Saturday, December 14, 2013

Bah Humbug


I've been wanting to blog, well, I pretty much want to blog every day. But you know, "life gets in the way," as they say. 

But that's it. I'm blogging. I'm hoping it helps "reset" my course a little bit, as this week has been a relative series of unfortunate events.

What a week. All the days are meshing into one another, so I don't even know that I could recount a day-by-day log, but let's just say that pretty much every day this week had something. And by about 2pm every day this week, I've had the thought, "I should just go back to bed and start over again tomorrow." 

Yeah. That kind of week. 

On top of feeling like ships in the night between work, school, commitments, family stuff, appointments, lessons, etc., some of the events of this week include:

A broken fridge, causing a bunch of our food to go bad (and anyone who knows me knows how much that hurts).

A car that intermittently chooses whether or not it feels like starting - always fun when you're out and it's cold.

People bringing their sick kids to our house (major pet peeve of mine). Hello, I'm a germaphobe! Respect the neuroses! 

Bratty kids. Not ours (ours are awesome), but a few select others who were just, well, bratty. PUT MY PILLOWS DOWN, STOP WRESTLING, AND HEY, SHUT UP!

Over 200 emails that I cannot seem to get on top of - the more I work at it, the higher the numbers go. WHY?!?

I'm behind on work. I mean, I'm seeing clients, but haven't stayed on top of patient notes or class prep. Like at all. Patient notes are my least favorite part of the job.

Crappy sleep. I hate that.

Get together with friends getting canceled due to snow. Twice.


Woman in our homeschool group who I have specifically asked not to call me (she calls with a billion questions about EVERYTHING) called our house before 8AM, waking Mark up on the ONE day he could sleep in. She wanted to ask me a question about the field trip that day. You know, the field trip that she knew I wasn't attending. Don't even get me started . . .

Snowy day on busy work day - lots of stress and shoveling and salting between jobs. 


People flaking on things repeatedly. DISLIKE. 

People with just abysmal listening skills or desire, right when I could really use a listening ear. 

Bizarre situations with my clients. (My job is not dull!)

Being totally behind on Christmas stuff. It's so so bad. If it weren't for Gramsy and Pops as well as good friends and Kate's homemade gifts, it would be bare under our half-lit (keep reading) tree. We know we've got to get cracking, but reference above and below. That's right. More's coming.

People suggesting ideas to me instead of just planning something nice (subtext: Stacy will plan/do/organize/handle/take care of it). Boy, does that get old fast. 

The lights on the top 1/3 of our tree going out. Yep. We got tired of our old tree lights doing that, so we opted for a pre-lit tree. Now the pre-lit tree is doing it. This has meant a couple different visits to a couple of different stores to get a tool to find the problem followed by 3 days of trying to diagnose and fix the problem and yet the top 1/3 of the tree remains out. 

Kids STEALING from us (not kidding). It is a wild and very bizarre story, but also kind of a sensitive issue when you know the specifics. Just UGH. We have spent the better part of the past couple of days trying to figure out how to best handle that one. Very, very, VERY awkward. And it also has gotten so much weirder today as more, er, information has emerged.

Let's see, what else. Well, there's the usual winter stuff - cold temperatures/high heating bills, things breaking at inconvenient times, trying to do a million Christmas things, getting thank you gifts to teachers (violin, tae kwon do, art teachers, etc.), being asked to do stuff for other people who can't be bothered to do it themselves (or who obviously have no clue as to how insane our lives are or who don't care), not keeping up on anything in our home or business . . . it's just been one of those weeks.

I cried this morning and I think it made the dog nervous, because she responded by pooping in our room. 

Oh yes, and we're supposed to be getting on a bus to NYC tomorrow morning. You see, months ago, Mark got us all tickets to go to a lovely holiday jazz concert at the Lincoln Center, but the trip got cancelled due to the blizzard that's coming tonight. Merry Christmas!

Oh, and speaking of tonight. It's after 2AM and I'm sitting here typing this. Know why? Because we currently have two massive plumbing leaks - one in our kitchen (if you're picturing collapsed wood, wet towels everywhere, and a frustrated husband - you win!) and a geyser in the basement from our boiler. Mark is on the phone with the emergency plumber now. We're getting 8 inches of snow tomorrow, so we're trying to get this fixed before we're snowed in. And I'm almost positive that calling an emergency plumber on a weekend *and* in the middle of the night doesn't cost anything extra. (We may stick a bow on him and put him under the tree this year. You know, instead of presents.)

So, to recap. It's 3 am. It's 26 degrees.  We have no water and no heat. And the plumber will be here in 5 hours. 

But here's the thing. These are all very first world problems. We're happy. We've even laughed (a lot) amid the tears this week. 

We have a loving family and share a beautiful home. We are not homeless. We are not carless. We have the ability to work and the resources to fix things that break, and even if it sets us back, it's temporary. Sure, it's awful timing with the holidays and all, but it's doable. 

We can stay in when the roads are slick. We have things kids want to steal. We have beds even if our sleep isn't great. We have good friends who do listen. We have work. We have a tree. We have heat and can use space heaters and hang cloth in doorways to help keep our bills (oil heating) reasonable. 

We can replace things. We can be safe. We have plenty to do. We have teachers and mentors to thank. We have abilities. Yes, people get on my every nerve sometimes, but hey, we have options! We have many friends. If some drive us crazy, we can enjoy those who don't, you know? 

First world problems. First world problems. All you need is love, right? THAT we have. In spades. And that's my favorite anyway.

All that being said, is it next week yet? Because this one has been a real doozy.

16 comments:

Dr. Mark said...

Week's not over yet . . .

You're right, though. All of the problems we've had this week can be evidence of the great things we have going for us. It's all in the perspective, right? Having plumbing leaks means we own a home where problems can occur. I'll keep saying this until the plumber shows up in a few hours.

But seriously, life could be a whole lot worse.

Love you!

Rich said...

Wow. Just wow. All I know is my mom wasnt the one calling you before 8 in the morning!(Family rule) But kids trying to steal from you! Was that at 20 things? Because that's just a little over the top. :P

Emily said...

Oh man. Rough, just rough. I'm so sorry. And what is the deal with prelit trees burning out? The first year of our prelit tree they all worked, but that's it. Slowly each year more have gone out until this year not one light worked, so our prelit tree has a million burned out bulbs and then three strands of lights that we added and it looks so sad. Because two strands are colored and one is white. Looks ridiculous.

Did you get your stuff back? I sure hope the leaks get fixed. And our car doesn't start sometimes too! Lame.

Anonymous said...

Ugh. So sorry about the plumbing. Why does that stuff always have to happen in the middle of night, when it's cold, and when money is tight?! Frustrating. I hope it was fixed and didn't set you back too much.

You will NEVER have to worry about me calling you before 8:00 AM. I try not to be awake that early. I might text you at 1:00 a.m., but I know your phone will be off! :)

I'm behind on Christmas, too. I've been ordering things willy-nilly. I guess this is good, but I really don't know what I have, what is on its way, what I bought over the summer (and where it is)...Until I get grades in, I won't know, either.

My Christmas card order is hopefully on its way to my house, but I used a Groupon for it and can't track the package, so who knows.

It's looking like my house will be torn up until after Christmas, not before like promised.

I'm with you on the bad week. Plus, I think about those poor families in Newtown and start to cry every time. Yes, these little issues we are having are so small compared to the pain that many are suffering. I try to count my many blessings every day. The Foleys are among them.

Hug Scout A LOT!!!!

Dr. Mark said...

Rich - Crazy, right? I wan't going to say anything, but hey, I want my stuff back! ;)

Emily - We were trying to avoid excessive consumerism by purchasing a nice, reusable tree, and now we have to buy more lights. And as far as your lights go, with the right ornaments you could make that work!

Our stuff did turn up, but there is a whole, insane story to go along with it. Stacy keeps walking around saying, "How is this my life?"

Fishes - The plumbing is fixed as of about 11:30 this morning. It's a plumber who did some work for us when we first bought the house and he works quickly and efficiently, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Those surprise expenses aren't fun, though.

And 1:00 am? We're probably up.

That stinks about your remodel. The one thing you asked for was to be done by Christmas. Maybe there will be a discount in your stocking this year.

You're right about perspective, too. All of these things add up and can be annoying, but in the end we're so fortunate to be together with our family and friends during this holiday season.

Dave Johnson said...

Um...maybe you should come live with us for awhile? I won't tell anyone you're here. We take out hits on people who call before 8 a.m. And yeah, you guys seems to have some kind of cosmic thing about plumbing at the worst possible times. I thought our weekly plumbing fiasco's were bad, but geez. At least they don't happen in the dead of night when I'm grumpy and ready to sleep.

Fishes - agreed. I'm trying really hard not to think about Newtown this year because last year I became very withdrawn and nearly depressed over it. Things on the news don't usually affect me that badly, but it really got me. We're all so fortunate to have safety, good friends, warmth, and food. Everything else is icing. (It just sucks when the icing has turned sour and makes you sick - stupid indoor plumbing.)

Anyone for going back to outhouses? I sure thought about it back in October.

Also, I promise to return Mark's speedo and Kanye CD. I was borrowing, not "stealing." Geez.

Boquinha said...

And now our kitchen floor is all buckled from water damage. Merry Christmas!

"I'll keep saying this until the plumber shows up in a few hours." He said at 2:30am. LOL!

Rich, yep, 20 Things Club. CRAZY!

Emily, thanks for telling us about your tree. It kind of makes me feel better. Or at least less crazy? :P

The stuff . . . well, it's a very strange story. I'll have to fill you in on it once it's resolved. I don't even have words for how very bizarre/sensitive the whole thing is. I keep shaking my head about it.

72fishes, this: "I guess this is good, but I really don't know what I have, what is on its way, what I bought over the summer (and where it is)..." YES! This!

We're not even doing cards this year. Ugh.

And that TOTALLY stinks about the house stuff not being done before Christmas!! Ugh, ugh, ugh! You have guests coming, too!

Thanks so much for the kind words - we think you guys are pretty great, too. :)

And Scout is TERRIFIC therapy. LOVE her!

What Mark said (to all of you).

Dave, you and Sherri both offered for us to be with you while the heat was out - THANK YOU. I hate being cold!!

And ROTFL - THAT made me laugh.

LMW said...

Sorry your week has been so bad. I hear you about stress. I guess it's happening all around. Now, I'm just super curious about the stealing story!:)

Rich said...

That was really fun, maybe we can do it again next year? :P

Boquinha said...

LMW, are you feeling stressed, too? So sorry to hear that. :( I've missed hearing from you. I know I owe you an email (my inbox is up to over 230 again - ugh!) and I'm antsy to find a chunk of time to write you back. This time of year is so crazy (and you see what kind of week it's been). I hope to get more on the stick soon. I should really post details of the story, too. I just want to make sure we resolve it first - it's a crazy story!!

Rich, I hope you meant to respond to the Gramsy and Pops story below this one! LOL!

Rich said...

OH, LOL!!! Sorry, wrong post! It was to the "Bah humbug" post, sorry about that!

Rich said...

And no, I dont want you guys to do THIS again. :P

Jagged Rocks said...

HOLY CRAP!! You guys have had a fun week, I am sorry. I hope things are going better.

LMW said...

No worries!! Definitely don't let that be a part of your stress! I know what it's like to get behind on emails.:)

LMW said...

Oh yeah, one of my colleagues said "bet your bippy" at our office Christmas party yesterday!!:)

Boquinha said...

Thanks, Kim. Thanks, LMW. Thanks, Rich. :)

Heh. Bet your bippy . . . so funny.