h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

"Nothing really interesting"? I just read your post in the "where are you from" forum...a sailor...been to most of Europe...sounds pretty interesting.

Well, yes and no. I was only a sailor for a short while (2 summers + 1 fall) and spent most of the time working, sleeping, sailing and vomitting. And we only went to a limited number of ports in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and England. But as I mentioned: Those were memorable days (in spite of the vomitting).

Nice of you to visit my page. I instantly went to yours, of cause, and I'll be back soon. You seem to be very productive and there is quite a number of items that I want to read more about.

Friendly gestures and a big smile!

Were you a sailor on one of those lovely Tall Ships? I've seen them many times in Boston and would endure any amount of vomiting just to have the opportunity sail on one.

Unfortunately no (and I didn't have a girl in every harbour neither). They were only what we call coasters. The last one was build to cross the Atlantic, though, and I think our captain was a little proud of that - only he never got to proove it.
My late cousin was lucky to become a pupil onboard the royal danish schoolship "Danmark". Not the biggest of the tall ships, but certainly one of the finest. Among other things I inherited his colorslides and just recently had the chance to study them. I remember him telling how proud he was when they sailed into the port of New York - and some very pretty girlfriend of his fathers came to collect him in the largest Buick he and the other boys had ever seen.
When he told me about his adventures back then (this must have been in the late sixties) I was ready to ensign, but my eyes were not good enough. I would only be allowed to work in the pantry or the machine. I allready knew at that time, that cooking food while beeing seasick was not really what I wanted - and after painting the main machine while crossing the North Sea in november - well, you can guess the rest, i suppose. It was pretty noisy, among other things.

By the way: I'm sorry it took so long to answer You. I hope You don't mind since I really enjoy this conversation. I never had a penpal before. The reasons for the delay were three: First I was quite busy, secondly our server or network or whatever it was broke down and thirdly: We are enjoying a full-scale danish summer at its most: Everything is suddenly green, except the sky and the cool drinks we enjoy in our gardens after cycling aprox. 40 km to get the winterfat off our sidebones, as we say.

Hope to hear from you again!

Pierce

Hello again,

I had to smile at the reference to big Buicks...I used to drive a big Buick. We bought it used and I thought it was the most conservative looking car out there and I hated it. But, I got used to driving it and it was such a "good car," that the next two cars have also been Buicks, though not nearly as big. I still would rather be driving something smaller and less conservative looking...or a Jaguar

The first time I saw the Tall Ships was during the U.S. Bicentennial in 1976. As part of the celebration there was a formal reception sponsored by an insurance company. I got to go to that and I danced with lots and lots of sailors from all over the world. It was wonderful. I think I fell in love with all of them

Danish summer sounds as delightful as New England spring, which was very late this year but is now in full bloom. I don't bicycle, but I do like to walk. There is a lighthouse about a half hour's walk from my house and I walk there at least once a day...usually taking the extra time to go out onto the jetty to look out over the Atlantic. I sit on the rocks, watching the sunlight shatter on the wavelets below me. It's very relaxing.

Enjoy those cool drinks, and lovely days! Messages can always wait. Sunshine and smiles with friends are best enjoyed at the moment they are offered.

You are absolutely right, thank you. And I will be off to enjoy in just a couple of minutes. It is 1 o'clock p.m. right now and I just finished this days work (I started at 5 a.m., mind you and I will have to be back late in the afternoon for another hour or two).

I assume of cause that you have read HGTTG. Remember Fenchurch's brother, who drove a Jaguar with a bumpersticker claiming "My other car is also a jaguar"? I wonder if that sticker only exists in Douglas Adams' fantasy? I would not be surprised.

Look, I wonder if you could do me a favour? I have two cousins in the US: Michael and Steven Luminais (my fathers sisters sons). They used to live in Aurora, Illinois, where they were born. I believe Michael is still living there while Steven moved to Philadelphia some 20 or 25 years ago. Michael will be 50 in a month or so and I would like to send him my greetings. Unfortunately I lost contact with my relatives some 20 years ago and I have not seen them since 1970.

My question is: Do you know of an adress on the net were it would be possible to track the boys down? Or do you think I should try maybe the halfwitted crap forum over on Douglas Adams' site?

New England sounds like a nice play to be. My sister said the same after spending a year as an au-pair in Boston in the early 70's. Give my regards to the lighthouse. Did you ever hear Donovans song "Widow with shawl - a portrait"?

Offering sunshine & smiles

Pierce

Actually...I haven't read the Hitchhiker books yet. I did skim throught the first a year or so ago, and I liked what I saw. I will read them all this summer. I read enough of the first to get a feel for the many references on h2g2, although I don't recall the Jaguar one. I will watch for that one. I would like a bumper sticker that says "my other car is a pair of sneakers"

As for your relatives, did you try www.switchboard.com? I found a Steven Luminais at 880 Old State Rd, Berwyn, PA 19312-1443 and a Michael Luminais 202 School St, Geneva, IL 60134-2334 using that site. I know there are other sites, but they are not coming to mind right off.

I don't know the Donovan song off the top of my head, but I bet I would if I heard it. That was my music era

Off to the lighthouse now. It looks like rain and I want to get my walk in before the deluge.

with seashells and sand...
--Zmrzlina

As I have told everybody else: All you have to read to find out if you like the books is the preface. I was laughing my socks off - every time (maybe I should read it again - my socks need changing).

Thank you very very much for your help. I still feel like a novice when it comes to using the net, but this gives me a headstart in my pursuit.

One of the records I simply had to have as soon as I had money enough was Donnovans "In Concert"-album from the Hollywood Bowl. Once I had the money it took me several years to find a fresh copy. These days I seldom hear it, but I would never dream of giving it away.

I got most of my records this way, now that I think about it. Usually I borrowed other peoples records, taped them and listened to them a lot of times before I persuaded myself to buy them. There a still a lot to be bought and I am always behind (rigt now I would say some 20 years). But the advantage of this is of cause that I still have a lot to look forward to. Or should I say "listen forward to"? I do not know, but I am sure you catch my drift. I was brought up with three languages, neither of them was english, so you will have to excuse some errors along the way.

The weather has been changing here too: Thunder and lightning have swept from west to east acroos northern Germany and The Baltic Sea and we have had our share too. The temperature has fallen from roughly 25 to 15 centigrades - and I don't know what that is in fahrenheit. Well, since I have to write in your language maybe it is fair enough that you will have to read our ways of measurement?

To the lighthouse, you say. That is the title to a book of lyrics that I have yet to read.

One more thing to look foreward to. Isn't life great?

Pierce

PS: What DOES Zmrzlina mean. I went to metalchickens site to find out, but I had to give up for now. Funny thing happened, though: I ran in to one of his neighbours whom I made friends with on this net just a couple of weeks ago. Small world, eh?

I love the bit about socks needing changing. I'm trying to hear it with a Danish accent, though I think I won't know a Danish accent from a Swedish. What are your three languages? Oh..."Zmrzlina" means "ice cream" in Slovak. I like the sounds of the "z" and rolled "r"

I gave away all my Beatles albums many years ago, thinking they were just taking up space since I had begun to collect them on CDs. I also had some great albums from Broadway musicals that I gave away. And tons of those little 45s. . Ohhhh...such a silly thing to do. These days I haunt used CD stores for music. I'd like to get a CD burner this summer so I can make compilations to listen to in the car. I'd have selections from 60's psychedelic to Clapton to Loreena McKennit to Nirvana to classical all on the same disc.

Well...since 0 C is freezing, I can imagine how cold it is right now in Denmark. I don't remember if I've asked...do you live near the coast?

There are something like 60,000 h2g2 researchers out there (I think!), but it seems the majority of posting is done by a core gorup of about 30 h2g2 is a bit of a small world. Nice bit. Mostly.

Cheers!
Zmrzlina

P.S, "To the Lighthouse" is also the title to a book by Virgina Woolf. I've read it a dozen times and it is new each time.

Time is running out - I'm late for my holiday. Will get back to you as soon as possible (probably a couple of days). Wrote to metalchicken just now. Icecream, eh? You don't leave the impression of something cold.

See you!

P

Hope your holiday is fun and festive!

--Zmrzlina

Oops - two errors in one letter. This will not do. Well, maybe just one and a half error. I will let you be the judge of that:

1. I was under the impression that "To the Lighthouse" was a collection of lyrics. Lack of education. Seems I dropped out of school too soon. Normally I would blame that on society (national sport over here), but in this case I will make an exception. I will blame it on Timothy Leary. He was the one who taught me to turn on, tune in and drop out. (I am kidding, of course, but you already guessed that, right?)

2. Technically it is an exaggeration to say I grew up with three languages - danish, german and plattdeutsch ("flat-german") - since the latter is "only" a local northgerman dialect (these days only used by the common man). However the pronounciation of the words are so different from german that the average german has no clues as to what you are talking about. It is easy enough to talk german this way once you've learned it, but most of my own generation and younger have not, since it was more or less banned for not being "fine" enough. I learned it from my mothers parents, who understood german perfectly, but very rarely spoke it.
Plattdeutsch is very much related to dutch and letzeburgisch (local dialect of Luxembourg). When I started travelling abroad in my youth I found out that if I drank an adequate amount of the local alcohol (genever in the Netherlands and quetch in Luxembourg) it got quite easy to communicate with the natives...

Yes, I did have a nice holiday, thank you. I went to one of Copenhagens suburbs for the confirmation of my ex-niece (daughter of the sister of my ex-wife). She lives with her parents in a beautiful house in the outskirts of a forest. In the bottom of their garden there is a pond which they share with six or eight neighbours. It is only small, nevertheless it is inhabited by a couple of ducks and a family of coots - and it is even visited almost daily by a heron. Between a couple of showers the party (some 30 persons) spent most of the time in that garden, talking and drinking wine, coffee and calvados. The small coots were admired by all. They were all black like their parents, but instead of the white blaze on their beaks they wore brigt red and yellow feathers on top of their heads - much like some of the teenagers nowadays (din't see any piercings, though).

About temperature: 21 centigrades is considered to be a reasonable room-temperature, 25 in the shade is suitable for visiting the beach. Bathing starts at 16 (in the water, of course, which rarely reaches 20. It boils at 100 and frezes at 0, as you know).

Yes I am living near the coast, actually, but then most danes do (the longest distance from the coastline is well under 100 kilometres, I think). My house is just 1 km from a sound and 10 km from The Baltic Sea. Once I went to the heart of Germany (Marburg) and found out that it would be impossible for me to live away from the sea for more then a handfull of days.

Enough, this is getting too long (and probably too boring as well). I will read "To the Lighthouse" as soon as I have finished "Moon Palace" by Paul Auster, who is an extraordinary brilliant narrator. And after our conservation on records I have decided to buy a couple of records now, while they are still available. Grateful Dead's "Without a Net" and Van Morrisons "Hymns to the Silence".

But first I will have to cook a meal for my darling daughter, who is with me here at the office right now, and my oldest son, who is probably still asleep (it is nearly 2 p.m. here). Son number two went home yesterday to keep the goal clean for his soccer-team.

See you

8^)

Pierce

Errors? I didn't notice any errors.

Actually...you could be right about _To the Lighthouse_ being a book of poems. And blaming society is a global sport I can't blame Timothy Leary 'cause I missed that whole turn on, tune in and drop out interlude. Probably had my nose buried in a book.

Three languages isn't an exaggeration. I'm impressed. And English on top of all that. You can travel to so many places and be understood. I'm jealous. Though I shouldn't be. I have had every opportunity to learn other languages, just haven't taken the time. I did take Japanese at the university for two years (that's as far as it went ) and I got pretty good at reading and writing it, but I never really could speak it well. And this summer I am going to be traveling through Germany and Austria with only a small German phrase book. It's the only reading material I am allowing myself for the flight. I'll be an expert at asking for wine, no meat meals and the whereabouts of the restroom.

Oh! I completely agree about being without the sea! When I am in Slovakia, I miss the ocean so much. I'd never be able to live anywhere inland. I guess it would be hard not to live near the sea in Denmark. I am looking at a map now, and it is bit smaller than I previously thought. It is only about twice as large as my state. Now you've gone and done it. I've added Denmark to the places I want to see.

My eldest is begging me to go for a walk with her, and since I never pass up a chance to be a welcomed companion, I am going to finish this up later.

Farvel sålænge ( I hope that is right...)
Zmrzlina

P.S. Van Morrison's "Brown-Eyed Girl" is my daughters' and my theme song

Back to where I left off...

I so enjoyed reading your account of the confirmation party. Especially the entertainment...punk ducks aquatics And I agree that lots of today's youth have plumage instead of hair, but I like it. And I like the piercings, too. Not fond of tatoos, though. I think I would get bored of the same design for all eternity. There is an exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History titled "Body Art." I saw it recently and really enjoyed it, though I wonder if today's subculture is all that thrilled at having their "rebellion" legitimized in so conservative a setting.

Ah..._Moon Palace_. My sister gave me that for my birthday a few years back, but I have not read it yet. Have you read other work by Auster? At the moment I am caught up with my favorite author, Tom Robbins. I read his books *very* slow so I don't miss anything. Although...if my sisters find out I have it, they are going to start hounding me to finish. We have a tradition of sharing the same Robbins book so we can compare notes in the margins

Now...off to Boston for me. I have to deliver the last of my school papers.

--Zmrzlina

You're impressed? No, I'm impressed! Not only did you find the right words and spell them correct (though I have to say you missed a space between "så" and "længe", but that's only a typing error, right?), you even found the right types. I could hardly believe that was possible on your side of the pond. You should see how often my family name is misspelled on this side...

Three or four languages isn't really that impressive where I come from and since I grew up with three of them they were like handed to me on a silver plate, so to speak. And as to english: We were all very motivated, what with the Beatles and all the other modern stuff coming to us when we most needed it - in the early beginnings of our puberty...

If I should boast about the languages I should be equally ashamed of the shortcomings I was born with (luckily just minor and few) - and I'm not. I believe we are all doing the best we can.

But when you are talking about more or less wasted oppurtunitys to learn I must admit that I am a little ashamed that I was too bone idle to learn playing my guitar when I was young. Oh, I would have loved to entertain a huge crowd of happy people like for example David Gilmour or Neil Young do. On the other hand: They are doing a great job, so why should I?

So you are coming back to Europe, are you? And you would like to visit Denmark? Well, if you give me the opportunity I would be glad to show it to you. At least my small part of it. Maybe it would be better if you would let med know on my email-adress [email protected] (I hope hiding the adress in the middle of a long thread like this is discrete enough. With all the things I have written on other threads I might be risking getting a lot of junk-mail from others. Ah, well - I'll have my IT-administrator take care of that should the problem arise).

I like people (yes, I'll probably die as a hippie) and young people are not exceptions. Of course I like the girls most. (And as I always say: If that makes me an old pig, well, then I've been an old pig for well over 30 years now). Some of their hairdos are funny, some even pretty, and others - well, you can always look in another direction. I agree on what you say about tatoos. My brother has one, I didn't want one and the same goes for piercings. But hey, it's a free world.

No, "Moon Palace" is the first Auster-book I have read, but it was given to me by a dear old friend after I told him how fond I was of the film "Smoke" (with Harvey Keitel and whatshisname). Auster wrote that, he said, and I believe he is right. The story (or stories, really) are not much, but they are fantastically told.

So you've finished school at last. Congratulations! What were you studying? Could it be litterature? Art?

Fare thee well so long

The Internet makes it so easy to find just the words to say "so long." And the lovely "copy" function makes it easy to get the type correct (or at least close).

I still find it impressive that you handle four languages, even if three were "handed" to you. I know it is pretty much taken for granted that one should be at least bilingual in Europe, but, as I am sure you know, it isn't in this country. Anyway...I am trying to decide what language I should study...either German or French. Which do you think is more useful in Europe...in business and politics.

It's not too late to learn guitar! I took it up about 10 years ago. I never got very good at it, but I loved to sit on my front steps and practice chords and the finger exercises. I haven't picked up my guitar in years, though Once I stopped taking lessons, I got out of the habit of practicing.

Ohhh...I won't make it as far north as Denmark this summer. I will be mostly in Slovakia for this trip. Thank you for the offer to be my guide, though! I may hold you to that should I get that way next year

Yup...I like people, too. I am a "born-again" hippy..sort of. I don't hold the anti-establishment sentiments of the original hippies and I was never into drugs, not even pot. And I am not fond of tye-dye I do like the simpler lifestyle and environmental concerns. And that they wanted to "make love, not war."

I will graduate with bachelor degrees in English and Political Science, and a Program of Study in International Relations (unfortunately there is no major for the last area of study). The English degree was earned under duress...I have never been at ease reading to analyze (literature, that it). It was always the same people who monopolized the class with "deep thoughts." The political science and international relations studies were a joy. Lots of different voices, opinions and the professors are much easier to talk to about anything in the world. And there were people from just about every corner of the world in my poli sci classes.

How old are your children? Do they all still live with you?

Skål!

German or french - oooh, that's a tough one. According to my (limited) experience and knowledge both nations seem to be rather unwilling to talk other nations languages (well, maybe this applies mostly to the french talking english?). In your line of work you might consider learning both.

Personally I would like to learn french and spanish, win the lottery and travel all over the world.

I still play (with my) guitar, usually while watching tv, and I think it helps relaxing my "mouse-arm". But I have certainly given up my ambitions of being a huge rockstar before I turn 25...

This year Slovakia, next year Denmark! (That is a slogan to confuse most of the world if you don't know the context)

My anti-establishment sentiments have been worn down over the years and I now have difficulties remembering them, but find it necessary to try in order to understand mainly younger people, if you know what I mean.

I am thinking of writing an article on drugs here on h2g2. I have had my share, it was not all worth it and I would like my children and others to avoid the dangerous ones (my above mentioned cousin, the tall ship-sailor, died after taking drugs and spending half a year in deep coma). I know many others have tried and failed, but something has to be done, so...

One of my brother-in-laws gave up journalist-school and studied political science instead (as did one of my oldest friends). I stayed on the journalist-school and studied politics there. Not much of course, but for a short while I studied marxism in the danish section of the union of revolutionary socialists, founded by Leo Trotzky. This lead to an interesting correspondence with my great-uncle, who was originally a socialdemocrat but ended up being chairman of the socialist party in one of the "länder" in The German Democratic Republic (he died years ago, long before the wall came down).

I suddenly realise this may sound like I think it is something terribly important. I don't. It is only a curiosity. But of course I found it quite interesting back then. Anyways, I have been somewhat interested in politics ever since of course (and it goes with the job, naturally), but I have never been active in politics let alone politician.

My sons are 18 and 15 and my daugter 12. They live with their mother an hour away from me but visit me every fortnight and I spent some holidays with them as well, so that's okay. Of course I also visit them and attend meetings at their schools and so forth.

Back to drugs: If you cannot stand it, alcohol is a very dangerous drug. Nothing you would want to make jokes about. If you can, however, you can have lots of fun with it. Luckily I have no problems with it and had no problems with pot either. Only problem was I didn't exhale.

Oh...I guess I misled...I do enjoy an alcoholic beverage or two But only to the point of tipsy. I am too afraid of what I might do or say should I imbibe too fully.

No way I can learn both German and French. My head leans more to German, but my heart keeps screaming "FRENCH!" I am going to make a careful consideration while traveling this summer and then come home and sign up for one or the other. Spanish is a beautiful language. I took it for a few years way back in my high school years and I am sure I could pick it up in no time (probably Italian, too), but I don't think it would be as useful in international relations. While you are waiting to win the lottery, you can travel the world with your computer. I'll join you.

I will hound you about that article. I would love to read your take on drugs. Some of my classmates have tried to get me to try pot, but I am such a Nervus Nora...I keep thinking "what if I am the one person in the world who has an adverse reaction to it and it makes my heart go all crazy and I die? That would be such a stupid way to die." So that keeps me from wanting to experiment with that unknown.

I took a Marxism class last Spring..."Karl Marx's Marxism." It was fantastic. My Slovak friends thought I was nuts for taking such a class, especially since it was taught by an American. But...you know what? There was a German guy in the class...a true Marxist...and he claims this professor teaches Marxism better than any professor he had in Germany or England (he is quite the world student...I so envy him). I can't say I excelled in the class, but the approach allowed for a very level way of looking at Marxism. Neither for nor against. Just as a way of thinking. Growing up in the U.S. gave me a skewed look at communism. I still don't think it could ever work, but at least now I have a wider lens with which to view it.

I have been promising myself all morning that I am going to get out and enjoy the brief spell of lovely weather, so I am going to fulfill my promise right now.

Cau!

I have been partying again. My ex-nephews "nonfirmation", as we call it. He does not believe in religion - but he does believe in having a party and a lot of gifts. And that is okay with me. I had no choice back then: If I wanted the party I had to go to church as well. Thursday I am going to my nice nieces confirmation and next monday it is fathers day. We are a handfull of fathers who look forward to it. We will thoroughly enjoy fresh shrimps, new potatoes, pickled herrings, beer and schnaps - no women or children allowed! After that feast I may have to go on a fast.8-(
I understand your views on german and french and I do not envy you.
I also understand your views on alcohol and pot. Stay the way you are. You probably would not harm og be harmed, but why risk it? Tipsy is great!
Feel free to hound me about that article, but please be a little patient.
I was told once by a german-american that "Marxism is a grand idea - it just does not seem to work". He certainly seems to be right if you look at the experiments we have seen untill now. But a lot of marxists claim that the Soviet Union, the GDR, China, Albania an so forth never practised "real" marxism - so what do I know?
What I do know is that I agree with (I think it was) Aldous Huxley, who said that homo sapiens only seems to be a social animal to a certain degree - in contrast to i.e. the ants, who are 100% social. Which leads me to be a fundamental democrat. Freedom of speach is _the_ important thing, not only for the individual, but for society.
Tell me a little about your family. You have more than one child, right? How old are they and what do they do?

Okay..I'll be patient with the article. I also have one that I have had in the works for eons and eons and I am determined to get it finished before I leave on my trip. It's about brushes with fame and I decided to set it up like a bunch of random conversations in a cafe. I think I am trying to be too creative, but I've put so much time into already that I can't quit

I have two daughters, ages 20 and 16. The eldest is away at school frrom late August through early May. She insists that she is not living here next summer, though, because she can't stand not having places to go in the evenings. She goes to school in Connecticut and is very close to NYC. The youngest is still in high school. She is very active in sports and dance. I don't get to talk to her much because she is attached to the telephone

Uh oh...thunderstorm. I'll be back.....