Don’t mind me, I’m just ranting

Sorry about yesterday’s blatant cry for sympathy. I’m a little bit stressed out these days, in the same way Tim Hortons sells a little bit of coffee each day.

You know what triggered my waterworks? My time sheets.

We have this intranet thingee where we complete our time sheets, and mine has been screwed up since July. I finally got it fixed last month, but it has been so busy that I haven’t had time to enter the 4 months worth of outstanding time sheets I have to key in. The end of the fiscal year is coming, though, so I had to do them. And I had to do about 100 other things. And the people for whom I was supposed to be doing things kept calling and sending me e-mails and complaining about stuff I couldn’t control and asking me to do stuff I couldn’t do, and the people who might have been able to help me accomplish things seemed bent on being obstacles instead. And the time sheet interface and I had a disagreement, and I lost it.

Yep, I cried over data administration. If that’s not embarrassing, I don’t know what is.

Oh wait, yes I do know what embarrassing is… embarrassing is deciding to cheer yourself up by any means possible, while atoning for the snack-food self-medication excesses of the past week, and deciding to go to the gym before work this morning. (no we’re not at the embarrasing part yet) And also deciding that whereas what you would REALLY like to do is stay home and watch Ellen and Dr Phil all day, what you can realistically do is wear your jeans and favourite sweater as a form of textile comfort and minute rebellion against the office. (here comes the embarrassing part) And after working yourself up into a collossal sweat and then having an invigorating shower in the locker room of your office building, you realize that you forgot to pack a bra. And you hold up the soaked, smelly bra that you were just wearing and realize that the choice between this bra and no bra is really not so much of a choice at all. And you also decide that you are very glad you work downtown within a 10 minute walk to some lovely lingerie stores, to which you will be paying an unscheduled visit on your morning coffee break. And you will hold a large sheaf of papers tightly to your chest should you need to actually leave your cubicle for any reason until you manage to accomplish that excusion. (see, embarrassing. I told you.)

When I’m stressed, I eat. I don’t drink much (the migraine is rarely worth it), I don’t smoke, I don’t pop pills. Barbequed chips and chocolate chip cookies are my current medication of choice. What do you do to release the pressure? And if you could, which source of stress would you eliminate from your life?

Author: DaniGirl

Canadian. storyteller, photographer, mom to 3. Professional dilettante.

26 thoughts on “Don’t mind me, I’m just ranting”

  1. Curse a blue streak in the car, give the kids big hugs, blog, listen to the weird-ass music that only I like.
    Eliminate sources of stress? Let’s see. We could eliminate tenure. Or we could eliminate tenure. Or, if that doesn’t work, we could eliminate tenure…

  2. Curse a blue streak in the car, give the kids big hugs, blog, listen to the weird-ass music that only I like.
    Eliminate sources of stress? Let’s see. We could eliminate tenure. Or we could eliminate tenure. Or, if that doesn’t work, we could eliminate tenure…

  3. Dean Dad, you are truly a kindred spirit. You know what, your nice compliment about my writing the other day has been the bright spot in a terrible week, and I keep pulling it out of my mental pocket to examine it like a pretty, sparkly rock.

  4. Dean Dad, you are truly a kindred spirit. You know what, your nice compliment about my writing the other day has been the bright spot in a terrible week, and I keep pulling it out of my mental pocket to examine it like a pretty, sparkly rock.

  5. I hope your week gets better, Dani. Sometimes I want to declare a “Begone with Stupid People at Work” week.
    I do tend to eat junk food when I’m feeling stressed; I also like to go for long, angry walks — alone. So nowadays, of course, that means “never.”

  6. I hope your week gets better, Dani. Sometimes I want to declare a “Begone with Stupid People at Work” week.
    I do tend to eat junk food when I’m feeling stressed; I also like to go for long, angry walks — alone. So nowadays, of course, that means “never.”

  7. The BEST part is that you get to buy yourself something pretty and brand new and very supportive!! Almost like me (minus the brand new part) says I while ingesting copious amounts of ripple chips and onion dip.

  8. The BEST part is that you get to buy yourself something pretty and brand new and very supportive!! Almost like me (minus the brand new part) says I while ingesting copious amounts of ripple chips and onion dip.

  9. For stress: Chocolate. And loud music. Also ice cream. Walking. Quiet. Sleep would be nice, too.
    I can think of one source of stress that I’d love to see eliminated from my life: George W. Bush. How mich more relaxed would I be if the world was not going to hell in a handbasket?

  10. For stress: Chocolate. And loud music. Also ice cream. Walking. Quiet. Sleep would be nice, too.
    I can think of one source of stress that I’d love to see eliminated from my life: George W. Bush. How mich more relaxed would I be if the world was not going to hell in a handbasket?

  11. Eating is my thang too… unfortunately. And coffee. Lots, and lots, and lots of coffee. My ass would likely agree. 🙂

  12. Eating is my thang too… unfortunately. And coffee. Lots, and lots, and lots of coffee. My ass would likely agree. 🙂

  13. Yep, eating here too. Days after I celebrated my daughter’s first birthday I found myslef only 15 pounds away from what I weighed days before her birth. Stress, eat, stress about eating, eat, stress, eat, stress. Vicious little cycle isn’t it?

  14. Yep, eating here too. Days after I celebrated my daughter’s first birthday I found myslef only 15 pounds away from what I weighed days before her birth. Stress, eat, stress about eating, eat, stress, eat, stress. Vicious little cycle isn’t it?

  15. To deal with stress? I re-read books (that I’ve read 1000 times) that are well written, have great characterization, and have satisfying endings. Preferably in a bubble bath. And (unconsciously) chew the inside of my cheeks raw. Unless I’ve (consciously) remembered to grab some chewing gum instead before I open the book.
    Stress I’d like to eliminate? Working for a living. Feeling like I have to absolutely keep going there or my world will collapse & I’ll be both homeless & worthless.

  16. To deal with stress? I re-read books (that I’ve read 1000 times) that are well written, have great characterization, and have satisfying endings. Preferably in a bubble bath. And (unconsciously) chew the inside of my cheeks raw. Unless I’ve (consciously) remembered to grab some chewing gum instead before I open the book.
    Stress I’d like to eliminate? Working for a living. Feeling like I have to absolutely keep going there or my world will collapse & I’ll be both homeless & worthless.

  17. OK – why has no-one said drinking…a nice glass of red wine on low stress days…rum & coke for those bigger ones. There is, of course, nothing like sneaking in and cuddling with my daughter too..makes everything I was worried about seem quite trivial….
    As for the stress – my own self imposed ‘keeping up with…’ type stress. Making as much money as this guy, as in shape as what’s his name, bigger house than whoever, better title, more co-ordinated kids…the list is endless….and stupid. Well, not endless…my wife is the best.

  18. OK – why has no-one said drinking…a nice glass of red wine on low stress days…rum & coke for those bigger ones. There is, of course, nothing like sneaking in and cuddling with my daughter too..makes everything I was worried about seem quite trivial….
    As for the stress – my own self imposed ‘keeping up with…’ type stress. Making as much money as this guy, as in shape as what’s his name, bigger house than whoever, better title, more co-ordinated kids…the list is endless….and stupid. Well, not endless…my wife is the best.

  19. Sources of stress: my own brain. Overcoming ghosts, and my impatience because it’s taking so long. School.
    As for dealing with stress, I’m like Lulu in that I have the whole “unconscious/conscious” thing going on:
    Conscious: chocolate, going out with my girlfriends. You know, the friends who make you feel great in some capacity no matter what’s going on elsewhere.
    Unconscious: (Sigh) I’m a cheek-nibbler too, and very occasionally a lip-biter.

  20. Sources of stress: my own brain. Overcoming ghosts, and my impatience because it’s taking so long. School.
    As for dealing with stress, I’m like Lulu in that I have the whole “unconscious/conscious” thing going on:
    Conscious: chocolate, going out with my girlfriends. You know, the friends who make you feel great in some capacity no matter what’s going on elsewhere.
    Unconscious: (Sigh) I’m a cheek-nibbler too, and very occasionally a lip-biter.

  21. I think of what I can let go. Then I let go.
    I also think of what things I can be thankful for and choose to focus on those things.
    And get some steam out in a constructive way… walking, etc.
    And tell myself being “good enough” is ok.
    — Hattie @ Motherpie

  22. I think of what I can let go. Then I let go.
    I also think of what things I can be thankful for and choose to focus on those things.
    And get some steam out in a constructive way… walking, etc.
    And tell myself being “good enough” is ok.
    — Hattie @ Motherpie

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *