Monthly Archives: August 2009
ladies and gents
Have you ever seen a less helpful label on a bathroom? First you have to figure out that it *is* a bathroom and not, say, a top editor’s office or a supply closet. Then you have to figure out if … Continue reading
finally, the first day at work
At last! Today I started work at Bild-Zeitung, far and away the highest-circulation newspaper in Germany. It sells on the order of 4 million copies a day. USA Today, the top U.S. paper, has a little over 2 million circulation. … Continue reading
norovirus
After more than a week of gastrointestinal distress, I finally got a verdict: norovirus. I don’t recommend it. The good news is that I’m going to finally start my fellowship this week. You know, the reason I came over here. … Continue reading
countdown: mauerfall
I just caught a segment on German public TV called “Countdown: Mauerfall.” Mauer = wall; Fall = fall. It’s totally cool – they’re counting down to November 9, the day the Berlin Wall fell, by showing TV news from that … Continue reading
mighty cultural exchange
I’m so glad I asked the downstairs neighbor to do my shopping today (my illness being such that I really don’t want to leave my apartment unless it’s for a medical facility). He was fast, and it wasn’t out of … Continue reading
mmm, vanilla
Oh hey – another of my National Geographic stories turned up online! It’s about vanilla, which is native to central America but has until recently mostly been grown in Madagascar. I reported this story and the story about silky sifakas … Continue reading
sick, sick, sick, sick, sick
Yeah, I haven’t really blogged this week. You know why? I’ve been sick. You know the only thing worse than being sick? Being sick in a foreign country. My fellow Berlin-based Burns Fellows turn out to be princes among men … Continue reading
overhead adjectives
I took this picture mostly because I can’t remember the last time I saw someone use an overhead projector: It’s my German teacher going over the definite and indefinite articles and adjective endings for what must be about the 10 … Continue reading