Without further ado, I’d like to make sure everyone is invited to the music party tomorrow at Daev’s. I know Dude Dude Chick’s gonna be there. They might even play with Chick Chick Dude.

I am feeling much much better.

Thanks to Ron for the Alka Seltzer, that really hit the spot.

Note to SS 03 students: the L Scheins can be picked up at the Pr?fungsamt. Refer all further queries to Fr. Scheel.

I have the flu.
Class is cancelled for the rest of the week.

Hooboy. Here is the pdf of the Presentation FAQ. I think I covered most of the important stuff, but there are still a few other helpful ammendments to come.

presentationnotes.pdf (75k file)

Years ago, a former girlfriend who was into the Eneagram — an ancient Sufi personality model — said I was type 9. Which happens to be the same personality type of Pope John Paul II. Perhaps what we most have in common is a passion for humor. Link goes to a great article commemorating 25 years of laughs with the pontiff.

Happy Reformation Day to you
Happy Reformation Day to you,
Happy Reformation Day dear Protestants,
Happy Reformation Day to you.

Now go reform something. As for me, I am going trick-or-treating. It’ll be awesome. I’ve got a pillowcase, and a costume. Of course, nobody in the Neustadt will be expecting me. That’s the beauty of it all; guerrilla jubilation. I’ll have to rile em up into holiday spirit. One door at a time.

I’m going dressed as a pimp, although it might prove to be a tad too chilly for that. I only have Summer pimpware, and my white floppy hat certainly offend –it is, after all long after Labor Day.

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New textbook 1, Mr. Seezen 0

I was pretty annoyed with one of the exercises we covered on Mondee, that being the one with the present perfect versus simple past. I could not sleep. So I showed it to a few colleagues, and they were all, “what the heck is going on here?” All agreed that the exercise was totally ambiguous in some spots.
Ron suggested I push my students to use more simple past whenever it fits, because –and he is absolutely right– German folks tend to way overuse the present perfect out of habit. The little punks.
Another teacher reflected that anyone who devises a solid method for teaching presperf to foreign speakers will become a millionaire. Yes, that really was said; such are the lively conversations amongst shop-talking teachers.

So I thought I’d give it to y’all straight from the horse’s mouth, and cite Murphy’s take on present perfect. Exercises included just in case you feel extra frisky.

US Postal is looking to require a valid photo ID–and a stamp–in order to send mail. So says Wired. Privacy advocates are peeved again. Are you? I for one haven’t mailed a physical letter since 1993, when I got my first email account.

Many friends and students ask me about this kind of thing all the time, and since I am a bit of a scholar in the matter, I may as well send along the 411. When I last visited stateside I heard a great little documentary series on public radio about Music Americana. I finally found a link to that series today online where one may hear all the parts online. It’s pretty swell.

A few names to look out for are:

Jimmie Rodgers, “father of Country”. In my new band we mix his “Blue Yodel” with Led Zep’s “Whole Lotta Love”.
Carter Family; Sister Maybell happens to be the Mama of June Carter Cash, late spouse of the late Man in Black.
Doug Wamble. He’s a salt-o-the-earth kind of Gavin Degraw.
Gatemouth Brown, Zappa named him as a major influence. He has his own mix of pipe tobacco.
Thomas Dorsey, father of modern gospel, also composed “Tight Like That”.