just one more question, sir....

As I mentioned in the last post, I've been going through a little Columbo phase.  I think various phases come with the change in seasons.  Like stores that increase sales by rotating the merchandise, rotating the seasons may have the same effect on me.

Accompanying this Columbo phase has been my inclination to become Columbo in my classroom demeanor-saying things like, "the thing is kids...."(but only after a long Columbo type pause.) Adrian Monk also occasionally makes an appearance.  Some time ago when I was feeling  overwhelmed by working every day, I lightened up by pretending I was Jemaine from Flight of the Concords.  Reviewing my "role" models reveals a personal inclination toward the absurd and surreal, punctuated by meaningful(or less) pauses.  

Then again, it could just be who I am and that's why I identify with those characters.  It might be a chicken/egg sort of thing.  

Then I started thinking about the common ploy for soliciting blog comments with the question "do you have anyone you inner channel?" Too easy.

Then I began to wonder, based on the limited things I know about my blog friends, who I channel for them in my head.

Cynthia lives in what she calls Middle Earth.  Lately she's changed jobs and created a new adventure for herself.  To me, she is Bilbo Baggins. I've also never seen a picture of her.

Kmkat lives somewhere cold and woodsy with snow and a big Jeep and a husband she refers to as Bear.  Sometimes I like to pretend she is the detective in the movie"Fargo" (minus the baby bump)

Redsilvia is a flight attendant.  My picture for her is a young Marlo Thomas/Mary Tyler Moore combo-flying from city to city, "making it on her own"-she may very well not be on her own for all I really know-but these are the snapshots my brain emanates.

Yarnhog lives in a warm sunny place and has a wildly colorful family background and job history, and is good at every thing she tries.  Sometimes I like to pretend she is a brilliant but humble double agent who makes you laugh in the way Maxwell Smart might but has the acumen of 99.

So, in search of a greater understanding of self, what character am I in your head to you?  Who do I remind you of?  (If you feel like thinking about it that is.)

In unrelated news, my secretary friend and I went to another room for lunch today.  Oh how that lifted my spirits for the rest of the day.  Good talk and laughs with a friend and all with the reassurance that nothing said would be spread through the community.  If questioned by the talker, I realize that I can give the reason that many give as to why the don't eat lunch in the lounge..."too much gossip." I don't have to point out that she's the source of the problem.  

What I did over Spring Break

Two loads of laundry.

That's it. It will be an easy answer when the locals ask me what I did.

No knitting. No gardening. No dog walking.

For five fevered days I watched old Columbo episodes on netflix and had dreams that I needed to update my collection of 1970's cocktail rings and frosted nail polish if I want to continue to be the fashionista that I am.

Now it is Sunday night. I am well again. Before the week-long break started when everyone at school was so looking forward to the it, I recall saying-

"I wish we didn't have spring break. I just want to get the year over with and move on to summer."

Touché Karma, Touché.

What is it with

vacations and strep throat and me? I swear my body waits until things slow down to take time to get sick. It's not a full blown case but I'm the kind of get-sick person where I can feel it coming, if I went to the dr. right now he'd say it was nothing, and yet I know in 3 days I'll be miserable. Stupid strep throat.

Complaining Rant complete.

While I stewed under the covers, Mr. Sophanne went out on this increasingly cloudy (snow later in the week) spring day and began making arrangements for our garden to be.

His plan is to remove the sliding board "watch tower" piece on the right entirely and use the remaining posts to help fence in the garden area.



The sliding board once attached to this piece will find a new home in place of the basketball hoop (there is a door behind it) so that there will be some place for The Brudders Three to play when they come to visit.



This area in between posts and out into the yard a little ways will be the actual garden/fenced in place.



The swings have been removed but the hooks remain perfect for hanging things to scare hungry birds. (we won't mention that I suggested hanging bird feeders there) or hanging plants or wind chimes or something fabulously decorative and/or useful that I haven't thought of yet. GoodneighborMarilyn gave us a clematis that needs a place to climb this year- maybe it will want to live there.




Twice now he's called it "our garden" or "the garden" which for whatever reason makes me insanely happy. And while we were eating lunch at the local diner we heard one farmer-type-guy say to another farmer-type guy "No use planting anything before May 1st," so now we have our timeline. We are proud of our research.

happy anniversary

We are enjoying each others company for our anniversary today and may be going to buy some dirt for some expanded gardening. More to follow as those plans solidify- or none to follow if they fall through.

Pictured below is the radioactive iodine quarantine sucks monster (RIQS) for a friend. I've invited her to throw it against the walls while she endures that experience and then felt the hell out of it when its all said and done.

Nancy B. oh how you seduce me

I didn't think it wise to use her name "Bu$h" and seduce in the same title- too many weird hits.

This is Lehe from Knitted Lace of Estonia in some Malabrigo. It's just the right challenge/yarn/attention span combo. I don't even care if there are thirty hundred repeats of two charts that don't match up perfectly. I am also ignoring the fact that it will require knitting an additional border when it's finished (if I stick with the pattern) There's a video for that and I'll be watching it. Fearless Knitter- that's me!

Another lunchtime tidbit...

Mrs. Not annoying and I were talking about how I'm teaching kids to play cribbage in this enrichment class I'm required to teach.

I said "Hezekiah is really good. He caught on quickly."

Before any further conversation about Hezekiah or cribbage could be pursued, the talker spouted, "Hezekiah's sister has to have her gall bladder removed."

We stared blankly, made no comment and returned to our conversation.

You can't make this stuff up!

True Love? Maybe "partly"

Today I told Mr. Sophanne that Hines Ward was going to be on Dancing with the Stars and that now we HAVE to watch it. He said "I wouldn't watch it even if YOU were on it. However , if there were the mere mention of one of your body parts on Law and Order, I would definitely tune in."

I've made some friends with some malabrigo (forest green) and Nancy Bush's Lehe pattern if you're looking for something to Ravel. I love lace knitting when the numbers work out. I hope this one doesn't end up in the "someday I'll figure out where I messed up" pile. Pictures on another day.

Entertainment dialogue in Latvian

before I share the next installment I'd like to point out to my more local music educator readers that a good friend of mine suggests that the monster in the last post bears a striking resemblance to dbess. You might give yourself a good laugh with that filter set applied. And quite frankly, the monster is no longer so cute to me.

On to content for all..

Entertainment- a dialouge to practice in Latvian-

You have to go to the opera.

This art is unfamiliar to me

True feelings cannot be unfamiliar to anybody.

Would you please suggest anything else.

Don't forget about decent clothes.

I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to appreciate the performance.

A bouquet of flowers for the soloist will suffice.

Shall I be able to leave the hall if I feel tired?

The most spectacular scenes usually are at the end of performance.

RAWR

I eat lace for breakfast!

Finishing- seaming-attaching- not so much fun but I think it will get easier with practice and may try again.

I was low on stuffing so he appears to be a little undernourished.

Sight Seeing dialogue

Seems like the Latvian phrase guide book was enjoyed. Today we will find out what phrases you will need while sightseeing.

Please, don't take photos!

Is this a special territory?

This building is a prison.

Is security a priority here?

Our priority is collaboration.

I'm afraid lest my purse and credit cards are stolen.

You should be very cautious.

How to avoid an unpleasant incident?

Never leave your bag unattended.

I don't have a bag.

Immediately inform police about it!

And just in case that wasn't enough to crack you up, lemme tell you about my morning. Mr. Sophanne didn't wake me up as he often does. Instead when I woke up late, I saw one of his work shirts neatly spread out on a little table with a glaring stain. I was so angry all day- HOW DARE HE START MY MORNING LIKE THAT! I do the laundry the best I can and he's pointing out my failures first thing in the morning?! We haven't had the rows that we did early in marriage but that's about to change buddy boy. You're not perfect either and I am SICK and TIRED of feeling like I'm not good enough.

At SecretarySandy's suggestion, instead of going on the defense, when he came home I asked him what he got on his shirt (clever clever oh Sandy of 35 years of marriage-I'll show him a thing or two)

When I asked him he said he spilled Italian dressing on it. When I asked him why he didn't wake me he said I looked so comfortable sleeping. I think I may be having some emotional overreactions.