Comments on: Rather solipsistic film meme

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 13:46:07 +0000

She really has the 80s hottie look, Amanda!

By: Amanda

Amanda — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 13:28:31 +0000

Here ya go Mark. The very latest (2003!) on the Divine Miss F.

http://www.modamag.com/fiona.htm

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 13:10:50 +0000

I’m liking Fiona, Amanda!

By: Amanda

Amanda — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 12:14:15 +0000

I normally wouldnt be so shameless in self promotion but the net was slow tonight and it took me two bloody hours to do. So. I have done mine.

http://flopearedmule.blogspot.com/2005/09/ready-for-my-close-up-mr-marquand.html

By: Kate

Kate — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 04:34:37 +0000

See how little I know?

By: Fyodor

Fyodor — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 04:26:03 +0000

It’s OK, I’m pretty sure the Prussians were also into leather.

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 04:18:12 +0000

But Lederhosen are Bavarian, Kate! Though maybe with my Benedictophilia, they’d be appropriate!

By: Kate

Kate — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 04:11:22 +0000

You’re on Mark. I prefer to wear Purple Lederhosen myself, Fyodor.

By: Fyodor

Fyodor — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 04:10:14 +0000

That sounds fun. You could wear pointy purple helmets ;>

By: Lefty Elitist

Lefty Elitist — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 04:09:24 +0000

I speak plenty of words of German, just no sentences.

Das stimmt, Fy? Or are you still on the footboards from my last bout of Kraut?

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 04:05:11 +0000

I don’t speak a word of German, either, Kate - that wouldn’t be far from where the Bahnisches are from - since Breslau is now Wroclaw in Poland. There’s a book that looks good on the social history of the city - which I think changed countries and rulers (and thus names) on a fairly regular basis, which I keep meaning to buy.

We should organise the LP Prussian pilgrimage some time!

By: Kate

Kate — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 03:51:55 +0000

My mother is German, her parents are from what was Prussia (their actual village is now part of Poland, I think, though it’s hard to tell as neither of them liked speaking about the past.) They arrived after WWII after the Russians invaded. My mother’s maiden name was Bellegardt.

I don’t speak a word of German, though I am keen to go there and trace my ancestry.

By: Fyodor

Fyodor — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 02:05:08 +0000

* ich rolle auf dem Fu√�boden und lache *

Jawohl. Ganz genug, Se√�or, ganz genug. Es ist immer so mit M√�dchen. Dieses kann Dir uberraschen, aber die deutsche Frauen besonders haben kein Gefuhl fur Humor.

By: Lefty Elitist

Lefty Elitist — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 00:18:10 +0000

“and I can��t seem the damn Sprache to shake”

Love the German grammar.

Na ja, Herr Fyodor, meines Deutsch ist immer noch scheisse, my vocabular wenige als genug, meiner gramatische schrecklich, und meine accent lachen zu machen.

Ich hatte nur ein bischen gelernt fur eine deutsche freundin, zeit zehn jahre. Sie hat mir verlasst weil mein deutsch zu viel hesslich war.

Die antwort: meines Spansichen ist ganz besser.

Kannst du etwas damit anfangen?

By: Fyodor

Fyodor — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 23:05:49 +0000

My German’s about the same level: rustier than Munchhausen’s sabre. That said, my father and grandfather both spoke it, and I can’t seem the damn Sprache to shake. My question was actually to Lefty Elitist (Sinistro), but thanks for answering too!

By: Brian Bahnisch

Brian Bahnisch — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 22:33:00 +0000

Buck, my parents spoke German, I believe a combination of two dialects which had their own development path in Australia, importing quite a few anglicised words. My father spoke no English until he was 12 in 1910 when they brought in a law that all school instruction should be in English.

During WW2 our folks gave up speaking German in the home, as we had ‘Australian’ working men on the farm. I guess it was good employee relations and they didn’t want to be interned, which they weren’t because they were producing butter, eggs, meat, grain and all those good things.

I learnt German at school and university, mostly through reading German literature and philosophy, but also some conversational German.

I haven’t kept it up, so I can read a fair bit with dictionary zu Hande, but talking and writing is a pain.

By: Brian Bahnisch

Brian Bahnisch — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 22:21:38 +0000

I still reckon our lot from Silesia were not artisans or middle class revolutionaries. I think the district was known for potato growing.

Mark, I wonder if you can identify what in your Prussian heritage you are proud of. I guess there is a strong sense of duty, a virtue and a cross to bear. Similarly stickability and endurance and a fairly simple direct approach to relationships, faithfulness etc.

But also dogmatic authoritarianism, and an unquestioning attitude to mattters of religious faith.

Certainly the soil, the weather, the land as it was in my youth is indelibly imprinted on my soul.

btw I think I was the first from the district to go to university and as far as I know the only one to bother my head with things like philosophy. Having lost my faith I’m a standing example of the folly of such ventures.

By: Buck Nekkid

Buck Nekkid — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 22:21:16 +0000

Ausgezeichnete Geschichte, Herr B√�hnisch. Und Du, Sinistro, Du hast Scharfe S bewundernswert benutzt. Sprichst Du Deutsch zus√�tzlich zum Spanischen?

By: Mark

Mark — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 14:37:12 +0000

Well if she’s not a sociologist, Lefty E, I don’t think we’re acquainted!

By: Lefty Elitist

Lefty Elitist — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 14:34:41 +0000

Dont think so Mark - but then Fischer is a pretty common German surname.

Oh yeah, forgot to mention - I’ve seen their original reisepass (visa). They were from Templehof - then a small rural village in Prussia, now one of the Berlin airports.