German @ MindSay

Below is a life update (in imperfect German) for my German readers:
Ich habe letzte Woche nach 2 1/2 Monaten Mühe nicht nur ein Job gefunden (irgend einer für weniger Lohn hätte ich auch viel früher finden können) sondern sogar eins der mir spaβ macht!  Nähmlich als Lehrers Assistent an einer Vor-Kindergarten (für 3 und 4 Jährige). (Kindergarten fängt hier meistens mit 5 Jährige an).  Ich helfe im Klassenzimmer und begleite die Kinder auch im Schulbus.  Es bezahlt nur ungefähr ein Dollar mehr pro Stunde als das mindest Lohn (für der Staat Washington —das ist aber schon ein Paar Dollar mehr als der Bundesmindestlohn).  Ausserdem, kriege ich dadurch auch gutes Versicherung… und es macht mir wie gesagt viel Spaβ, und ist auch gute Übung für wenn ich in Ferner Zukunft selbst hoffentlich mal Kinder habe.

Das Auto das ich in Februar billig gekauft habe (ein 1987iger Suburu) obwohl alt, läuft sehr gut.

Olympia ist ein sehr schöner Kleinstadt.  Dabei ist es aber Hauptstadt vom Staat Washington.  In 2000 hatte es 42.514 Einwohner, jetzt bestimmt mehr.  Das Wetter, obwohl mehr regnerisch als Colorado, ist vergleichbar mit Manchester oder auch Berlin (von meiner gefühl her).  Lezten Samstag hatten wir hier auch Schnee und ein Paar Tage später dann Hagel, aber es ist beim Kontakt mit der Boden geschmolzen.  Die Bäume sind jezt alle in voller Blüte—sehr Hübsch!

Bald zieh’ ich vor wieder Aikido Klassen zu nehmen.  (Vieleicht auch Tanz (Salsa, Swing oder so was) Klassen-- kann sein, daβ ich eins um sonst machen kann).

Hier ein Gebet Geschrieben direkt von Baha'u'llah (Baha'u'llah heiβt übersetzt: “Herrlichkeit Gottes”), der benutzte ich oft:

"Ich bitte Dich, o mein Gott, bei Deiner Kraft und Deiner Macht und Deiner Herrschaft, die alle in Deinem Himmel und auf Deiner Erde umfaßt, zeige Deinen Dienern diesen leuchtenden Weg und diesen geraden Pfad, damit sie Deine Einheit und Einzigkeit mit einer Gewißheit bekennen, die weder der eitle Wahn der Zweifler schmälern noch der leere Trug der Widerspenstigen verdunkeln kann. Erleuchte, o mein Herr, die Augen Deiner Diener und erheitere ihr Herz mit dem Lichtglanz Deiner Erkenntnis, damit sie die Größe dieser erhabensten Stufe erfassen und diesen strahlenden Horizont erkennen, so daß die Menschen mit ihrem Geschrei sie nicht mehr davon abhalten, den Blick auf das strahlende Licht Deiner Einheit zu richten, noch sie hindern, ihr Angesicht dem Horizonte der Loslösung zuzuwenden."
--Bahá'u'lláh   (Compilations, 1996 Bahai-GEBETE)

Dieses Gebet von der Bab (heiβt übersetzt: "der Tor", Er war der verheißer von Baha'u''lah) ist mir immer behilfrig gewesen:

"Gibt es einen Befreier von Schwierigkeiten außer Gott? Sprich: Gelobt sei Gott! Er ist Gott! Alle sind Seine Diener und alle unterstehen Seinem Befehl." --Báb  (Compilations, 1996 Bahai-GEBETE)

I went to the Pet Expo at the Orange County fair grounds this past weekend and was lucky enough to speak with the German Wirehaired Pointer breeder from Norco. We talked for a long time, and she even offered me a potentially great 12 month old bitch. I just about melted but knew I needed to obey my mom's orders for the house. I told her my interest, and how sorry I was that I couldn't take it, but left rather disappointed. I have brought it up countless times around the house and plan to still do it. Now that I am almost set on a breed, I have decided to be absolutaly sure.

 

I created this list of dogs I potentially can look into, but I think I might be just about decided, for the time being.

 

I'll first start off with the breed I am most used to:

 

 

Shetland Sheepdog:

Pros:

Cons:

Dixie currently feels:

Unimpressed

 

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I AM SO SICK OF "DIXIE CHICKS" COMING UP AS A SUGGESTED TAG.

 

They're simply terrible.

I downloaded some of their songs a while ago out of curiosity.

And I didn't like them, so.

 

 

Urgh, I can smell chicken.

And it's really... Seasoned and strange.

I don't know where the scent's coming from either.

 

...And what on EARTH is this song...

 

...ROFL, IT'S SKILLET.

 

I went on a downloading fit the other day and got loads.

More of the Guitar Hero soundtracks, more Rammstein, more everything else.

 

It's that song I mentioned I liked.

Now, if I'd waited to hear him SING... Or... ATTEMPT TO sing... Then I'd have known what it was. :)

Tee hee.

 

His singing isn't AS bad on this song.

It's still bad, though.

 

 

Mein Herz Brennt - by Rammstein; sounds like the two bands having a fight.

It's like Christian Lorenz (Rammstein's keyboardist) is having a fight with the silly cow from Skillet who plays the violin - and Till Lindemann (Rammstein's singer) has tied up this twat and gagged him, before making up his own lyrics.

 

It's great actually - and fun to imagine.

 

I've got loads of songs waiting to be listened to in my downloads folder - but they're already in the library, and they keep coming on and I'm thinking: "WTF IS THIS..."

 

I've downloaded a Pink Floyd song that's like... 13 minutes long?

 

I downloaed Iowa by Slipknot before, and that's 15 minutes.

I kept putting off listening to it - but when I did, I liked it... So maybe I should give Shine On, You Crazy Diamond a chance.

 

 

...IT KNOWS I'M TALKING ABOUT MUSIC.

DIXIE CHICKS IS STILL A SUGGESTED TAG.

 

ARGGGGGGGGH.........................

 

 

Anyway.

I have nothing better to do.

So I'm going to list my favourite Rammstein songs. Yay.

 

I'll even put a translation to the song title for those who don't listen to Rammstein or speak fluent German, tee hee.

 

 

1. Rosenrot                 (Rose-red)
2. Teir                           (Animal)
3. Klavier                     (Piano)
4. Du Hast                    (You Have)
5. Reise Reise             (Arise, Arise)
6. Engel                        (Angel)
7. Ich Will                      (I Want)
8. Mein Teil                  (My Part)
9. Keine Lust               (No Desire)
10. Zwitter                      (Hermaphrodite)
11. Sonne                       (Sun)
12. Buck Dich                (Bend Over)
13. Ohne Dich                (Without You)
14. Seemann                  (Sailor)
15. Amerika                    (America)
16. Benzin                        (Petrol)
17. Links 2, 3, 4              (Left 2, 3 4)
18. Herzeleid                   (Heartache)
19. Dalai Lama
20. Du Riechst So Gut    (You Smell So Good)

 

I like Rammstein a lot.

The first song I listened to by them was Ich Will.

 

I was asked to make a CD for road trips - with songs that I liked, songs that dad liked, songs that mam liked, and songs that out friend David liked.

 

I asked what bands David liked - and mam suggested Rammstein.

I downloaded the first one on the list - which was Ich Will.

 

I put it on a CD randomly which I was taking on holiday with me to Zante.

I would skip the first 8 songs, and continuously listen to Ich Will.

 

When I came home, I downloaded Keine Lust, Ohne Dich, Du Hast, Sonne and Buck Dich.

 

(Yes, I know that the U in 'buck' should have those dots above it, but I don't know the keyboard shortcut for them.)

 

 

I did my pre-production part of my Media Studies coursework on Rammstein - researching their history, analysing their image, their lyrics - and designing new album covers for them.

 

I filled a whole A3 sketchpad in 20 hours - over the course of two days.

And I got full marks.

Not a single mark was dropped.

 

 

I've made a presentation about them for my Music coursework, which I'm yet to present.

I've put on music samples, videos with subtitles, images, lyric translations - all that stuff.

I don't know anybody in my school other than Stephen who likes Rammstein.

He's the one who suggested I download Mein Herz Brennt.

 

He randomly came up to me and asked what Zwitter meant.

He looked quite shocked when I told him - as he'd been wandering around the house singing it.

 

 

German is such a cool language.

It's easy to write - easy to say.

The only thing that annoys me are the spelling rules - as in English, we'd put the I before the E.

In German, it's the other way around.

 

See, I go out of my way to learn translations, analyse lyrics and find hidden meanings, look up band history, all that - for the bands I really like.

 

I only own one Rammstein CD - which is Reise Reise (and I listened to it for 20 hours on loop as I did my Media Studies coursework...) and I only own one T-shirt - but it's faded, as I wear it a lot.

 

It's a Sehnsucht shirt - with all six band members' faces on it, with metal objects implanted and embedded in their skin.

Very cool. :)

 

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Rammstein have had a huge impact on the style and subjects I write about in my novel, Experiment #1263: The Beginning.

There's a lot of references, as well as obvious influences.

 

Two of the scientists of the Topaz development team, and one of the Ruby development team are of German nationality.

Their names stem from the names of Rammstein's band members, and other German influences:

 

 

Hermann Lorenz --- "Lorenz" comes from "Christian Lorenz", Rammstein's keyboardist, and "Hermann" is a popular German first name.

 

Christian Gruttmann --- "Christian" comes from "Christian Lorenz", and "Grutmann" comes from "Joy Grutmann", the six-year-old girl who sang the "Schnappi, das kleine Krokodil" lyrics.

 

Rubin Schneider --- "Schneider" comes from "Christoph Schneider", Rammstein's drummer, and "Rubin" is German for "Ruby".

 

 

#1263 is later given a real name - "Rosenrot."

Obviously taken from my favourite Rammstein song.

 

The song itself is based on a story by The Brothers Grimm; which is also mentioned numerous times, as it is a story that #1263's father reads to her, and then names her after one of the characters.

 

The themes of some Rammstein songs are mentioned also.

 

Later in the story, #1263 learns to play the piano, and every time she is seen by the scientists; they proclaim "Dort am klavier, ist Rosenrot" ("There at the piano is [Rose-red]")

"Dort am klavier" is the first line of the chorus to Klavier.

 

#1263 herself never speaks a number in English - as she was taught to count by one of the German scientists, she only ever speaks numbers in that language. - This was slightly inspired by the chorus of Sonne, in which Till counts down to sunrise.

 

An act of colonic irrigation takes place at the start of the story to punish #1263 for a wrongdoing.

The phrase "Buck Dich, Zwolf-Dreiundsechzig" ("Bend over Twelve-Sixty-Three") - of course, is inspired by the lyrics and theme of Buck Dich.

 

The song Mutter is themed around a person who was not born via natural childbirth - does not have a navel, or a mother, and is constantly searching for one.

This is the same as #1263's situation, as she was created as an experimental hybrid, and also didn't have a true mother, wasn't given birth to and doesn't have a navel.

 

See?

Very influencial indeed. :)

 

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What annoys me, is how prejudiced and ignorant people are.

When they learn that Rammstein are German, they automatically assume they're Nazis and Hitler supporters.

 

The only cool thing about Hitler - is that he was German, had a cool moustache, and knew what he wanted. Other than that, he was a downright prick who caused far too many deaths which could have been avoided if he'd just been dealt with sooner.

 

But as I say - it's only because of their nationality that Rammstein are accused of that.

If they were Russian, they'd be accused of being communists.

Or would they?

 

How often do you hear people accusing t.A.T.u of being communists?

 

Hm, exactly.

 

Get your head out of your arses, you stereotyping idiots.

If you look deep into Rammstein's lyrics, they're highly spiritual, intelligent and whimsical. Most are very thought provoking too - dealing with matters that no English band would ever dare to sing about.

 

Rammstein must be applauded for their efforts.

 

Ich liebe Rammstein.

Heil Rammstein. :)

 

 

By Linda D. Kozaryn

American Forces Press Service

 

April 26, 2007 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates met with Germany defense leaders yesterday on the last leg of a three-day trip to Moscow, Warsaw and Berlin to discuss U.S. plans to base a missile defense network in Europe.  The network will protect Europe, the United States and Russia from long-range ballistic missiles launched by such rogue nations as Iran and North Korea. At a joint news conference with Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung, Gates pointed out that these missiles can carry weapons of mass destruction.

 

"Nuclear weapons are not the only danger that is posed by the development of ballistic missiles," he said. "After all, you can have radiological, chemical and biological weapons on a ballistic missile as well. So I think that that's the reason why defense against ballistic missiles is so important."

 

The secretary traveled to Russia at the beginning of the week to discuss U.S. plans to deploy 10 interceptors in Poland and radar in the Czech Republic. He then went on to meet with Polish and German leaders to brief them on his discussions.

 

Gates said he welcomed the opportunity to brief Jung and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on his talks and to discus a wide range of subjects. The secretary also noted that German Chancellor Angela Merkel had encouraged President Bush to intensify dialogue with the Russians, especially on missile defense.

 

"We will continue to consult with the Russians on missile defense, as well as consult closely with our allies," Gates said. He said Putin has asked him to return to Russia, Bush will meet with Putin at the G-8 summit, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will meet with her counterpart at an upcoming NATO ministerial conference.

 

Through an interpreter, Jung said he was pleased Gates came to Germany to discuss the main issues of their defense and security policy. He said the two nations have excellent bilateral relations.

 

Jung said German officials are grateful the United States "is building up this protective defensive system for our population, that we are prepared not only to inform and be informed, but that we also intend to actively pursue this in the NATO framework to have a protective function for all of Europe, for the entire European territory."

 

"My counterpart, Mr. Gates, informed me that his talks in Moscow came to the conclusion that a team of experts should be set up to discuss the details of this program," Jung said. "We have also discussed this with NATO foreign ministers, and will discuss it with NATO defense ministers."

 

The overall goal is to deploy a defensive system to defend and protect the population," Jung said, noting that "the fears voiced by Russia are completely unfounded. For this reason, I am confident that within NATO we will reach a consensus, but that within the NATO-Russia Council we will also be able to make progress in the interest of the protection of our population."

 

Jung went on to say German officials are glad they are part of the joint military mission in Afghanistan. "This effort can already be called a success," he said. "It is an immediate link between providing security and reconstruction, and it helps us to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan population and to guarantee peace and stability in the long run."

 

Responding to a reporter's query about Iraq, Gates said he'd traveled to Jordan and Egypt the previous week "to encourage them to support Prime Minister (Nouri al-)Maliki and his government, to encourage the Sunnis in Iraq to support that government and to encourage Sunni governments throughout the Middle East to do so.

 

"I would not have made those trips and made that case if I did not believe Prime Minister Maliki could do the job," the secretary said.

 

The recent bombing that killed nine U.S. servicemembers at an outpost in Diyala, he noted, is an example of the violence U.S. officials expected as pressure was brought to bear on the various killers. U.S. officials said that they would squirt out to other parts of Iraq in the vicinity of Baghdad.

 

"It's tragic. We wish to God it hadn't happened." Gates said. "But at the same time, I think that it is not unexpected that we will see these kinds of attacks as they try to prevent the Baghdad security plan from being successful, and as they try and prevent political reconciliation in Iraq."

 

Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.

 

This is a forcast of all the things to happen in my life for the rest of this week as well as next week.

 

Thursday: I have to go to the gym at 8am then run back to the dorm and change my clothes. Retake a german test I failed and hope to god that it's still not a 6 page test. Then get ready for my other classes.

 

Friday: Begin working with Rachel for the Academic Canadian Conference on March 29-30.

 

Saturday: Work all day on the damn project and study for next weeks german exam, as well as type a 10 page midterm on three topics for my Literature class.

 

Sunday:  Most likely same as saturday. Oh did I mention I'm trying to go to the gym on saturday and sunday as well?

 

When monday rolls around I'm going to be one grumpy sonovabitch. I'm already tired as it is today because of going to the gym yesterday the first time in a long time. So now I'm all sore in my arms and I can't raise them above my shoulders lol. I need another spring break...didn't I already mention this?