Whine alert!

I wish it were a wine alert, but that particular beverage wouldn't be great for this cold I have, which still lingers. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm in my annual March funk.

I have columns to write, that are supposed to be funny. I got nothin'. I'm sick, tired, feeling overworked, overwhelmed and put-upon. I whine to Earl that I don't feel well. I whine to my sister about the weather. I whine to friends that I don't get to have any fun, at least not without rearranging tasks four and five levels deep and/or being in a major time crunch afterwards.

March, to put it plainly, stinks.

I feel this way every year. Yes, the worst of the snow is behind us, and for that, I'm sincerely thankful. But the monsoons come, followed by the sideways rain and the drizzle for what seems like days on end. Then, it will clear up and be in the low 40s for a few days, and then the cycle starts all over again.

March has no fun holidays, except for St. Patrick's Day, which is really a non-event in my house. I hate boiled dinner and won't make it. Blech. I make Irish soda bread, and will do so this weekend, but other than that, and the Christmas Tree Shop shamrock on my front door, St. Patrick's day doesn't bring much cheer to the house.

I also came to the conclusion this week that I'm just doing too much. I also recognize that I can't do anything about that right now. I know this, and have for some time, but it's wearing me down.

There are signs, however, that change is coming. We move the clocks ahead tomorrow night, which means we'll have daylight later in the evening. Crocuses are appearing near my kids' school and daffodils are stretching upwards by my furnace vent. Before I know it, April vacation will be here, then Easter, and then in another blink it will be summertime, when my schedule will lighten up a lot. There is light at the end of the tunnel; it just seems like a really, really long tunnel right now.

And here I sit, in my cozy house with a new roof that won't leak even in these rains, while Japan suffers. Yes, it puts things into perspective, but the funk goes on.