me again with co-worker annoyances. So Bob, from above, its back from 3 months away. He and I have been work friends for 7 years. Long enough that we can share personal problems fairly freely. And that's fine. There is usually give and take, one b!tches, the other listens, offers up some advice or nice words, and we'd more or less take turns. 2 days he has been back and it has just been non stop pity party. I understand he is having difficult times at home, custody battles, problem part time kids, etc etc etc. It sucks, there is no question and I feel for him. But when does ranting become too much? When it has been 4 hours of non stop instant messages, never deviating from the self pity party? I do my best to be supportive and offer up helpful advice, but that just gets more ranting about that thing I suggested and how it will never work for him.

I'm feeling particularly annoyed with him, possibly hormones, possibly just that I just got used to him not being here and will take some getting used to again. It was quiet

anyway thanks for listening, I just kinda had to get it out there so I wouldn't get snarky and say something to him that would hurt our working relationship.

Ugh...I am glad to finally be employed...but come on! I have to sit in this chair for 4-6 hours a day, and guess what my back is killing me after these two days....it was fine last week...what in the h@*l did you to it on Monday before I got in and now can't sit in it? Guess I will take the other crappy chair that doesn't make my back hurt!

Well, the snow hit today. Work basically told me I had to come in for at least a few hours, which was frustrating. At least I was able to leave by midday. But my parking lot at my apartment complex hasn't been treated at all with the salt stuff and it is slippery. Not looking forward to going to work tomorrow.
Kind of a bummer coming off a really awesome, relaxing long weekend.

ETA: my parking lot still isn't salted or plowed. And I hate that work keeps telling me to "do what's safe" but then acts really put out when I voice concerns about the weather. Today the govt was closed (I'm just outside DC), all the schools in the area were closed, and all the daycares too. I was still expected to come in. And it was really frustrating. If I hadn't said anything, I'm willing to bet they would have tried to get me to work a full day. Grumble.

More accusations of anorexia, this time from my mother.

I just got done cooking (and eating) dinner and I'm bordering on being overweight... To her, reaching 120 would officially make me or make me look anorexic. Like passing into the lower 120s magically gives people a disorder.

I'm becoming hateful, irrationally enraged that anyone thinks it's their damn business, especially people who are dangerously obese themselves and do nothing to change it.

I find it helpful to try and spin things around from the other person's perspective. For one, it's kind of sad that the obesity epidemic in America has gotten so out of control that people (like your mother) see a healthy and normal weight as being anorexic. Maybe explain to your mom what your goals are and why (if you feel like sharing it with her) and particularly if you are under the supervision of a doctor you might mention that. Anytime I'm doing something under my doctor's supervision, I find that pretty much shuts people down on their criticisms.

i tried to put the truck's super heavy tailgate back on its hinges outside in the dark at night in the rain...that didn't go so well...it fell OFF the darn truck and landed directly on my kneecap bone....holy ouch!! i'm still sporting a bump and nasty bruise but at least i can walk, which i couldn't do the night it happened...ugh

Instead of saying, "I dislike the spare tire I'm carrying around my stomach" I actually did start telling her about how it's the fat you can't see that has been linked with cancer. I know my mother well enough to decipher from her tone of voice and choice of response (a fake understanding "yeah") that I had made literally no impact.

I suppose I could look at it from the other side but a part of me becomes furious. My ex cheated on me with a girl who is at least 250 pounds, has no motivation to be remotely healthy, and even considers herself to be the ideal figure. That's her deal, whatever...but he doesn't like it, it's one of the reasons he eventually broke things off with her, her complete and total lack of regard for her own health. But if you call her a disparaging word for "fat" it's mean. It's not right. How dare you judge her! But it's acceptable to use a term for a serious medical condition to insult someone who is at a healthy weight and wants to improve? If I were really anorexic, I might find it even more insulting that such a term is being thrown around like it's a joke.

Sorry, got into a rant again there.

Day three of non-stop co-worker instant message ranting.... I haven't replied in 5 messages. Think he will take the hint?

yet another reason i'm glad i don't have that capability at work...our email has a "chat" function but i'm never at my desk long enough to bother to try it out...can he see you at your desk? i would just say you're busy and not respond for the rest of the day...or longer LOL

I'm just sick and tired of being tired all the time. Three days of straight classes (taking 5 three-credit college classes) and I'm fried. I seriously cannot *think* anymore. But next week I have three exams that I'm just super intimidated by. 2 of my classes are soooo hard!! Lots of memorization and just stuff that I'm not good at. Plus today I ran out of food so I wasn't able to pack my lunch so I didn't get to eat it until 4:30. So after 5 hours of classes I come home famished and grumpy. But then of course that's my fault and I'm the irresponsible one...and I just need to suck it up and stop being so selfish. UGH!! I just want to wake up *one* morning and not feel more tired than when I woke up

Alaskan - it is totally a mixed blessing! It's far more handy than sending emails when you do want to chat, or just need a quick answer. But it can be annoying at times for sure. And unfortunately there are only two cubes separating us, so he knows when I'm here or not Oh well. If it continues next week I will have to say something, because it is interfering with my work (and the work that he should be doing but isn't coz hes too busy ranting at me!! )

I am SO SICK of the weather out here. I had to cancel my volunteer duties and miss church this morning because the roads were terrible. I white knuckled it through the back roads, then turned around when I got on the main highway and realized it was no better. I also skipped going to the office yesterday to get some extra work done for the same reason. And we were hosting dinner tonight, but most of the guests cancelled by 10am this morning. Ugh.

Husband and I have so much extra time in the winter to do all sorts of things we're too busy to do in the warmer months, but typically we're stuck at home because we live in this gods forsaken snow belt. I hate living here, I really do.

it's really much better weather in Alaska have you considered moving up here? Juneau is lovely this time of year

Well, I can't really complain about weather since this weekend it was in the high fifties and low 60s. That's all gone now though, and it's back to being like 9 degrees outside. God knows what the wind chill is. Right now I can't sleep because it's so windy. I thought it was raining because I heard things hitting the windows but I looked outside and it was just dust a and debris. Sustained winds of 35-45 miles per hour is what their saying with gusts up to 60. And the apartment MOVES when there are gusts. It's january! We have several months left to go before winds like this should be even acceptable (tornado season). I'm just tired of the yo-yoing that is Kansas weather. It is bitter cold and then it feels like spring for two days and then it's back to being bitter cold. It was nice being able to get outside and walk this weekend, BUT MAKE UP YOUR EFFING MIND KANSAS AND STICK WITH A SEASON.

I sliced my ankle while shaving my legs last night. I bled like a stuck pig. I put a band-aid on it. It still hurts. A lot. It's winter, why did I feel the need to shave my legs anyway??