What's Your Fucking Problem? Living

      Please continue to keep station wagon in your thoughts.

Welcome to tonight’s edition of What’s Your Fucking Problem?  Though we hate to do it, won’t you please make it a cheeseburger? Errrr I mean recommend so that others may enjoy the fruits and bounty of this weekly tradition?

WYFP? is a community diary where community members may express what's on their minds and in their hearts without fear that their problem is too big, too small, too smelly or too green. Commiseration and empathy are possible and welcomed.

January through April is the busiest time of my year. The hidden blessing, I have discovered, is that I'm so busy that the longest part of winter is a blur to me and I literally wake up one day to birds chirping and bulbs popping.  Nonetheless, there is a price to pay for this type of annual stress, not the least of which is my altered disposition from slightly nervous and jumpy to all out train-off-the-tracks crazy.

I vowed this year would be different.  I would not work until the wee hours and I would not spend entire weekends away from my family with that glassy look in my eyes and that twitching muscle in my cheek. I promised myself that I would not pretend I really do hear what my child is saying to me while my head is opening up its file drawer marked "Things NOT Done, You Loser".

How have I done this? First, I told all the companies I work for that we may, just may, need to file extensions. That's O.K., that's why they were invented. The problem arises when even though I am knocking off work at a reasonable time and drastically reducing my weekend hours I still find my mind is doing the work I swore it would not be doing.

Maybe it's a learning curve. Maybe I just need to kick some of this to the curb. But it makes me wonder, at times like this, if I am living. I mean really living my life well. I think living a life well takes diligence and vigilance; things can get away from you when you're not paying attention.  These days are my life and I will never, ever have them back.  MFP is a nagging feeling this week that I am not living as well as my heart desires.

Pootie knows how to live well:

Sleep 16 hours per day

Eat when you feel like it

Play often and well

Ponder the world outside you

Love and be loved

Sleep some more for good measure

So tell us, What's Your Fucking Problem??

•  Pootie is thinking

  spring!

  

  by One bite at a time on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 05:07:16 PM PDT

  •  shpilk likes to chew on almost

    anything ..

    

    she's looking forward to whatever it is!

    by shpilk on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 05:51:03 PM PDT

    •  Stray Cat Strut

      will spray almost anything

      

      by Frankenoid on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 06:07:45 PM PDT

      •  I gots no pooties.

        Maybe that's my FP this week.

        But I've got pootie willows...

        

        by bwren on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 06:41:13 PM PDT

        •  Beautiful!!! (n/t)

          by dirkster42 on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 06:46:21 PM PDT

          •  thank you

            {blushing grin}

            by bwren on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 07:03:16 PM PDT

      •  A purrfect match...

        Of my Chaos & Havoc !

        My little hunters were indoor/out door cats...untill i moved into a codo.

        Now, my little black purr-balls have managed to learn the art of hunting birds, off a small balcony on a high-rise condo.

        They (cats) put Cheney & all canned hunters to shame.

        If, my cats can still bring home the Mayhem of a live bird catch...100's of feet up, without a gun, why are they needed.

        I only wish... I knew, how to link a pic on KOS!

        by Thought I Was last Screamin Liberal on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 07:07:02 PM PDT

        •  Here's how I do it

          although better instructions are written in the FAQ.

          Go to photobucket and create an account.

          Use your photo editor to resize your images to an appropriate size and screen resolution. (Too much data slows down loading time for those on dial-up especially, and takes all the fun out.)  I use about 96 dpi and try to keep the pic under 3 inch square.  I use paint.net to resize, but there are lots of fine programs available.

          Upload your pic to your photobucket page.  Below each thumbnail you will see 3 boxes.  One says url tag.  Left click it once and it will say "copied".  

          Go to the diary you want to post in on DKos.  Click post a comment.  Type in a subject then go to the comment section, and type in something or click there.  Now click the button at the bottom that says LINK.  You will see a box to type in the url, but don't!  Click in it and backspace to erase the part that says http (etc).  Now right click in that blank box and click paste.  Type a cute label in the next box, that is what will appear when people move their mouse over your picture in the comment.  Now click the check box that says image.  Next click Add.  
          Alway preview your post, to make sure it's the right size and right pic.  Then click post.

          If you are nervous about messing it up, try it in a community diary like this one.  Everyone who posts pics was new to it at some point, and won't care if you mess up your first one.  So jump right in!

          by LAMaestra on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 07:43:23 PM PDT

          •  You can also size the pic

            by putting width=250  (or some number) in the image tag link in your comment.

            by BentLiberal on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 08:11:23 PM PDT

  •  Wish I could sleep as much as

    those cats! :)

    Thanks!

    by BentLiberal on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 08:08:04 PM PDT

  •  MYFP is that SOME asshole decided that...

    there would only be 24 hours in a day! Where do I have to stand to make it 30?

    AAAAGGGHHH!!!!!

    It's OK, I'm moving house right now...

    by Clive all hat no horse Rodeo on Sun Mar 11, 2007 at 01:08:29 AM PDT

    •  Oh, and moving house is definitely THE worst

      job in the world...

      by Clive all hat no horse Rodeo on Sun Mar 11, 2007 at 01:13:03 AM PDT

•  Had a great week

  I am happy to report I have no FP today, except for insignificant nit picks, including the premature imposition of daylight savings time (and who makes these decisions anyway?).  In fact, the justification for daylight savings time no longer applies, so why don’t we just give up the whole concept, stop disrupting everyone’s sleep twice a year, and switch back to 365 days of standard time?  That’s enough of a nit pick for now.  Carry on.

  by vigilant meerkat on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 05:08:10 PM PDT

  •  Bush. He's thinking Legacy.

    And that's what he's come up with.

    The place I remember resenting DST the most was Alaska. I mean the sun rises at noon sometimes, sets at 2 a.m. other times, and on top of that they gotta mess with our clocks?

    by SensibleShoes on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 05:32:43 PM PDT

    •  I seriously do wonder who decides

      these things (and I would not be surprised to learn it is Bush).  Is there a committee or something?

      by vigilant meerkat on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 05:40:31 PM PDT

      •  Tinfoil: Another Corporatist Conspiracy

        If you're a beltway bandit, you made out on the DST thing.

        As someone who'd know, let me tell you that thousands upon thousands of dollars flowed through existing contract vehicles into the hands of government contractors.

        Nah. People who use "the google", "the Internets" and think it's a truck couldn't possibly think this up.

        Had Hastert forced something through requiring toilet water to swirl down the drain in the opposite direction, now THAT would have been a boon for contractors. :-)

        by malharden on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 05:56:07 PM PDT

    •  I truly just wish

      they'd leave the damn time alone!

      by MzAnnThrope on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 09:26:16 PM PDT

      •  This is what I want

        by vigilant meerkat on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 09:52:10 PM PDT

  •  I'm dreading it.

    Up here in the northwest corner of the country there has been wonderful, beautiful, happy light in the sky at 6am when I am forced to rise. That light is my godsend. It means that I have survived another winter. My mood lightens. Hell, my whole body lightens. I rise cheerfully and ready to face the day, skip downstairs to make coffee and walk for a few moments looking at the new growth in the garden. Life is good.

    I dread Monday. It will be pitch F^&#%ing black when the alarm goes off. I will drag myself out of bed and hit every bloody light in the kitchen, including the bank of intense lights waiting on the table. I'll crouch in front of them with my coffee and my peanut butter and jelly on toast, praying that they are intense enough to bring color back into my face, color back into my day. There will be no walk in the garden.

    And what pisses me off the most? Those "energy savings" the administration promised don't exist. Yeah, folks don't use as much electricity in the evening, but ya know? They make up for it by driving around in their bloody cars, burning gasoline, spewing crap into the atmosphere. And the retailers just love it, because more light in the evening means people go out and spend money.

    I say "bleah!".

    end of rant.

    by bwren on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 07:01:23 PM PDT

    •  Look on the bright side

      At least you'll have enough light to do yardwork and outside home repair after work. That's what I plan to do. That's good, right?

      by Joe Bob on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 07:32:21 PM PDT

      •  Here, here....

        I wish we were on daylight savings time all year round.

        by bloomer 101 on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 07:58:58 PM PDT

      •  Sure

        That is if you don't have 4 f'ing feet of snow in your yard - with more still coming...

        Yeah, I'm pissy about that.

        by boxer babe on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 08:37:14 PM PDT

    •  Article in the Balto Sun

      ... yesterday, sez that Seasonal Affective Disorder is caused more by lack of light in the morning that total amount of light vs. darkness. So early DST will screw us up.

      Sorry, lazy, drinking wine, no link.

      by frostyinPA on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 08:00:35 PM PDT

      •  Thanks for that

        I'm collecting reasons why it is screwed and bad for us.

        by vigilant meerkat on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 08:29:54 PM PDT

  •  when does it start?

    I know somebody who is gonna be really fucking happy...

    by OrangeClouds115 on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 08:13:57 PM PDT

    •  One second after midnight tonight

      by vigilant meerkat on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 08:30:49 PM PDT

      •  actually it starts after 2 am.

        by PoliSigh on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 09:37:12 PM PDT

        •  I didn't know that

          Thanks for clarifying.  For me it starts when I go to bed, whatever time that may be, it add an hour on to it.  But I don't change the clocks until the next morning.  And I didn't put in a "patch" or anything on my laptop, so I'll see what happens.

          by vigilant meerkat on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 09:44:07 PM PDT

•  Yeah, pootie pictures!

  My FP? I should say, my husband’s FP.  He slipped on the ice 10 days ago and severely sprained his wrist.  He’s been in considerable pain ever since.  At first, he was taking Vicadin(?), and that really didn’t help, but now he’s taking Tylenol with codine, and that’s working better.  Still doesn’t sleep well, though.

  Needless to say, the prescription wears him out, and he’s like a winged bird.  He can’t do anything with his left hand.  Not even type.  And the doc says it could be six weeks before he doesn’t feel anymore pain.  Some people tell me it’s less painful to break it, rather than sprain it.  Don’t know if that’s true, but I wouldn’t be surprised.  And he’s 71-years old, so obviously he’s not going to heal as quickly as he used to.

  So my FP, of course, if that I have to do everything for him.  Not really a FP, if that were me, I’d expect he’d do the same.  For the next few weeks, I’ll have to take care of my chores, his chores, plus wait on him (button shirts, put on socks, clip his toe nails, open beer bottles, etc).

  Reminds me why I’m sooooo glad the kids aren’t little anymore.

  As I said, not a FP for me.  He’s my hubby and I’m here to take care of him when he needs me.  I just really feel bad for him, because he hates feeling helpless.

  by edwardssl on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 05:09:00 PM PDT

  •  Sprained wrist sounds painful

    I broke my right wrist a few years back.  It's definitely surprising how little you can really do for yourself without that right hand.  I did learn to type one-handed, but eating was truly a bitch.  Especially in a restaurant.  I learned to be careful what I ordered.  And forget about hooking bras, or tying shoes, and opening bottles, and many, many other things.  So yes, you are going to be busy helping him with those everyday tasks.  

    by vigilant meerkat on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 05:15:49 PM PDT

    •  Especially hooking his bra

      That's gonna be a bear . . . .

      by jmart on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 07:09:55 PM PDT

      •  I was wondering

        whether anyone would pick up on that; I love it that you did.

        by vigilant meerkat on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 09:29:41 PM PDT

  •  Try to find a thing called a cryocuff

    this is like an icepack that inflates around the joint.  But it's very soft and comfortable, and doesn't need constant changing

    It helped me a lot when I had knee surgery

    by plf515 on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 06:31:12 PM PDT

    •  Thanks for the suggestion.

      I was just icing his wrist a few minutes ago, so that's probably just what he needs.

      by edwardssl on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 07:37:00 PM PDT

•  MFP is I can't stop sneezing and dribbling.

  And I literally just 30 minutes ago (4.45 PM) stuck my arm under the quilt on the bed and made my lazy cat get up and start her day.

  by blueteam on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 05:10:16 PM PDT

•  My Problem?

  I'm not a cat!

  by ek hornbeck on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 05:10:27 PM PDT

  •  ain't that the truth!

    by One bite at a time on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 05:12:19 PM PDT

  •  link?

    you think we will just take your word for that?

    by buhdydharma on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 05:13:32 PM PDT

    •  Yeah.

      On the Internet nobody knows.

      by renaissance grrrl on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 05:18:37 PM PDT

      •  I'm lazy...

        but not nearly lazy enough to be a cat.

        by ek hornbeck on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 05:23:02 PM PDT

        •  besides

          Frenchy would have ripped you into tiny pieces!!!

          by buhdydharma on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 05:25:01 PM PDT

          •  Frenchy is brave enough...

            especially after a few absinthes, but even he's not dumb enough to take on a cat.

            by ek hornbeck on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 05:29:56 PM PDT

        •  You can't be a cat until you learn

          the fine art of dissolving all your bones at will.

          Honestly, when our cat doesn't want to be held, she goes limp and nearly melts away.

          by edwardssl on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 05:27:02 PM PDT

          •  Also teleportation.

            I remember the time we found one cat, God rest his soul, in the birdcage. Bird was totally freaking.

            by SensibleShoes on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 05:34:36 PM PDT

            •  Aaah, that it so funny.

              Wasn't that a Sylvester and Tweety episode?

              by edwardssl on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 05:37:07 PM PDT

              •  Nope, it was real as real.

                The cage door was shut, too.
                (Disclaimer: we only caged the little thang when the cat was gonna be lurking and the humans weren't.)

                by SensibleShoes on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 05:39:30 PM PDT

                •  Schrödinger's cat

                  http://en.wikipedia.org/...

                  by wrights on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 06:19:35 PM PDT

        •  My cat...

          ...likes to step on the keyboard.  But doesn't spell anywhere near as well as you do.

          by Land of Enchantment on Sun Mar 11, 2007 at 08:54:33 PM PDT

  •  That goes without saying.

    by SensibleShoes on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 05:33:34 PM PDT

    •  Or leaving or taking.

      Or hundred commenting.

      by ek hornbeck on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 05:44:40 PM PDT

  •  wanna make something of it?

    

    :p

    by shpilk on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 05:43:28 PM PDT

  •  In my next life . . .

    I am going to be a cat at a resort hotel in Bermuda, with a trust fund.

    by noweasels on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 05:58:09 PM PDT

    •  I think I'd rather come back

      as a cabana boy at a resort hotel in Bermuda, but that's just me ;-9

      by musing85 on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 05:59:41 PM PDT

    •  Oh thats funny. When my wife and I stayed in

      Bermuda several years ago, there was a cat that was wandering around the hotel. We were staying in St. Georges so we named her "Georgette". We actually invited her into our room and bought some cat food for her.

      by CTMET on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 07:02:29 PM PDT

      •  Ya see?

        And THAT cat may not have had a trust fund. :)

        by noweasels on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 08:14:10 PM PDT

  •  thats my damn problem every day nt

    by OrangeClouds115 on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 08:15:09 PM PDT

•  My FP?

  I have water stains on my acoustic ceiling (yeah, I know). Anybody have any idea how to solve it, and no, I don't want to remove the ceiling stuff. Just the stains.

  by pucklady on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 05:10:34 PM PDT

  •  I think you can prime over the stains...

    with something like Kilz and then paint it. Or just don't look at it anymore.

    by blueteam on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 05:15:24 PM PDT

    •  Thanks

      by pucklady on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 05:19:48 PM PDT

    •  I tried your second suggestion

      I have the same problem, but the more I try to not look at the stains, the more I notice them.  I'll try painting them.  I actually already have some Kilz already.

      by myrealname on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 05:48:42 PM PDT

  •  If you have the paint that you used on the

    ceiling, you can get an aerosol sprayer thingey at the hardware store (you mix the paint with thinner) and spray your ceiling to cover the stain.

    by DMiller on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 05:15:46 PM PDT

    •  Thanks, but I didn't paint the ceiling

      The acoustic stuff is sprayed on white. I'll try the bleach suggestion down thread. But I did want to thank you for your suggestion, too.

      by pucklady on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 05:20:42 PM PDT

  •  Don't know how much this will help

    But, depending on the size of the stains, try dabbing them with a cottonball soaked with regular bleach. If the stains are really big, though, your best option is to repaint them (which will require you to remove the tiles and repaint them individually.)

    by LynneK on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 05:17:24 PM PDT

    •  Thanks. I'll try it.

      by pucklady on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 05:21:02 PM PDT

    •  Wear eye protection!

      Goggles or something. Don't want any bleach dripping into your eyes.

      by jmart on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 07:13:10 PM PDT

  •  Kilz is porbably your solution, but...

    it's also worth asking:

    Are you by any chance a Japanese divorcee currently fighting for custody of your daughter and living in a spooky, old apartment building? Have you worked as a proofreader in the past?

    There may be more to this than meets the eye.

    If not, be glad that there's a big FP that isn't yours. ;-)

    by khereva on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 06:18:36 PM PDT

  •  You have an acoustic ceiling

    because the DPO (Damned Previous Onwer) had some sort of serious problem, like, say, a water leak, that he wanted to cover up.

    Open it up and face the deluge, is what I'd recommend.

    by frostyinPA on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 08:03:58 PM PDT

    •  Actually, I'm the DPO

      I bought the house new and the builders put acoustic ceilings in all the houses. I know when the stains happened - the roof leaked during a rainstorm and I put on a new roof, so the only thing left is the stained ceiling.

      by pucklady on Sun Mar 11, 2007 at 08:58:35 AM PDT

  •  If the Kilz doesn't work...

    spray the area with clear varnish, then paint--the varnish seals the area and then the paint will cover it and it won't bleed through.  I usually do this to stains--it always works unlike Kilz which usually works!!!!!

    by PoliSigh on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 09:36:09 PM PDT

  •  White Shoe Polish

    ...the kind with the foam tip.

    It worked for me. ;)

    by Unique Material on Sun Mar 11, 2007 at 03:25:20 AM PDT

•  No major problems this week

  An annoyance this morning when I missed something I was looking forward to all week because I overslept.  And then going into work and having clients no show.  But I can live with annoyances.  

  by sobermom on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 05:10:48 PM PDT

•  What is my problem?

  My problem is that I had to come back to my pitiful existence after spending a week in a cabin in the mountains with my family. It was our first vacation in over 8 years and I hated to have it end. Not only that, but I was just informed that my presence is needed at the Girl Scout camp I work at tomorrow from noon until 6 PM, because we have 75 girls signed up to take a course on "Leave No Trace" camping!

  by LynneK on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 05:12:23 PM PDT

  •  Stay Home

    and when they call afterwards to find out what happened to you tell them, "I was there.  I just left without a trace."

    by Limelite on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 05:24:37 PM PDT

    •  Interesting thought, but...

      Since I am supposed to be working with the camp director (who is my boss), I think my absence would be noticed a tiny bit. Actually, this is a class I enjoy teaching...it's just that I won't have time to readjust from being on vacation before I have to jump back into the "real world".

      by LynneK on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 06:01:27 PM PDT

  •  your family must be awesome....

    ...if I had a "a week in a cabin in the mountains with my family" I would honestly go insane. :)

    by justalittlebitcrazy on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 06:45:20 PM PDT

    •  I'm one of those strange people who actually

      enjoy spending "quality time" with the Spousal Unit and the Daughters. (Particularly since the oldest is now in college and we don't see her that often.) We spent the week in the Great Smoky Mountains, and I got to share some of the things I remember most fondly from my own childhood with my children.

      by LynneK on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 06:49:28 PM PDT

      •  That sounds wnderful!

        I'm glad it was a special time.  I hope you don't have to wait another 8 years for the next one!

        by CJB on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 07:57:53 PM PDT

•  there's nothing on TV

  not even Hyacinth...it's pledge week on PBS.

  I so got nothin' to do now. :(

  by terrypinder on Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 05:13:03 PM PDT

  •  You're telling me...

    We're watching Priscilla on DVD over here.

    by Dion on Sat Mar 10,