September 24, 2011

Providing a new vocabulary



dandelion
paradigm
hamstring
morbid
imp
tantrum
appease
coy

September 13, 2011

Learning German


hand (hand)
kuss (kiss)
haut (skin)
"volke sieben" (cloud seven i.e. "cloud nine")

September 6, 2011

Scribbles


My room is filled with the detritus of a reading and writing life. Books and school notebooks, pocket journals and torn bits of paper, photocopies and newspaper clippings. Burning the lot appeals to me sometimes. But how could I toss the following scrap--one of those daily calendar pages, this one themed "Insights From the Dalai Lama"--with the soothing reminder that, "When even one person indulges in spiritual practice, it gives encouragement to the guardian spirits of the land, and to the celestial deities who have sworn to uphold goodness."

Under which is scribbled, in my brother's wild hand,

can you make jello with T3s in it?? will they work?

(His wisdom teeth had just been yanked, and he communicated in scrawl).

September 1, 2011

German joke


What's between vier (pronounced "fear") and sechs (pronounced "sex")?


fünf


Haha. I guess it only works if you speak English and know your German numbers.

Vier=4. Fünf=5. Sechs=6.

It reminds me of the English joke: Why is 6 afraid of 7?

Because 7 ate/8 9.

Silly, but great.