A Little Cheese With My Whine?

First, let me apologize for the long absence. I actually wrote two long posts over the last few weeks, then dumped both of them. I was in a bit of a funk and it just didn't seem fitting to whine so much during the holidays, when in fact, I know I've been so blessed this year. In the end, we had a beautiful white Christmas and a wonderful time with our family.

That said, on this last day of 2010, it seems only fitting to serve up a little whine with my cheeseball. "It has been a year," as they say. I've got both barrels loaded. Consider yourself warned.

Most of my ranting here is trivial, but some of this stuff has aggravated the snot out of me this year. Number 1 on my DROVE.ME.NUTS list was the purchase of our long-awaited new kitchen appliances. Our oven hasn't really worked in years. Turned itself off whenever it felt like it. Beeped obscene messages at us, flashing "F3" or "F4" - whatever that meant. Our separate stovetop had basically given up the ghost as well. Only one burner still worked and it was either hot or not. And not to be left out, our dishwasher was dying a slow, quiet death.

Finally the day came when we took out a home equity loan and headed to Lowe's. We immediately loved our new stovetop and dishwasher. The big, gorgeous oven? Not so much. Apparently self-cleaning ovens now come with mandatory fans. Whenever the oven is on (and even long after it's turned off), the fan blows. Problem is, the fan causes a serious rattle of the sheet metal encasing the oven. In the greater scheme of things, I know it's not life-changing. But having paid almost $1000 for this new oven . . . I DON'T WANT IT RATTLING!!!

Long story short, after several repairmen have visited, including one who replaced the fan, it STILL rattles. My demand to Lowe's? I want a new oven! One that does not rattle. Three months later we're still fighting Lowe's over this. They couldn't have been nicer, but they have yet to offer to replace it. Mama ain't happy . . . and you know what they say.

Whine #2. Car repairs. Yesterday I spent all day in Franklin after dropping off my Beetle at Hallmark Volkswagen for some repairs: a recall on the transmission and a power window that still shreeks when it closes, despite the fact they "fixed it" a month ago for $300. Mid-day they called to let us know they were out of the parts necessary to fix the transmission. HUH? Hello? I had an appointment! You couldn't have told me before I traveled 40 miles down there? Then they informed us the window issue was "an entirely different problem" and it would cost another $114 to fix it this time. HUH?! It's doing the EXACT same thing yet you tell me it's a "different problem"??? People, where is your integrity?! Do you really think we're that stupid?!

Whine #3. Painful feet. I've been fighting severe plantar fasciitis (commonly called a heel spur) for several months. Excruciating pain when I stand or walk on it. Had a cortisone shot in it about a month ago (talk about painful!) and a brace put on my foot. Recently I started shopping for shoes with better support. I learned that specialty shoes cost a fortune (anywhere from $95 to $345), but they don't even come close to what these foot specialists charge for inserts. At the local Good Feet Store, the sales lady didn't even blink when she told me the set of inserts would cost me $600!!! I bit my tongue, but desperately wanted to scream, "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?! What, are they made of GOLD?! THEY'RE PLASTIC, for the love of Pete!!!" Needless to say, I hobbled my way right out the door.

Whine #4. Product changes. I have a real beef with the marketing brainiacs who think it makes good sense to change up their product names and packaging from time to time. Just about the time you find something you like, they change the color of the product, change the packaging, and give it a new name. So you waste money trying out all these "new" products just to find the one you liked before. Then there's the whole industry change on products like deodorant or hairspray. I'm extremely sensitive to smell, so I need "unscented" products. For some reason, those are very hard to find these days. Or, if you buy them, you get them home only to find they reek! Why is it "unscented" ISN'T?!? How hard can it be to use non-toxic smelling ingredients?!

Whine #5. PEOPLE WHO WHINE ALL THE TIME!

Okay, this one is self-inflicted. Let's be honest here. None of these complaints are THAT bad. Like I told my sister the other day, it's not like I watched my home float away in the flood this year . . . or lost a child . . . or battled cancer . . . or watched my husband walk away from our marriage . . . or a thousand other things that are extreme and life-altering. Trust me, I don't equate my little whinefest here with any of those things. Still, sometimes life is messy and pesky and yucky and exceptionally aggravating! And if you're like me, every once and awhile, you just need to VENT A LITTLE!!!

So thanks for allowing me to vent. Thanks for not rolling your eyes. Thanks for putting up with me. I'm all better now. Really. Believe it or not I really am looking forward to the new year and all that God may bring my way.

And yes, even the messy-pesky-yucky-aggravating stuff.

Happy new year, my friends!