Huh.

[camwyn]

I meant to post this this morning, but other things distracted me... one of the plum trees outside my window has broken out in blossoms. Not all over, just a few places. They look maybe a day or two old at most, which explains why I didn't see them before this morning. It's only one of the trees, though, and there are three in that area - the central one is the one that put forth blossoms. The swarms of sparrows have been landing in each of the trees about equally, so I doubt it's anything to do with increased levels of bird droppings or stress from tiny little claws...

Tres odd. Ah, well.

Must remember to buy notebook on the way home tonight, I've got Mandarin class. Ungodly nervous about this. I have a horror of looking like a fool in front of a class or in front of authority figures. Looking like a fool in front of a LOT of people is fine, because then I can at least be entertaining; looking like a fool in front of one or two people is fine, because I can explain what I meant. The mid-sized group, though... brrr. I have enough trouble pronouncing English sometimes. Dealing with a tonal language? What if I come off sounding like a tourist or some other form of -

Okay, I gotta stop right there before I panic myself. What the hell is going on inside my head? It's just a damn language class, and most likely the other students will be tourists, in search of a little something to stand them in good stead before scampering off to Shanghai or something. (Crap, lookit that sibilance. How much Mountain Dew did I have at lunch?) I'll be fine. It's just a language class. Everyone comes in ignorant, that's why they take the class. Deep breaths...

Okay, gonna be okay now. Sorry about that.

Comments

[lwood.livejournal.com]

Interesting omen, them unseasonal blooms -- unless it's not unseasonal for plums? Anyway...

You almost certainly possess greater attention to detail than others in your class. For that reason, if for no other, you will both do better and sound worse to yourself. The important thing is that it's a class, and so messing up is part of the game. The teacher corrects you, and as long as you learn from it, the burning you get from having fscked it up is worth it.

At least that's the theory. I hate seeming incompetent too...

-- Lorrie

[camwyn]

I'd say the flock of starlings on the lawn in front of the tree is an omen too, except that I know they flock like that in this area - on this side of the building - at this time of day at this time of year. They've been doing it for as long as I've worked in Fairfield. Omens by definition are unnatural, so I won't wonder about the starlings... I'll just despise them. (I don't like starlings in general.)

And yeah, it's a right unseasonable time of year for anything to be blooming around here, except stubborn tomato plants.

[lwood.livejournal.com]

And yeah, it's a right unseasonable time of year for anything to be blooming around here, except stubborn tomato plants.

's what I thought. Around here, btw, the tomatoes will keep on fruiting damn near ever, assuming you live in the sunny part of the Bay Area and not the foggy bits. When I lived in the South (and Sunny) Bay, I finally pulled my tomato plants in a fit of pique in late November, still happily growing. Then, some of the tomatoes that fell off and were overripe (last year they'd been yellow plums and Sweet 100 cherries) grew into happy hybrids the next year with no assistance on my part.

California. Where we grow everything but the lamppost -- and we've got genegineers working on the lamppost.

-- Lorrie

Don't worry.

[mtr1966.livejournal.com]

You'll look like a complete and utter fool and you'll sound like a tourist. So will everybody else taking a beginning course in Putonghua. You'll blend right in. ;-)

Big thing to watch out for: when asking a question the urge to convert the final word to second tone is almost overwhelming. It's the most common tonal error non-native speakers (even fluent ones) make. Stamp it out ruthlessly as early as you possibly can.

Re: Don't worry.

[camwyn]

I'll keep that in mind. Sort of the exact opposite of the Ulster accent I had to learn for a play once, which was a distressing combination of Irish brogue, Scots burr, and what sounded to me like Svedish Chef inflections - virtually *every* sentence went uuuup? at the end. Mustn't do that. Bad.