sundries, in which I am really cool

[rm]

Guess who just earned out her advance?

Yes, that I had that conversation means other conversations are now in play.

My traveling life 2009/2010 (SO FAR):

- Oct 17 - 18: New Haven (w/ Patty)
- Nov 17 - 21: Switzerland (desk job)
- Jan 3 - 14: Caribbean (w/ Patty)
- Feb 25 - Mar 1: Los Angeles (Gallifrey One)
- Mar ??? - Washington DC (LoC reading, hopefully w/ Patty)
- Mar 19 - 21: Rye Brook (Lunacon w/ Patty)
- Apr 12ish - 16ish: London, Cardiff and maybe Ireland (Patty has a conference, I'm tagging along)
- Jul 8 - 9: Bristol, hopefully (academic conference, not sure if Patty will be on a dig then)
- Jul 15 - 18: Florida, maybe (Infinitius, looking more likely by the second)
- September 2 - 6: Atlanta (Dragon*Con w/ Patty)

This doesn't take into account the possibility of a brief jaunt to Ohio in December or the fact that we'd really like to take a weekend in Cold Spring sometimes between November and March or that we might go to a Holiday Ball in December. HOLY CRAP HOW IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE? I AM NOT THAT COOL TO BE ON THE ROAD THIS MUCH.

Speaking of Switzerland, what can I expect the language situation to be like? I have _no_ German and my French will probably come back online after a couple of days. I'm curious not just what level of English people have and how useful my French will be, but what level of language effort on my part decorum demands -- should I learn a few phrases of German?

My birthday is coming up soon, but I am feeling aggressively ambivalent about it.

Man, most of my front-burner writing projects just reached the really cranky stage where I have awesome structure and awesome content, and I'm going to have to sacrifice pieces of each to each other and that makes me sad. Sometimes, in fact, I wish I was worse at structure so that I could leave in more random awesome.

Comments

[cruentum.livejournal.com]

In that part of Switzerland, it's definitely German, BUT you are much much safer with English because it's not like they speak German-German casually, Swiss-German is very much its own language with partly own vocabulary and syntax and grammar rules. It's closely enough related to German that it takes me as a native German speaker whose sister has now lived there for almost 10 years only a day or two to get back into understanding it somewhat but it's to a non-native speaker most likely nothing like german. They would understand your German, and a few phrases of Hallo etc are probably useful but chances are even if they tried to straighten out their German to high German for you (which they can do, passably) you'd be lost because the accent would still be heavy enough for a non-native not to get what they are saying.

So really, just go with English and have a few courtesy phrases hanging around, but don't bother with much more.

THAT SAID, in that part of Switzerland they WOULD also understand your French, more than likely. In Switzerland, in school, the first second language you are taught is one of the other official languages of the country even before you are taught English, and I know that the majority of the people in the German-speaking part of Switzerland learn French as their second official language, so you'd probably, if you speak more French than German, be actually safer with French in making yourself understood. Chances are fairly good that in the places you are staying in they would understand that, since they are proud enough of the quadruple-linguality of their country

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

*nods* My aunt did her second language as French, but it's German in that part of the country - and they tittered at my High German I learned in school, but it's perfectly acceptable to get by on.

Attempt as much as you feel comfortable with - what I learned, I learned full-immersion style in 1991 when I had to live there for a year. Anyplace you go that doesn't speak your language? Will always appreciate an attempt in theirs.

Still envious as HECK. Get inside a MIGROS at least once. Buy as much chocolate as you can stuff in a suitcase. At those dates, you'll have access to the BEST Christmas stuff you ever saw. Promise.

[lawsontl.livejournal.com]

My mother-in-law speaks Swiss-German, German, French and English. But when I wasn't with her in Zurich, my bad French and the Zuri's bad English got us through sufficiently, even to the point of me being able to describe a head cold and get good cold medicine for the problem.

And, OH, TOTALLY snag some bottles of Rivella. Blau (blue) is the best, IMHO, but the Green/Grun I swear tastes like a Pimm's Cup without the alcohol :) Blau is lo cal, Grun is fuller cal but still not as bad as a traditional soda. Both are lovely and herbal, quite refreshing.

And don't forget Kinder Eggs. The toys inside are endlessly fun to assemble, the chocolate is just a bonus.

[filkerdave.livejournal.com]

Ugh. Rivella is only slightly better than Irn Bru ;)