What have I gotten myself into now?

I laughed until I cried

2007-04-19T16:26:00.000-07:00

This one is for all of you "Germanisten"/German-speaking linguists out there!

The following is a short article recently published in the (German) Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin. I thought about trying to translate it into English, but then it just wouldn't be as good. Sorry! If you understand enough German to read the article you will likely also understand why it's funny.

Heeheehee :-D

Das Beste aus meinem Leben
von Axel Hacke

Der Sprach-Wertstoffhof (XII): Ein bisschen wundert es einen schon, welche Begeisterung die Idee des Sprach-Wertstoffhofs ausgelöst hat, interessante, aber nicht mehr benötigte Wörter anderen Menschen zur Verfügung zu stellen. Hat es mit der aktuellen Klima-Diskussion zu tun? Spart Kohlendioxid, wer Wörter wieder verwendet? Oder haben wir es hier nur mit einer Ausformung deutscher Sprach-Leidenschaft zu tun? Die ich in diesem Fall eben besonders nett finde, weil sie sich nicht in den anderswo beliebten Falsch-Richtig-Katagorien äußert, sondern in neue Sprach-Dimensionen vorzudringen sucht. Sich also fragt, wie sehr eine Sprache vielleicht gerade durch das Falsche bereichert wird.
Bevor wir in dieser Richtung weiterdenken, ein Wort zur erwähnten Leidenschaft, die Sprache betreffend. Herr B. aus Konstanz schickte dazu einige sehr schöne Wörter nicht nur aus einem Restaurant in Mittelbergheim/Elsass, wo es zum Beispiel das Gericht »Vom Fuss Schwein, Vinaigrette im Rechtsanwalt« gibt (Croustillant de pied de porc, Salade mesclun à Phuile avocat), sondern auch aus einem Lokal in Barr/Bas-Rhin, wo man einen Gratin de fruits de mer verspeisen kann, das ist laut Speisekarte in unserer geliebten Landessprache, bitte sehr: »Überbackener Oberbegriff für Schalen- und Krustentiere«.
So etwas liebt der Sprach-Gourmet. Überbackene Oberbegriffe! Geröstete Substantive! Ein Souflé von Verben! Pochierte Präpositionen!
Noch mehr aber liebt er das Besondere. Und hier haben wir nun die ganz exquisite Einlieferung von Herrn E. aus Reichertshausen/Ilm, nämlich das German Phrase Book des US War Department vom 30. November 1943, mit dessen Hilfe sich amerikanische Soldaten bei der Eroberung Nazi-Deutschlands mit der ansässigen Bevölkerung verständigten. In diesem Büchlein lernen wir unsere geliebte Landessprache auf eine ganz neue Weise kennen, in der Lautschrift nämlich, nach der Amerikaner sie sprechen sollten. Und plötzlich hat das Deutsche etwas, wie soll man sagen: Koreanisches?
Wir sehen Wörter wie: ZEE-sik-kai-ten, VAI-sa-REE-ben, VA-ser-m’lo-na, AHP-g’kawkh-tess VA-ser, KAWN-yahk. (Das ist, in dieser Reihenfolge: Süßigkeiten, Weiße Rüben, Wassermelone, abgekochtes Wasser, Kognak.) Wir sehen andere Wörter: ba-O-bahkh-toongs-FLOOK-tsoyk und ma-SHEE-nen-g’vayr-sheet-sa. (Das Beobachtungsflugzeug und der Maschinengewehrschütze.)
Und wir lesen Sätze wie: Ist heer in der NAY-ha dahss paw-lee-TSAI-ahmt? Sowie auch: VEL-shess ist dee HERSHST-g’shvin-dikkait? (Ist hier in der Nähe das Polizeiamt? Welches ist die Höchstgeschwindigkeit?) Anderthalb Jahre vor der Kapitulation der Deutschen, so schreibe E., hätten die Amerikaner diese bis in Kleinste sprachlich schon vorbereitet gehabt: er-GAY-ben zee zish! Aber auch: MA-khen zee ess zish B’KVAYM!
Wie fremd und schön und aufregend einem da die eigene Sprache vorkommt! Und wie klein die heutigen Versuche, diese Sprache dem internationalen Gebrauch zu unterwerfen. Herr H. aus Huglfing berichtet von einem solchen. Er ging seine Büropost durch und fand auf der Rückseite einer Versicherungsrechnung folgende Sätze: »Um die international erfolgreiche Marke ›Zurich‹ zu stärken, verzichten wir auf die im deutschen Sprachgebrauch üblichen Ü-Punkte in der Schreibweise: aus Zürich Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft (Deutschland) ist jetzt Zurich Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft (Deutschland) geworden. Für Sie ändern sich dadurch weder die Vertragsinhalte noch Ihr Betreuer vor Ort.«
H. fragt, ob nun demnächst auch München zu Munchen werde, dann Nurnberg und Furth folgen würden, ah, wurden – oder ob es noch Hoffnung für die Umlaute gebe...
Ich glaube es nicht, Herr H. Erinnern Sie sich noch an die Zeiten, als wir das Öktöbärfäst feierten? Alles dahin, nur um die internationale Marke zu starken: Oktoberfest. Voll von umlautfreien Amerikanern, Italienern, Australiern.
Für die Umlaute ist es, wie die amerikanische Soldaten zu sagen pflegten, doch schon FINF nahkh TSVERLF.

Hey, it's been a while!

2007-02-24T17:59:00.000-08:00

Why hello there! Fancy meeting you here! --- Yeah, I know, I've been a bad blogger. I just haven't really had much to write about. I'm afraid, even after all that time, I still don't have anything terribly exciting to say. Things are going very well here, although I'm frustrated over having (apparently) actually managed to fail Paleontology. :( Sadly, that is not a joke. I know I tend to be self-critical, but this is truely pathetic. I spend three whole years making contacts and plans to come study specifically at the Institute for Paleontology, work to make a good impression on the faculty, finally get here, and promptly fail the first exam. :( DAMMIT!!! So there goes being a good representitive of my home university and country. Maybe it's a sign of some kind...
But let's change the topic before I get angrier than I already am. - I had my last final yesterday and am now officially FREE! I've got break now until the beginning of April and have a lot planned.
I spent last weekend with a friend in Amsterdam, which was really neat. I'm glad to have finally had a chance to see something other than the airport. But before you get the wrong impression - we did NOT go to the sex museum, did NOT smoke any pot, and made a real effort to stay far, far away from the Red Light District. The friend and I actually spent the entire time speaking in German - which we've actually been doing for almost four years now - which could, theoretically, have gotten us into trouble. The Dutch still have some hard feelings towards Germany regarding World War II. Fortunately, people mostly just seemed confused and baffled by two American girls speaking German with each other. I will admit though, that it would have been interesting to discuss the issue with someone. Despite the fact that it never came up, I still couldn't help, but occasionally sense that we, perhaps, were treading on thin ice. On the other hand, we were both delighted to find that with a bit of effort, we could both work our way fairly well through the Dutch! How cool is that!!?? This came especially in handy, when the train we were on heading to Amsterdam suddenly decided to stop working. After a good ten minutes of sitting at an unknown station, most of the lights went out. This was quickly followed by an announcement in Dutch informing us that due to some technical problem, the train would not be able to continue to Amsterdam, but that another train would be leaving at 9:43 pm from platform 3. And so we found ourselves standing in the middle of a small Dutch town (the name of which neither of us know), waiting for the next train. It was funny really. The fun continued when we finally got to Amsteram only to find that neither of us had the information for the hotel with (it was me who really forgot). We attempted, but failed to locate an internet cafe and decided to simply get on the tram and hope it would be easy to find from there. The problem though, was that neither of us could remember the name of the hotel, and it was NOT easy to find. The first person we asked was sure he knew what we meant, and sent us with confidence "five minutes that way", pointing down the street we were on. We trustfully walked the five minutes, but failed to find the hotel. The next person we asked repeated the response that the first person had given us, but this time sent us "five minutes" back in the direction we had come from. This repeated a few times until we finally manged to look up the address at another hotel. From there, the problem was simply that no one recognized the street name. One person swore up and down that it wasn't even in Amsterdam. The best we got was from two fairly sober men from a bar who informed us that it was definately in the area, behind some houses, but the couldn't say exactly where. We eventually got frustrated and began looking for a taxi. The funny thing is, the TAXI DRIVER didn't know where it was either!! He had to look it up on a map, but still managed to take a wrong turn. He thus kindly informed us, that this was officially the RANDOMEST and MOST DIFFICULT street to locate in all of Amsterdam. Hehe - way to go! But hey! At least it was quiet!! Besides that, the trip went well and we had a good time.
I'd love to write something about Karneval, but I'm afraid I'm 1.) running out of time, and 2.) I'm sure you have other things to do besides read my blog. :)
So, I guess that's it for now.
--- upcoming adventures include three weeks of excevating in the Rhineland and eight days of England! ---

The anti-wikipedia

2006-11-30T12:54:00.000-08:00

Just too funny to let pass - sorry for all you non-Geologists out there (which I guess is most of you) But hey! You can look up other nonesense here too! :

www.uncyclopedia.org

....

R ewe wun uv these?

Geologist
From Uncyclopedia, the content-free encyclopedia.

Geologists are scientists with an unnatural obsession with rocks and alcohol. Often too stupid to do proper science like chemistry or physics, geologists instead devote their time to mud-worrying, volcano spotting and high-risk colouring in.

One of the main difficulties in communicating with geologists is their belief that a million years is a short amount of time. Consequently, such abstract concepts as "Tuesday Morning" and Lunchtime are completely beyond their comprehension.

To spot a geologist in the wild, look for:

Socks worn with sandals, unless the wearer is German.
Hand-lens, compass, pen-knife, handcuffs etc. tied round neck with string.
Ownership of a pet rock (in the case of palaeontologists, this will be their closest friend).
Overenthusiasm on the subject of dinosaurs.
Someone explaining to airport security that a rock hammer isn't really a weapon.
Takes photos, includes people only for scale, and has more pictures of rock hammer and lens cap than of his family.
Someone whose collection of beer cans/bottles rivals the size of his rock collection.
Someone who brings beer instead of water when hiking.
Someone with unnatural amounts of facial hair and wears lots of polar fleece
Someone whose lunch consists of rocks, instead of ordinary bread

If you remain unsure, ask the subject to draw an anotated diagram of a trilobite. A true geologist will immediately reach for their waterproof notebook - this is your opportunity for escape.

"Geologists rock" -- Oscar Wilde

Geologists in the Movies

Geologists in the movies are nothing like the real thing. For example, in a volcanic eruption or major earthquake, no geologist is going to give a rat's ass about rescuing a doll even if it does belong to the romantic interest's children. Geologists are not cool, and they do not look like James Bond. On rare occasions, Flint, but never Bond. Unless you are the Geeza

There has been one accurate portrayal of a geologist in a B-rate movie though. In "Trek of the Moon Beast", the mineralogist turned into a flesh eating monster at night. It is thought that this may be a common occurence among geologists.

Geologists in History

Geology began in Edinburgh in 2420 when celebrated physicist James Clerk Maxwell built a time machine, and went back to the Galapagos Islands in 1793 to give Charles Darwin the idea. Darwin then invented the volcano, and modern geology was born. Anne Heche, one of the few famous female geologists, made her name when she discovered the W of Gondwanaland on an expedition to Brazil.

Geologists and Alcohol

There is a considerable, and still growing body of scientific literature that suggests that geologists are in fact the world's first alcohol-based life form. Owing to a crucial imbalence in blood electrolyte levels (possibly caused by overexposure to bad rock puns) most find it necessary to imbibe vast quantities of alcoholic beverages at every opportunity. If you ever encounter a geologist who is sober after 6pm, this person is an imposter: possibly an alien; probably a geographer. Alcoholism is an acceptable, even socially benefitial, disease for an active geologist. The mark of a true geologist is the ability to draw up a systematic and colour coded diagrammatic representation of good beer distribution across the globe, using no more than a tatty beer mat and burnt twig. Alternative conversation topics might include: a detailed consideration of the relative merits of differing brands of gin (including those brands that may only be termed "gin" as "bug-infused lighter fuel" might look bad on the risk assessment forms); whether a hangover is very useful or absolutely essential to the correct practice of geology in the field; and how many crates of beer does it take to cause the average 4x4 to roll over/dump its rear axle/spontaneously combust.

The Great Geology -Geography Wars (1852 - last Tuesday, just after lunch)

For eons, animosity has existed between those folk who understand what an eon is and those who need help tying their bootlaces before a day in the field. However, the most recent escalation of violence between the two waring tribes was sparked when, over a jolly fine supper in the Atheneum Club (turbot und dill, en croute avec carpet sautee), Sir Roderick Impey Murchison was heard to say "Your mum, what!" to Dr. David Livingstone. The avid bug-huffer retired in high dudgeon and went off to sulk in Africa for years and years and years, the great jessie, only returning to civilization when Murchison was safely insane. And dead. In his absence, the serried ranks of the geographers could barely muster a token resistance to the all-powerful, all-conquering, and devilishly handsome (yes, even Adam Sedgwick) geologists. Final defeat came at the blood-soaked Battle of Roger Moor (similar to Marston Moor, but a bit smoother, and orange) where the geographers were ignominiously routed owing to the superior firepower of the geologists' flint-lock machine guns (but lets face it, any weapon with a rock integral to its design was always going to terrify the pants off a geographer). Annual tribute is paid by the geographers in recognition of this defeat, hence the odd obsession with tributaries often displayed by members of their race.

Home sweet home

2006-11-14T09:20:00.000-08:00

Third floor, last window on the right. ;) Hopefully there will be more of these coming soon!

November 9-10, 1938

2006-11-10T15:57:00.000-08:00

How many of you out there recognize this date? It isn't the first thing I would have thought of either, but in some ways maybe it should be. I hope the term Night of Broken Glass, or, alternately, (Reichs)kristallnacht says a little more. For many of you I think it will, and these are my comments for today:
Essentially, today (the 10th) was a day, just like any of the other days I've spent here and not at all unlike the other Thursdays I've had here. Wednesday (the 9th) was an (increasingly) typical Wednesday too, and the only thing I can say about the night between them is that it was kind of chilly. Yet, I couldn't help wondering what it was like for those who woke up on November 10, 1938. Would the sun have still been shining in my window? Would the farmer's market still have been in the square? Would the shopkeepers have gone about their morning business in the same quiet manner? Was the morning as deceivingly quiet as it was today, or did everything come to a screeming halt? I tried to imagine how the streets I walk every day must have looked, but couldn't quite complete the image.
Later in the day today, at a kind of memorial service which took place on the banks of the Rhine near the site of a synagogue that was burned between the 9th and 10th, I happened to watch, as two men in their 70s or even 80s met each other in front of me. The two appeared to have been close friends and seemed deeply moved as they stood clasping hands, sharing a moment without words. The slightly younger of the two placed his free hand on the shoulder of his friend in a gesture that spoke volumes, but in a way that went beyond all words, spoken or written. I could see the face of the older of the two clearly and watched as the deeply tanned wrinkles bunched up around the corners of his eyes when he smiled softly. At first I only saw and fealt the deep, warm friendship between the two, but then I saw something else hidden in the wrinkles, behind the older man's eyes. It was at that moment that something hit me like a bolt of lightning, shooting a burst of blinding intensity through every inch of my body. There is, again, no set of words in existence to even begin to describe the explosion of impossibly overwhelming emotions and images that forced their way into every part of my mind and soul. Not understanding, and not knowing why, I began to shake, yes PHYSICALLY shake and had to use everything I had to resist simply dropping to my knees and completely breaking down. I felt as if the hand of God had just brushed my forehead and given me, just for one split second, a glimpse into a terrible, terrible world that none of us can possibly know anything about. This text does little to describe what I mean, or what I felt and saw. There is now way for me to describe it to you all. I don't understand it myself. I don't know what it is, where it came from, or why it came. I don't know if I made it up, or if what happened was real and beyond my control. All I know is, whatever the explaination, I gained a small, and for now overwhelming piece of something today, and it's here to stay. I can't make it go away. It's been stuck inside of me like a hot coal and doesn't seem to want to leave me alone. You all can think I've gone completely nuts, but I'm not trying to offer an explaination here. I'm only sharing what I honestly experienced, because it has a hold on me and I don't know why. Take it as you will, it's very real to me.

On German Bureaucracy - or how to get from point A to point B in the most efficient and yet most irritatingly complicated way possible

2006-11-02T15:38:00.000-08:00

If you are a visual learner and would prefer a diagram, try this: Take a clean sheet of paper and a pen. Write the letters A and B at the top and bottom of the page and begin drawing a line between them. But WAIT! Do NOT draw a straight line! Try throwing a few curly-cues and squigglies in. Lots and lots of them! As many as you can fit on the page without touching B. In fact, feel free to run the line right off the side of the page, continuing it on the back side and bringing it around to the front again. Yeah - now it's getting fun! =) No one expects that one. Keep this up until one of three things happen: 1.) you get bored. 2.) The "line" is now a smeared BLOB/there's a hole in the paper. 3.) The ink in your pen is running out. Then, and ONLY then may you run your line neatly and precisely into the top of your beautiful B. Find an un-scribbled corner somewhere on the page, STAMP it, SIGN it, and give the sheet to the next person who asks you to do something for them. =)

Example:

Carrie has the theoretically simple desire to apply for a residence permit in order to avoid a meeting with the friendly German "Pozilei" (Polizei - Police) and a very sudden and very depressing trip home. Carrie thinks she can get this vital document in the city she lived in for THREE MONTHS, but no, that's no good, because that isn't where Carrie is REALLY living. Hmm. Get ready - here come the squigglies - Carrie only has three months to do this in and thus spends 6 hours sitting in a train just to attempt, but fail to reach the immigration office in Bonn. Carrie signs a contract for an apartment (refreshingly EASY!) and finds herself living less than a block away from said office, but must make an APPOINTMENT to see someone there. Carrie tries for HOURS to speak to a living being inside this illusive building, but ultimately fails...again. The next day, as Carrie is returning from deciphering a different page of inky mess, her cell phone rings. WOW! AMAZING! Guess who it is?? Someone is calling from immigration about an appointment! How did that happen? Someone ELSE called them for me and got through. Sweet!! "Hello! I need a residence permit and am in Bonn, but not for long, can I come in today?"- Here comes the back side of the page part - Well, let's see...Has Carrie registered as a citizen of Bonn? (yeah, you can do that as a foreigner, but can't get permission to stay) -- Hmmm, no, she hasn't registered yet. Why? Because Carrie isn't allowed to register until she actually MOVES to Bonn, but she can't do THAT for another month. Ooops. Okay, that means no appointment, because immigration needs the information put in the system after registering as a citizen of Bonn which, as mentioned, is not going to be allowed to happen for another month. Dagnabbit!! SIGH! -- Defeated and frustrated, Carrie resigns and slinks back to the train station for another 6 hour train ride. Back "home" in Dachau, Carrie tries to shed some light on the matter by calling town hall. The man she talks to - yes she reaches someone with the FIRST call! - is friendly, helpful, and equally confused by the anal retentiveness of bureucrats in Bonn. It would, says friendly man, have been no problem at all to have applied for the residence permit THERE, had I been allowed to do so. GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH. A month passes, Carrie settles in to Bonn and goes to turn in her (filled out) citizen registration form to town hall, which ends up taking THREE AND A HALF HOURS! - Take a flipping number and WAIT! Now it's getting stupid. Time is REAL short. The three months without a residence permit will be up in 4 days. Carrie manages to make an appointment for 8:30 am, but only by calling an unrelated phone number and being transferred. Carrie thinks "GREAT! We can finally get this thing done!" Oh no, we're not done yet!! Carrie makes the appointment and unpacks various and sundry documents. The very aloof, but not totally unfriendly woman quickly notices that Carrie has lived in Germany before. - Whether from Carries's passport or from her computer is unclear. - Is this true? Well, yeah - I don't suppose it was my evil twin. Ok, that means that they will need the FILES (!!) on Carrie from that last stay in order to put the application for THIS stay through. Oh man - that really isn't as "cool" as it sounds - having "files" held on you in foreign countries. Not like there's anything in it - some stamped, signed, squiggle-covered notebook pages I imagine. =) So, Carrie is sent away with the promise of a letter calling her back when said file(s) arrive(s) and a neat-looking pseudo-permit with a name that translates to "fictional certificate". -- Would YOU totally trust that??? That....my friends, was THREE WEEKS AGO! - Nothing has happened since.

Are you laughing?? GOOD!! Because I am! =) =) =) =)

Lifesigns from the other side..........of the pond

2006-10-18T15:12:00.000-07:00

What happened to me? Well, that's an interesting story...I was walking on campus one day when all of a sudden there was a huge flash of light and the next thing I knew I was on Mars... -No really. Contrary to common belief, I have not sailed off the edge of the Earth, nor have I been abducted. I am perfectly locateable roughly 4,000 miles east of my normal location. -- i.e. in Germany. My laptop chose the perfectly marvelous time of shortly before my flight out to begin speaking Chinese and it wasn't until recently that I was able to get it fixed. Get this - a whole group of Mac specialists were collectively unable to figure out what it was. Don't I feel special? It wasn't a virus, and it wasn't in the settings. Hmm. In the end everything had to be erased, including the operating system, and then re-installed. - oh goody. But hey - now my laptop works and has brand new software!
The summer was full of adventure and excitment. Budapest was a bust, so we went to Prague for 4 days instead. We just got in the car and went. Now THAT'S a roadtrip! The conference in July was amazing, and on the way to Munich after the conference, I managed to stumble accross the WORST train in the entire Federal Republic of Germany. After a while I started to wonder if they were just making stuff up to justify the train not moving any faster - or at all. There should have been one of those "please do not pick flowers from the train" signs on the wall. Seriously! I don't want to know how old the thing was, and it usually isn't good when you look out the window and see smoke.
I spent most of the summer in Munich with a couple quick trips back to Bonn to get things organized. Such as an apartment and registering at the university...and just about everywhere else. I feel kind of like there should be a satellite watching me through the window. =) But I DID get in and was extatic to see my letter of acceptance here. Classes just started this week and so far I've had two lectures. I feel like a slacker - no class Mondays or Wednesdays, two Tuesdays and Fridays, and one Thursdays with MASSIVE gaps in between. Like from 11:00 until 4:00! I have to admit that I was scared out of my mind yesterday morning with the first lecture, but I'm feeling really good now. I feel confident and excited, and only a little nervous about the remaining three lectures this week. Other than that, everything has been going very well. I don't really know anyone, but that will hopefully change soon and I feel surprisingly at home and comfortable here.
I will try to add more later and be better about updating, but for now I need to get to bed - I've got a headache. :-/

Neither here nor there

2006-07-13T00:42:00.000-07:00

I suppose many of you have begun to wonder what has become of me since I haven't posted in a long time. Well...For now I'm at home, but am really between locations. I just spent the last month working at Waldsee, which was awesome. =) I do so love going to Waldsee! Things went really well this time. I felt like it was better than last time I worked. Maybe that has something to do with the fact that I knew what I was doing and wasn't so in the dark. I had the wonderful honor of being International Day coordinator, which was awesome considering that I-Day is my favorite part of the session, but it nearly brought me to my knees. I never really imagined it would be so stressful. But hey, it got done and everything worked! There were a few mistakes I feel I could have avoided, but they didn't seem to cause too much trouble. AND, with the exception of a slight cold and one alergic reaction brought on by too much deet, I managed to NOT get sick this time!!
Next up on my schedule is flying to Germany! I leave on Tuesday!!! (July 18) The downside is, I have next to no time to get ready. The upside is, the lack of time leaves me no time to get scared. For now I'm just really excited. I will be attending a conference in Bonn first, which I've been excited about since December, and I will get to see a friend while I'm at it. The conference is -- get ready -- " Celebrating 150 Years of Neanderthal Discoveries". =) Call me a stuffy nerd, but this is a dream come true for me.
After the conference, I'll be heading back down to my "home in the south" to reunite with the German errr Bavarian side of my life. :) That means I will be spending just as much time as I can basking in the southern German sun and enjoying the company of my adoptive family and freinds there. I can hardly wait!!!! It's actually been about two years since I've seen them! Far, far too long if you ask me. From there, who knows what will happen. I don't have to be back in Bonn until sometime in September or October. That leaves a lot of room for adventure. Let's see where the winds take me...

2006-05-10T14:09:00.000-07:00

So, it's that time again. -- The time where I say, "hey, I haven't updated my blog in a while". My entries may be less frequent now, as I will likely have continually less internet access as the summer extends on. I will try to keep you all up to date though as best I can. For now I'm still in Iowa working. -- Yaay, money! -- then it's off to Waldsee!! Wooooooooot! =) From there, I will be disappearing off the map. Find me if you can. :) I found out a few days ago that I have been chosen for the scholarship I applied for from the DAAD, so that means I will have MONEY for studying abroad!!! A pretty important thing really, since without it I'd pretty much have to forget about going. Now that things are starting to come together, I'm starting to get really excited, but with that comes a lot of fear too. I don't really know what's in front of me and I think that makes me really nervous. I'm not so worried about language issues, I seem to have the covered ok, but I am scared of the system. I don't want to get there and then feel like a moron because I can't keep up with the system or classes, or whatever. :-/ I think it primarily has to do with simply not knowing what to expect. I feel like I'm living with two people in my head. The one person is struggling to contain her excitment over going abroad for a whole year again, and the other is seriously wondering if the first hasn't actually completely lost all her marbles. Sometimes I really feel like someone else is figuratively moving my hand for me on this. -- It's a good thing though. =)
Besides that, there isn't so much going on with me. Ciao for now!

A fox tale

2006-05-04T23:47:00.000-07:00

On the topic of the last post, I had a truly amazing encounter the other day as I was wandering through the woods in search of atlatl materials. While walking down a trail I heard some light rustling in the bushes next to me and decided to stop and see what it was. Just then, two very playful fox pups burst out in front of me, circled around, and dashed back into the underbrush. I had never seen fox in the wild before and I wanted to see them again so I went and knelt near where they had disappeared and sure enough, there were the two pups wrestling and playing about seven feet back with a third nearby. After a while I moved into the bushes and knelt near a stream so I could watch them better and much to my astonishment two of the pups came creaping up to me, curious about what I was. They both walked within a few feet of me, but were very scared of any movement at. One pup was almost close enough to touch! After that they continued playing and exploring, apparently undisturbed by my being there. One pup eventually returned to the den, which I was able to spot, but the third stayed on my side of the stream, plopping down in a small clearing about five feet to my right. He stayed there playing with twigs and rolling around until I moved farther to the right to get a better look at him. He sat there staring at me for a while until he started inching forward on his belly with the obvious intention of checking me out. I slowly reached over and picked up a twig and two blades of grass which I held out to see if he would respond. He caught the movement and actually DID slowly step up to me, taking both blades of grass and the twig from my fingers!! He was obviously just as curious and amazed by me as I was by him, and he seemed to be very aware of what was going on. When he made a more sudden move I jumped a little, which in turn made him jump, but not run away. Instead he just turned and curled up in the clearing, continuing to allow me to sit and watch him. I think I must have been out there for almost an hour and could have spent much more time there. I really didn´t want to leave. They were soooo cute, and so fascinating. I don´t expect to get a chance like this again any time soon, if ever and I feel extremely honored that I was given the wonderful gift of such an experience. In a way, I fear that I did them more wrong than good. Unfortunately, most humans have lost the ability to see the wonder and beauty nature offers and can thus often not be trusted with such matters. I fear I may have helped give these pups the idea that humans are gentle and curious, which is certainly not often the case. There is a part of me that thinks I would have been doing them more of a favor to have frightened them away, rather than letting them approach me. I hate the idea that these pups could at some point get hurt because they approach other people who might be less willing to interact on such friendly terms. They will probably be safer if they learn to fear humans. :( How sad is that??? I am very grateful to have had the experience!!

Links from last post

2006-04-30T00:36:00.000-07:00

You'll have to copy and paste the links from the last post. I couldn't get them to load as true links - sorry!

"Religion is not necessarily the same as spirituality"

2006-04-29T23:16:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling especially spiritual today and thought I'd post my thoughts. Le me start by explaining some about the quote at the top of this post. I found it, of all places, inside of a fortune cookie and feel that it sums my feelings up perfectly. As many of you know (or may not know), I was raised Lutheran. I do follow Lutheran doctrine, will go to mass, and am prone to picking up the Bible, praying, and opening (generally) to a random page in hopes of finding comfort, enlightenment, support, or whatever I am needing at that time. I find this works well for me and on several occasions the passages I come accross fit so perfectly to the question or concern on my mind that I've been brought nearly (or actually) to tears. What I'm getting at with the quote however is that I believe that it is possible to be religous to the point of obsession and yet not even slightly spiritual. If one feels no connection or sense of spirituality in their chosen religous practice, why continue practicing it? I believe it is important for each person to discover the level and form of spirituality that best suits them. I personally hang very tightly to my spirituality and like to seek it in every day things. I like to think that we are surrounded by (for the sake of neutrality here) "the powers that be" all of the time and that there is no single space where these powers can be reached or felt. I also believe that these "powers" send us messages and hints, great or small, every day. On that note, I got curious today about the Native American belief that each person has one or more animal totem, or totems in response to a conversation I had with friends. As a matter of fact, I do feel that I have and continue to recieve one might say spiritual "messages" through various animals, so I wanted to see what would come up. I learned that one's animal totem can only be discovered by that person. It is based on if there is an animal you feel an affinity towards, associate with, see often, dream about often, are fascinated by, etc. Each person is said to have at least one life-long totem that stays with us and guides us, but we also often have other totems that may come and go with given phases of our lives. What all of this rolls down to is that I've realized this is a prominant thing in my life, and that I have always drawn sprituality from the power of nature and, yes, from the sight of certain animals. It would thus appear that my animal totems are the hawk and the mourning dove.

Hawk: This goes back a few years to when I was struggling with some very very severe personal issues. I was riding in a van coming back from a church youth group trip and finding it hard to keep from breaking down and crying as my thoughts came to rest on these issues. I felt very lost, very alone, and terribly, terribly scared. At that point, I had the thought to look up and out the window. There, circling low above the trees and the van was a hawk. I felt a sudden rush of comfort, strength, and encouragement, as if someone had just reached out for my hand and now was promising never to let go. I felt that someone was trying to communicate to me that everything was going to be ok, and that even though my path was rough and dark, I was not alone and not unprotected. For whatever reason, I felt better then and was sorry to loose sight of that hawk. Ever since then, it seems that I always see hawks at moments of great emotional hight, usually in association with being scared or worried about things, and I have come to trust it as a sign that things will work out. It makes me feel protected and comforted as well as being a confirmation that I am on the right path or that the event in front of me is one of significance. I draw strength and encouragement from it as it often seems as if someone is saying "yes, this path is yours, be strong, you do not walk alone".

Mourning dove: This one goes back through most of my life. Growing up, I spent a great deal of time outside and as close to nature as I could get in south Minneapolis. Similar to the hawk, I have noticed that on days where I was (or am) wandering about feeling sad or upset there was always, no matter where I was, a mourning dove sitting nearby. I have seen many many days of deep despare and have always felt the dove's mournful cry reflected that somehow, as if someone were saying "I know. I know. Just let it all out", like a loved one taking you in their arms and comforting you. The sound acts like a kind of hug on the inside, helping me feel better and, again, giving me the sense that someone or something really is out there watching out for us all. It took me years to figure out what bird made the call, as I almost never saw them, but I continue to associate their song with some kind of comforting encounter with the powers above.

Maybe it's all just a coincidence, maybe it's not, but the way I see it is, why does it matter? If it's real, it's real. If it isn't, who cares? I prefer to believe such things DO carry meaning and that even if it is all in my head, it helps me get through tough times and find the strength I need. What does it matter then where it comes from? I believe we are sent messages every day in many forms. It's simply a matter of whether or not we are willing to recieve them.

There is also such a thing as a totem "horiscope", or birth totem. I tried this a couple times and got the same result each time. It's interesting to note that the totem associated with my birthday actually fits me perfectly! If anyone out there is interested in checking it out, here's the address of a website that gives descriptions of the totems:

http://members.tripod.com/~onespiritx/magick11.htm

Try it, it's really pretty interesting!

And now, to close this in a lighter mood, I found the following quiz by following a link on a friend's live journal entry. This is really interesting too! It's pretty fun. =) Although it's for girls only -- sorry guys!

"Which Ultimate Beautiful Woman Are You?"

http://quizilla.com/users/Lorac/quizzes/Which%20Ultimate%20Beautiful%20Woman%20are%20You%3F/

Despite the warning this site throws at you, it's safe, I promise! I believe it pertains more to the art than the quiz itself. The questions are completely friendly. =) This is what I got from it and I feel it fits me very well

You are a true nature girl!

Ode to sharp objects

2006-04-29T00:22:00.000-07:00

Here´s something a little new... Besides fish, I have also recently gained access the wonderfully exotic world of sharp/pointy projectiles. =) I very recently aquired a beautiful English long bow from a friend and am now taking up archery as a serious hobby/sport. (I promise I won´t go kill things) This has been a dream of mine for most of my life so this is really very very important to me and I´m finding it hard to focus on much else. If I had my way, I´d be out practicing every day. =) So far it´s been going really well. I´m meeting all kinds of really nice people and having a blast doing it. The archery is actually leading me towards indulging in another fantasy of mine by way of the Society for Creative Anachronism. For those of you out there who aren´t sure what that is, the SCA is a group specializing in "recreating the Middle Ages as they should have been". Who better to go to for training in something like traditional archery? Not only am I (for now) getting to target shoot twice a week, but I am also being given the chance to try my hand at hurling other potentially deadly items. In the last couple days I have had the honor of throwing hatchets and daggers as well as obtaining a crash course in using the atlatl (the next item on my list). The atlatl is a VERY old weapon system that predates the bow an arrow by quite a bit. It consists of a (generally) simple stick-like handle with some sort of hook or groove on one end which is used to throw large, narrow, very flexible "darts" that look like 5 foot-long arrows. This is NOT to be mistaken for a spear! Nor is it really an "arrow". But how much fun is this!! I also really really like dagger throwing. =)

Me and my new long bow -- just messing around =) and some atatl pics

So you think you speak English? ... or German? --- Just seeing if you're awake :)

2006-04-22T21:05:00.000-07:00

ENGLISH:

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

DEUTSCH:

Afugrnud enier Sduite an enier Elingshcen Unvirestiät ist es eagl, in wlehcer Rienhnelfoge die Bcuhtsbaen in eniem Wrot sethen, das enizg wcihitge dbaei ist, dsas der estre und lzete Bcuhtsbae am rcihgiten Paltz snid. Der Rset knan ttolaer Bölsdinn sien, und du knasnt es torztedm onhe Porbelme lseen. Das ghet dseahlb, wiel wir nchit Bcuhtsbae für Bcuhtsbae enizlen lseen, snodren Wröetr als Gnaezs.

MORE languages: http://www.mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk/~mattd/Cmabrigde/

You know this entertains you! 8-)

2006-04-15T23:21:00.000-07:00

First in Klingon:

QIn'lat veng jaHtaH SuS'a'
veHnaghmeyDaq QanmeH nejta' ghotpu'
'ach Hur ratlhta' wa' loD
ghaHDaq jaHta' qeylIS' 'ej jatlh nuq bIvangtaH
mughIjbe' SuS jatlh nagh ruSwI' je vISo'be' qabwIj
SuSDaq vIQam 'ej muvuvmoH 'oH
batlh Qochbe'ta' qeylIS 'ej vengDaq jaHta'
jajchu' ghoSpu' jevwI' 'ej loD HoHpu' 'oH
ghotpu' jatlh qeylIS qoH vuvbe' SuS

And then in English:

A storm was heading towards the city of Quin'lat.
The people sought protection within the walls,
all except one man who remained outside.
Kahless went to him and said "What are you doing?"
"I am not afraid of the wind", he said, "I will not hide my face behind stone and mortar."
"I will stand before the wind and make it respect me."
Kahless honoured his choice and went inside.
The next day the storm came and the man was killed.
Kahless said to the people, "The wind does not respect a fool."

heeheeheee =) =) =)

P.S.

2006-04-15T01:22:00.000-07:00

Would anyone out there be interested in seeing these entries also written in German?

Fish are friends, NOT food!

2006-04-15T00:40:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I´ve been really bad about posting things here, but I´m going to work on fixing that. Be on the look out for new postings! Especially as summer approaches and things get exciting. =)

I thought it was about time though that I let you all in on my newest addiction --- FISH!! =) If anyone out there has fish, likes fish, wants to get fish, etc. feel free to post here and share! I currently have a ten gallon tank with eight fish in it. I have:

1 blue paradise gourami named Rute (although she isn´t really blue at all)
1 (gold) dwarf gourami named Piccola
2 peppered cory cats named Kiki & Amadeus
3 striped danios (who actually haven´t been named yet)
2 fancy-tailed guppies named Fafner and Siegfried
and 1 mystery snail named Etana Slimak

Something seems to be stalking my guppies. I actually had three guppies, but I lost one today just a few hours after having brought him home, and the other, Siegfried, has been in a separate tank since I found him with more than half his tail missing earlier this week. The one I lost today was badly mangled and had clearly been attacked. =( I have yet to figure out who the culprit is, as I have never seen any of these attacks taking place and only Siegfried and the new guy were harmed. Fafner seems to be just fine so far, but I may move him in with Siegfried so he has company.

2006-02-07T08:14:00.000-08:00

For a lack of anything better to put here - this is pretty good. =)

Title: "Sometimes it DOES take a rocket scientist"

Scientists at NASA built a gun specifically to launch standard 4 pound dead chickens at the windshields of airliners, military jets and the space shuttle, all traveling at maximum velocity.
The idea is to simulate the frequent incidents of collisions with airborne fowl to test the strength
of the windshields.

British engineers heard about the gun and were eager to test it on the windshields of their new high speed trains.Arrangements were made, and a gun was sent to the British engineers. When the gun was fired, the engineers stood shocked as the chicken hurled out of the barrel, crashed into the shatterproof shield, smashed it to smithereens, blasted through the control console, snapped the engineer's back-rest in two, and embedded itself in the back wall of the cabin, like an arrow shot from a bow.

The horrified Brits sent NASA the disastrous results of the experiment, along with the designs of the windshield and begged the US scientists for suggestions.

NASA responded with a one-line memo --"Defrost the chicken." (True Story)

This is kind of cool =)

2006-02-01T17:45:00.000-08:00

How Did the Groundhog Get a Day of His Own?
The lowly groundhog, often called a woodchuck, is the only mammal to have a day named in his honor. The groundhog's day is February 2. Granted, it’s not a federal holiday; nobody gets off work. But still, to have a day named after you is quite a feat.
How did the groundhog come by this honor?
It stems from the ancient belief that hibernating creatures were able to predict the arrival of springtime by their emergence.
The German immigrants known as Pennsylvania Dutch brought the tradition to America in the 18th century. They had once regarded the badger as the winter-spring barometer. But the job was reassigned to the groundhog after importing their Candlemas traditions to the U.S. Candlemas commemorates the ritual purification of Mary, 40 days after the birth of Jesus.
Candlemas is one of the four "cross-quarters" of the year, occurring half way between the first day of winter and the first day of spring. Traditionally, it was believed that if Candlemas was sunny, the remaining six weeks of winter would be stormy and cold. But if it rained or snowed on Candlemas, the rest of the winter would be mild. If an animal "sees its shadow," it must be sunny, so more wintry weather is predicted:
If Candlemas be fair and bright,Winter has another flight.If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,Winter will not come again.
The groundhog and badger were not the only animals that have been used to predict spring. Other Europeans used the bear or hedgehog--but in any case the honor belonged to a creature that hibernated. Its emergence symbolized the imminent arrival of spring.
Traditionally, the groundhog is supposed to awaken on February 2, Groundhog Day, and come up out of his burrow. If he sees his shadow, he will return to the burrow for six more weeks of winter. If he doesn’t see his shadow, he remains outside and starts his year, because he knows that spring has arrived early.
In the U.S., the “official” groundhog is kept in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Every February 2, amid a raucous celebration early in the morning, “Punxsutawney Phil” as the groundhog is called, is pulled from his den by his keepers, who are dressed in tuxedos. Phil then whispers his weather prediction into the ear of his keeper, who then announces it to the anxiously-awaiting crowd.
Of course, this is for show. It’s a fun celebration and a great tradition. But Phil's keepers secretly decide upon the "forecast" in advance of the groundhog's arousal.
Besides, spring always arrives on or near March 21, so whether the groundhog decides to return to his den or remain above ground, the sad fact is spring will always have to wait at least six more weeks.

Introductions

2006-01-29T13:39:00.000-08:00

Hi everybody! =)
So, I decided it was a good idea for me to start one of these to help keep you all up to date and (hopefully) to keep in better touch. I can't say I've got a ton to put here now, but I'm sure that'll change. =)