I Has Translation?

I think the Blog Challenge my have died. But if no one minds I'm going to keep using the post topics for Kleeblatchen. I have a hard time coming up with something to ramble about in German, I need a topic.

I just tried Google translate on my latest post. HILARIOUS. If I remember my classes correctly*, at least in spoken German, tense can be implied. You can say "I go to the store tomorrow" or "She teaches me 2nd grade" and it is correct and understood. The translator can't handle that, no big surprise there. It has a hard time with "like", too. "Ich habe es gern" means "I like it". If you translate each word you get either "I have it like" or "I have it happy". My dad
"has sweet peas happy" according to translator; maybe it would have done better if it knew what Edelwicke are?

There are some other amusing mistranslations (I think I all those caused by misspellings) but you can understand the post, which is pretty frickin' cool when you think about it.

*I really need to buckle down and pull out the old text books. I keep meaning to.

Grumpy Old Me

I'm the one who suggested the "grumpy old man" post for the blog challenge. Inspired by a discussion on what one can get for 25 cents with my little sister. A quarter will get you one of those stale hollow gum balls from the gumball machine stand at the mall. When I was her age I could get a better gum ball for two pennies. (Or maybe I only remember them as better.:)) Does anyone else remember "Where's the Beef" gum? Or the Wendy's ad campaign that name was stolen from?

(Speaking of fast food, anyone out there remember the Roy Rogers? I don't know if they were national or just regional. When they were bought by Hardee's (Where'd you think they Hardee's learned to fry chicken?) the one in Vienna changed thier signage but the interior decor didn't change. They didn't even tke down the portrait of Roy. My friends and I called the Roy-Hardee's.)

Anyway, this isn't what I really meant but, oh well, that's how the cookie crumbles sometimes.

Sometime I wonder if I'm really better on anti-depressants. Sure, I can go to the grocery store or worship at the Wall of Mart (I avoid it like the plaque, but sometimes I have to go.) any day of the week, no psyching up required; I can speak in public without risk of hyperventilating (although I talk so fast it's amazing I don't anyway); I can eat by myself at almost any resturant, but I still perfer to only at certain places; the wall between me and other people isn't a cement-filled cinder block one anymore. There are some other things, too, but that's gives you the idea.

Thing is I still feel alone in a crowd; the wall is still there; most of the time I'd rather go to lunch by myself than with just my boss because there wouldn't be anyone else to talk, other times I go to lunch with the group and feel alone; I still don't know how to meet people; I still watch stupid made-for-TV rom/coms and get depressed because I don't have any writers on my side...

It's never bothered me to be by myself. Occasionally nw I want to be around people but if I go out I'm very aware that I'm alone and end up feeling worse. Used to be, I wouldn't have even considered going out. Before the meds I was numb most of the time and shoved my emotions in the closet only to have burst out everyonce in while. Now I don't know that I feel anything most of the time. Except when I feel crappy and fragile, and shit tumbles out anyway. I still wonder what it'd be like if the wall between me and others was real, something everyone could see, acknowledge, and then move around instead of just in my head.

Sometimes I wonder if this is really better. Am I really better?

Oldies but Goodies?

I don't know what my favorite song was in 6th grade. I remember a lot for when I was 11 but what I listened to isn't in there. I listened to the classic rock radio stations (105.9WCXR and DC101, I can remember that, go fig. I think this was before Mom banned us from listening to the DC101 morning guy.) and didn't own a Debbie Gibson album. I'm sure I listened to tons of Led Zeppelin because this was during my brother's LZ phase.

Sometime in 6th - 8th grade, I heard Songs from the Woods by Jethro Tull during 105.9's midnight classics (or whatever) where they'd play an entire album through. I loved it, still do. But I don't think I have a favorite song or even a favorite album. Why narrow it down to one?

(Did I watch the Super Bowl?
Habe ich americanisher Fußball gern?)

Tuscaloosa Winter

If you want a quick synopsis of winter where I live and read German, look here.

Even if the blog challenge has been changed to one post a week I'll try and do two, 'cos it gives me a topic to blog auf Deutsch about.:)

A Question or Two

How horrible a person will I be if I cash the check from the insurance company and don't get the dent fixed?

I will use some of the money to get the brake booster cylinder fixed/replaced. I might use it to get the AC fixed, too, if there's enough left over.



Also, will I be kicked out of the blog challenge if I don't like any of this week's topics?

I started to think about the classic books and kid's TV/book questions but just don't really want to write either.

So there!

I did four out of five blog challenge posts this week (more than almost of the others, as far as I can tell) so I don't feel bad that I haven't discussed why Christmas is my favorite holiday.

Mountain Girl

If you asked me at work where I'd rather be and I'd say anywhere, but I'm home right now so I really don't know where I'd rather be. If I had to be somewhere else, I would probably choose the mountains. I like the beach; I like winter beaches possibly more than summer ones. I like the desert; I feel in love with geology out west. But if I had to choose one place to go it would be the mountains. Any mountains.

I like being in the water. I love swimming in "living waters" (I love that image, living waters, too.). I much prefer the beach or a river or lake over the pool. Years of swim team did not make me love the smell of chlorine. I'm not a huge fan of having sand in every crevice from being at the beach (even man-made lake beaches). I love swimming up stream. Or floating around in the pool beneath a water fall and having the waterfall pound on my back (if it isn't too high!).

I like the stillness of the woods. And wondering what might be over the that shoulder or around the bend in the stream. I like listening for critters and maybe seeing them. (Deer don't know how many legs a horse is suppose to have;) Also I'm less likely to get sunburned after a day in the mountains than a day on the beach.

All things being equal, I'm a mountain girl. Even the little things that pass for mountains in Alabama.

What would I do if...Wait it SNOWED!

I was going to write about what I would do if I woke up in a foreign country and I couldn't understand anyone and they couldn't understand me.* But OMG, it snowed and stuck! So here are some pictures of my snow. I'd just like to correct the person on NPR who said the residents of the SE affected by the storm were just happy it came on a Saturday - No we're not. If we are going to get a dusting, we want off work!

SNOW

* The way I've been feeling lately I'd be happy. No chance of opening my mouth and inserting my foot, or bring a conversation to a stop (in a bad way), or make an idiot of myself.

Morally Ok? Ethically Ok?

To me the difference between morals and ethics is that morals apply to all aspects of life and ethics are more specific. Ethics are often rules that apply to one's profession that may or may not apply outside of it. This can mean that something ethical may not be moral and vice versa.

A lawyer has to behave ethically as defined by the state bar association but he does not have to behave morally. A doctor may do some thing that is morally correct but if it violates the medical board's ethics standards, she may be punished. Some professional organizations, like licensure boards, do require that members be "moral upright" members of society but that's vague and probably difficult to enforce. The ethical standards of a profession are, on the other hand, often spelled out and enforced.

Happiness is a Warm Puppy

It really is. One thing that makes me happy is coming home every day and having my dog SOOOOO excited to see me. Well, it usually makes me happy, sometimes when I'm grumpy or when she's been bad (or sick) I want her to go away and stop being so cute. It is hard to be mean to her when she's that excited to see me, even if she has pulled dishes out of the sink and broken another mug or spread trash all over the study. I generally find it hard to be mad at her because she's just so happy that I love her and take care of her.

Yea, Nay

I am optimistic that my post titles will improve in the near future. I am pessimistic that the content of my posts will improve.

Favortie Subject

Science, definitely. What more is there to say? Unless you read German than you can learn a little bit more.

RIF-MAN

I was blessed with a number of good teachers but my absolute favorite, the one I wanted to be like, was Rick Wormeli (6 grade, Elementary school). He was just made of teaching awesome.

He had so much energy and creativity. I wish I could (have been) be a teacher like that. He was not only good at actually presenting the material but also great at keeping our interest. Well, mine anyway, I liked school, but I don't remember lots of discipline problems that would suggest bored students. Where to start?

At the beginning of the year he had us all lay down on the floor and lead us through a relaxation technique. Then he basically started with the Big Bang and drew, with his words, the universe up to the point where our history studies would start (Ancient Greece, I think). It was pretty cool.

One day when it had snowed and no one else was going out for recess (yes, we had recess in the 6th grade), he took us out and we played follow the leader. We were trying to make as few footsteps in the snow as possible, but Mr. Wormeli is about 6'3" so it was hard. At one point he was taking these big leapy-steps, where his footprints were probably 6 feet apart. Behind him there's a line of twenty or so kids trying to jump off one foot and land on one foot who are a foot to foot and a half shorter.

He separated a few of us out who were very good at math and made us the Mach I group. We went through the text book in one semester. The second semester we were Mach II and moved into an 8th grade book (he couldn't find a 7th grade one); the rest of the class became Mach I. Kids who weren't good at math got extra help but were never singled out. One day, the 3 or 4 of us got to go out and measure the flag pole and some other tall things in the school yard using the length of the shadows.

He was Cupid, at least a few years, and delivered the Valentine's candy or cards or whatever it was. (It was a fund raiser for someone, like carnations in high school.) I remember my 3rd grade year, in particular. He wore pink tights and a diaper like thing, wings if I remember correctly, and carriered a toy bow and arrow. My 3rd grade teacher was short (I was as tall as Ms. Aleanza, I was 8.) and he gave her a peck on the cheek. It was quite scandalous.

He read to us. He read "Flowers for Algernon" to us and several others. He did voices. With the help of the teacher intern and, maybe, the reading specialist at our school Rick had us pick two of three books to read and we "studied" them in groups. For "Tuck Everlasting" we decorated t-shirts to show important things from the story. (Along with more traditional book report type activities.) I also read a book about a girl and her brother who run away to an art museum. Rick took several of us to one of the art museums after we finished the book.

He killed the meal worms that we were suppose to do something with for science. (Left them in the box forever) He let me set up an experiment in the classroom on dissolution of limestone by acidic water.

I'll stop rambling on about 6th grade now. Suffice it to say that Rick was the only Elementary teacher I ever went back to talk to. I wish I could thank him now.

Oh, wait one last thing - I was sworn to secrecy in 6th grade but since he doesn't appear to be teaching anymore I think it is safe to let his secret identity be known. Mr. Wormeli was RIF-man.

First Movie

Well, like Honu-Girl the first movie I saw in the theater was Star Wars, except, being a couple years younger, I saw The Empire Strikes Back. We were visiting my grandparents and PawPaw took Pat and me to see a matinée.

Pat was really excited as I recall; I think one of our older brothers had taken him to see Star Wars and he was excited to see the sequel. I think I was just generally excited because I was going to a movie.

Old Stuff

I own a fair number antiques but I don't know how old any of them actually are. My parent's used to buy a lot of furniture at estate sales and thrift stores, so I've "inherited" a lot of old stuff. I used to be able to say I had the bass which is from the mid-1800s but that's back at Mom's house now. The piano is from the '60s, I think. But I haven't owned any of those very long and most were given to me by my parents (anything to get it out of their garage), so I don't think I'll count them. The thing I have owned the longest is, I think, my stereo receiver.

I got the receiver and a dual tape-deck when I was 10 or 12, I think. I got a CD player a couple of years later for Christmas. (Pat was suppose to build me some nice speakers that year, too; The speakers, et al. are probably in a box in my parent's garage. I'm still waiting.) The tape-deck died a few years ago. A tape got stuck in the recording side and then the non-recording side stopped working. About that time I got one of the converter things to plug into your portable CD player and put the tape in the car tape deck, so I didn't need to make tapes of anything anymore. I finally tossed it. The receiver works great. Twice a weld came loose and I lost the left channel. First time I knew someone who found the problem and fixed it for free; the second time I got it fixed at a local repair shop. I bet they thought I was crazy or maybe impressed at my antique audio equipment. (They think that's old they should see one pair of speakers I have.)

In terms of old stuff I use a lot. My bed is an antique brass bed and it gets used every night (and all day by my dog). The desk my computer sits on is also antique but with some bits replaced. My stereo system is 30 (speakers) to 17 (CD player) years old.

Hey, my T.V. is at least 8 years old, does that make it antique?

Guilty Pleasures

Since I can't come up with 101 things about me that I'd want the world to know I guess I'll have to write about guilty pleasures. I'll try and make this less rambling and make more sense than my what makes me sad post.

Reading and sleeping: Like all day in bed reading and sleeping, not showering until 3 in the afternoon, kind of reading and sleeping. I also take long showers, even when I try and rush. So it can be 4 or 5 o'clock before I'm presentable on a Saturday or Sunday. But I can usually only do this one day of the weekend, I just can't sleep that late on Sunday if I slept half of Saturday.

Food: When I'm feeling particularly crappy I'll get a bag of Doritos and a tub of Dean's French Onion dip for supper. I try and get the small tub that way I don't eat quite as much; the low-fat stuff is awful. I buy a lot of convenience foods and junk food. I like veggies and fruit but they go bad. Cooking takes energy. Mac 'n Cheese I can throw in the microwave and eat in 20 minutes.

Self pity: The biggest one of all. It isn't so much that I enjoy feeling sorry for myself, it's more that I'm used to it and sometimes I just want to feel something. So I'll watch a romantic comedy and cry because I don't have script writers on my side; or watch the news and cry because how can I feel bad when I've had it so easy... (Kinds' makes me want Doritos and French onion dip for lunch.)

Favorite meal

Corn meal. Definitely corn. You can't eat meal worms. Or lupper* (or is it sunch?), particularly Thanksgiving dinner which is, at my home, around luppertime.

Or Doritos and Dean's brand French onion dip. Oh wait, that's a guilty pleasure, different post.




*when the main meal of the day( i.e. "dinner") falls mid-afternoon instead of mid-day or evening.

Rational

My friend Honu-Girl invited me to join this blogging challenge thingy where we pick three out of four topics to write about each week. So here goes - Something that makes me sad.

This morning of Morning Edition, they were continuing their series of talking to people along I-10 about the election. One woman in Sorona, TX was saying that immigration was an important issue for her because it is so hard for Americans to get on welfare or food stamps, and she knows because she's been on welfare in the past. While I don't doubt that when she had to jump through a fair number of hoops to get aid its not because of illegal immigrants. (Or for that matter legal immigrants either.) I am sorry that this woman has hit rough patches in her life and had to deal with the frustrations and, sometimes, humiliations of getting public assistance. It saddens me to know that she thinks the difficulties in getting that aid were do to immigrants. And because it was her personal experience it will be much harder to convince her otherwise.

It is an unfortunate part of human nature that we often put extra weight on personal experience over the experience of others or measurable facts. It is understandable but unfortunate. For example, I avoided red velvet cake for years because a friend of my grandmother's made one for her birthday one time and it was awful (rancid butter was the best explanation we could come up with). Now I'm not a fan of cream cheese icing, which is traditional on a RVC, but that's never stopped my from eating carrot cake, so I can't really use that as an excuse. I was just afraid to try it again. Then I found out it was basically devil's food cake with red food coloring added and decided it was probably worth a second try. I knew the bad taste of that cake had nothing to do with the type of cake but rather a bad ingredient but I still avoided red velvet cakes. I'm an intelligent well-educated science-y person but I could still rationalize it away. How can I expect someone who is possibly less educated or less used to thinking in terms of dry facts and numbers to ignore personal experience? Particularly when we are dealing with something as complicated as immigration (or taxes, oil independence, climate change, the Economy,...).

Every four years I hear people talk about "the issues" and which candidates they prefer and listen to journalist talk about how different groups of people vote. And I wonder why do people not vote in their own best interest? And my answer is always single-issue voters (i.e. nut-sos) and lack of understanding.