhoodle, Films and Literature is going to be a comparison of interpretation, if I was paying attention. So we'll be reading 5 books and comparing them to the movie versions thereof, looking closely at how interpretation affects the story. We're starting with Heart of Darkness/Apocalypse Now, which is good because I've already read the story and seen... well, some of the movie. I've had it on DVD for years, but it's one of those things I have to be in a particular mood for, so I haven't actually watched the whole thing. I do love the story, though. So, yay for classes! I love school. Have I mentioned I'm kind of a dork?

(My only sadness about classes is that since they're on Mondays and Wednesdays, I'm going to miss some of my favorite programs! But, that's why God invented the Internet. Or Al Gore. Or whoever. And DVR, which I don't have, but my sister does, and we watch many of the same programs (or at least, the ones I'm sad I'll be missing). So yay! for sisters with DVR who don't mind me coming over to watch m'stories with them!)

What else, what else... Oh! I finally joined the rest of the world in 1997 and signed up with Netflix on Sunday. Between Sunday night and Monday, I managed to get around 40 movies on my queue, and probably total a dozen and a half on my Instant queue. I watched five of the Instant ones. Good grief, this is going to be bad for me... I may never leave my TV again! Especially now that I figured out how to use the Xbox to watch them on the good TV! Also, I made myself a little Xbox character person. (Mr. Pseudo-Husband said she looks like Tina Fey. Which I could see, if Tina Fey was quite a bit chunkier.) Anyway, I can finally catch up on all these movies I've been wanting to say, but hate going to the video store for! Hooray! Netflix is, like, the most amazing invention ever. Seriously. Printing press my ass. Also, this is going to make for some fun posts if I keep watching movies like Powder Blue and Shrooms, which, naturally, I will. That's just who I am.

Well, I suppose I ought to get to work. Silly work, they expect me to work for the paycheck they're giving me! I guess I can't really blame them there. I hope everyone's Wednesday is Wonderful and doesn't inspire any Whining!

Wednesday, Wednesday! Can't trust that day!

...sorry. I started thinking, "Wednesday, Wednesday" and that song just popped into my head, even though it makes no sense. There is nothing untrustworthy about Wednesday. I guess that's why the song is actually called "Monday, Monday"... Monday is a far less trustworthy day.

Well, here I am on No Whining Wednesday, sitting on my bum at home doing NOTHING. That's right, nothing. I'm on vacation, you see! Which, by the way, makes it much easier not to whine. Right now, I'm about to put some Alias season 1 in the DVD (hey, Evil Initiative Maggie from s4 Buffy is in this episode! And, really? There's a 'prophecy' story arc?) while I do some much needed organizing in the living room. Then, I'll mosey on into town and get meself a delicious lunch of Crab Rangoon. Then, it's on to tonight's Group Virtual Movie Date Night: Showgirls Edition! This movie contains some of the finest acting ever committed to celluloid, not to mention the sexiest sex scene ever filmed (the phrase "epileptic shark" has been used). And some of these people have never even seen it! I cannot even imagine my life without it. I'm so excited to share it with more poor, unfortunate suckers unbelievers.

Elsewhere in =me= news, it turns out I got an A in that Anthro class. I can only assume the Professor curved the grades, because going by the numbers, I most definitely had a B. How much of a school nerd am I that it completely made me high to see that A show up in the final grades? Like, seriously, ridiculously happy. Like texting my friends, doing a little dance around the living room happy. Oh, and that reminds me: I got all the books I need for one of my classes (Films & Literature; the books are The Virgin Suicides, Ragtime, Revolutionary Road, and The Color Purple (I already have Heart of Darkness)), and I am going to swing by the school tomorrow to pick up the one for my other class (Film as a Medium). I'm also ridiculously happy to be taking some film classes. I haven't taken one in ages (and I'm pretty sure I mentioned this a couple of weeks ago, but like I said, ridiculously happy). Yay for vacation!

Wait, what?! James Bond is in this show?! Amy Irving, QT... EVERYBODY is in this show! Awesomesauce! Hooray for #NoWhiningWednesday!

Well, well, Wednesday we meet... Wait, what? It's Thursday?

Well, see, here's the thing. Yesterday picked a bad day to be no whining Wednesday. First of all, I'm completely cranky from the summer heat. I loathe this part of summer. I despise sweating when I get out of the shower, as I'm trying to dress. I hate coming home from work and having no energy to do anything that needs doing, and having to find some eating option that requires no cooking yet is real food, not chips and candy. I dislike having to breathe processed, air-conditioned air all the time. I especially dislike the nights it doesn't cool off enough to sleep. This has been that week of the summer, so I'm a total whiny-cranky-bitchy basket case.

Then I learned something disheartening: I'm probably getting a B in the class I took over the summer. Now, I know what you're thinking, because I've heard it all before: "So? That's great! Why is this disheartening?" But here's the thing: I've had a 4.0 GPA since I started school. I like that I have a 4.0 GPA. It's better for applying for scholarships, for one thing, and for another, well, frankly, it's satisfying to see my hard work rewarded, and it’s nice to brag a bit. I was a terrible, terrible student in high school (and apparently also in grade school, I found out recently when my mom moved and handed me a folder with every single report card from kindergarten on up through senior year of HS (oh, moms)), largely because I didn't care. I hated being there and didn't give a crap about the work. Now, I care. I want to do well, and I have busted my ass sometimes and I have done well. Not only that, but this was a first-year-level Anthropology class. Who doesn't get an A in a first-year-level class? It's like a high school class, for crying out loud! Worse, there goes my average, because once you lose a 4.0, you can never get it back, ever. Even if I get As for the rest of my college career, I can never get higher than 3.999[...] ever again. It really knocked me for a loop. I realize it seems silly, but it has to do with the personal pride I take in the quality of my work as a student. If only I had taken a physical class. I think I do so well in all my classes in part because of the participation. I mean, let’s face it, I have a sparkling personality, and that doesn’t come across so well in discussion postings that are on a message board. There’s a name, but other than that, you’re just some words on a screen, thoroughly independent of who you are as a whole person, or a whole student. (Ugh. See? Whiny.)

So, as you can *clearly* see, I had a difficult time not whining (and I really tried to look at it positively, e.g. it's probably better this way; now there's not so much pressure about the grade and I can concentrate on the learning; but the thing is, I *was* concentrating on the learning, and the only pressure I had was that I put on myself to always do well).

But then, something amazing happened. I went home from work and put on the A.C., got into my jammies, ate half a leftover turkey and provolone sandwich, poured myself a glass of wine, grabbed my box of Bottle Caps, and sat down to a virtual movie date with a group of rambunctious, crazy, wonderful people. My day immediately improved for the better by about 98%. See, a couple of weeks ago, my friend Lainey Bobainey and I sat down in front of our televisions a couple of states apart and chatted while we both watched Galaxy Quest. A virtual date, if you will. We had such a wonderful time of it, we decided that we should do it again. Well, we did do it again, last night, only we were joined by the aforementioned group, which included Lizzie Borden, Figgy, Snuggiepants the Deathbringer, Sarina, DoranAdmin, jim of the lower case, JustBill, Branded, jM, Melody, replica, and a Giant Panda (as well as others I'm sure I'm forgetting and sorry! to those I am). Oh, how I laughed and laughed. This time, we watched Fear, and amazingly awesome 1996 movie starring Marky Mark and Reese Witherspoon, joined by Amy Brenneman as Helpful Stepmom, Alyssa Milano as the best Best Friend ever, and William Peterson as Concerned Dad. Oh, yeah, and Dude Friend (who, as it turns out, was also in the equally amazing Lifetime Television For Women Original Movie Mother May I Sleep With Danger, which might explain why he seemed familiar). If you haven't seen it, by the way, I HIGHLY recommend you do. It's just.... well, it's flat out amazing. Amazing that it didn't completely destroy the careers of those involved.

So, thanks to those nutty nutjobs and our shared loving of mocking terrible movies to pieces (probably that glass of wine didn't hurt, either), I managed to regain a terrific mood, and I've got a plan to at least try to get that grade up before he submits them for the semester (it involves crying and also possibly selling my soul). In spite of the fact that I did a terrible job of not whining (which, by the way, I felt so guilty about... thanks for that, Lainey), the day ended up with me really happy and looking at my problem with an eye toward fixing it, rather than wallowing in it. No Whining Wednesday was saved! Thanks, guys!

Wednesday's Weekly Weblog (check my mad alliteration skills, yo!)

Oh, hello, Wednesday! No Whining for me today, eh?

Well, the peak night of the Perseid meteor showers was apparently last night, when I thought it was tonight. No matter, there'll still be plenty of falling stars tonight (if of course the weather clears up enough). Otherwise, we'll catch the Geminids in December.Those are going to be spectacular this year, looks like... according to Sky & Telescope, they're scheduled at about 100/hour! Fantastic.

On the upside, there's this. Hahahahahah!

Aw, pseudo-Mr. vB just called me because he saw I left my cellular telephone on the dining room table this morning. Since he couldn't text me that he loves me, he called me to tell me in person. Sweet!

Well, short post today, but it's time for a peanut butter sandwich and carrots and some working on my paper that is due tonight, or maybe on the other paper that is due tonight (silly me, leaving them for the last minute). Yay, class is almost finished! And then there are 3 weeks until the next one starts. I can't wait for Fall, I'm taking Film as a Medium (which seems like a repeat of Intro to Cinema, but I'm okay with that) and Films and Literature. Surprisingly, it's been ages since I took a film class at all, and I am so looking forward to them. But, it's super nice to have a break for now! And one of the 3 weeks is my vacation week, which I'll be using to catch up on some pleasure reading and viewing, so double yay! Now off to the kitchen with me!

Wednesday, again, already? Again?

Ahh, Wednesday. You know, some Wednesdays are harder than others to do this whole non-whining thing. But that's good, right? Challenges are good. It's good to see what we can overcome (wow, that sounds dramatic). I mean, it's good to realize that I can take charge of my reactions to things. It's not so much about being thankful for the good parts, it's learning to react gracefully to the bad parts. So, for instance, this morning, instead of wailing and gnashing my teeth about the traffic on my way to the convenience store, I could have gracefully made the decision to go a slightly different way, and just accept the holdup I had to sit through either way. Whining about it didn't change the fact that the traffic was bad, but it changed my attitude; it made me feel stressed and angry, when I could have made an effort to be calm about it, accept it, and listen to a couple of extra songs on the radio. Instead of whining that I got no sleep, I will push through the day and not snap at people, and make sure I get to bed early tonight. Instead of whining about how hot and sticky it is, I will realize that it's summer, and it's supposed to be hot and sticky, and once I get out of my air conditioned office, I will find ways to cool down, such as a delightful gin and tonic. Mmm, crisp! I will control my reactions. I will accept things gracefully. Now that's empowering!

-----------------------------------------

Luckily, on the highway, I got to see two things that made me feel more cheerful: a hawk took off from the median right next to my car, so I could see his hawk belly and his little hawk pantaloons and his hawky face up close. Then, almost to the end of my commute, there was a heron on the median of the off-ramp. Lovely, graceful things, all long and slender and white. That helps. I love birds. They're amazing.

Well, I suppose that since I'm at work I should finish this blogitty thing off and, I don't know, do some work. I've got a fun new spreadsheet to build (no, really, I actually do love building spreadsheets... I'm an Excel nerd) and bunches of other stuff to do before my vacation in a couple of weeks, so let's get cracking! Adieu, and happy No Whining Wednesday!

Wednesday, again, already?

Well, well, well, my, my, my, how that time do fly. Here we are back in the No Whining Wednesday saddle again. This one is definitely going to be tougher than the last, because I am currently approaching my whiniest day of the month, if you get my drift. But, my boss called me as I was leaving the house this morning and asked me to pick her up a bagel from a specific place near me that makes the world's most awesome bagels ever, and also to get myself one and she'd buy. Good morning, cinnamon raisin bagel with butter! Get in my belly! But first, please feel free to spend a moment in my mouth, being delicious.

Anyway, Lainey Bobainey and I had a super-awesome-fun time on a virtual cyber date last night, watching Galaxy Quest while Facebook chatting. We had a lovely time, and Lainey didn't try to push her luck, if you know what I mean. She was a gentleman, but the lady version, is what I'm saying. I totally forgot how funny that movie is, and all the people that were in it! Rainn Wilson has a part, and Justin Long is in there (and all of 20 years old... Lainey commented that he looked 12). I also kind of forgot how much I love Enrico Colantoni in that. Or, rather, in everything I see him in, which I always forget until I see him again*. (Also, the woman playing Justin Long's mom was George Costanza's dead fiancee Susan on Seinfeld. Random!) We can't wait to do it again. Lainey said it would be awesome to do with Fear, a '96 thriller with Mark Wahlberg as a deranged stalker-boyfriend to Reese Witherspoon. I have somehow managed to not see that one , so I think it's an excellent idea.

Anyway. It's time to get off to work now, so here's hoping Wednesday is filled with reasons to not whine!

*I have just discovered, looking at his IMDb page, that he was in a Canadian TV movie called Celine, in which he played Rene Angelil, Celine Dion's much, much older husband. That is... random and strange. And apparently terrible.

**Bonus to No Whining Wednesday: I blogged again! It's only been one week since my last blog! This is very exciting.

A whole day without whining? What will I do with myself?

Well, thanks to one Ms. Lainey Bobainey, today has been designated "No Whining Wednesday". The idea is, instead of spending yet another day whining about everything that's wrong with the world, today, we will find positive things to say, and be glad for what's right.

Here's my first positive thing of the day (well, besides the fact that I managed to drive to work without screaming my fool head off at everybody on the road, which, by the way, I should do more often, because it was super nice to get to work and not have a headache already): instead of griping about the project my boss came in and handed me, I am going to be glad to do that project. I have a good job, with a company that gives a crap about its employees. I have loads of time off, if I call out sick I'm not made to feel guilty with dirty looks the next day, and my co-workers are all actual nice people. That's pretty darn good, and more than a lot of people have.

Actually, the very first good thing of the day? Was this exchange between me & Mr. Pseudo-Husband as I was leaving for work.
Me: Today is going to be Positive Outlook Wednesday.
Him: Oh yeah? I've got an outlook for ya... Wednesday positively sucks.
No wonder I love that guy. He makes me giggle. Even at 8 a.m.