Curmudgeonly Corner . . .
 

OK, who here is enough of a BT old-timer to remember our short-lived but oh-so-lively Curmudgeons' Corner?

Let me eshplain: A fellow Braintalker told me about this site today. I checked it out, saw all the familiar names, started to feel almost *festive.* Decided to settle in with a glass of wine -- actual wine, my first in months -- and catch up with all the invisible people.

And there my problems began . . . of course, I couldn't even wrestle the freaking cork out of the bottle. And it looks like such a *nice* bottle. "Promessa Rosso Salento." Hah -- false promises, apparently.

So, now that I'm all disappointed and grumpy and, well, curmudgeonly, I figured it was my duty to bring back that fine tradition.

Perhaps this thread will sink sadly to the bottom of the page, unnoticed, untended. But perhaps somewhere out on the board there exists another soul who has been waiting for just this chance to leap on the curmudgeonly bandwagon and get something off his or her burdened chest.

Nice to see everyone . . . I'd add my usual happy face, but someone yelled at me once for using it in a curmudgeon thread, so I will instead sign off with a poem:

"The Red Wine Bottle"

by bluesky carlos bluesky

so much depends
upon
a red wine
bottle

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
laptop.

ROFL!! Don't give up your day job, Blue.:rolleyes:

Oh lord, the old cumudgeon's corner. Let's face it, MS
make curmudgeons of us all.:mad:

Let's see, how did we use to do this, Oh yea, we picked
something that peeved us off and wailed on it.

So is opening wine bottles the subject of our rant? If so,
I have a perfect solution. Get the screw on capped wine.
Noooooo! Wine "connisewers" are coming at me. Back, Back,
I say.:eek:

Someone gave me a giant bottle of M&R Asti Spumanti
(the expensive stuff). Well I couldn't even lift it off the
floor, so I went and got ye ole corkscrew and began to
tackle the monster. The cork popped off with out knocking
me out, so I went and gots me a wine glass.

So, how do I lift this monster to pour it into my delicate
wine glass, without breaking the glass and my back? I'm
in my Scooter, mind you, so this isn't going to be easy.

I did the only thing I could do, I put the wine glass on the
floor, making sure it was sitting flat, so I wouldn't knock
it over. Then I took the bottle with both hands and leaned
it toward the glass, steadied it and out came the wine,
with most of it going in the glass.:rolleyes:

As the bottle got emptier, the chore got easier. So that's
my story.

Next.....

A tragic tale of frustrated antici..pation bluesky -- Pablo xo adds to the derivative Carlos:

Wine, color of day,
Wine, color of night,
Wine with your feet of purple,
or topaz blood,
wine,
starry child
of the earth,
wine, smooth
as a golden sword
soft
as velvet,
wine spiral-shelled
and astonished,
amorous,
oceanic,
never have you been contained
in one glass, one song, one man, one bottle ...
until today ... merciless cork.

Zat You Mark? Welcome home.:)

Love the poem.

Oh boy! I ain't a curmudgeon, but I am loving the literary wittiness and the fact that bluesky and, apparently, Mark are here!

:) :)

I'm putting in smiley faces and I dare anyone to erase them! :)

Nancy T.

I have nothing witty to write just another type of whining (oh that was sad).

Just a general rant I guess. I've never participated before but I'm feelin kinda down. It's the weekend and I always feel more lonely on the weekends.

I am sick of my husband being gone. I hate worrying that something will happen to him in Iraq. I hate worrying that I will see a government car parked in front of my house when I come home or my heart stopping when the doorbell rings unexpectedly. I hate being a military family sometimes.

I am sick of having little patience with everyone around me because I am so tired. Taking care of my kids without him is the hardest thing I have ever done. They are so little and deserve a mom who isn't so tired and frustrated and one who can walk more, play more, do more. I hate MS.

Okay, I'm done. Thanks.
Jean

Hi guys! Sorry, I'm not that grouchy today. I just found BT2, and I went a round at work on Friday with a philosophy professor - in a large meeting. He blustered for 55 minutes of a 1 hour meeting, except when I was correcting his facts. They sometimes direct their attacks at me instead of my bosses, but I'm not easily intimidated - especially by BS.

The score?

Lowly Secretary with Brain Damage - One
Pompous ***** - Zero

Afterwards, my boss (and his) thanked me for speaking up in the meeting and told me I was appreciated. :)

I guess my biggest complaint today is that our weather forecast is for storms, hail and tornadoes until tomorrow afternoon. I'll have to keep my computer shut off and maybe spend some time in the basement.

Nice to see you all!

All this talk about wine really has me peeee--oooood!!!! Ever since my stupid, miserable, lousy #%&#% MS (Grrrrrr) has progressed, just one little sip of wine, any color, gives me an instant headache!!!! Not fair!!! My pretty wine glasses just aren't the same filled with Pepsi!!

And Jean -- your bravery and hubby's willingness to serve our country touched my heart. Hugs to you and God Bless you both.

Well, here we are again. Saturday morning, and I even slept in until . . . 6:30 a.m., when my youngest child woke me up to announce proudly that he would be playing quietly by himself so I could rest. (This is the same child who is impossible to rouse on school mornings, of course, and usually has to be dragged out of his nest.)

Sally, I love the screw-on lid idea. Have you considered what else has screw-on lids? Like rum? It's cold and windy outside, and a hot toddy would be just the thing. I will be thinking of you this morning all wrapped up in something warm as you go about your day, expertly dodging the wine splotches on your floor . . .

Good morning, Mark. Pablo would be honored to join this group. May I say that as always, you know the way to the hearts of the forum members -- through our little purple feet.

Nancy! Hurray! In the spirit of the smiley face, let us break from the curmudgeonly feeling and take a moment for a lovely feel-good anthem:

"The 59th Street Bridge Song"

Slow down, you move too fast.
You got to make the morning last.
Just kicking down the cobble stones.
Looking for fun and feelin' groovy.
Hello lamppost,
What cha knowing?
I've come to watch your flowers growing.
Ain't cha got no rhymes for me?
Doot-in' doo-doo,
Feelin' groovy.

Got no deeds to do,
No promises to keep.
I'm dappled and drowsy and ready to sleep.
Let the morning time drop all its petals on me.
Life, I love you,
All is groovy.

Jean, I am so sorry you're having a tough time. I have three children, and I know I feel terrible about how my MS affects my parenting and our whole family. I know what you mean about being tired, about being impatient. It's also that much more difficult when you're by yourself -- I'm a single parent; your husband is in Iraq.

You don't need to be done venting. Venting is great. Venting helps. Please, vent! That's what this thread is for!

Susan: do I understand correctly that you dropped into this thread just to brag? Hmph. Perhaps when you come out of the basement you'll be appropriately depressed and have something useless to add, like a new recipe for a brain mold. (That's what I'm really depending on you for, you know . . .)

Judy, I'm sorry to hear that your beverages are restricted. It's frustrating to see your world shrinking, no matter which area is involved. However, have you considered Dr. Pepper? At least it's a pretty color . . . purple again!

oops
 

Had an elderly neighbor once---after 4 years we actually became friends. My husband and I got into the habit of calling him 'mudgeon'.(Perfect fit for him)

One day his wife was chatting with us at the intersection of our backyards. I forgot myself and referred to him as 'mudgeon'. She asked...my husbad choked and I explained...and I'll never forget her laughter that I can still hear although 'The Mudgeons' have long since passed by.

Linda
Hi Bluesky!

Okay...I'm gonna ask it...what does curmudgeolnly mean? :o Sorry for the intrusion and silly question.

I'm assuming a 'rant all you want' thread? Which is great!

Just don't expect me to say anything bad about my wine. LOL...Sangria is my best friend some days. :D

Jmak, A special hug for you and your hubby. My thoughts are with you both.

The contractor's late,
Inspector delayed
Or into the pool
We've have got and there stayed.

Our therapy room with spa for water exercise should have been up and running by July but one thing after another has intervened to keep it from being finished. Dave's starting to insulate and once that's done there has to be another inspection before the walls and ceilings can go in or the floor can be laid. Then another inspection before the final electric finished. So the hydrotherapy will have to wait a few more weeks.

What happened to the good old days when you could build something and move into it without outside intervention? After the design was approved and building permit obtained, the inspector made the builder reinforce all of the window frames in case of hurricane. I guess we should appreciate this but right now....

Oh...it's good to see so many of the familiar finding their way back here.

And Here I thought all the curmudgeons left to go live at Plaintalk (at www.multiplesclerosissucks.com) I be wrong :)

Some of them did. Some stayed. Some didn't. The address changed too.

Hi Sally, Yes 'tis me. This forum required at least four characters in the username, so I thought it would be more positive to be xo++ than xo--.

Well thank you Bluesky.:) (But there I go besmirching the curmudgeon thread with a smile.) And may I say that your uncommon grace and wit have enlivened many an exchange.

Thanks Nancy. Good to see everyone here.:)

Mark

I am sitting here with my chin in my hand looking around the room trying to think of a gripe. Since I usually can come up with numerous gripes in just one day, I feel sort of light headed not having one at the tip of my tongue. Its similar to that feeling when you come out of a big store and don't know where your car is parked.

And the ones I can think of seem so small, so inconsquential to bring forth before such august curmudgies. Let's see-

My right side shoe lace will not tie as tight as the left one and I don't know why not. I put the same effort into the tie but it always feels just a smidgeon more loose or is it looser?

My old sweet dog with a bad back jumped off the bed and aggravated it so now he's hurting and I must give him meds and keep him quiet/still.

I went out to dinner and they served coffee in dinky little cups and only filled the cup about half full. So after asking for many refills, waiting interminably long between each one, it probably only equaled 1 1/2 mugs.

I'm sorry. I will work on my complaints and try to come up with meatier ones soon. m

I don't know M, I think those complaints were perfectly curmudgeonly. I liked 'em.:cool: There is nothing worse than having one shoe feel "more looser" Ha, than the other.

And cofee in dinky cups...bah! Only tea is supposed to be served that way. Darn Restuarant is just try to save a buck, the tightwads.:mad:

You done good Kid!

My husband woke this morning to say he's had a great night's sleep but for some reason had awakened tired.

(Be glad you're not married to me)
I responded with , it was a terrible night. You insisted on the fan because it was near 70 (but raining) and it filled the room with humid warm air and the sheets are damp and I kept waking feeling sticky and miserable all because you didn't want to put the A/C on because we're into fall already.

And...the dog was restless and I was up to put her out three times while you blissfully snored away with your earplugs in.

And...she still wet her bed twice anyway so now I have to wash it and give the dog a bath to get the urine out of her fur.


He then has the audacity to suggest that we move our bedroom upstairs and leave the pets downstairs. Yeah, right! The dog tears up rugs and climbs on the couch and destroys the cushions when we're not near her and she's too lame to make it upstairs and you won't let the vet put her down because she's "just old" and not in visible pain although she can't see or hear or control her bladder and keeps tipping over!

Does that rant qualify as crudmudgeonly?

I've had MS for over a 100 years. I'm tired of it. My GYN thinks that after 2 years of frequent mammograms it's time to have a surgeon evaluate all of the films. ( radiologist said, come back again in 6 mo ). The surgeon cancelled my appt for another 2 wks cause he had to go to India. So I continue to worry.

Went for my routine eye exam. My vision has changed again. I have transient blurred vision. Don't really like to read much anymore due to vision. The Dr said you might have glaucoma pressures a little high. Come back in 3 wks so we can check the pressures early in the day and decide if you need treatment. No other signs of eye damage. Blurred vision just an MS thing.

I'm always tired and lack energy. My husband doesn't get it. I don't want to be a sickly person. I feel like I'm falling apart. Can't wait for that surgical visit so the breast issue can be resolved. Did I mention I hate to clean, but love a neat house.

The grandkids are coming today. That always makes me happy. Other than that I guess life is OK. Betty

Oh my goodness, Cherie, that does qualify! I can relate to your husband's feeling about the pup though. We had our elderly cat put down almost two months ago, I put it off for the longest time, because she still ate daily, and occasionally got on my husband's lap. Never mind that the poor thing slept all day, had failing kidneys, dementia, deafness, nearly blind. I loved her dearly and she was still my little kitten.

I was cleaning up her messes for a year or more and it was getting worse all the time. She's in peace now, and she had a very good life, lived until almost 19 years old.

I am upset because I think I'm having a flare up. I am not supposed to get those anymore, just because.

I have terrible pain off and on, from spasticity, I think. I started Baclofen last week, it helped for a few days, but today was another miserable day. I can't take steroids, because they make my blood pressure go sky high. I'm afraid of Tysabri, because I would likely be the one to get the PML on the mono-therapy.

I'm trying to finish my college degree, and now the Baclofen is fogging my thinking. I called the college disability department today, and that really upset me. I can't handle these setbacks. The woman there seemed to talk down to me, so I'm passing on it, not calling back. I will tough it out, they can just put up with me, and wonder why I am not the super student anymore.

I feel like I should be in control of this really stupid pathetic disease, but I'm losing ground anyway.

I am not my cheerful self lately. :mad:

Oh ewizabeth, I'm so sorry. :( Such a tough disease to live with.

You have RRMS? Try to remember that this too shall pass. I don't know what your history is but chances are that if you're RRMS at least some of your current symptoms will decrease and you will feel better.

You must rest and try not to get too upset. It is so important to not add more to your already overstressed body and mind. You already have a full plate with school and I know this kink in your plans isn't helping. But please keep in mind that this is probably the worst of it right now and you will probably begin to improve again.

Do you have some one that can be your advocate with the school disabilities office? I know that when I'm feeling sick, I'm in the worst possible position to feel strong and to stand up for myself. If you have a friend or family member that could do some of the 'talking' for you, it might help. You deserve any accommodations and you are entitled to them. If talking to the office yourself is something that you don't feel like doing, either do it by writing or have someone do it for you. Whatever gets you what you need. Zanaflex is another option for spasticity too if baclofen isn't helping.

Rest up and take care of yourself, okay?

Hi Wannabe,

There I go again, being a thread-stopper by saying the wrong thing in the wrong place. :o Thank you for the advice, and for consoling me when I was feeling sorry for myself. I was definitely in a curmudgeonly mood last night. I am trying to slow down, and think clearly, and not panic about school.

I do not have to be a straight A student. I just need to deal logically with this pain. I really need to call the neuro's office again, and maybe I actually need to go in, instead of suffering for so long. I wonder if my pains are related to Copaxone, because this has sort of crept up on me gradually. I see that joint pain, and muscle pain are side effects, and I have both of those. I am not a good and willing medicine taker. I am mostly upset that I might need heavy pain meds, and they will interfere with my thinking, and I make my living with my mind, and I don't want to lose that too!

So, I will crawl off to my little dark spot and make fists in my pockets. If I need to whine about this again, I will post a new thread. :rolleyes:

http://home.earthlink.net/~sal.pal/s...ures/dog42.gif Sorry Cher, I couldn't help it.

Men are so clueless.:rolleyes:

Thanks Sal. You DO understand!

Today is too nice to be grumpy so I'll not taint this thread with niceities. Maybe tomorrow.

Ewizabeth, why don't you stop the Copax for a few days and see if the pain subsides.

Sorry that the darn MS is making you feel so curmudgeonly. Go kick your Neuro in the shins...that should make some of your pain go away..tee hee.

Sneaking in a hug for you, while nobody's looking.

I think wives all across America are nodding while reading your post Cherie :)

Now, I have the most wonderful husband, but, still, he does these so male-ish things. Can you imagine going through the hurricane and throwing stuff out thats wrecked, and then rebuilding with all the subcontractors , insurance folks to deal with, and doing it with a male partner?:D

I could write a book.... but instead, I'll just take my drugs:D

Thanks Sally! That's a curmudgeonly solution to my problem! ;) I might try that with the Copaxone, good idea!

This is the crabby corner, right?
Vacation was good but I was traveling w/a serious curmudge. OMG.
I learned many new derogatory and unpostable terms for drivers and other humans.

My sweet revenge- dragging him into so beautiful & soulful experiences it made him walk off mushy-eyed. Never before heard anyone curse art for making them cry.

I won.
In a good way.

Hey. That must be rennee from BT1. Good to see ya.

I never really did understand people who curse at other drivers.

I never understand people who don't get a little impatient in traffic. Here I am, in a big hurry, as usual, and as usual I end up behind some dawdler that doesn't believe in watches, probably doing yoga chants while driving (in between cell-phone chats, more than likely). C'mon, people! Roads are built for travelling on, not lolligagging!

How was that? Good enough for this thread?

Scott

Okay Scott -- way to go!! Definitely a 'curmudgeonly (sp?) rant!! They must be the same people who slow down to a crawl when turning a corner, into a driveway, etc. So TURN already!!

Wayleaf -- Dr. Pepper it will be!! At least it will look authentic!

More rain -- Ughhhhh!!! It's amazing how many places on the human body can hurt.:( Somebody make it stop!!

Okay, I've got another story and I may as well post it here.

At work this week, an employee who had been on medical leave stopped in my office to sign a form. His neck was all bandaged and he said he had neurosurgery on his c-spine (I think) and they went in from the front. He was fortunate that they also found – and fixed - all sorts of things that could have caused him future neurological problems.

The office was really busy, so he continued to describe what a close call he had, accompanied by the crowd's oohs, ahhs, and wows. If they hadn't caught "it" when they did he would have had all kinds of issues like memory problems, forgetting words, hesitation in speaking and walking, and on and on.

He rattled off a whole list of neurological symptoms (sounding like a list from an MS website) to gasps from the gathered group. When they did some tests, they even found that the nerves weren't conducting the signals properly!

As happy as I am for his successful surgery, it felt kinda surreal when I reached in amidst the crowd and picked up his form with my tremoring hand, dragged my left leg to the copier, and copied the form for him.

Lucky for him he won't end up like me after all… :)

Well the stomach flu has hit all of us here. My 4 year old brought it home from preschool and it was passed on to my 1 year old, me, my mom and dad, and my sister, who were here trying to help me with the kids. I haven't been that sick in years. I lost 10lbs in 2 days!

MS of couse came calling too. My leg gave out on me and my eye went blurry. Fun for all here. Watch out everyone, it may be headed your way! Totally miserable experience. Bleah!
Jean

Euphonia,
What a story. I understand that we should be happy for people who can be "fixed" unlike us, but at times a major eye roll is necessary!

repeat post sorry

Hi Jmak,

That just about sums it up. I wasn't really angry, wasn't upset, wasn't depressed...but it felt so weird. I didn't know where to post it, but I had to tell the story to give everyone the opportunity for a major eye roll along with me. :)