Lots of random "news"

How's this for an assignment? For general linguistics, since there won't be an exam, I get to write a dossier. Assignment: "Everything we covered in the class. Your interpretations, observations, reactions. 7-8 pages should do."
Love the specificity. Shouldn't be too difficult though.

I've discovered a great use for those cheap wooden boxes that you get five pounds of clementines in: sock/underwear drawers! My wardrobe just has shelves, but it is becoming steadily more organized. And cheap little wooden cheese boxes are nice for organizing my desk.

I heard "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!" in a store today, and I was pretty impressed with the English pronunciation until I heard "With the anzh-lic hosts proclaim." If they had too many syllables (not the problem) I wouldn't mind if one of the other vowels were dropped. "With the 'ngellic hosts" wouldn't bother me, nor would "with the angel'c hosts." You can't drop the stressed vowel. What were they thinking?! At least it wasn't "All I want for Christmas is You."

I'm getting to the stage of learning Dutch that I feel like I have a handful of pieces for the puzzle. I can start trying to put them together, and sometimes the pieces fit.

Judit from Hungary knows the first two verses of Jingle Bells. Most anglophones I know don't know more than the first.

Tomorrow I'm hosting the exchange student Christmas party, so I've been attempting to get ready for that. It's a costume party. I'll post pictures tomorrow!

Thanks to my talent for putting off doing laundry, I have more new socks. Just one more clean shirt though, so I have to go to the laundromat tomorrow. I hate going to the laundromat. (In case you're wondering, to do my bi-weekly large load of laundry, it costs me about $15.)

I bought my train tickets for Paris. Why am I going to Paris? Christmas in Paris and New Year's in London with my parents. They arrive in a week!

Two jokes I've told too often recently:
- How many general contractors does it take to change a lightbulb?
I'll get you an estimate by next Thursday.
- What's the difference between trumpet players and seamstresses?
Seamstresses tuck up frills.

Happy Gaudete weekend!