Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Blogging Is Hard

(Source)
Yeah, okay kid I get it...

Not sure where this is going today but I had to include the picture. The look on the kid's face is priceless. I am guessing that the person who set the photo up has probably never split logs in their entire life. While it is a cool photo, it just looks wrong and I would guess is a "pose job." (Those who have wielded an ax, you Vikings can all sit down, I'm not talking about that kind of ax-work, will know what I mean. While I am no lumberjack, I have chopped wood and split logs. Not a lot but enough to know I'd rather not do that for a living.)

Anyhoo...

Those who have been paying attention may have noticed that there have been a number of Juvat posts over the past few days. He's a good wingman that fellow, lead (moi) might be out of commission but the blog marches on thanks to Juvat and Tuna (when he and Mrs Tuna aren't enjoying themselves on a cruise ship). Not to throw stones at Tuna mind you, he comes and goes like a ninja. Just when I don't expect it, I'll see a draft post of his in the queue. Always interesting but not scheduled. I told him when he (and later Juvat) signed on that he could post when he felt like it or not at all. Because (drum roll please)...

Blogging is hard.

Juvat's recent vacation occurred with fortuitous timing for Yours Truly. To wit, he had stuff he wanted to post about (while it was still fresh in his memory) and I was hors de combat, or perhaps more accurately, hors d'action. I'll leave looking those phrases up to the reader, suffice to say, the last word in both phrases is the same in English, which reminds me of a story.

The Story (that I was reminded of in the previous paragraph.)

One Monday long ago in the Federal Republic of Germany, a German buddy of mine related to me what he had been doing over the weekend. Though his English was very good, he didn't know all of the right words auf Englisch. The converse was true for me, sort of, as in, while my German was pretty fair, there were a lot of words auf Deutsch that I just didn't know.

Apparently my buddy (whose first name translated to "Thunder Bear" but in some old Teutonic dialect - which Google just doesn't have, and yes, I checked - but who we just called "Benny") had been working on a project in his back yard which involved a substance which he did not know the name of in English. As he related the tale, we came to this...
Well, it's a clear substance. You can see through it like glass, but it's not glass, it's called... I'm sorry, I don't know what it's called in English.
What is it called in German? (I asked, knowing that there was a good chance that what it was called in German might also be the same in English.)
Plexiglas.
Ah, plexiglass. Same in English.
And yes, we both had a good laugh over that. Perhaps you had to be there.

Note to the readers, yes, it's the same word only spelled differently and pronounced differently. The "a" in the German is more like the "a" in "bass" (the fish not the instrument).

So language, always interesting. Well, to me, at any rate. While I find languages to be very interesting, linguists are rather a boring lot, at least the ones who write articles about language for Wikipedia are, again, at any rate.

But I digress...

No, not really. That was the whole point of today's post. While blogging can be hard, it isn't always hard. Sometimes you just need to Cry "Havoc" and let slip the bounds of reason. (With apologies to the Bard.)

In other words, sometimes I just start writing and let The Muse take me where she will. Sometimes it's a seedy bar in some foreign town...

Now that was a digression, of which we shall not speak.

In other words, yes, I'm feeling much better, thank you for asking.

ICSFTH...



30 comments:

  1. He was called Donnerbar? I am glad you are feeling more your old self. You sense of humor and the absurd make my days a little brighter.

    We Vikings split wood with a wood splitting maul. The extra weight helps.

    DOUGLAS A-20! Release the Kraken!

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    Replies
    1. Hahaha!

      No, not Donnerbär his name was from some ancient Nordic tongue (as he was assured by his forbears). He was from the area of Germany quite close to Denmark. From the size and demeanor of the lad, it would not surprise me if his ancestors had gone "a Viking" from time to time. Mind you, he loved a good time, just never make him angry...

      Delete
  2. Glad to see you're back in battery. "Plexiglass"---love it. Had similar experiences in Italy.

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    1. Thanks Cap'n.

      It's good to be operating in the vertical plane once more...

      It's hard to drink while prone. Not that I've tried that.

      Delete
  3. That's funny. We have that same stuff in New Jersey, we call it "Plexiglass."

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  4. If he'd asked an Englishman, he'd get a different perspex-tive on the conundrum.

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    Replies
    1. Hahaha!

      (Did a search, that material sure has a lot of names!)

      Delete
  5. Good to read that you're feeling better. Just had a colonoscopy two mornings ago and the discombobulation of the gut is easing. Clear skies and open road!

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    1. Thanks Nylon12.

      (Ugh, colonoscopy. That word alone is enough to give one gut discombobulation.)

      Delete
    2. I'm thinking about a Jimmy Buffett tune "......it cleans me out and then I can go on....."

      Delete
  6. Some communities here, have solved the issue of splitting wood.
    They're outlawing the use of wood stoves and fireplaces.

    Glad you're feeling better.

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    Replies
    1. "Freedom" is always in quotes when referring to California.

      Thanks Skip.

      Delete
  7. Wilhelmshaven, 1981-ish. I was on Beach Guard and got called to the local Krankenhaus Notfallabteilung for a sailor who'd been hit by a car. The young intern who was briefing me was rather excited and blanked on most of his English, which was far superior to my German. "Ve...must...eh...er...wie sagt man, eh...Wir müssen eine Röntgenuntersuchung durchführen, ja?!"

    I thought I heard Röntgen in there, so I did the math and took a stab. "X-Ray?"

    His eyes lit up with delight. "Ja-ja! Ecks-Rai!"

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  8. OK, while stationed in Okinawa, Mrs Juvat heard about a French restaurant outside one of the Kadena Gates and wanted to try it out. The dollar had just fallen against the Yen, so dining on the economy was an infrequent yet expensive undertaking.

    Went to said restaurant and were seated, ordered wine and the waitress brought a small plate of hors d'oeuvres with it. Some kind of spread and some fresh cooked bread. It was pretty tasty, so I asked the waitress what it was.

    She responded with "Balaclava"

    I thought to my self, "No, I'm pretty sure it's not a winter hat" so I asked again.

    She responded more forcefully with "Baclava"

    I thought to my self, "No, it's not a pastry"

    Still puzzled, I asked her again. She tucked her hands into her arm pits and proceeded to strut around the room making flapping motions saying "Dock Livah!"

    "Oh...you mean Pate'!"

    The Japanese loved me.

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    Replies
    1. Reminds me of No Hab, the Thai waitress in Mark Berent's Phantom Leader...

      In other news, when The Nuke was taking us out to dinner our last night in D.C. a few weeks ago, this exchange occurred -

      "We're going out to a restaurant I've been to before."

      Me: "What's it called?"

      "Paleo."

      Me: "Huh? Does it have a stone age theme?"

      "Dad, it's a Spanish place, Holeo."

      Me: "Huh? Holier? What is it in a monastery?"

      "DAD! The name of the restaurant is Jaleo! 'J' 'A' 'L' 'E' 'O', Jaleo!"

      "Oh..."

      Delete
    2. Sinking about such interactions, I'm quite sure I ran into No Hab on at least four continents. That lady got around!

      Delete
    3. I dated her for a while, then I met The Missus Herself and all other women paled to insignificance.

      That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

      Delete
    4. Try chopping wood with a herring. :)

      Delete
    5. Tallest tree in the forest...

      Bring us a shrubbery!

      Delete
  9. As usual, the post is great and the comments are just as good.

    Late to the ball again, but I have a good excuse ( well, an excuse at any rate ). We ( my wife and I ) were out to the new place to which we are moving in about a week and half. That means that I will not be on line for a period of time. But I'll do my best to catch up with the postings I miss during that time.

    Paul L. Quandt

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    Replies
    1. A new place! Sometimes change is good, even though moving can be awfully stressful.

      We'll leave a light on for you. And thanks, as always, for the kind words.

      Delete

Just be polite... that's all I ask. (For Buck)
Can't be nice, go somewhere else...

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