Friday
Mar022012
Weekend Witness!
Friday, March 2, 2012 at 4:35PM Mrs. G. 
"ring ring" by DailyM
Need an ear, a shoulder, a slug of scotch or a fellow sister to attest, affirm, bear witness, uphold or verify your good, your bad, your ugly? You can't experience life without feeling it and in Mrs. G's experience, you can't feel it without out sharing it, both the cool and the oh so uncool. Let's lift each other up.
All you have to do is pull up a chair, unhook your bra get comfortable, plant your feet and testify.
tagged Back Talk, weekend witness
Back Talk, weekend witness
Reader Comments (44)
Wow, what an amazing photo!!
Well, Derfs, I just got thrown for a loop this week at work. Back in 2009, an accounting assistant I supervised retired. To replace her, my boss upgraded the FTE to a Senior Analyst position that is a peer to my own position. The duties of budget analysis and financial oversight that I used to have were transferred to the new person. Our department also merged with another, so the duties increased, and it was an appropriate change. It was a tough transition, but over the two years, I've come to like and respect my new colleague.
Our department is in a big transition now - we're negotiating a public/private partnership relationship for a new business model, a lot of staff has been laid off, and we're going to make a lot of changes to our facility. There's a ton of financial analysis that has to be done during the tradition, and I've been grateful that my talented colleague was there to shoulder most of the load.
Wednesday I came in to work and she announced she's transferring to another department. Because she is junior, her job was less secure than mine, so I knew she was looking for a safe place to land. It appears she has found one.
Good for her, but now I've discovered that I will have to shoulder not only my own work load, but also hers - all this incredibly complex financial analysis that I am ill-prepared for. I am not trained or educated in accounting or finances. I am completely self-taught, and my 7th grade remedial math student self would be amused to learn that I will be responsible for financial oversight of a budget the size of my department.
It's overwhelming to me. I don't know that I can handle it. Plus you've already heard my complaints about my boss, who approaches financial reports in the manner of someone who can't see the forest for the trees.....
I'm a little scared.
I understand your fear, Aunt Snow, but I know you can rise to the occasion. You're a smart cookie with a great work ethic.
Happy Weekend, All. I have to unplug for the weekend, so I'll catch up on Sunday night.
My 88-year-old mother is ticked at me because I reminded her a bit bluntly that we had agreed that it would be better if she did NOT continue to forward Republican propaganda memes to me. This one claimed to be a speech written by a high school principal to his new school, advising the students of all the divisive things they would discontinue doing in favor more American activities (or, at least his version of American activities). It concluded with him telling the students that they would conclude with the Pledge of Allegiance—the teachers would be passing out copies since most of the students didn’t know it.
A quick check on Snopes revealed that they author was not, in fact, a high school principal but instead—wait for it—the host of a Republican radio talk show.
As an educator and a parent of two kids in public schools, I get so damned tired of listening to politicians using our schools as scapegoats for What’s Wrong With America. Perhaps a bit overly sensitive even. Mom can’t believe that I would expect her to understand that this speech was anything other than what it was labeled as being: a legitimate speech by a legitimate school principal.
Aside from my peeve about politics, the bigger issue here is that, as my mother ages, she has become increasingly gullible. This is the woman who used to be able to smell B.S. a mile away. My dad used to happily sit back while she negotiated with car salesmen because she was so good at not falling for manipulation.
Last month I got a call at work from a kindly store clerk from out of state. My mom was there at his store, trying to wire money to Peru. To get my son out of jail. My 14-year-old son who was, at that moment, taking an algebra test at our local middle school. The clerk, bless him, understood that my mom was being scammed, and took the initiative to track me down to assure her that her grandson was fine and certainly not in a Peruvian jail.
She has reached an age where she will fall for anything. As if realizing this isn’t enough, my cousin insists on continuing to send her Rush Limbaugh/Bill O’Rielly bullsh*t to underline the point. Thanks, cuz—so helpful.
Aunt Snow--Good luck! I hope you're able to get someone in that roll to help shoulder the burden sooner rather than later.
Kristy--That's so sad about your mom. Have you tried talking to your cousin?
As for me, I just read that the King of the Idiots, Rush Limbaugh, has called Sandra Fluke a slut and a prostitute and has called for her to post videos of herself having sex because, after all, if insurance has to pay for contraception, her use of it should be public knowledge. Feminist outrage aside, doesn't that fat asshole realize that "we" insurance holders pay for treatments that are perfectly preventable--like Type 2 diabetes and most cases of heart disease--because their main risk factor is obesity? If he really wants to get involved with regulating who gets payouts from insurance companies, maybe he should first attack every overweight and obese person in the US and force them to pay for their own healthcare until they can lose enough weight to fit into a "healthy" or "normal" weight-range. But, of course, his fat asshole self would then be out his own health coverage. I HATE that man with the force of a thousand suns. OH! And who, may I ask, subsidized his prescription drug problem? I'm sure that prescription drug coverage in his insurance plan paid for plenty of those little pills. Motherfucker.
Oh gosh, Aunt Snow! Is there enough coffee in California to do your job??? RE: Republican horsesh!t--why on earth do these idiots keep trying to drag the majority down to their medieval redneck level? Well, in Limbaugh's case and many others, HATE = DOLLAR SIGNS. These guys are rich....
I am asking myself "does the fact that I enjoy making shark and Godzilla sculptures eating people indicate a sick mind or is it simply good old fashioned fun?" to which I tell myself "FUN DAMMIT :)"
Aunt Snow, my goodness, I'm terrified for you! You are very smart and I'm sure you're up for the task, but it doesn't sound easy. Sending lots of wine and chocolate your way!
Kristy, geeeeez! Does anyone have her general power of attorney? One of you may be able to take over her bank account. You could also talk to her about someone in the family monitoring her bank account online...maybe give her a debit card with only so much in the account at once (my family did this for my grandpa, who is not gullible but prone to overspending and going into debt).
My grandma passed Tuesday morning; last weekend left me feeling traumatized and shell shocked (nothing prepares you to take a family member off the vent, to rush to the hospital as she lays dying at 2 am and to see her body, to do the final prayer with the chaplain). The experiences were overwhelming. But I have come out of it with some good things--a stronger bond with my extended family and some clarity about my career. Everything this year has been leading up to this moment here, where I have decided I want to work with caregivers. If I need any more proof that a God exists, I'm finding in the fact that I've somehow gotten the experiences I have this year. For that I'm so grateful.
I hope everyderf here has a wonderful weekend!
@ Aunt Snow: I feel for you; I'd be scared too. My only tip would be to front-foot the risk of it all being too much and explain to your manager that you may not be able to do all this all at once, or at least within time expectations, so you need clear priorities and mapping out of timelines from the start. Then, manage expectations as you go along. But, I'm sure you've already thought of that.
"...Rush Limbaugh, has called Sandra Fluke a slut and a prostitute and has called for her to post videos of herself having sex because, after all, if insurance has to pay for contraception, her use of it should be public knowledge."
My jaw just hit the table. What a hypocrite fuckhead. This whole debate on healthcare and especially contraception is completely incomprehensible to me. In our much-maligned 'socialist' healthcare system in the UK, contraception can be obtained free of charge, paid for from general taxation. To get the pill I would go to my doctor or to a sexual health clinic, have my blood pressure taken and questions asked, and then get a script for 6 months. No charge. You can also get free condoms very easily from at least two different sources I can think of off the top of my head. Not to mention other reproductive health services. I realise Rush is a special brand of crazy, but geesh. Healthcare from general taxation (I guess, insurance cover in the USA, though let's not even go there) does mean everyone pays for everyone's ailments ('self-induced' or otherwise). It's what happens in the UK, where that's seen as justifiable in terms of broad public benefit. A famous person (can't recall who) said that the NHS is the closest thing the UK has to a religion. Mess with it in the sense of trying to take away the entitlement to healthcare for all being available free at the point of need, and it's election suicide. If it's so fucking terrible living under 'socialised' medicine, why would there be that positive strength of feeling about it?
Gosh, I needed to write that. Sorry about the derailment.
This week, we've had an electrician in the house moving sockets around. Yesterday, he accidentally knocked a hole in the wall through to our study. He also did not finish his work in the allotted time so I'll have to be in, listening to drilling, banging, lifting of floor-boards, and with intermittent power, on monday. But, seeing as that's all I've suffered this week (well, apart from having to work ridiculously hard at my job) I've got no real complaint.
hugs to all derfs!
Aunt Snow...sorry to hear about it. I always say if you really want to see a woman's strength, back her into a corner...just do your best. The rest will just have to wait.
Glad I live in Canada sometimes, although our political crazies are sometimes just as bad as yours...I live in the highest taxed province with the littlest help from our government, the worst services and apparently worst school systems. Time to move....
Have a good weekend derfs....Monday is only two days away! Sorry, that's the eternal optimist in me! LOL!
And why can't these politicians just worry about politics instead of trying to run everyone's lives? We have so many rules and regulations now that I call my country Communist Canada... would it be like that if women ruled the world??? Derfwads For Presidents! I like the sounds of that!
Aunt Snow, I'm so sorry. I have confidence that you can make it work.
Kristy, My mother, only 56, has become one of the most gullible people in the world, too. She used to toss drunk, burly men out of bars and used to be able to smell the BS, too. 2 summers ago, she got taken for $1000 in a fake money order internet scheme. She's on a fixed income and bounced her rent check that day.
Jessie, those are some good ideas about the power of attorney.
Rush Limbaugh is an idiot. I can't believe that anyone listens to him.
Gary, your sculptures sound like fun to me!
As for me, our kitchen reno is slogging along. My husband is hard at work on it, and it will be great when it's done, and I'm grateful for his work and commitment to our family. My feelings are best presented in haiku, in the tradition of Gary.
thanks for stopping with
cleaning tools in kitchen sink
drywall mud's gritty
It gets stuck on our
plastic utensils and won't
leave the dishwasher
you're sanding again
thank you i love your hard work
please use the tarps, dear
Boy I haven't commented in a while but always read every Friday morning. Sometimes I get great laughs to start my weekend and other times when people are having hard times it makes me grateful that my life is pretty mellow for the most part. Hope everyone figures out solutions to help! I can't complain about much. More snow here in Iowa today but we've had such a mild winter that we deserve at least a couple good storms yet this season. Looking forward to a weekend of maybe finally getting some much overdue scrapbooking done. My "baby" will be a senior next year and I think I haven't scrapped since his freshman year. Oops! Oh and as usual spending as much time as possible with the grandbaby Miss Ava! Have a great weekend Derfs!
Gary -- Shark and Godzilla sculptures? You will be my son's new artistic hero. Please post a link.
Sending wishes for strength, patience, and a couple of laughs to all Derfs this weekend.
So last night I'm coming home late from work, trying hard to catch my train so I don't have to wait an hour for the next one. I'm frustrated because there's some event going on in Union Station that causes me to detour, which means I have to spring to catch my train. But I caught it.
Fast forward to this morning when a lady on the news tells me the event at US was a concert for Bill and Giuliana Rancic. Guess who was playing? Sara Bareilles and Maroon 5.
I was in the same building as Adam Levine. I am very mad at my women's intuition right now. She should have told me!!
My husband saw the news after I'd left this morning and has been texting me, rubbing it in. Luckily (for him), I love his sense of humor. And Adam Levine is probably not in Chicago anymore, anyway.
You people are so wonderful! Now I can go out there and work.
Aunt Snow, your job sounds scary, but we're all sending you good luck. Attack! Maybe the lectures at KahnAcademy.org could help? I know there are a bunch of financial ones.
Kristy, I cannot believe the assault on education. Can you imagine what this country would look like if the right wing followed through with their rhetoric? Hello Dark Ages!
Other than my political rants, I have nothing to complain about. Yesterday was my birthday and I was showered with love and affection. I have plenty left over and am sharing it with all the Derfs!
This week has got to be one of the longest weeks in history. We're all sick. Again. My husbands boss decided to screw with his schedule and he works wed-sat but because of where and what time he's working, I have to drive him in at 5am because the bus doesn't run yet. This means getting the kids up far earlier than they would normally get up, loading them and their portable morning snacks (1/2 a banana and dry cheerios count as breakfast, right?) in the car and driving 30min each way. Yesterday it was so icy it was kind of scary to drive in. I opted to go grocery shopping after dropping him off (because doesn't everyone want to go grocery shopping at 6am) in the hopes that more light would make driving on icy roads a little less scary. Didn't work. Because it was light people seemed to think that they should be able to do 55mph even if they're slip sliding everywhere. Spent all day with cranky kids. Got to repeat it again this morning, minus the ice and groceries, and going to do it again tomorrow. Oh and I get to drive all the way back in the evenings to pick him up. There's all kinds of other crap but I don't actually have the energy to vent about them.
Hey Fellow Derfs - are any of you in personal contact with mrs.g.? If so, would you be willing to pass a message along for me? We are trying to get in contact with each other regarding our Derf gathering, but I cannot get an email to go through to her. It may be ending up in her spam folder. Since Heather is unplugged this weekend, would she rather get in touch on Monday?
Thanks for your help,
The Other Kay
got nothin' bad to say, don't have a whole lot of good (except OMG I'M GETTING A PUPPY IN LESS THAN A MONTH), but Aunt Snow? it's Friday. tomorrow's the weekend. have yerself a TALL glass of wine after work, and enjoy it. sounds like you could use it. :)
Aunt Snow, you make sure that woman gives you detailed notes and plenty of tutorials before she leaves. Even if you had a financial background, you'd still want to know how SHE has been doing the job. Everyone puts their own spin on the basics. You have always struck me as such a smart, savvy woman. I know that no matter how shocking the idea of this seems, you are going to prove yourself more than capable of handling it as soon as you learn the mechanics. Hopefully the anticipation is worse than the actual learning curve.
Happy late birthday to you, cardinal!
Hugs, well-wishes, and good weekend to everyone.
Tomorrow is my late husbands birthday.
He would have been 59.
God I miss him, even though its been 8 years.
Pray I don't cry all day at work.
I'm so sorry, Linda C. Remember the good times, and rejoice that you were blessed to have shared your life with him.
Well Derfs, I can officially come out and say on here, too: I'M PREGNANT! (big double smiley emoticon, all across the sky!)
We heard our baby's heartbeat just a few days ago and that was the confirmation I wanted, this is really happening! The hubs is so happy, as is my 10 year-old daughter and our families far away. It's been wonderful!
That being said, along with feeling elated, over the moon, so joyous, and completely excited, I've also found myself feeling totally intolerant to stupid bullshit. My eyes have rolled more in the past few weeks than in the previous six months combined, holy shit. Overall I'm having a hard time adjusting to what a total bitch I feel I am. Will this go away?
Oh shoot, passed away so young? Sorry Linda!
Thanks for the haiku and interest. My name here in the comments signature always leads to my blob, but here is the link anyway http://garysthirdpotteryblog.blogspot.com/
OK, I read something funny yesterday in a Scottish mystery I was reading which totally applies to right now, Friday afternoon, in haiku form:
"POETS Day" can mean:
"Piss off early, tomorrow
Saturday!"....amen...
I think the Scots are trying to tell us to get an early start on the weekend, and I for one plan to do that by 3pm....
Hugs to all the Derfs who are needing them today.
In the past 3 days, we've had thunderstorms, tornados, sunny and 70 degrees yesterday, and today, snow. If Mother Nature is PMS-ing, I understand, I am too, but enough already! I don't know how to f-ing dress anymore.
Having some long-lost family members over for a get together on St. Pats. What to fix? I'll have one guest that has celiac so she can't have gluten, and another guest who has IBS, so she can hardly eat anything, poor kid.
Caro! Congrats!! (BIG HUGS) I'm sure the bitchiness will subside at some point. If not, just make sure you warn people! :)
Caro - that's so exciting!!! Wonderful news for you and your family.
Meanwhile, I just had some hyperventilation/panic. I found out on facebook (!) that my kids' school was in lockdown. A few minutes later there was a generic lockdown announcement on the school website. Granted it was "code yellow" which one has to assume can't be as bad as code red, but it gave no explanation for twenty minutes. Turns out there was a robbery/police chase going on in the surrounding neighborhoods, but geez, given what just transpired in Ohio, how about allaying some fears by telling us that?!?
Oh, Linda. Oh Aunt Snow. Such hard, hard things going on.
I'm watching the flakes come down and I'm waiting to head out for my annual girl's weekend. Not sleet nor snow nor alien abduction can keep me away from girl time with wine and NO KIDS.
After reading these, it makes my problems seem so trivial. My heart goes out to you all.
I am so ready for Spring!
My very best wishes to Aunt Snow, Linda, Jessie, and everyone else who's in need of them.
I have had an insignificant week. I email and there's no response. I went to knitting group and no one asked to see photos of my new grandbaby. The kids at home are all, "We'll talk later, Mom." I feel invisible.
As a complete and silly aside, anyone else miss the confessional component that Friday comments used to have? I don't even have anything good to throw in, wish I did.
Other Kay, not sure what is going on. Try my heaz@live.com email. My unplugging starts at 6:00.
Anon et al, just confess when you feel like it. The space is the same.
Anon today, I see you because you are in my thoughts.
Linda, I'm sorry today is such a sucky day. Good husbands are impossible not to miss. I'm glad you had a good one.
Yay, Caro!
I think one Friday we should all respond in Haikus!
BTW, Mrs. G commented on my blob yesterday and I felt like I had been touched by an angel, I mean, really! The gal has a zillion better things to do than visit my nonsense ;)
Stupid little t hings at work bug me. Two years ago, our manager died after a lengthy bout with cancer. She was a 'broad' in the best sense of the word and a joy to work for. But it's like nobody there can get over her passing. Today I went to pull my stuff from the printer, and when I went to log in to my in box on the printer, I saw that next to her old mailbox #, it said 'In Memory Of'. Really? We're honoring this woman by retiring her mailbox #?
Anon Today, sometimes I feel invisible, too. I try to be a really good listener for my friends, but they rarely ask me about what's going on in my life. Sometimes things seem so one-sided. If I were knitting with you, I would totally ask about your grandbaby and would expect you to whip out the photos before you even sat down!
I haven't posted recently. I read everyone's comments but just too frustrated with my life to vent for fear I would never stop. But this stuff with Rush limbaugh has sent me over the edge. What is wrong with this country were it is ok to call a young women a slut because she would like an employer's health insurance to cover birth control. And even worse to suggest that she should have to post videos of herself having sex since taxpayers are somehow paying for said birth control. That people support him saying this is unbelievable. There is something seriously wrong with our society and it will only get worse if trash like him are allowed to stay on the air. Ok, I feel better now.
Hugs to all of you.
Kelley that is the lamest thing I have ever heard. Could you take up an office collection to donate to a cause she might have liked? Lame!
Martha, I thing Rush might have finally sank his ship. His advertisers have started pulling out. Go to Think Progress and you can find out which one are still supporting him. They are easy to email, FB and Twitter. Use your rage for good.
Lastly, to all Derfs and their friends and families who have been affected by the tornados, I hope you are safe and sound. You are in my thoughts.
There is a movement to boycott Rush Limgaugh's sponsors. More information here:
http://www.topplebush.com/boycott_rush.shtml
Confessional today:
I just wrote a confession which I just deleted.
Also? I have the biggest urge to just run away. Also? I've had some wine, so my confessional may skew to the inappropriate. And... I want to spend a LOT of money on books this weekend. A big stack of shiny, glossy hardcovers.
And my husband has hemorrhoids. Which , for some reason, he told me. Which I really didn't want to know. You know?
Aunt Snow - Ask. For. Help. Even if it is a contractor. There are staffing companies that specialize in financial experts. If you feel this is the right thing to do for your company, you need to make the case.
I feel like I keep promoting my stuff here, and maybe I shouldn't, but I wanted to invite the derfs to contribute to Artifactual if they felt so inclined. It's a blog for posts about some of the important stuff we keep in our lives and what those items mean to us. I'll bet you all have some great stories.
Now - I remain optimistic that the country will come to its senses and repudiate this mysoginistic bullshit. In the meantime it is really hard to be paying attention to the political scene nowadays. And then you have to remember that this is exactly what they want - for us to feel defeated and give up. Get angry, educate your daughters and get out and vote.
I want to send thoughts and prayers to everyone that may be in the storm areas that are hitting our country this weekend... we're having horrible winds and some area power outages in this part of NY state, but absolutely nothing like the devastation that is hitting out west, and down south. I hope all those that visit here are safe. For all the real problems that those people are facing and the help they will need, this makes the contraception issue pretty lame, indeed. The Rep. powers that be, need to get priorities straight.
Oh Derfs I am sooooooo excited. Have just received an email from a friend with a shot at The Olympics in London this Summer. She has been working toward getting to The Olympics for the past 30 years and has represented her country in 3 different sports since she was 12 but this, this is the big time and she is so close. Please keep your fingers crossed they get the sponsorship they need bc she deserves this chance.
So much for unplugging...deadline what? Trash, that is fantastic! Incredible.
Having a rough week. I've been sick for over a month. Long story about seeing an ENT and a lung specialist. Apparently my lung function is fine, the dr doesn't hear wheezing and I have no throat infection... so why is it so hard for me to breathe and my throat is still sore? I'm nervous because the next step they suggested is a cardiologist. Yikes. The good news is that I've actually had a few moments in the last few days where my breathing was better. I'm trying not to let my imagination run wild.
I'm also having a great week. My husband and kids are so fantastic.
Sending good thoughts to everyone. Have a great weekend.
@Kelley -- one of my favorite meals for guests is poached salmon (holds well in the oven, if cooked medium rare), brown rice, and roasted green beans. All celiac friendly, and the rice should be acceptable for the person with IBS. For dessert -- fresh fruit salad and maybe some homemade whipped cream to liven it up?
I'm on a self-imposed news moratorium and am therefore able to sleep again, but even so the Rush nonsense trickled in. LOVED the letter from the president of Georgetown in support of his student.
Hope all of you are having a better weekend than your comments would indicate.
Right now, at this precise moment, I'm happy!
I'm happy with my kids, my husband (! ! ), my job. I think I will just sit right here and not move for a while.
My middle child has always been difficult. There are times when I just don't like being around him because of his attitude. For instance, we were at an event last night & someone that I respect A LOT told him that he looks like a certain, well-known & famous rapper. Well, my lovely son immediately got this look on his face & was very rude. I was embarrassed by his behavior. He is almost 20 & he was definitely not raised this way. I keep hoping he will grow out of this, but like I said, he has always been difficult & I don't see this changing anytime soon.