My fiance wrote up some phrases in English for me to translate into Danish. I did two of the phrases last night, which was not at all easy.
I'd planned to work on some more tonight, but...
I was busy watching Bridesmaids and drinking brandy.
Which is not exactly the same as a dog eating my homework (and it would take a very talented dog to eat the email the homework was sent in).
Luckily, Professor Fiance is pretty easy on me and has given me an extension until tomorrow night (he just told me he could be tougher on me... but I don't believe him).
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
Informal Formal Danish Class #1
I've made it through my first Danish class. Just a handful of us in a room in Boston in a building owned by the Unitarian church, with an organist from Denmark teaching the lessons.
Already I'm finding it infinitely more helpful than learning from the Teach Yourself: Complete Danish book/CDs.
While the class moved extremely quickly, and my fiance commented that what we'd gone over today would take weeks if not months in a formal Danish class in Denmark, I already feel like I've learned more of the basics than I would ever pick up from the book. While the book starts off with a conversation, and then lists the definitions of the words after the conversation, such a method would really only be helpful if you already have a grasp of basics like how to say each letter and each number, or the days of the weeks or months, or years.
We covered some of those basics tonight, and will hit the rest of them next Wednesday. Having an actual human being to interact with and ask questions of is so much more helpful than having a CD that just assumes I understand.
Or rather, assumes nothing but doesn't care.
Already I'm finding it infinitely more helpful than learning from the Teach Yourself: Complete Danish book/CDs.
While the class moved extremely quickly, and my fiance commented that what we'd gone over today would take weeks if not months in a formal Danish class in Denmark, I already feel like I've learned more of the basics than I would ever pick up from the book. While the book starts off with a conversation, and then lists the definitions of the words after the conversation, such a method would really only be helpful if you already have a grasp of basics like how to say each letter and each number, or the days of the weeks or months, or years.
We covered some of those basics tonight, and will hit the rest of them next Wednesday. Having an actual human being to interact with and ask questions of is so much more helpful than having a CD that just assumes I understand.
Or rather, assumes nothing but doesn't care.
The "Great" Bridal Expo: or How Not to Run a Bridal Show
Most brides-to-be bring their mothers or bridesmaids to these bridal shows. Most shows are alright, especially if they serve drinks and have lots of cake vendors offering up samples.
As my mother and all of my bridesmaids live in other states, I asked my poor fiance if I could drag him along. He wasn't excited about the prospect, but I would have been concerned if he had been. He was a good sport though, which is always appreciated.
The "Great Bridal Expo" at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel started at noon on Sunday, but we arrived around one o'clock. We entered through the lobby, and there was no sign of a bridal show at all. Just hotel guests and employees milling about.
And then we looked up...
On the balcony that surrounded the lobby was a line than snaked all the way around the place. We tried to find either the beginning or the end of the line and couldn't seem to find it.
Frustrated and hungry, we went off to find some lunch. A little food goes a long way to improve patience, so we decided to give it another shot after we'd eaten.
This time, we went in through the back entrance, and there it was. And... almost no line left at all. I barely had time to fill out my registration form before we got to the check-in table.
As for the "expo" itself? One small reception hall packed shoulder to shoulder with brides and bridesmaids and mothers (and even a few fiances), but almost no vendors worth more than a brief glance. I think we spent less than 10 minutes circling the place. A few tux shops, a few jewelry places, one bakery that didn't bring any cake (!!), and then a bunch of dentists and plastic surgeons (...for the bride who's just not good enough to get married yet? Come on...).
Where were all the good vendors?
At the OTHER bridal show. The one at Fenway. The one I didn't even know about.
D'oh.
As my mother and all of my bridesmaids live in other states, I asked my poor fiance if I could drag him along. He wasn't excited about the prospect, but I would have been concerned if he had been. He was a good sport though, which is always appreciated.
The "Great Bridal Expo" at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel started at noon on Sunday, but we arrived around one o'clock. We entered through the lobby, and there was no sign of a bridal show at all. Just hotel guests and employees milling about.
And then we looked up...
On the balcony that surrounded the lobby was a line than snaked all the way around the place. We tried to find either the beginning or the end of the line and couldn't seem to find it.
Frustrated and hungry, we went off to find some lunch. A little food goes a long way to improve patience, so we decided to give it another shot after we'd eaten.
This time, we went in through the back entrance, and there it was. And... almost no line left at all. I barely had time to fill out my registration form before we got to the check-in table.
As for the "expo" itself? One small reception hall packed shoulder to shoulder with brides and bridesmaids and mothers (and even a few fiances), but almost no vendors worth more than a brief glance. I think we spent less than 10 minutes circling the place. A few tux shops, a few jewelry places, one bakery that didn't bring any cake (!!), and then a bunch of dentists and plastic surgeons (...for the bride who's just not good enough to get married yet? Come on...).
Where were all the good vendors?
At the OTHER bridal show. The one at Fenway. The one I didn't even know about.
D'oh.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Fascinating Posts About Danish... Later.
Not now. But later.
A few weeks ago I found myself doing a Google search for the words Danish, lessons, and Boston. The search came back with quite a few relevant leads, so I emailed a few links to my fiance to get his thoughts.
Turns out, he's been a busy bee since then contacting these various institutions about their services, and has found us a conveniently located, reasonably priced option for Danish classes. Classes with other students. And a real live teacher.
So, starting on Monday (two days from this post, for those keeping track), I'll be starting up classes. I tend to do better in a classroom setting than I do when trying to teach myself something.
My self discipline is not one of my best things.
A few weeks ago I found myself doing a Google search for the words Danish, lessons, and Boston. The search came back with quite a few relevant leads, so I emailed a few links to my fiance to get his thoughts.
Turns out, he's been a busy bee since then contacting these various institutions about their services, and has found us a conveniently located, reasonably priced option for Danish classes. Classes with other students. And a real live teacher.
So, starting on Monday (two days from this post, for those keeping track), I'll be starting up classes. I tend to do better in a classroom setting than I do when trying to teach myself something.
My self discipline is not one of my best things.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Ruby Reviews a Comedy Revue
This blog is not about Denmark, or anything related to the Danish language. And it's not even about the wedding!
Nope, this is a little review of last night's Bill Bailey show at the House of Blues in Boston. If you're not familiar with the fine work of Mr. Bailey, here's a little (hour-long) taste:
Last night's show was fully hilarious, but it did have some slightly awkward moments. we'll start with the crowd. Now, as you can see in that youtube video, he tends to draw a pretty massive crowd in the UK. Sadly, not so much here. We were excited when we got there and were told our balcony seats were being upgraded to floor seats, only to find that they were doing this because even the floor hadn't sold out. The floor was maybe 2/3 full.
So the show started, and laughter ensued. The crowd, while totally engaged, was also totally bizarre. The heckling included shouts of "Enthusiasm!" and "You're Bill Bailey!"
All in all, it was a great time, but in the end, he left the stage and we thought the show was over. Some folks were expecting an encore, but maybe 1/3 of the crowd started to leave... and then he came back on stage for his encore. Awkward.
Thing is... this then happened A SECOND TIME! To be fair, this time, while a bunch of the crowd had gotten up to leave, a loud percentage had stayed chanting his name. And he came back with his glass of wine saying "What do you want?? I already have my wine!" He graciously did another song, left again, and the sound folks put on music cuing us that it really was the end this time.
It really was a lot of fun, but I have a feeling he finished this, the last show on his tour, on a bit of a "WTF" note.
Nope, this is a little review of last night's Bill Bailey show at the House of Blues in Boston. If you're not familiar with the fine work of Mr. Bailey, here's a little (hour-long) taste:
Last night's show was fully hilarious, but it did have some slightly awkward moments. we'll start with the crowd. Now, as you can see in that youtube video, he tends to draw a pretty massive crowd in the UK. Sadly, not so much here. We were excited when we got there and were told our balcony seats were being upgraded to floor seats, only to find that they were doing this because even the floor hadn't sold out. The floor was maybe 2/3 full.
So the show started, and laughter ensued. The crowd, while totally engaged, was also totally bizarre. The heckling included shouts of "Enthusiasm!" and "You're Bill Bailey!"
All in all, it was a great time, but in the end, he left the stage and we thought the show was over. Some folks were expecting an encore, but maybe 1/3 of the crowd started to leave... and then he came back on stage for his encore. Awkward.
Thing is... this then happened A SECOND TIME! To be fair, this time, while a bunch of the crowd had gotten up to leave, a loud percentage had stayed chanting his name. And he came back with his glass of wine saying "What do you want?? I already have my wine!" He graciously did another song, left again, and the sound folks put on music cuing us that it really was the end this time.
It really was a lot of fun, but I have a feeling he finished this, the last show on his tour, on a bit of a "WTF" note.
Monday, September 19, 2011
How to Learn Danish Without Really Trying
On Saturday night, my fiance and I had company over for dinner. Now, in our house, that means an aperitif of gin and tonic to start, followed by several shared bottles of wine with dinner.
Some time in the middle of the meal, my fiance said something in Danish. For the life of us, neither can now remember what the phrase was, but right after he said it, I said "Oh, that means..." and then I translated the phrase.
It was one of those moments where I said the translation, stopped, and then said "How did I know that?"
The answer?
Booze.
Apparently, I'm pretty good at understanding Danish after a few drinks. And as a Danish friend pointed out after I mentioned this, it may also help with my pronunciation. In fact, my fiance just agreed that "the Danes rarely speak Danish when they're sober."
Were I much of a drinker, I would say I could learn the language much faster if I just stayed drunk more of the time.
Sadly, it seems am going to have to continue to learn the hard way.
Some time in the middle of the meal, my fiance said something in Danish. For the life of us, neither can now remember what the phrase was, but right after he said it, I said "Oh, that means..." and then I translated the phrase.
It was one of those moments where I said the translation, stopped, and then said "How did I know that?"
The answer?
Booze.
Apparently, I'm pretty good at understanding Danish after a few drinks. And as a Danish friend pointed out after I mentioned this, it may also help with my pronunciation. In fact, my fiance just agreed that "the Danes rarely speak Danish when they're sober."
Were I much of a drinker, I would say I could learn the language much faster if I just stayed drunk more of the time.
Sadly, it seems am going to have to continue to learn the hard way.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Anxiety and Naughty Words
I found myself really anxious this week. I couldn't figure out what my problem was. Thursday night, I actually told my fiance that I needed a drink. I almost never do that, and especially not during the week when I wake up at 4:30 in the morning.
So he poured me a brandy and suggested we listen to some Brandi Carlile (which is always a good idea, no matter my mood), and I got right down to being introspective.
And then it hit me. The reason I had been feeling anxious, the reason why going to work had felt especially difficult lately... I needed to tell them I was moving.
Yup, I hadn't actually mentioned to my bosses that I am leaving next year. I thought I'd wait, so as not to give any excuse to let me go early (with a wedding to plan, that's definitely not something I can afford right now). So, I'd been going to work every day keeping this secret, and it was making me miserable.
Yesterday, I told one of my supervisors. He was 100% supportive and said telling the Big Boss wouldn't be an issue. He was actually glad to have lots of time to find a replacement for me (it seems my job is cursed... every fill-in we've hired to cover my vacations has quit).
And, you know what? I feel a lot better.
And so, to bring you into the weekend, I present...
Danish Words With Naughty English Meanings!!
Fart - means "speed" in Danish
Slut - means "ended"
Slag (which, to be fair, is more UK English than American) - means "type" or "kind"
Tit - "often"
And no, it's not naughty... but one of my favorite words in Danish (of the ones I've learned so far) is "snart." It's just plain silly and fun to say. It's meaning? "Soon."
So he poured me a brandy and suggested we listen to some Brandi Carlile (which is always a good idea, no matter my mood), and I got right down to being introspective.
And then it hit me. The reason I had been feeling anxious, the reason why going to work had felt especially difficult lately... I needed to tell them I was moving.
Yup, I hadn't actually mentioned to my bosses that I am leaving next year. I thought I'd wait, so as not to give any excuse to let me go early (with a wedding to plan, that's definitely not something I can afford right now). So, I'd been going to work every day keeping this secret, and it was making me miserable.
Yesterday, I told one of my supervisors. He was 100% supportive and said telling the Big Boss wouldn't be an issue. He was actually glad to have lots of time to find a replacement for me (it seems my job is cursed... every fill-in we've hired to cover my vacations has quit).
And, you know what? I feel a lot better.
And so, to bring you into the weekend, I present...
Danish Words With Naughty English Meanings!!
Fart - means "speed" in Danish
Slut - means "ended"
Slag (which, to be fair, is more UK English than American) - means "type" or "kind"
Tit - "often"
And no, it's not naughty... but one of my favorite words in Danish (of the ones I've learned so far) is "snart." It's just plain silly and fun to say. It's meaning? "Soon."
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