Yesterday I had to watch a mud puddle for an hour.

Work had me go out to some sprawly street in Hamburg for a septic system perc test. Basically, you dig holes in the ground, fill them with water, and measure how fast the water is absorbed, so you can design how big the septic system needs to be. It's as interesting as it sounds.

When I got there, the contractor was being a dick to me, for riding a bike there (I was early), for not knowing where to test (my boss said the contractor should know) - but I talked to him for a while, he got much nicer and apologized for being rude before.

On the positive side, I got to leave the office to ride my bike for 16 more miles, making 34 for the day). The weather was amazing. I still want another job.



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Every morning this week, Rick's, Campus Wheelworks and Sweetness 7 have been giving away bagged lunches for bike week. Very awesome. The Rick's bag reminds me of an elementary school lunch. The sandwich is a PB&J on a hamburger roll.

They also give you a coupon for a dollar off of anything at Cafe 59 for each day you get a lunch.



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Goodbye to this fucking car. I put about 1500 miles on it, 176 this year. my sister will use it more, but maybe I can get her on a bike.

Midnight took a visit.



After the car was gone, (e:terry) and I went out to go see Erica at Nietzchie's. We ended up missing her, but heard a few good people anyway plus the croaky frog lady.

I was talking to some guy named Miles, who when he heard the name Visco, immediately brought up estrip. Apparently he had gone to high school with (e:mike) (he always thought Mike had the hottest friends) and knew about (e:strip) because someone had posted about him 10 years ago. Small world.

Terry and I talked a lot about what other things I want to do. I still don't know but I do know I want to try something else.

(e:paul) got a little obsessed with the Amish while were down in Brushwood. Apparently Pennsylvania Dutch really means German, and they have their own crazy bastard dialect. Paul thinks we can learn it to profit off of the massive Amish economy. I'd like to get hoch Deutsch down first.


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When we got home we had our own Amish experience. The power went out on at least three different circuits in the back of the house, including the kitchen, living room and stove. Flipping the breakers did nothing, so who knows what is going on with the wiring. Getting ready for Mother's day was so fun with a fridge full of spoiled food, a dead dishwasher full of dirty dishes, and no oven or microwave, but we managed to pull it off.

I've been trying to do immersion with everything German to practice my Deutsch,. I've been using these "Hörspiele" or radio plays from Tim Staffel. (e:paul) and (e:terry) met him at Paul's school in Jena, and had one of his CDs "Stopper". I did some googling and found another called "CB-Funker"

I can't always understand every word, so I last week I wrote him and asked for the texts to the ones I had. Awesomely, he wrote me back with both transcripts and his newest play.

It's crazy to think how accessible the internet makes language learning. Even 20 years ago I think your only resources for self-taught language learning was the library, and whatever media you could order in the mail. Now I can write a German author about a play he wrote 15 years ago and get the transcript of it almost immediately.

He wrote back:

Lieber Joe Herzig,
es freut mich sehr, dass Ihnen meine Hörspiele gefallen. Ich erinnere mich auch gut an Paul und Terry und denke sehr gern an sie zurück. Vielleicht können Sie sie ganz herzlich von mir grüßen.
Ich schicke Ihnen gern die Texte; sie sind urheberechtlich geschützt.
Der 'Stopper'-Text stimmt wahrscheinlich nicht gänzliich überein mit der Hörspiel-Version.
Ich schicke Ihnen noch ein zusätzliches Stück - Das verlorene Paradies - vielelicht gefällt es Ihnen auch. Das Hörspiel schicke ich via WeTransfer.
Ihr Deutsch ist super - 10x besser als mein Englisch ...
Herzlichen Gruß, Tim

Dear Joe,
I am very happy to hear that you like my radioplays. I remember Paul and Terry well and like to think back on them. Maybe you can give them my regards.
I am gladly sending you the texts, they are protected by copywrite. The "Stopper"-text is probably not the same as the radioplay version.
I am sending you an additional piece - Paradise Lost - maybe you like it too. That radioplay I send via WeTransfer.
Your German is super - 10x better than my English.
Best Regards,
Tim