Nobody Gets My Murphy Brown References

A sure sign of aging - you make a cultural reference / metaphor and people just stare at you with a blank look that screams "what in the hell is 'Diff'rent Strokes', old man?"  Whatchoo talkin' 'bout Willis, indeed.

A handyman (his term, definitely not mine) recently completed some work patching a hole in our ceiling.  The hole was actually caused by his brother, a plumber.  Truth be told, we (Jill) asked for the hole.  We had something dripping onto the sheetrock, and plumber brother couldn't tell us for sure what the problem was unless he cut a hole in the ceiling.  Jill agreed, he cut, and told us we needed to re-grout the bathtub above.  A job we (Jill again) could do.  But the gaping hole in the ceiling above the kitchen table needed a professional.  Or, it turns out, his brother Rodney.

Rodney did a fine job fitting and replacing the sheetrock.  It was the painting, repainting, texturing, dripping, re-painting, re-thinking, and matching it to anything around it that turned out to be the problem.  We have that drippy paint texture from the 70's that apparently is hard to recreate, and his choice of true white paint is seven shades off the actual color.

But he was very nice.  And he kept trying.  Five, maybe six times.  Finally, yesterday he told me that it had defeated him.  (These were truly his words).  He apologized, and then started talking about how he might be able to find some time to come back and give it another try. 

I told him, "Thanks, Eldin, but we'll take it from here."

I tell this line to people and I get that blank stare.  It's not like I'm referencing Joanie Loves Chachi or Chico and the Man!