Good afternoon. It is I Gigi the parti poodle here to introduce my weekly blog. Alas, I have not gotten over my sudden onset of phobias. My novelist refuses to let me go anywhere outside the house without a leash now. I am not happy about my newfound loss of freedom. Losing your novelist’s trust is not a joyful thing. Although I am aware I am not my usual self. I have begun writing a journal about my newfound fears involving humans getting too close to me. Which did get better temporarily when thunder showers came this week. I began to calm down. I curled up with a nice shot of Aquadent, took a nap and afterwards I began to write. I wrote about how I have not been out to see Bernard or his little sister Belle for a week and started making a list of what I would like the Easter bunny to bring. I would like a white chocolate bunny. I would like a stuffed chewy toy. And doggone it, I would like to get my freedom back. I despise this leash thing. I want to roam about on my little patch of grass like I used to. I must find a way to win back my novelist’s trust. Somehow, I must return to my old self.

MY BOOKS

You can check out my books Chicane and all five installments of the Musicology book series Musicology: Volume One, Baby!, Musicology: Volume Two, Kid!, Musicology: Volume Three, Twist!, Musicology: Volume Four, Sweetie! and Musicology: The Epiquad on Amazon in Kindle and Paperback editions. You can also check out Musicology’s web site at www.musicologyrocks.com and vote for who you think will win Musicology!

STREAM OF THE WEEK: THE TEACHER’S LOUNGE (2023) NETFLIX

Nominated for an Oscar for International Feature Film in 2024, this film from Germany is a taunt and thrilling tale about a kind and moral teacher in one of the least kind and moral places in the world, a middle school. Leonie Benesch is fantastic as Carla Nowak, a young polish teacher starting her career teaching math and physical education in a German middle school. In her math classroom there is an exceptionally bright young student named Oskar Kuhn (Leonard Stettnisch) whom she likes and wants to assist him in furthering his education. At one point she presents him with a Rubik’s Cube which she explains requires math and not magic to complete the puzzle.

The school she teaches at has been struggling with issues of theft and Carla sees students and teachers alike taking advantage of opportunities all around her. One day she leaves her jacket and her laptop in the teacher’s lounge with her camera going. When Carla returns, she finds someone had gone into her wallet and taken money. When she reviews the video on her computer, she sees someone in a white blouse with yellow stars on it standing by her chair with her jacket on it, reaching into the pocket and taking her wallet. Oscar’s mother Friederike Kuhn (Eva Löbau) works in the student office, which is situated near the teacher’s lounge and when Carla goes into the office to report the theft, she sees she is wearing a white shirt with yellow stars on it.

Carla confronts Friederike and asks her to return the money and the conversation will be over. Friederike refuses to say she committed the theft and seems downright bewildered. Carla takes her computer to Dr. Bettina Böhm (Anne-Kathrin Gummich) who runs the school. Böhm calls Friederike into the office to try and elicit a confession and has a reluctant Carla show the video footage. Friederike refuses to confess to the crime and is put on leave. The event causes a rising tidal wave of schoolwide issues that come back to haunt Carla, including Oscar threatening to cause her harm.