Muttering into the void.
So I’m re-reading the moderately popular The Name of the Wind now that its sequel The Wise Man’s Fear is out. My opinion is pretty much the same as the last time I read it: it’s entertaining, but the main character is a wee bit too ubercompetent.
I’m just jealous because he supposedly learned a language in a day and a half.
The question most often asked when people find out you’ve dabbled in linguistics is “How many languages do you speak?” Well, I’ve studied quite a few languages, but there are only a couple I’d be comfortable jumping in blind right now.
James McGrath has started a meme that widens the net a bit:
List every language that [you] have made some sort of concerted effort to learn, even if [you] didn’t get beyond the first lesson or so, or even if [you] are still learning it. No need to specify the degree of fluency in the blog post – if readers are curious how much Swahili you know, they can ask.
Here’s my list, in no order whatsoever:
Almost ended up bouncing off the hood of a car this morning. Said car had suddenly felt the need to cross 2 lanes of traffic and turn right in front of me. Luckily I have been practicing my quick turns.
Ten years ago I signed up for the Canadian bone marrow registry. Seems like a no-brainer, especially since a nephew-in-law of mine has recently survived leukemia by means of a bone marrow transplant.
This morning I got a call saying I was a potential donor. But it seems that a bit of atrial fibrillation in my medical history may prove a deal-breaker. I offered to sign a waiver; I should have just lied…
Update: October 14: the transplant centre rejected me. They didn’t tell me the reason, so it was either the atrial fib or the malaria.