I hope you can enjoy your visit, Nora!

Oh, I am sure I will! My sister was telling me that she told the 4-year-old we were coming, and he just got a big ass smile on his face. I suspect most of that is because of his buddy with the funny voice, Uncle Tom, but I think he's OK with me as well.

They are a LOT of fun right now.

However, now S has the fever.

Ooof. I was afraid of that. Poor S.

Poor Em.

Love love LOVE that show.

DH was big with the Titus love.

But yes, let's keep in close contact on what the plan is between now and then.

Mainly I wanted to say that I couldn't get the minivan through my contact at Enterprise. I think we're just gonna get a compact thingie from Budget down the street and go that way. Plus, cheaper on gas. Where are you guys staying?

Honey? Where is the battery charger? I wanted to list some eBay stuff but the camera is dead. He'p me! He'p me! I thuck!

I don't consider that to be "complaining," at least not in a whiny, refuses-to-take-good-advice way.

It is complaining! That's what happens when you voice your complaints.

So, in your opinion, is there *any* way to express a negative feeling without it being "complaining"? Is there any category for talking about legitimate worries/stresses/concerns? Or is it all just "complaining"?

"Oh, stop complaining about your Dad's heart disease, you big whiner! Turn that frown upside down and don't *dwell* on it! Come on, get HAPPY!!!"

Because I don't see things that way. I just don't.

Mainly I wanted to say that I couldn't get the minivan through my contact at Enterprise. I think we're just gonna get a compact thingie from Budget down the street and go that way. Plus, cheaper on gas. Where are you guys staying?

Do you want me to check on a minivan at our Enterprise?

Also, I have no idea where we are staying. I should maybe do something about that. Where are you guys staying?

I don't consider that to be "complaining," at least not in a whiny, refuses-to-take-good-advice way.

Yes. this.

Teppy, speaking of...how is your dad? What's up with the pain? Was it probably the Lipitor or what?

Honey? Where is the battery charger? I wanted to list some eBay stuff but the camera is dead. He'p me! He'p me! I thuck!

I don't know. I was looking for it the other day, couldn't find it and then got distracted.

Is there any category for talking about legitimate worries/stresses/concerns? Or is it all just "complaining"?

I may have misread Hec, but I got the impression that he was saying that yes, it is all "complaining", literally, but that it isn't necessarily negative? Er. That's what I came away with.

Like being "selfish." Being selfish has been strongly associated with negative connotations, but it's not necessarily negative. Sometimes being selfish is a good and protective and positive thing. But we don't want to call those behaviors selfish because of the negative connotation.

Hec, sorry about the asstastic little league schedule. I know how enthusiatic you are about your involvement with Emmett's league and it just sucks that they screwed you guys over so badly with the scheduling. I hope it's not too rough on your family.

I geeked out about it yesterday and threw it all into a database. One team has 10 weekend games and 8 weeknight games! Those bastards! Most teams have 8 weekend games. My team has 7. Not Fair!

So I've bitched about it. And there seems to be a willingness to make a little reasonable accomodation. I'm going to move our second game which comes in a tight patch of three games in five days, and move it up into the practice week. And I'm taking one of our weeknight games during the really rough patch (7 games in 16 days - that's basically every other day, and most of those are weeknights) and moving it to an open weekend slot.

But putting it in a database let me identify other factors. As it turns out, the guy who scheduled the season gave his team a totally cushy schedule. Whodathunk? My team actually does have the worst schedule on several fronts, but the league Pres also got a shitty schedule with 7 game scheduled on two day intervals. That's the most by far, and is a complete strain on your pitching staff.

Anyway, I can't get it back to last year's reasonable sched, but I can get from Worst Schedule to the median of badness.