Take Your Pick Part 2

First, I wish to correct a possible misimpression that I may have unintentionally left in the previous entry. When I mentioned that Bonnie’s command center is the couch, I was stating the truth, but a little amplification may be in order.

When we used to work at the unexceptional bookbindery, we operated literally as a team. Having attained a measure of seniority and autonomy, we were free to arrange our workspace to our own satisfaction and to assign roles to ourselves that most efficiently accomplished tasks that needed doing. We have continued this practice in retirement, and the way matters have naturally ordered themselves is that I, who had performed the majority of computer tasks at work, am the one who fulfills the same function at home. Bonnie, on the other hand, takes care of any matter requiring paperwork, and she has surrounded herself with all the paraphernalia of an office, including clerical appurtenances and the telephone (there is good reason for this - when speaking on the phone, Bonnie’s voice bears a strong resemblance to that of Marilyn Monroe, while mine more closely resembles Andy Devine - ergo, Bonnie is the one who deals with any callers or people who require calls); consequently, it truly is her workstation, with the added advantage of a television, something the bindery would not have allowed.

(Because we are together 24 hours a day, we, as do most couples, prefer that we not spend every minute cheek by jowl, hence I have set up my workstation at the kitchen table, where we are in voice contact but are not constantly tripping over each other.)

The evening vignette (shuttling between the bedroom and the living room):

"Honey, do you still have your answer from the Sunday paper sudoku?"

"Ummm .... yes. Are you working on it?"

"Trying ... the box in the upper left-hand block - is that a 9?"

"Yes."

"Thank you."

Minutes later ...

"Honey, the number under the 9 - is that a 6?"

"Yes!"

More minutes later (once more coming up the hall) ...

"Heeeelllllp meeeeee ... heeeeeelllllp meeeeeee ..."

"Uh-oh."

"In the center left-hand block going down, is it 5-2-3 or 2-5-3?"

(I’m getting desperate when I guess more than one number at a time ...)

"It’s 5-2-3."

"Thank you."

Still more minutes later ...

"Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

(I must sound like a train passing through a tunnel ...)

"In the center left-hand block again, is it 6-1-4 going down?"

"No."

"Then it’s 6-4-1."

"Yes."

"Thank you."

Half an hour later, Bonnie peeks in to see if I need anything.

"How’s the puzzle going?"

"Finally finished the damn thing. That sucked."

One would think, being a nominal puzzle constructor, I could do better than that. Then again, I too could put twenty letters in a sudoku and make it seem unsolvable, unless one wants to spend days trying out the various combinations. At least when we construct a puzzle, we are fair about it.

We will sign off with a couple of exceedingly gratuitous jokes. This format is a blatant swipe from Late Night with David Letterman, and for all we know this may have been an actual joke used on the show, but if so we have forgotten. Anyway ...

How cold was it today? It was so cold our local squirrel was using a hotplate to keep his nuts warm! Thank yoooooooooouuuuuu!

And -

It was so cold today that we spotted a vagrant using a bun warmer to ...

Okay, you get the picture. We need say no more.

Peace.

Bonnie and Walt