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Thursday, February 26, 2015

Like worms on a fish hook

I haven’t had time to blog. I have been learning Spanish and have been transfixed by a number of things including the amazing politics in this country. The battle for the Republican nomination for President is in full swing here and is absolutely fascinating. 

They all have excellent lines of patter but those damn journalists keep messing with their heads by asking them really hard questions such as:

 ‘Do you believe in evolution?’ and ‘do you believe in climate change?’ and the hardest one ‘do you believe that President Obama is a Christian?’

These trick questions tend to flummox them completely. They call them ‘gotcha’ questions because they find them so hard to answer.

The next year or so is going to be fabulous entertainment as these people wriggle around like worms on a fish hook trying to appeal to their antediluvian voters while also trying to not look completely stupid.

I am also keeping a close eye on the Australian Prime Minister Mr. Rabbit as he bumbles and stumbles his way towards oblivion while the good ship Turnbull sails on serenely.

If Mr. Rabbit was a horse they would shoot him.  

So I bought a Spanish course from Costco. It is much the same as Rosetta Stone but costs about a quarter as much. At the moment I am learning words and will soon launch  into the grammar. I can see already that it will be much easier than German – which I tend to speak on the oddest occasions.

I can tell you that there is no point asking a waiter in Indianapolis for ‘mineral vasser mit gaz, bitte’.

It seems that here they do not plow most of the streets when it snows. I guess they are worried about the plows disappearing into the pot holes and never being seen again. So driving is a bit tricky when it snows all the time like it has recently. I am just about to go outside and start shoveling – again.


Sissi still escapes from time to time – but makes sure she can be caught very quickly.

9 comments:

  1. Hola! Spanish is a lot easier than German I think, although theoretically it should be easier for an English speaker to learn German as the 2 languages are more closely related - practically 1st cousins.

    American elections must have the longest lead-in period of any in the known universe. Will you be able to resist watching Fox, I wonder??

    Enough snow, already, surely!

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  2. que bueno señor badger!

    as for elections....he he he.

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  3. When I see cats I tend to think of you and your crew.

    It is finaLLy snowing here and I think we might get 3 inches. It was coming down heavy, straight down in no wind. I gathered a bunch to water the pineapples and orchid. I don't remember if I told you my wife opened a flower shop about a month ago. So now I wiLL try seLLing pineapple plants, turning into a professional farmer as weLL! I can add this to my other eXtremely smaLL scale ventures, such as singing professionaLLy. I charge $1 to perform my song 'You Waise Me Up (So I Can Hunt Duh Wabbits)', a set of lyrics I wrote to the music of the Josh Grobin hit. I sing in Elmer Fudd's voice, and the lyrics are mainly about hunting Bugs Bunny, cooking and alcohol, oh, and marriage.

    I am working on Russian language with an app I like veRy much, from memrise. I figured you would find Spanish easier than German.

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  4. You wiLL have to start caLLing yourself Tejón.

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  5. What a minx that Sissi is. I started to learn Spanish when the girls were in highschool but soon lost interest. I already knew Indonesian and found I kept mixing them up. Hats off to you Mr Multi-lingual.

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  6. I have a smattering of Spanish and it pops out once in a while. I am working with quite a lot of Latinos currently and if I slip and say something a torrent of Spanish comes back at me. No Habla No Habla.

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  7. Alexia: Yes I read about that theory. It did not work for me. OH I watch Fox all the time - it gives me lots of LOL moments.

    TNDW: Indeed. And that was the name of the Spanish entry in the 1965 Eurovision song contest.

    esb: I just do not know where you two find the time.

    Sandy: Yes stick with Indonesian. Spain is unlikely to invade Australia.

    fmcgmcllc: I have forgotten my French - but it comes back when I go to France.

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  8. The saddest thing is...

    Australia is still a decade behind America ... we still don't even meaningfully discuss how stupid Christianity, Islam and Judaism is...

    The grass is dead back home Uncle P...

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  9. Keegan88: Oh you cannot discuss this here except in very select circles - of which we have one with some like minded atheists (and Democrats)

    My grass is under a foot of snow.

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