UK/Europe/World - Whinge thread!!

[CosmicMuffin]

I like laundry. It is my favorite chore.

A WOMAN'S WEEK AT THE GYM


If you read this without laughing out loud, there is
something wrong with you. This is dedicated to everyone who ever attempted to
get into a regular workout routine.


Dear Diary,

For my birthday this year, my daughter (the dear)
purchased a week of personal training at the local health
club for me.

Although I am still in great shape since being a high school
cheerleader 43 years ago, I decided it would be a good idea to go
ahead and give it a try.

I called the club and made my reservations with a personal
trainer named Brad, who identified himself as a 26-year-old aerobics
instructor and model for athletic clothing and swim wear.

My daughter seemed pleased with my enthusiasm to get started!
The club encouraged me to keep a diary to chart my progress.


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


MON DAY:

Started my day at 6:00 a.m. Tough to get out of bed, but
found it was well worth it when I arrived at the health club to find Brad
waiting for me. He is something of a Greek god - with blond hair,
dancing eyes and a dazzling white smile. Woo Hoo!! Brad gave me a tour and
showed me the machines. I enjoyed watching the skillful way in which he
conducted his aerobics class after my workout today. Very inspiring!

Brad was encouraging as I did my sit-ups, although my gut was
already aching from holding it in the whole time he was around. This
is going to be a FANTASTIC week-!!

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


TUESDAY:

I drank a whole pot of coffee, but I finally made it out the
door.

Brad made me lie on my back and push a heavy iron bar into
the air then he put weights on it! My legs were a little! wobbly on the
treadmill, but I made the full mile. Brad's rewarding smile made it all
worthwhile. I feel GREAT-!! It's a whole new life for me.

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


WEDNESDAY:

The only way I can brush my teeth is by laying the toothbrush
on t he counter and moving my mouth back and forth over it. I believe I
have a hernia in both pectorals. Driving was OK as long as I didn't
try to steer or stop. I parked on top of a GEO in the club parking lot.

Brad was impatient with me, insisting that my screams
bothered other club members. His voice is a little too perky for early in the
morning and when he scolds, he gets this nasally whine that is VERY
annoying. My chest hurt when I got on the treadmill, so Brad put me on the
stair monster. Why the hell would anyone invent a machine to simulate
an activity rendered obsolete by elevators? Brad told me it would help
me get in shape and enjoy life. He said some other crap too.

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


THURSDAY:

Brad was waiting for me with his vampire-like teeth exposed
as his thin, cruel lips were pulled back in a full snarl. I couldn't
help being a half an hour late, it took me that long to tie my shoes.

Brad took me to work out with dumbbells. When he was not
looking, I ran and hid in the restroom. He sent some skinny idiot to find
me.

Then, as punishment, he put me on the rowing machine -- which
I sank.


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


FRIDAY:

I hate that Brad more than any human being has ever hated any
other human being in the history of the world. Stupid, skinny, anemic,
anorexic little punk. If there was a part of my body I could move
without unbearable pain, I would beat him with it.

Brad wanted me to work on my triceps. I don't have any
triceps! And if you don't want dents in the floor, don't hand me the damn
barbells or anything that weighs more than a sandwich. The treadmill flung
me off and I landed on a health and nutrition teacher.
Why couldn't it have been someone softer, like the drama
coach or the choir director?

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

SATURDAY:

Brad left a message on my answering machine in his grating,
shrilly voice wondering why I did not show up today. Just hearing him
made me want to smash the machine with my planner. However, I lacked the
strength to even use the TV remote and ended up catching eleven
straight hours of the Weather Channel..


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

SUNDAY:
I'm having the Church van pick me up for services today so I
can go and thank GOD that this week is over. I will also pray that next
year my daughter (the little ****) will choose a gift for me that is
fun -- like a root canal or a hysterectomy. I still say if God had
wanted me to bend over, he would have sprinkled the floor with diamonds.

[shykins]

hehe cosmic its great isnt it someone sent me that last week

kissa... ironing??? what the hell is ironing, it dont happen in this house whatever it is

x

[Kissa]

I'm just an old fashioned girl...who forgets to take things out of the dryer in time to avoid them getting creased again.

[shykins]

even more old fashioned here cos havent got a dryer lol

[junkfoodmonkey]

Washer is fixed! W00t! It's already had one load through before I came to work and I'd better put some through tonight and tomorrow, since I don't want to have nearly two weeks of stuff to do on Saturday and Sunday. Call me the washerwoman.

[shykins]

yaaay junk glad to hear it.... mine doesnt come til tues <sigh>
x

[Kissa]

Still walking around the ironing monster.

[CosmicMuffin]

Snow melted off but we got 2 snow days. Would like to have another.....ohh well.

[Kissa]

To face the monster or read a few chapters of my totally compelling book?

Not hard!

[shykins]

u need to learn the art of no ironing lol.... so what u reading thats so compelling??

[Kissa]

The Thirteenth Tale by.....I'll have to check that.

[CosmicMuffin]

I really bite at Ironing....really bad.

[shykins]

sorry to start with a whinge today already.. today is the allocation day for schools and as some of u know son took his 11plus in november so was looking forward to knowing today

BUTTTT u only know today if u applied online which i thought i had, well i had for the 11plus bit but not for the school bit so now i have to wait for a letter which gets posted out today sometime... waaaaahhh plsss let it come tomorrow i hate not knowing and if i had applied online i would know now <sulk>

[Kissa]

Poor Shy!

No whinges for me today, I finished the ironing and we are being taken out for a meal by friends who are going to camp with us for a few days.

[Kissa]

Okay, I think you all know that my older DD (41) is Down's. She is amazing and runs her home and life so well. However she is obviously Down's.

2 days ago she had her mobile phone stolen from her handbag. It happened very near her home and I am sure she was targeted. What kind of sick people do these things? I can't understand the kind of person who could be so calculating and cruel.

She was so upset, she had only upgraded her phone 10 days earlier too. To hear her sobbing down the phone was awful. Her support network fell into place and it was reported to the police. They will be visiting her tomorrow and hopefully will help to set her and her husband's minds at rest.

Anyway, today she got a new phone and it is pink! So every cloud has a silver lining.

Rant over. Thanks.

[shykins]

aww kissa thats awful for her

why do people pick on the least able its so unfair

glad she likes her nwe pink phone tho

[Kissa]

Yup, there is no doubt that a pink phone is a winner!

[junkfoodmonkey]

I'm going to rant about people who have to knock everything! You might have seen on the news last year about the author Terry Pratchett being diagnosed with a form of early onset Alzheimer's disease. Obviously, very sad.

Now today he's announced a donation of £500,000 to a research institution for the disease and has spoken out about inadequate provision for sufferers on the NHS. He's 59 and can't get one of the current drugs on the NHS, because he's "too young". Of course, he can afford to buy it himself instead, but he's speaking up for the very many people who can't afford to. He's also pointed out the huge discrepency between the amount spent per Alzheimers sufferers and cancer sufferers, even though there are as many patients with the one as with the other.

The thing is, I've seen people sniping at him now, because he's donating the money after he's been diagnosed with the disease himself. What the hell?

If he was being selfish he'd spend all that money attempting to find a cure for himself. As it is the research his donation funds will probably produce any results too late to help Terry himself. So he's doing it as much for others in the same position as for himself.

And as intelligent and well informed as he is, he can't know everything about everything. I'm sure, like most of us, he knew little about the subject before his diagnosis, and didn't know about the inequalities in the system. Many people only find out things like this when they actually end up with first hand experience of the system. At least he's now making use of his fame to speak up for those people who don't have his advantages.

Anyway, I just can't get my head around why people have to snipe at someone who is handing over half a million pounds to medical research, that could potentially benefit millions of people. What's this desire some people have to tear down anything good and to see an ulterior motive in every generous gesture? Can't they just say "thanks"?

Actually, I really dislike it when people have a go at celebs for supporting good causes and claim it's all about trying to get good publicity for themselves. Maybe sometimes it is, but celebrities are people too. They can have perfectly genuine charitable impulses, and if they can use their fame to bring attention to that cause, as well as donating money, so much the better. Seems like a win-win situation to me.

Erm, rant over. Sorry, kind of long. I'm steamed.

[junkfoodmonkey]

Sorry to hear about your daughter's phone, Kissa. That contributes to my "what the hell is wrong with people?" mood.

[shykins]

oh junk i so agree with u

what difference does it make hes done this cos hes found hes had it blah blah... well hello mosst people dont do fundraising unless they are involved in the subject they are fundraising for.. i mean how many people without kids would be on a school pta... its no difference

for petes sake the man is generous to spend his money to help others and maybe half a million to him is no difference to £100 for us but what does that matter

ooops am getting as long as yours

but i do agree

x

[Kissa]

Ditto. It was very moving listening to him talk, he is still so lucid, it is an awful disease.

[shykins]

my hub must have nearly every one of his books and was really upset to hear the news.. lets hope his is the slow one and he has many years of lucidity

x

[Kissa]

Big whinge. My cholesterol is too high! See Kissa's Journal if you are at all interested.

[shykins]

oh dear.. what point level is it??

how would i find your journal??
x

[Kissa]

7

Kissa's Journal in the search thread should do it, or at the bottom of the Bulletin Board there is a 'Journals' section and it will be in there. Strangely under Inspiration and Wisdom!!!!

[shykins]

i know the level used to be ok if u were 6, then made it 5, and now its 4 isnt it?

did they split it into good and bad cholesterol cos it could be its yr good stuff thats high not the bad

x

[Nusslisalat]

That is awful about Terry Pratchett! I am a huge fan and I was very sad to hear about his diagnosis. It makes me mad that people would say such bad things about such a generous person. Last year with my theatre group I directed a stage version of one of his books, Wyrd Sisters. Most playwrights make a ton of money from the rights for amateur and professional groups to put on their plays. Not Terry. Despite the fact that the stage versions of his books are produced all over the world now, EVERY penny of the rights goes (and always has gone) to a charity for Orang Utans. Trust me, this is a LOT of money that could be going straight to his bank account. I think the man is a genius and I sincerely hope that a breakthrough comes before it is too late for him - or at least that his generous gift helps others get treatment they couldn't otherwise afford to get.