Last Week Was Ridiculous, Therefore I Shall Whine About It Here

/ Ally Bean

INTRODUCTION

Doorbell after being shown who is boss.

Last week was a troublesome one for me.  It was rascally and I got scattered and I lost focus on my one word of the year, streamlined.

I had dreams of getting it together last week, doing the things on my to-do list in a smooth and centered way like the organized lady of the list I long to be.  But the Universe scoffed and instead, beleaguered by annoying things, I was distracted me from my true purpose.

THE WHINING PART

Nothing bad happened, only small RIDICULOUS annoying things happened that began to slow me down and wear on my very last nerve.  Here is a list of those annoying things:

• tornado warning with winds gusting to 60 mph that took down a piece of our house’s gutter;

• smoke detector battery went chirpy during the day when I was here by myself, without anyone to spot me to climb on a ladder to change the battery, so the smoke detector sang all stinking day;

• the water department turned off the water to this subdivision because of a nearby traffic accident, thus in one day our water was off for 6 hours, on for 2 hours, then off again for 4 hours;

• landscape crew arrived without advance warning to do spring cleanup, then piled mulch in such a way as to trap my car inside the garage;

• laundry service lost one of Z-D’s shirts and told me such when the delivery man came to the front door, handed me the laundered unlost shirts and asked me if I could tell him which shirt was missing… as if I pay any attention to Z-D’s extensive collection of mostly white or pale blue button-down Oxford cloth dress shirts;  and finally

• doorbell got stuck on meaning that the button, after being pushed in, connected with the bell box that rang its melodious ding, then the bell box started to buzz… loudly and ceaselessly… until I got a screwdriver and dismantled the doorbell separating the wires to make the stupid thing be quiet.

AND IN CONCLUSION

Pretty hot pink geranium harbinger of better days.

At this point, if I were an inspirational sort of blogger, I’d share with you a pithy lesson, succinctly put, so that you might learn from my experiences too and say to yourselves: what a wise Bean is Ally for sharing her troubles here and showing us, through her example, how to live better lives.

However, I’ve no such conclusion to this post.

Other than to say, I guess, it’s rather empowering to acknowledge setbacks, complain about them, then get over your sorry self while you carry on with another week as if you’ve got it all together.

We’ll see about that. Won’t we?

110 thoughts on “Last Week Was Ridiculous, Therefore I Shall Whine About It Here”

  1. A fine collection of First World Problems. That which does not kill us . . . irritates the crap out of us. You shall improvise, adapt, overcome like and good Clint Eastwood-inspired suburbanite.

    Liked by 5 people

  2. Sounds like a very annoying… and loud… kind of week. Our smoke alarm is hard wired to the house with back up batteries. Last week the power went out at 2:00am and that damn thing shrieked. Helluva time to realize you need new batteries.

    Liked by 2 people

    • river, oh man, I hate it when those smoke alarms go off in the middle of the night for no smokey reason. It’s at times like that when I want to take a baseball bat to them… but I don’t.

      Liked by 1 person

  3. I have had the doorbell and gutter probs over the years – but Ally, I have to say the smoke detectors going off have to be the worse – omg – (well the doorbell would maybe be worse but I have not had that experience… know on wood) –

    Liked by 2 people

    • Prior…, the doorbell situation is a new [annoying] development in this house, but the gutter and smoke detector are old stand-bys. I find that damage to the house itself is tolerable, but the noisy problems make me angsty.

      Liked by 1 person

      • yes – I get it –
        and we have a bit of an off and on gutter trouble area. Better these days – but one day – back in 2005 – I had a life lesson unfold.
        The firggin drip drop – right above my bed – made me sit up one night when I realized it was a slow ongoing nag.
        I remembered this old Proverb I heard in 1992.
        “A continual dripping is like a contentious woman.”
        It meant nothing back then –
        but now I got it – yup

        Liked by 1 person

  4. Any one of those “first world problems” would have been plenty. If I were the paranoid type, and on the receiving end of such annoyances, I’d say it was a plot! Especially the doorbell and smoke detector glitches. Here’s to a “streamlined” week!

    Liked by 2 people

  6. welcome to the party Murphy and his stupid laws! I had to laugh about the fire alarm battery chirping. I typically find that for us they go off at 2am. so even though there are people around to do something you don’t feel like spending an hour figuring out which alarm is chirping, then move the ladder and HOPE you have the right size battery.

    I hope your week gets better, but if not, there is always moments of humor to find, even if it is after the fact

    Liked by 2 people

    • teacherturnedmommy, you’re right about this being a Murphy party. Honestly, I usually let stuff like this wash over me but last week it made me surly. I am somewhat amazed that the smoke alarm gave up the ghost during the day because, as you mention, that usually happens in the dead of night. 🙄

      Like

  8. Love your continued sense of humor! 😄
    By the way, there’s 1 smoke alarm thats been chirpy (just heard now again) for like 3 months now. 🐤
    Yes, its very annoying, but sadly, we’re making ourselves ignore it somehow, due to nobody wanting to drag in the extra tall ladder (the ceiling is extra high in there). 🔧
    Thanks for this fun read!🌈🍃💖

    Liked by 1 person

    • krcc, oh I get why you’d let the smoke alarm continue to chirp. Changing the batteries in any of them requires a ladder or a chair– and then not falling off of said ladder or chair. When it comes to houses, it’s always something, eh?

      Liked by 1 person

  9. Wow – that’s a week of annoying sounds, I imagine them being worse than having the worst song ever stuck in your head as an earworm. Glad you made it through it to the pile of mulch. Way to go, Ally, you’ve inspired us with your perseverance.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Here’s the could have been worse scenarios Ally Bean:

    a real tornado that took out the entire house-
    a real fire and a dead smoke alarm battery-
    a flood in your neighborhood-
    mulch dumped inside your car-
    all of Z-D’s shirts mysteriously gone into thin air-
    a serial killer with a large knife as the source of the doorbell issue-

    Just want to keep everything in perspective for you Ms. Bean. You are welcome 😉

    Liked by 2 people

    • marian, thank you for understanding that I have mad skillz when it comes to using tools around the house. I didn’t think of the ‘cheese’ angle on this post, but I like your humorous idea. Next time, my dear.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dan, well you know, if we had an ax, I wouldn’t have been opposed to using it in this situation. But dismantling the doorbell was all I could do– and miracles of miracles, I didn’t electrocute myself in the process.

      Liked by 1 person

  13. 😁 😂 Yes! Complain away! Get it all out! Great solution by the way. I would have dismantled the doorbell and then smashed it.
    The water here was turned off as well because of pipe issues. So I share your pain.

    Liked by 2 people

    • L. Marie, thanks for your support in my desire to complain. I don’t often go down this road, but last week was weird. I’m rather proud of myself for figuring out how to dismantle the doorbell. I thought about smashing it with a hammer, but decided to give it a second chance. What happens with it now is entirely up to how it behaves. 😐

      Liked by 1 person

  14. It’s that death by 1,000 cuts, isn’t it? ONE of these things would have been bearable, but they all stacked on top of one another! I LOVE a good venting post and this is a fabulous one. Your list of things would have annoyed me, and dealing with all of them together would have necessitated some major whining on my part.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Margaret, you’re right this was death by 1,000 cuts. Just little dumb things going wrong. Nothing bad, but overall it was so stupid to be fussing around with these problems. Glad you approve of my whining post!

      Liked by 1 person

  15. Well that sounds like an epic week of irritation. No wonder your to-do list escaped into hiding. I certainly would have. I’m super-sensitive to loud noises and between your errant smoke alarm and doorbell it would have been necessary for me to take to my bed for a week while my bleeding eardrums recovered enough to return to the land of the living. I hope this week proves extra serene and as productive as you’d like.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Deborah, I realize that what I’m complaining about here are small things, so I do understand how fortunate I am in the overall. BUT honest to Pete every time I turned around last week there was some new irritation. The noise things were the worst, trumping the lack of water by 100%.

      Liked by 1 person

  16. Beware the carbon monoxide detector that apparently has an “expiration date.” I found this out in the most awkward way when I got a call from my sister, while on vacation two states away, that the alarm was going off and wouldn’t shut off. Who knows how long the poor cats had to listen to it before she showed up. I found out upon returning home that the CO2 detector was “built to fail” exactly seven years from it first being activated… as a way to force replacement. Well, what a way for it to decide to fail with what was essentially a false alarm. Just a word of caution in case this first world problem has yet to happen to you…

    Liked by 1 person

    • evilsquirrel13, that’s excellent advice. I don’t know when we replaced our CO2 detectors last and now I’m going to check them. They are made to fail? Honestly, that’s wacko and wise all at once.

      Your poor cats. I can only imagine what that sound did to their psyches. It’s not like they’re the most forgiving species to begin with…

      Like

  17. Ally, I’ve been struggling to silence my deceased mother’s (loud) voice inside of me. She is desperate to point out that millions in the world have it tougher than you (and me. Especially me.), and to count your blessings instead.

    However, I am finding my own voice quietly stating that your feelings are valid and you are entitled to them! There will always be someone in the world who has it worse than you no matter how dire (or not) your situation, so how does that even help?

    Are we only allowed to complain when we are #1 in WORST SITUATIONS OF ALL TIME, Mom? Mom???? 😉

    I don’t know about you, but I feel better now.

    Hoping you have a much less annoying week!

    Deb

    Liked by 1 person

    • Deb, you’re onto something with your analysis of this situation: who has it worse, so who has the right to complain? My mother, apparently like yours, was one to not whine nor allow it in her presence.

      She would probably take issue with this post telling me to just ignore things and be quiet, but honestly once in a while a bit whining is healthy. And you’ve pointed that out brilliantly with your comment. Thank you.

      Liked by 1 person

  18. WOW that is quite a litany of AYKM?!* events for one week. You did good to keep your cool and your calm, Ally Bean!

    Keeping things in perspective by, for example, re-framing events (as Deb demonstrated above) pays real dividends when things go whacka whacka and wonky. But when it’s one thing after another, I start looking for the Candid Camera crew!

    *AYKM = Are You Kidding Me?!

    Liked by 1 person

    • nancy, I like your AYKM. It seems appropriate in light of last week, of many weeks, come to think of it.

      I agree that it’s all in how you frame events and how determined you are to keep them in perspective. Deb did a great job of that!

      I did wonder about Candid Camera with the laundry delivery guy and his question. I mean, which shirt is missing? Heck, I’m lucky if I can keep track of my own clothes let alone Z-D’s shirt collection. 🙄

      Liked by 1 person

    • Almost Iowa, your sign is [was?] perfect. You’re absolutely right, why am I trying to remain calm when I could indulge in a good panic? Thanks for the laugh.

      Like

  21. I hate that expression ‘First World Problem’. I get it – we live a privileged life for the most part and in the grand scheme of things, we’re pretty lucky.
    It certainly helps put our annoyances in perspective, but what I object to is the pejorative manner in which it is often dished out. It implies that you aren’t entitled to sometimes feel outright pissed at the world and need to vent.

    So that’s my rant for the day … because I’m just in one of those moods. I feel your pain, Ally. Let your whine out.

    Liked by 2 people

  23. Poor Ms. Bean. I would have used the no water as a perfect excuse to HAVE to go out to eat and have some real wine with some real cheese (or a Manhattan and steak in my case). I agree that having the smoke detectors go off are a pain – does anybody ever really change the batteries when you change the time backward or forward? Good on you for being able to dismantle the door bell. We no longer have one – problem solved. Hope this week is a much better one for you, although reading about it probably won’t be as much fun for us 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Janet, the thing about the water going off is that it happened before I got cleaned up in the morning, then when it came back on I thought I’ll clean up later, but then the water was off again when I was ready to shower… [so getting to a point here…] going out to eat wasn’t going to happen.

      Having no doorbell would, indeed, solve the ringy-ding-ding problem. Taking a hammer to the doorbell we have would also solve the problem… 🤨

      Liked by 1 person

  24. All of it stinks…except I have to say it’s a good thing the pile blocking your car from escaping the garage wasn’t compost/manure for the garden…adding yet another stink to your week.
    😉
    I like how you ‘complain’ so you don’t havta apologize – course I’m not your Mother!
    😀

    Liked by 1 person

    • laura, good point about the mulch. It was just in the way, nothing more lousy. Yes, I’m complaining here in spite of my upbringing. Occasionally I do get irritated enough to write something like this. Thanks for stopping by to comment.

      Liked by 1 person

  26. Sounds like quite a week of irritation!
    T and I went to London last week and had several irritating things happen, too. First, our flight was to leave from Columbia, but the plane kept getting delayed so we got our bags back,and drove to Charlotte to catch the plane. Then T lost a pair of reading glasses one day, so had to rely on me all day. Then, he left his wallet on a bus, but thankfully, got it back! Then he left me at the tube. He got off and the door closed before I could get off😅 It’s a funny story now. Finally, our flight coming home was cancelled, but they rescheduled us on a later flight. Definitely a memorable vacation!
    Hopefully this week will be back to normal for all!

    Liked by 2 people

    • Beth, it sounds like your vacation adventure was more adventure than you might have wanted it to be. I dislike travel anymore for the very reason you talk about: airlines are unreliable. Even if I am giggling, I’m glad you found your way out of the Tube and that, I presume, you saw a few sites while you were in England. Cool place to visit, isn’t it?

      Liked by 1 person

      • Even having the frustrating moments on our trip, we enjoyed it immensely. We averaged 8 miles of walking a day, so a good thing for us. Saw more than I thought we’d get to see, and had the best weather!

        Liked by 1 person

        • 8 miles per day! I’m exhausted just thinking about that. I’m glad that the vacay worked out, in the end, to be a good one, but will admit that my experiences in London didn’t include great weather. 🙄

          Like

  27. I’ve had a few annoying things happen in a week, but I don’t think I ever had as long a list as you. I say whine, rant, rave, complain, bellow, shriek — whatever it takes to let us know the world had ganged up on you. We wouldn’t know to feel sorry for you if you don’t publish it.

    Liked by 2 people

  29. Ding dong. Ding dong… DING DONG. Why aren’t you answering? Oh, wait, this doesn’t work that way.

    I HATE ALL THAT HAS HAPPENED TO YOU, AT ONCE!

    I so sorry that you had such a week. However, (PERKY INSIGHTFUL THOUGHTS FOLLOWING) I do believe that perhaps the universe was just getting all of that out of the way at once, thereby allowing you to enjoy the rest of the season without issue. Also, I believe that the universe knew you needed something to write about and thought it was being helpful. And finally (in conclusion, one might say), the universe is just fickle and it was your week for bells, whistles, buzzers and the like.

    I’m happy though to hear that a tornado didn’t whisk you away all Auntie Em style.

    p.s. I love that this is like an essay from an English class with its parts and all. I give Ally Bean an A!

    Liked by 2 people

    • Tara, I like your thinking. If all the annoyances are over for the season and I’m good to go now, I shall go happily on my way. Also, great point about the Universe giving me something to write about here. Very helpful. 🙄

      I’m pleased that you liked my essay format. Occasionally I regress to high school English class and present my thoughts in a way that’d make all my English teachers realize I paid attention to what they were saying.

      Liked by 2 people

    • Joni, I agree. That whole shirt conversation was wacko. The delivery man was so sincere as he asked, but I had no idea. Zilch. Nada. But the situation did seem in keeping with the week’s theme: ridiculous.

      Liked by 1 person

  31. I hate when everything goes wrong. You just want to walk away from it all. My 2017 was like that – everything went wrong in the house and all I did was deal with issues and their aftermath. I’ve often pondered why my smoke alarm only chirps for a new battery in the middle of the night; likewise for the C02 alarm battery which went off in the middle of the night and in a sleepy stupor I went into the cellarway to pull the battery out of the smoke alarm and still heard a shrill alarm sound (not at all the same sound BTW). I don’t like constant noises – very annoying. It’s annoying when you lose power in your house, but the backup device downstairs has a battery backup so it keeps on doing its thing while emitting three little beeps every few seconds (rolling eyes).

    Liked by 1 person

    • linda, I understand the need for these devices in the house and understand how to change batteries, but must they need new batteries at the most inopportune moments? Like the middle of the night? Or when no one is around to hold the ladder still while I climb on it? Obviously the answer is YES they must! However, now that all this ridiculousness is in the past [I hope] onward I go into a better [I hope] week.

      Liked by 1 person

      • It is Murphy’s Law Ally. When the PVC pipes in the kitchen sink fell apart in my hands on one of the coldest nights of the year, (when homeowners were advised to have a trickle of warm water going 24/7 until the wind chill was above 0), I asked myself the same thing and that’s why I welcomed the plumber at 10:00 p.m. on a snowy Saturday night! And didn’t you have a plumbing issue not too long ago, as it seems like I shared that story with you plus my hot water tank bursting on a Saturday night. Saturday night is not always date night. I hope things have settled into a dull roar for you now.

        Liked by 1 person

  32. Oh no, Ally! I would have been a basket case with either/or of the chirping smoke detector or the stuck doorbell. I’m extremely noise sensitive… With both in the same week, I would probably have curled up on the floor in a fetal position.
    You go ahead and complain. Horsefeathers! That’s worth complaining about. Hugs.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Teagan, I appreciate your support for my whining. I’m noise sensitive, but managed to deal with these stupid problems without resorting to violence against the smoke alarm or the doorbell. I thought about using a baseball bat on both of them… 😠

      Liked by 1 person

  33. Oh my god, that week was horrible in many ways, wasn’t it? If that happened to me, I would also be discombobulated and of course would have MUCH complaining to do. I think I have to go lie down down with a cool cloth on my forehead. That was a LOT of pretty annoying annoyances.

    Liked by 1 person

    • J, thanks for your understanding. Last week was just plain ridiculous. So many stupid things happened that left me tired and cranky. Fortunately this week, so far, things have gone smoothly– dare I say boringly? [Is that a word?]

      Like

  34. “The universe scoffed”. That’s it. That is the pithy lesson
    (Nooo not the water and the smoke alarms and the doorbell…gads)
    Hopefully this was all out getting the rotten annoying stuff out of the way – leaving a vacuum that will be filled with nicer events…(or at least not ones that are expensive, hurt, or in no way laughable.) Onward into the fog

    Liked by 1 person

    • philmouse, you’ve found the pith of this post. Leave it to you to put it together in a new and insightful way. So far this week the fog has been inviting, so I’m much happier now.

      Liked by 1 person

  35. Ugh. Ugh Ugh. UGH.
    Each one I read just made me shake my head harder. I know, first world problems, but tornado? And that high pitched chirping? And no water? AND TRAPPED IN YOUR GARAGE?
    Nope.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Laura, it was a week like no other. All the things that went wrong weren’t bad per se, just darned annoying. And except for the possibility of a tornado in the spring, everything was unexpected. Stupid week.

      Like

  36. I was sure this was all leading to that pithy conclusion, dammit! 😉 Six hours is an awfully long time not to have running water. That must have been some traffic accident. Sorry about the gutter. We were lucky and were on the very outer-edges of those winds and storm fronts last week. – Marty

    Liked by 1 person

    • Marty, you’re right about six hours without running water. I found myself suddenly super aware of when I use water and how I use it. Made for a tedious day. The gutter can be easily reattached and will be as soon as we get the time to do so. It wasn’t damaged so all’s well with it considering how much worse it could have been.

      Like

  38. Ugh. Do the Hokey Pokey and turn yourself around, that is one ridiculous and unfortunate week. Surely all the silly stupid stuff is done now and you shall be annoyance free henceforth.

    Liked by 1 person

  39. At the tail end of the tale Ally Bean – you have my sympathies. I reckon when a pile of irritation happens all at once, that it was going to happen anyway and now it’s all over and done in one short sharp week. Smacks hands together. Nice and Polly Anna ish no?

    Liked by 1 person

    • Susan, I like your logic and feel that you’ve nailed the Pollyanna-ness of the situation. I cannot offer a better explanation of why all those dumb things happened in one week. Who knows…

      Liked by 1 person

  40. Oh my. I had a night that sort of ‘run a muck’ last night. Hoped Coach could pick up daughter at Irish dancing practice, but he texted that he couldn’t, so I stayed up near dancing class after two sons had a volleyball game nearby. Then decided to run some errands. Mini texted that she needed a bunch of candy to bring to her teammates the next day, so I added that to the birthday gift I was getting and the wood plaque I was planning to buy at the same arts and crafts store. One stop. Right? Well, phone was almost out of battery, so drove around from memory vs map-quest. Stopped and almost went into a Joann’s store, but decided to keep going to the arts and crafts store for better options. Got there at 8:01. They closed at 8. Back tracked to Joann’s and raced around grabbing b-day gift for 11 year old girl, wood plaque for Mini’s art project, and then candy in the checkout for teammates. I usually download a coupon, but it wouldn’t let me because I didn’t have the app. I didn’t want the app. Plus I was now late to pick up from dancing and the battery was dying in my phone. Paid full price after checker tried to help me locate a coupon for too long (very nice of him). Late to pick up Curly at dancing. Irritated that team building includes last minute mandatory candy buying, and after buying bday gifts for bday parties for the past like 20 years – I AM TIRED OF BUYING B-DAY GIFTS FOR B-DAY PARTIES. Then I got home and the other kids had not cleaned up after dinner.

    The doorbell thing AND the smoke detector? What the heck! That would make me insane.

    Like

    • Ernie, it sounds like you had a doozy of an evening. Coupons from apps are such a con. I understand how that didn’t work for you. And as for B-day parties, I’m an introvert and didn’t like them as a kid, not crazy about them as an adult. It’s always something…

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  41. The Universe clearly was not paying attention to “Dole Out Problems for Earthlings” that week. I am inclined to think you got someone else’s problems piled on top of just your own problems. I would absolutely write a letter of complaint to management.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Kate, good idea. I shall compose a letter indicating my displeasure with the week that was and demand henceforth I have no such week again. Think that’ll work? 🙄

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