Monday Meanderings - 11.16.2015

Evidently I have become the "hard-to-read book" go-to guy at the Learning Ally studios. The first one was filled with Japanese and German names and places - but this book happened to have an audio version, so all I had to do was transcribe all the foreign words and pronunciations onto cheat sheets to use while I read. Again, you may wonder why we were making another audio book if there already was one; the short answer is we produce a book formatted specifically for use by visually impaired readers.

The second "hard-to-read" book is my current task and the challenge is that it is chock-a-block full of Ancient Greek names and places. You may recall that I mentioned there is some dispute among scholars about Ancient Greek pronunciation, so consistency is the key. I ended up with six pages of single-spaced, double column cheat sheets for that one.

My next project is "The Ponds of Kalambayi: A Peace Corps Memoir." What makes this book challenging is that Kalambayi is a small precinct in what was then Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo) and the primary language spoken is Tshilumba, a dialect of Bantu. There's also a smattering of French, but that's a piece of cake.

Not surprisingly, there is no Tshilumba-English dictionary. I even researched the Peace Corps training materials. At the time, they sent all Zaire volunteers to language school in country.

About the best I have done thus far is find the four essential travel phrases:

1. Where is my room?    - Muaba wa kulala udi mpeni?
2. Where is the beach?    - Muaba wa kowa mayi udi meni?
3. Where is the bar?        - Muaba wa maluvu udi mpeni?
4. Don't touch me there!  - Nkutashi to!

 (I'm not kidding about these phrases; you can find them in more than 900 languages and dialects at www.travelphrases.info/. )

But, as Barb points out - who is going to challenge my pronunciation when I read this book? All I have to do is be consistent.

Article in the paper said that it is time to change to the Fall house decor. Barb thought this a good idea, so she is hunting for the brown and orange throw pillow.

I have seen this list several times floating around on social media; perhaps you have too. Nevertheless...

Dentist's Hymn                    Crown Him wih Mary Crowns
Weatherman's Hymn           There Shall Be Showers of Blessings
Contractor's Hymn              The Church's One Foundation
Tailor's Hymn                      Holy, Holy, Holy  
Golfers Hymn                      There's a Green Hill Far Away  
Politician's Hymn                 Standing on the Promises  
Optometrist's Hymn             Open My Eyes That I May See  
IRS Agent's Hymn                 I Surrender All    
Gossip's Hymn                      Pass it On    
Electrician's Hymn                Send the Light  
Shoppers Hymn                    Sweet Bye and Bye  
Realtor's Hymn                     I've Got a Mansion, Just Over the Hilltop
Massage Therapist's Hymn    He Touched Me  
Doctor's Hymn                     The Great Physician  

AND for those who speed on the highway, here are a few more:
—45 mph...     God Will Take Care of You
—65 mph...     Nearer My God to Thee
—85 mph...     This World is Not My Home
—95 mph...     Lord, I'm Coming Home
—100 mph..    Precious Memories

Stay safe out there.