Resolutions and Russian

One of my resolutions for 2021 was to learn some Russian language. That's the language Oleg's family prominently speaks, and I thought maybe it was as good a time as any to at least have a few words and phrases under my belt in case we'd ever meet face to face. Originally, they were to visit the U.S. for his graduation, but that isn't going to happen with the pandemic. 

In grade school--and I went to a kindergarten through eighth-grade school--we had modules, one as our first period and the other the last period of the day. These modules were classes outside of the curriculum and not graded or not as I remember. They included topics ranging from knitting to rocket science, meaning silly to intellectual. Of course, my mother insisted one of our classes had to be intellectual, and that's how I ended up taking German. My other class was Euchre. I LOVED it. But, if you knew my mother, the former teacher, schooling was not for learning card games. I most likely threw a huge fit, or my dad intervened to get me the pick of at least one module class.

I was not interested in learning German. That's my excuse for why I didn't embrace or excel in this class, but somehow by the time my education was complete, I had ten years of German on my transcripts. Four years of high school language garnered me enough written knowledge to pass the first-year college exam to be enrolled in second year German my freshman year. What a mistake! I remember the first day vividly. 

We sat in a small room around a large rectangular table. I had trouble finding the building, and the only seat left was next to the teacher, who spoke not ONE word of English the entire class. He started with the opposite side of the table, and each student had to read a passage and translate it. 

Now, in high school, this was mostly what we did in class every single day. The difference was that we were given the first half of class to translate it. If there were five pages, we were supposed to be translating all five pages. We, however, figured out what passage we would be assigned, translated that, and goofed off the rest of our time period. Half the time, we only looked up a few words because the teacher would fill it in for us if we stumbled. 

Example Passage: Der Hund sprang über den Mond. (The dog jumped over the moon.)

Me: "The dog, uh, hmm, uh, something over?"

Him: "jumped over the moon."

Me: "The dog jumped over the moon."

See? Yeah, kids who didn't give a shit weren't going to put forth the effort when the teacher did the work for us, and while I was a good girl in terms of never making waves or causing trouble, I could be led astray by others--and here I shall blame my friend, Kelly, although she was way smarter and probably didn't need the time in the first place.

Either way, I learned enough to read and translate to spring ahead to second-year German, but I had no idea if I'd be able to muck my way through what we were reading that first day in college. Luckily, for me, by the time it came to my turn, I stumbled my way through the German reading aloud part, and the bell rang for the end of class. That was also the first time I did something on my own without first consulting my mother. I immediately dropped that class and put myself in German I, which was not an easy feat for a freshman because I had to track down the professor to get his signature, and he, of course, had to grill me until I was practically in tears. I think I flat out told the man I was a fraud. 

Whatever. I went back to the beginning and learned more in those four years than I did in the seven years prior. 

But still, not enough to travel to Germany and converse with the locals, which had been my mother's reasoning for us to learn a language. She would take us to Europe, where I would speak German, my brother would speak Spanish, and she would handle the French. We never made that trip, although I did travel to Germany the summer before my eighth-grade year, but that's another story...

Now, Darcy, who has attempted a few Russian phrases here and there, informed me that Russian was one of the hardest languages to learn. I did not let that scare me because: 

1. Oleg's family isn't going to be here in five months like originally planned, thus no pressure.
2. I didn't really have to learn this language, and no one is holding me accountable.

Big difference! Or maybe I've gotten smarter over the years. I'm going with the latter. I embrace learning now. I didn't back then. Sigh. Oleg put me on to the app Duolingo, and I began over fifty days ago. I know that because Duolingo keeps track of my daily streak. So far, I've only missed one day of studying, but I had earned enough points on the app for a missed day, which is really cheating, although not in the app. 

After a couple of weeks of NOT learning the alphabet, I hunted for more apps that would start me out doing just that because, in the Russian language, there are 33 letters instead of 26, and less than ten of those coincide with the English language. I'm so far on free apps only because the pay features are a big investment. If I go that route, I want to make sure I'm on the best app.

I learned the Russian alphabet, and as my German, I'm pretty decent at translating the sentences I've learned, not so great with the pronunciation. I need another person, and I will have an upcoming opportunity with Oleg soon.

But what I'm most proud of is that I'm to the point where I see an X in the English language, and my brain has trouble deciding whether to pronounce it as a "kh" like in Russian or the "ex" as in English and the other night I dreamed in Russian. Letters were popping up in my dreams, and I was scrambling not to think of them in Russian. Also, I've almost memorized the Russian keyboard, which I have on my phone and Ipad! Look at me! 

Then, just as I got to feeling great about all of this, my German crept into my Russian. What? Seriously! Suddenly, this week my brain is also giving me German words besides the Russian words as if reminding me I did learn more than I thought possible. Now, I'm throwing in German words with the Russian words. What the what???

Yep. So, I'm leaving my brain to the biomedical research module in some grade school because obviously, this organ needs to be studied. 

Quarantine day 353

Wait a hot minute! It's been how long since I last posted? The day after the Super Bowl? Now I feel I need to fill this post with two weeks worth of --yeah, what? I'm still quarantining, such as it is. Any day I get out of the house is a day of celebration! But let's play catch up before I'm writing my one-year quarantine post in a few weeks.

• I got to spend a night with my niece while her parents were gone. She's thirteen, believes she can stay at home on her own, and kept apologizing for every little thing I "had" to do. I reminded her I'd been holed up in a house for almost a year. This was a vacation! She'd a cool kid. I enjoyed hanging with her, although both of us were exhausted from little sleep the night before. After homework, dinner, and oral studying for an upcoming test, we were sure it was midnight. It was 8:30 p.m. She was horrified. "I'm not going to bed at 8:30!!" We were both in bed by ten. Shh...don't tell anyone.

• I met a neighbor the other day while on one of my two daily walks with other neighbors. We chatted and moved on. Three hours later, she walked past my house, and we talked again. I was still dressed in my walking outfit of a t-shirt and an exercise skort, and in the course of giving me background on herself, she told me, "I also have a lot of clothes, so if you ever need some..." It didn't hit me until later. I'm still laughing. Please, ma'am, this is what you got with me BEFORE quarantine.

• I applied for and received entrance into the RWA RAMP program designed to pair unpublished writers with volunteer published writers. Hundreds applied, and thirty-nine of us made it in the first class. I met with my mentor via Zoom and learned WE'RE FROM THE SAME TOWN IN INDIANA! How crazy is that? I've met more people lately from there in the writing community, which I find interesting, considering my high school guidance counselor had never heard of creative writing as a college degree. 

• One of the things I've had to do is work on my social media presence. I've established my Twitter and my Facebook pages, but am stymied on the website. How does one create that without a book cover? So much to learn... If you're interested, join me! @CLeonauthor on Twitter and CaraghLeonauthor on FB.

• These first two months have been all about working on my 2021 resolutions and writing. I have a tight schedule, and I've got to say, working parents are the BOMB! I don't know how people--and can I be sexist here and say women, especially those like myself who run the daily household--manage it all. I've decided I need to make enough money from my writing to hire a cleaning lady. I think that's a worthy goal, to begin with, don't you?

• I've missed ordering items besides groceries online. There was something so exciting about greeting the Amazon drivers. So, when my mentor suggested a book, and then my fellow RAMP members talked about the items they can't live without, I wasted quite a few hours making purchases. I'm chalking it under research. 

• Medically, I have a mouth issue. I kept saying a tooth issue, but yesterday I went back to the dentist, who believes it might be gum-related. When he asked me when I last flossed, yesterday evening or yesterday morning, I broke out in a sweat and immediately confessed. "This is like doing something wrong in school and getting caught and being sent to the principal! I floss every other day if I'm good." He mostly just shakes his head at me. I'm sure I'm an enigma. Now, I'm not flossing per his orders (for a few days) and swishing with salt water several times a day. If this doesn't work, I'll have to see a periodontist. Yeah, Google that one. Ugh. As soon as I can, I'll be flossing twice a day!

So far, some of my family members and friends have received the vaccine. The husband and the girls will likely be next since all three fall under the essential worker category. It's a good thing I'm a homebody, but seriously, I could become a recluse if this goes beyond the summer months! Stay safe, peeps!

Super Bowl 2021

What's crazy is how the AFC combined wins for this season were twice that of the NFC teams. That's why I like the Super Bowl. It's anyone's game. I knew Tampa's defense would give Kansas City some trouble, but I really did expect a better game than what we got.

• I know Tampa fans were just happy to be in the Super Bowl, but Brady's touchdown throws to Gronk and Brown, the two players Brady literally brought to Tampa in his role as GM (that's sarcasm), rubbed me the wrong way. Then again, it was AB, so I suppose one could say I have issues there, but I really hated how much the Bucs players, who have been rebuilding this team for years, got slighted in the hoopla of Brady and his main squeezes. 
• The Chiefs' penalties in the first half were absolutely ridiculous. Why is it these guys can't straighten that out after the third one? If I were the coach, I'd be shouting that on the sidelines.
• Kansas City's offensive line was so bad.
• Hey, NFL defenders watching the Bowl, see how Patrick Mahomes does not protect the ball when he runs? File that away for next year.
• Brady had two great rocket missile throws in the first half, none better than the touchdown pass to Gronk.
• On the other side, Mahomes had some ill-conceived, poorly thrown passes, especially in the second half.
• Travis Kelce worked his ass off in this game! 
• If Tampa had used Leonard Fournette in the first half like they did in the second, they would've scored instead of resorting to kicking the field goal.
• Many Twitter users and the CBS hosts talked a lot about the excessive calls in the first half, but I felt there should've been more conversation about the missed calls in the second half.
• Patrick Mahomes just went crazy in the second half, scrambling forward, backward, left, right, up, and down. He threw on the run and falling down, and still, those passes were spot-on. He made Tampa's defense work.
• Yikes on the beating Mahomes took in the fourth quarter, sandwiched between three Bucs defenders, two of whom hit him in the head. Glad to see that was flagged! Mahomes brain is already scrambled from the hits he's taken this year. I'd like the guy to be alert when his first baby is born in April. And don't even get me started on the hit by Tampa's Ndamukong Suh. 
• And boo to CBS for not giving us a look at the idiot fan who stopped the game when he ran out on the field. I get not giving him his few seconds of fame, but couldn't you have blocked out his face and given viewers something exciting to watch?
• Tampa's defense got very ugly in the last five minutes. It's hard to root for players with poor sportsmanship, but what pissed me off was how the sidelines celebrated those hits and the taunts. And the NFL wonders why they have a bad rap.
• One thing I can say is how happy I am for former Steelers back-up quarterback, former Bucs quarterback, and now the Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich. Also, Cameron Brate, Chris Godwin, and Mike Evans.
• Well, and I guess 95-year old Kay Arians watching her son win a Super Bowl was sweet too.
• Kudos to Brady for his seventh ring.*

Commercials:

• Door Dash and Sesame Street? Yes, please.
• Those that made me giggle - Dr. Squatch and Rocket Mortgage. 
• Most Fun - Frito Lay with Marshawn Lynch and company, including the Steelers' Bus and TB and the Manning brothers.
• Tearjerker - Toyota's paralympic athlete swimmer Jessica Long
• Cute and creative - T-Mobile 5G with Gwen Stefani, Blake Sheldon, and Adame Levine.
• Most powerful - Jeep's Reunited States.
• Most Sexy - Amazon's Alexa with Micheal B. Jordan
• Most uplifting - Michelob Ultra
• My fav - State Farm
• Shout out to Verizon 5G commercial because, uh, JuJu Smith Schuster! I'm going to miss that kid next year.

*See what can happen when you walk outside the lines, leg go of morals, and offer deals to get what you want. Sigh.

Super Bowl 2021 pic

I'm going with the home town and its defense.

Tampa Bay over Kansas City

Guest Blogger - My day out of quarantine

From my friend Jim as told to me:

"I tried to tell everyone this is what would happen--something just like this pandemic. It's overpopulation. More people bring more problems, and now we see the results. 

I can't take it--this being inside my house all the time. But I also can't afford to do what I used to do, like eating at restaurants or traveling. I'm in my 70's. I've only had the first shot of the vaccine. I don't want to take a chance.

But I've got to get out of my house. We walk the beach every morning, and once a week or so, my girlfriend and I like to take the dog and go somewhere where we can be outdoors. She had Wednesday off from work, so we packed up the dog and went to a park north of us. It's a great park. It's a natural spring and used to be a spa in the late 1960s. Now, it has great hiking trails, mangroves, and an observation tower where you can look out over the Gulf of Mexico. 

We parked my car and had just started walking when I decided it was too cold. I went back to the car, got my jacket, and we had a great day enjoying the park. It's a great park. But then we got back to the car, and I didn't have my keys. They were lying in the backseat of my locked car. 

I never do that. I always put my keys in my pocket when I exit, but I guess I laid them on the backseat when I grabbed my jacket. We were one of two cars left in the parking lot, and I thought how I needed to think of something quick because the park was going to close. I didn't need the gate to lock and my car to be stuck.

So, I went over to the lady standing by the other car. It was a red sports car, and I started the conversation by telling her the car sure was nice. I asked where she lived, and she lived in my town! I offered her $30 to drive us home to get my keys and return to get my car. Our masks were in the car, but she was in the medical field and agreed to wear her mask while she drove us home. 

They are good people in this world. With everything going on, I can't believe she agreed to take us. I could've been anybody--a rapist, a murderer--I'm not, but still. She was a very nice lady.

We got home, and I hurried my girlfriend because time was ticking, and we needed to get back to the park before it closed. It's a long drive. We got her car and started off. That's when I noticed she needed gas. That cost me another $30. Now, I'm $60 down just for some time away from my house!

Of course, by the time we made it back to the park, it was closed. The gate was closed with my car inside. I got out and noticed a sign. It told me to inch forward toward the gate, and it would automatically open. I couldn't believe it! I've never heard of such a thing! But I did what it said, and sure enough, the gate opened. I got my car, and we drove back home.

My girlfriend was too tired to cook. I mean, it had been a crazy, long day, but I'm on a budget, and I didn't want to spend more money. But, she was right. I was tired too. So, we ordered a pizza, and I went to pick it up. I don't park where everyone else does. I park around the building and walk in to get my pizza." 

Me: "Let me guess. You locked your keys in the car again!"

Him: "No. Listen! Let me tell the story."

"So, I parked the car, thinking about what a crazy day it'd been. My girlfriend kept telling me it would all work out alright, but I couldn't get over it. I never do things like lock my keys in the car. So, I'm thinking about the day, and I open my door and step out to get the pizza, and right there, in front of me, on the ground, is a hundred dollar bill!"

Me: "You're lying!"

"No, kid, I'm not! It was folded up in a square, but there it was! I feel bad for the person who dropped it. I mean, it could be someone who really needs that money, but what was I going to do? I wasn't going to give it to the pizza employees! Isn't that the damnedest story?"

Me: "That's a great story. You ended up $40 ahead--well, minus the gas to the park and your pizza. That's incredible! See, you worry too much. Everything worked out. That's a story I can put on my blog!"

Him: "Yes! Sure, put it on your blog. Just don't tell people what pizza place it is because some reader might call you and claim it was his $100, and after my crazy day, I'm not giving it up."

Bathroom remodel - check

Madison and I got the finishing touches for the bathroom. We masked up and entered more stores than we wanted on the weekend, but we avoided crowds since we left the shopping to late afternoon. In Lowe's, we spent the most time studying lighting. 

I hate the lighting in my rooms. Our fan lights are the old fixtures that resemble flowery petals, and our bathroom lights are big chunky canister fixtures--all dust collectors. The consensus is to remove the fixtures and wash them, but who has time for that when cleaning? 

So, in choosing new lighting, I told Madison I wanted lights that were swish-swipeable. 

We found several modern vanity lights that fit the bill. They were all over the place in prices, but our main concern was whether or not they would put out enough lighting to actually see in the bathroom. Madison began Googling reviews on the lights we really liked, reading them aloud. A man and a woman walked past us, and the man stopped.

Him: "Which one?"

Me: "The one on the right, second from the top. We're just wondering if it will put enough light out for us to see in the bathroom."

Him: "It's won't. It's a decorative light. Crap. Don't waste your money."

Okay, then. Why we took his word on that, we have no idea, but we moved on, leaving the area to focus on our other items. As if this guy was the lighting expert of our county! 

Eventually, we came to our senses and headed back to the lighting area. This time, we found lights like the ones we liked, only these were directed vertically instead of horizontally, and as this was a main gripe in the reviews, we Facetimed our resident lighting expert.

Tom: "I don't care what you get. LED is the best."

Madison: "The one concern is that these lights are heavy."

Tom: "How heavy can they be?"

Madison: "We need to make sure they go on a stud. That's what the reviews said."

Tom: "It's fine. I'll make it work."

Then, just to be sure, we asked the Lowe's employee in the lighting department. He assured us the LED light was a good one and would put out enough light. That was good enough for us, and we purchased them. Unfortunately, by the time we got home, it was too dark to mount them, so we had to wait a week until Tom could get to them. 

Tom: "These are awfully heavy. Much heavier than the lights that are in there."

Madison and I somehow managed to refrain from uttering aloud the comments that were raging in our heads. And Tom managed, with our help, to replace the old lighting with the new. It does put out enough lighting. We love them!

Other than a new mirror and maybe a new paint job, this project is complete, and it makes my heart happy every time I pass by the room.