Fan Mail From Some Flounder
I often regret not getting my website up earlier, when it was easier to promote a website and stand out. I got RSI and that delayed things a good year and a half. Anyway, I don't get tons of mail on this site and its contents, but it's time to put up what mail I do get. One of these days, I'll have to get Ben Park, who generously provides this webspace to me, to allow me to check the server logs so I can see what kind of traffic I get.
I will try to put it up according to what section of my diverse site it deals with and also in what order the mail came.
General
To: Spidra Webster
From: Tara Horton
Date: 10 Mar 97 11:40:00 EDT
Your webpage certainly has improved! I love your self multi-armed wonder woman
self portrait. You are an HTML goddess!
Date: Mon, 28 Apr 1997 09:36:01 -0700
From:James W. Loewen
To: spidra@speakeasy.net
Subject: Your mention of my book
I'm delighted you were moved by LIES MY TEACHER TOLD ME and put it on
your website. Why don't you add a link to mine. Also, my
book-in-progress is described there; maybe you have an idea for it/me?
--
James W. Loewen
Try the quiz on my website: http://www.uvm.edu/~jloewen/
Date: Tue, 13 May 1997 01:59:41 -0700
From: Jim Mortillaro
To: spidra
Subject: Your swede-l comments
Hi, Spidra,
You bewailed (in swede-l), "Waaa! This means nobody ever visits
my website." Well, I have (and do stop by occaisionally). I like
your page, and it's been growing really well. This time through
I really was impressed by your 'bleeding heart' section, and stuff.
I've recently been checking into the Green Party here in New York,
and just joined a "CSA" (Community Supported Agriculture) ---
it's a partnership with a local organic farmer... .
*Ha det bra!*
Jim
Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 06:39:33 -0500 (CDT)
From: tekbird
Subject: Kindred spirit
To: spidra
Hi Spidra,
I finally got around to visiting your homepage and I just had to write.
I always feel a strange mix of joy and sympathy when I encounter
someone with characteristics much like my own. I was born in 1964,
youngest of 4 kids and have had a similar mix of esoteric interests
that "alienated me from my peers" as you put it.
Since I was a very small child I've been into archaeology, psych,
sociology, linguistics, physics etc. I know enough French and German
to know when the guy writing the film subtitles was asleep at the wheel
but not enough to carry on an intelligent live conversation :) But my
main interest is English. Did you see the PBS series "The Story of
English" or read the companion book? I highly recommend it. Also good
is a web page devoted to American regional slang, www.slanguage.com.
I also was set apart by my love of less-than-popular music. Big Band
to Euro Pop, Spike Jones to Martin Denny, you name it. Do you know of
Yma Sumac? If not, try to find something of hers (good luck). She's
impossible to describe.
I bought "Lies My Teacher Told Me" for my 16 year old niece last Xmas.
I'm hoping like hell she appreciates it someday.
Well, just had to write and say "hi", see you on atx-s.
TekBird
Date: Tue, 10 Jun 1997 20:27:01 -0700
From: Randy & Cheryl
To: spidra
Subject: Bay area
I take it from the area in which your page is located that you are now a
resident of the Bay area. What part of the Bay Area do you live? I am
from that area...use to live in Fremont. Now reside in Modesto.
I happened to come across the "Bay Scenes" web site...purely accidental,
and started to check things out. I really like the page you have
created. I look forward to coming back again sometime.
Take care
Cheryl :)
From: Tony Marcus
Date: Thu, 12 Jun 1997 12:20:49 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: sucked into your web...
Thanks for the note (to C&J) and the directions to your page. Lots of cool
stuff!-Tony
Date: Wed, 02 Jul 1997 18:14:31 -0700
From: scott richie
Organization: winky's universe
To: Spidra Webster
Subject: nice page!
hi spidra~
i viewed your webpage today; i got the url from the ba-bridge-access
letter u wrote; i love the (progressive) links you made, and i agree
with your opinion(s):
"I grew up with the notion that we were all equals in this society and
that any honorifics and respect had to be earned. Elected officials are
supposed to be citizens among citizens. They are supposed to be servants
of the people, not treat the people like serfs. Keep this in mind as you
interract with public servants and insist on it. The only way we can
keep our rights in this society is by being vigilant."
YOU got my vote...
nice writing style!
ridin' in richmond...
~scott
when i'm not too embarrassed about the state of our website, i'll share
the url with you!
Date: Wed, 02 Jul 1997 23:48:33 -0700
From: scott richie
Organization: winky's universe
To: Spidra Webster
Subject: Re: nice page!
Spidra Webster wrote:
>
> Thanks for the complimentary letter, Scott! My website started quite
> humbly - I put up 2 pages I wasn't satisfied with because I figured that
> having them publicly accessible would shame me into improving them. I am
> still "ashamed" of some areas of my website because I haven't come upon a
> good compromise between easy HTML that even older browsers can read and
> cool-looking graphics & layouts that need newer browsers.
>
> I used to update it every 2 weeks or so, but now that I just got this
> recent job, I'm too tired to do that anymore. I stayed up late last night
> updating the "Friends of Lulu" part of my site and was so tired this
> morning that I took the rest of the day off after a court appearance.
>
> Happy biking to you!
>
> Spidra Webster
>
> Visit Spidra's Vortex!
> http://www.bayscenes.com/ind/spidra
oh...sorry to hear you are w**king again...no, actually just
kidding...the *W* word, i just can't say it!;
i also like Danny Kaye immensely; enjoyed the run-down of radio
stations; i'm 43, and from L.A. (born in neighboring glendale; first
lived in encino, then northridge) originally, so i grew up with KHJ,
etc., too; small world on the net; KMET and KPPC (the latter perhaps b4
ur time) were my favorites down south...
~peace~
From: Kjell Nordqvist
To: spidra
Subject: Vortex
Hi, Spidra, and many thanks for taking me to Vortex. I like your
attitude. Go on fighting against racism and smoking and put America on
the bike. I recently had a visit from relatives from America. They are
noiw around 70, and they had not been on a bike since their young days.
Many Americans think bikes are toys for kids, but it would be a good
thing for them to use them. We are fighting against overweight in this
country, but it is still worse over there. The fattest people I saw in
America were two medical doctors. =
It will be interesting to see if you get any reaction to your question
about increasing violence in Sweden. Our country has changed a lot in
later decades. Many Swedes think immigration is the scapegoat. One
eighth of Sweden=B4s 8 million people were born in other countries and
other parts of the world. The more they are isolated from the good old
Swedws, the greater is the risk that criminality increases. =
People who come here from America complain about the awful Mexicans. =
It was so good to live in America before they came. I recognize that
kind of talking from here. =
I am glad every time I see coloured faces in Swedish TV- programs.
Bye bye Kjell
From: Jon Singer (Avatar of Synchronicity)
Subject: Hi.
To: spidra@speakeasy.net
Date: Sat, 13 Sep 1997 20:39:54 -0700
Found your page via that of Johan Anglemark (long
story, which I won't bore you with). I've put a
link to your page on mine because I very much like
your headstyle, particularly the facts that you seem
to have more than one interest, and that you have
a complex or multiplex (as Chip Delany describes his
notion of such things in one of his early stories)
view of the universe.
Cheers --
jon
This letter is regarding the page I made for my brother Ryan.
From: Lynchfolk
Date: Thu, 25 Dec 1997 02:35:39 EST
To: Spidra
Subject: site
Hey Megan that web site is great. I wish that you could be here for
Christmas. Some of my interest that you could put on the web site that I like
playing sports. They are Soccer, Football, Basketball, and Track. When I
grow up and graudate from colloge I want to work in an Orphangede with kids.
In the web site Tell kids to have hope and that they will find a family. I
like going to the movies, dancing and PARTYING. Also I like living with a big
family. Once again think you for the web site its really COOL!!
OH by the way mom said that we will get a better pictuer because that
dose make me look younger. This years picturer from school makes me look much
older. IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. So we will send a new one to you. I'm taking
my drivers lincenons on 12-30-97 hopefuly I'll pass. Love you, Ryan Lynch
Random Iconography
Organization: Multilingual Computing
To: spidra@speakeasy.net
From: Denise@multilingual.com (Denise)
Date: Wed, 5 Feb 1997 16:20:02 PST
Subject: MULTILINGUAL COMMUNICATIONS
MULTILINGUAL COMMUNICATIONS & TECH
HEY,
WE CHECKED OUT YOUR WEBSITE AND THOUGHT IT WAS COOL. SETH ESPECIALLY LIKED
THE PICTURE OF DANNY KAYE.
WE WERE JUST CHECKING TO SEE IF YOU HAD ANY INFORMATION ON OUR MAGAZINE ON
YOUR PAGE YET.
WE WILL KEEP CHECKING. OTHERWISE IT WAS A GREAT WEB PAGE
DENISE
MULTILINGUAL COMPUTING
Date: Sun, 23 Mar 1997 13:42:00 -0800
From: shelleyrae norbeck
To: spidra
Subject: hi spidra!
Greetings!
I'm the Seattle native from your Swede List... I wrote to you once
before when I was back in Sweden complimenting you on your fine web
page.
Now, I'm writing you with a music question... you share some of the same
musical tastes that I do and I was wondering if you are into Rosemary
Clooney by chance? I have been trying to find some good Rosemary
websites but no luck so far... my Grandma originally got me into
Rosemary but she (my grandma) passed away late last August... so, I like
listening to her old tapes that she gave me when I am missing her...
funny how music can bring back such good memories...
Thanks in advance for any help you can provide! I'm off like a dirty
shirt!
Your pal,
Shell
And if you're *really* bored here's my web page:
http://www.brigadoon.com/~shelley/
From:Karen McKinney
To: Spidra
Subject: Richard Scarry
Date: Wed, 2 Apr 1997 15:33:32 -0800
Oh how I loved him...
Anyway, I don't know anyone who ever read Richard Scarry, and when I tell
friends about the cool little goldbug who hid in his books, they think I am
some kind of freak..(not to say that isn't a valid assumption) but anyway,
evcery once in a while it is nice to know you may not be alone in the world
:+) <--it is a defiance thing, they just dont look right without a nose.
Karen.
Date: Fri, 4 Apr 1997 16:39:18 -0600 (CST)
From: "A. McBeth"
To: Spidra Webster
Subject: Re: Songs as Other Songs
spidra
just bought "Don Byron Plays the Music of Mickey Katz"...I know Katz
worked with Spike Jones, and that most of Katz's records were parodies,
but apparently he had a couple of instrumental discs as well...my next
project is to track down one of these...any ideas?
i.c. amy
On Fri, 4 Apr 1997, Spidra Webster wrote:
> There's a Dr. Demento webpage. You can hit it from a link within my Mickey
> Katz section http://www.bayscenes.com/ind/spidra/random2.html It has a
> list of the radio stations that currently broadcast him. Unfortunately, no
> one in the SF Bay Area does anymore.
> Spidra Webster
Date: Mon, 26 May 1997 17:33:48 +0000
From: Kevin Lynch
To: Spidra Webster
Subject: Re: So what did you think?
Great stuff...
I'm wondering if you shot that photo of yourself yourself, or is it
composited at all?
I like the music page the best, with the album covers. I remember
that Destry album, but I don't think I ever heard it.
KpL
Date: Sat, 31 May 1997 19:15:39 -0800
From: no body
To: spidra
Subject: hello
I just wanted to thank you. I saw your name on the Ted Raimi fan club
page and checked out your web page. Your interests paralleled mine
enough for me to go out and buy Wanda Jackson's Riot in cell block #9.
It's brilliant. I just wanted to thank you.
THANK YOU.
Kim.
Date: Tue, 22 Jul 1997 17:33:32 -0400
To: spidra
From: David Torresen
Subject: Dolores Gray
Enjoyed your spotlight on the alluring and multi-talented Dolores Gray!
Here are a few other random thoughts about Dolores on CD, off the top of my
head...
1) The complete soundtrack to "Kismet" (including underscoring) was released
on CD last year by Rhino/Turner Classic Movies.
2) The "Destry Ride Again" cast album was issued on CD this year by MCA/Decca.
3) The 4-CD MCA/Decca Broadway anthology boxed set "Front Row Center"
contains two Dolores songs from "Destry." (Unforgivably, they didn't include
anything from "Two on the Aisle," which, as you know, was also recorded for
Decca.)
4) The "That's Entertainment" 6-CD boxed set includes (at least) two Dolores
songs: "Thanks a Lot, But No Thanks" and (...drumroll please!) the delicious
title song from "The Opposite Sex."
5) A Japanese company (Toshiba?) recently (last year?) released the "Warm
Brandy" album on CD in its entirety. I ordered my copy through Footlights
Records in NYC, and I think I've also seen it listed on the website for
Medium Rare in SF.
6) There are two "Cole Porter Revisited" CDs on Painted Smile Records with
Dolores songs recorded, I suspect in the late 70s or early 80s. I think
they're Vols. 3 and 4 but would have to double check. (I'm at my office
today.) Can't remember all the song titles -- they include "Wild Wedding
Bells," "You're Too Far Away," "I'm Unlucky at Gambling" and "Is It the Girl
(Or Is It the Gown)." These are Porter songs which are rarely if ever
recorded. Painted Smiles releases are, at least in theory, sold at Tower
Records stores, but the surest source for them is either Footlights in NY or
by ordering directly from the company (based in Brooklyn, I think). Dolores
may be on other Painted Smiles CDs saluting other composers, but I've only
collected the six Porter volumes, the six Rodgers & Hart volumes, and the
two Kurt Weill volumes. (Looks like Dolores is on a few other CDs besides the Cole Porter (Vols. 3 and 4): "Make Mine Manhattan" and "Harold Arlen and Vernon Duke Revisited.")
7) Dolores also sings "I'm Still Here" on the London cast album for
Sondheim's "Follies," but I'm not sure if this was ever issued on CD.
Hope this information is of use! I'll let you know if I discover anything
else on the divine Dolores.
Take care, and keep up the good work!
Sincerely,
David Torresen
Date: Sun, 24 Aug 1997 09:22:10 -0700 (PDT)
From: Charles Goldstein
Subject: Mickey Katz
To: spidra
Spidra:
Oy Vey! A Mickey Katz Website. I'm thrilled someone else out there is
enchanted with his music. I first heard his stuff in the late 1970's
(Mish Mosh) and have a few other.
I'm not a real collector as such, but I see you own three albums which I
haven't got, The Most Mishige, Katz Pajamas and The Borscht Jester. Are
these available anywhere, even at top dollar? Let me know where to look.
Thanks,
Charles Goldstein
P.S. Do you undrstand the Yiddish?
Date: Sun, 24 Aug 1997 09:29:28 -0700 (PDT)
From: Charles Goldstein
Subject: Mickey Katz II
To: spidra
Spidra:
Here is the song list from Comin' Round the Katzkills (Capitol Records
W-1307), later re-released as Mickey Katz Greatest Hits (CBS W-1307)
without Chloya.
Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Good-bye)
St. Looey Blues
Vus is a Veib
Hermendel's Koch-A-Lain
Gehakte Mambo
Tzoreador
Chloya (Chloe)
Old Black Smidgick
I'm an Old Cowhand
The Little White Knish That Cried
The Briss
Fuedin' and Fightin'
I also have an instrumental recording, Weddings Bar Mitzvahs and Brisses,
reissued as Capitol T-1021 which appears to have been producedin Tel
Aviv, which I bought years ago on Fairfax Avenue in Hollywood.
Charles Goldstein.
Date: Sun, 24 Aug 1997 10:44:35 -0700 (PDT)
From: Charles Goldstein
Subject: Re: Mickey Katz II
To: Spidra Webster
Spidra:
Thanks for the quick reply. Do you live in the SF Bay Area?
I found your Website through Yahoo searching for Mickey Katz specifically.
I have a nice collection of classical music LP's. I don't collect rare
ones; I just have about 1,200 rather eclectic ones -- many 20th century,
19th century chamber music, etc. I go to Amoeba often. I've been to
Saturn a couple of times, but their prices are too high for the same
thing I'd find at Amoeba (you should check out Seattle prices -- 3 to 4
times what I'd pay around here!). I've never looked for Mickey Katz at
either place, but I'll start now. Also, I'll make a special trip to
Village Music in a couple of weeks. Did you let the owners know you're
looking for particular albums?
Gehakte Mambo is not the one with the lyrics you mentioned. It DOES
mention Xavier Kugel though.
I heard Don Byron at the SF Jazz festival a couple of years ago. He did
an admirable job of recreating Katz's music.
I understand there are movies or movies of Broadway-type shows Katz was in
in the 50's. I've never researched that. Have you? I'd adore seeing them.
I've heard that he used to play the Kibitz Room at Canter's Deli on
Fairfax in the 50's. There are probably private tapes pirated at these
shows.
Keep up the good work.
I keep meaning to get together with a real Yiddish speaker to translate
all the Yiddish I can't understand. Someday ...
Charles Goldstein.
Date: Mon, 25 Aug 1997 22:05:28 -0700 (PDT)
From: Charles Goldstein
Subject: Re: Mickey Katz III
To: Spidra Webster
Spidra:
I went to Saturn Records today and left $100 poorer, but had FIVE Mickey
Katz albums when I returned home. Besides The Most Mishige, Katz Pajamas
and The Borscht Jester, I found Katz at the U.N. (Capitol ST1603), no
singing, just comedy (so-so) and Katz Puts on the Dog (Capitol T934),
songs (but I haven't listened to it yet -- I'm *saving* it). On the Most
Mishige album is mentioned Borschtcapades [see HOLIDAYS]. Perhaps that
is what I'd heard about regarding a possible film or video.
By the way, Saturn has a Website at www.saturnrecords.com which has an
on-line catalogue (now minus FIVE Mickey Katz's).
Thank you, thank you so much. You're a real mechiya.
Charles.
Date: Sun, 21 Sep 1997 10:25:52 +1000
From: Judy Doobov
To: spidra
Subject: Mickey Katz
Status: U
Stumbled on your website when looking for Mickey Katz CD's to buy , to
replace the worn out 33's that we still play. On the JewishMusic
website there is one CD Wedding Barmitzvahs etc that we have. Are the
records that you mentioned available on re-mastered CD's or cassettes?
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Judy & Ray Doobov
Sydney
Australia
From: Kindlesan
Date: Sat, 1 Nov 1997 12:06:34 -0500 (EST)
To: spidra
Subject: ukelele ike.........
salut spidra,
a few weeks ago i heard a ukelele ike song, with a title similar to "floating
like a feather in the breeze"
i was just wondering if you knew by chance which album of his that would be
on.
gracias,
spinney
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to place this one. If any of you readers know, email me, okay? -SW
Date: Wed, 05 Nov 1997 21:06:40 -0800
From: Will Glenn
To: spidra
Subject: your pantheon
I enjoyed your pantheon -- it would be very strange if anyone's pantheon
completely coincided with yours, but as for Cliff Edwards and Richard
Scarry, we agree completely.
As I navigate around your home page, I find a nonworking link, "ancient
music."
(This was a link to an Old-Time Herald interview with Terry Zwigoff. It is no longer on the web...) Since I gather you live in the Bay Area, and knowing that that
area has a very active medieval-music scene, I wonder if that is among
the types of ancient music you were talking about. I love Sequentia and
play the vielle a little myself.
Anyway, I'm just writing because I identify with your tastes. Here are
some of my favorite writers, which I mention precisely because I see no
reason why you might share them, but would love to know if you do.
Writers and books: S.J. Perelman, Nick Tosches (saw you mentioend him
-- I'm looking for a copy of "Unsung Heroes of Rock and Roll" and can
trade a copy of "Country" for it); Fowler's "Modern English Usage," Dan
J. Marlowe. I'm also now reading Ian Whitcomb's "After the Ball, From
Rag to Rock," which you might enjoy, given your love of Cliff Edwards.
From: "George J.Grosman (\"The Swingtet\")"
Date: Tue, 18 Nov 97 00:02:24 -800
To: spidra
Subject: Bagel-Lox
--
Hi,
a few weeks ago a local college station played Mickey Katz's
"Bagel-lox and the Tree Bears". I was driving my car at the time
and had to pull over for fear of getting into an accident,
I waslaughing so hard. Incredible stuff. I called the station but
was told that there really is no way to get Katz's records any
more. Is that true? Is there any way I could get the recordings
mentioned on your web site, or perhaps get cassette tape copies
of them? Where would you recommend that I look? I've turned
into an instant fan after only one listen and would love to lay
my hands on more Mickey Katz material, the more the better.
Best regards
George J Grosman
Toronto, Ont. Canada
Date: Tue, 18 Nov 1997 00:08:40 -0500 (EST)
To: Spidra Webster
From: George J Grosman
Subject: Re: Bagel-Lox, the Swingtet etc...
Hi Spidra,
an amazingly speedy reply - I do appreciate it. In fact, just after mailing
my first letter I composed another one dealing with pet language peeves, my
five year sojourn in Iceland, my admiration for all things Scandinavian and
other related topics but my computer saw fit to trash it without my consent.
It does that relatively often but I still love it. Since it's kind of late
and I don't feel like trying to fish out all the items I wrote about from my
memory (not that I could even if I tried), I'll just mention one major
language peeve for now: the usage (oops, here's an "..age" word) of the verb
"to service" instead of "to serve", as in "the Police Department could no
longer adequately service the community" Ouch! I'll be more than happy to
supply other outrageous English language maulings and manglings when I feel
sufficiently awake. BTW, I was born in the Czech Republic and although I
can't claim the langauge facility of that Brazilian/Lebanese fellow, I am
fluent in four languages and have a working knowledge of two more. You are
right - nothing works like total immersion.
My "Swingtet" is a band consisting of guitar (myself), bass, percussion and
occasionally violin and accordion. We play mostly 30's and 40's swing (I
still believe the apostrophe looks right in this context), some Russian and
Gypsy and Jewish music and even some twisted Latin grooves, plus my original
music. I though "Swingtet" was phenomenally original and then I looked it up
on the Web and saw there were about 30 of them. Nothing new under the sun, I
guess. No connection with the Yiddish Swingtet, though I wish there were.
Yiddish was my mom's mother tongue; my dad's was Hungarian and I speak
neither, though I have enough Yiddish to love Mickey Katz. Thanks for the
info. I'll be glad to send you cassette tapes and will of course send enough
cash for shipping it up here to the northern wilderness. Let me know where
to send it to.
Thanks again.
George
P.S. You seem like an educated and ecclectic music fan. Do you know Louis
Prima's work? Awsome stuff!
From: OCRAMED
Date: Mon, 8 Dec 1997 22:56:01 EST
To: spidra
Subject: Mickey Katz
I have been searching in vain for a copy of "The Borsht Jester" for about 15
years. My father somehow misplaced his copy, and he loved those stories more
than anything. I'd love to surprise him. Can you help?
Denks.
Date: Mon, 22 Dec 1997 16:51:00 -0800
To: "spidra@speakeasy.net"
From: Marj Conn
Subject: Mickey Katz
I was wondering how I could get a copy of Mickey's stories and fairy
tales. I am doing research on Jewish vaudeville to create a
one-woman performance piece. Can you help me. Marj Conn from
Provincetown, MA
From: Ron Affolter
To: Spidra Webster
Subject: RE: Yodelling
Date: Fri, 2 Jan 1998 10:04:45 -0600
Spidra:
Gotta make this quick!
CLIFF EDWARDS -Great singer! I have two of his albums. I've been
planning to add some of his stuff to my folk repertoire, namely "Bear in
a Ladie's Boudoir". But I haven't quite got anything learned yet.
Take care
Ron Affolter
From: J Fideler
To: "'spidra@speakeasy.net'"
Subject: this and that
Date: Thu, 8 Jan 1998 21:10:18 -0600
I am forced to send you an email. I was so happy to get a small nugget of
information on Richard Scarry. Your short bio is more than I've ever found on the man.I love him!
And I've loved him for a long time and didn't even realize
it. My daughter went bananas for Bananas Gorilla about 2 years ago (she's only
3 now) and we bought several of the Busy Town books. Then one day I pulled
out some of my own childhood favorites. I found that my old Golden Books
version of Rudolph was illustrated by him, as well as a righteous dictionary
printed in 1961 (the year I was born). He seems to have done so much; why did
it take until the 1990s for him to get a solid gig?
Your website is good too. I enjoyed it thoroughly. I'll be back often.
Jean Fideler
http://www.spacestar.net/users/jfid
WordWatch
Date: Sun, 19 Jan 1997 12:32:58 -0700
From: Michael Norelli
To: Spidra Webster
Hi Spidra,
Wow, look! Your hair! :)
And FIFteen kids... holey moley. Now I understand better why you
talked my ear off at the Sirius gig! For second there I was wondering
if I just wasn't as interesting as you are...
Will 'gig' end up on your Word Watch page? I shuddered with recognition
looking it over. I am a flagrant user of 'irregardless'. Eek! My ex,
the lawyer, hammered me mercilessly with that one. The guy who wants to
pound his 'irregardless' boss makes me wonder - what _are_ the motives
of those who correct someone's grammar? I know I terrorized my poor,
slightly learning disabled younger brother (I, too, am the oldest, but
of only four) with pointing out all his spelling mistakes, and it made
me feel sooo smart... One person's organization is another's
anal-retentiveness, I suppose.
A voice in the wilderness,
/\/\
Date: Tue, 21 Jan 1997 21:51:40 -0800
To: Spidra Webster
From: Michael Norelli
Subject: Of language and gung hay fat choy
Hi Spidra!
>I think the motives for correcting someone vary. Sometimes it *is* a way
>of saying "you moron". Other times, it's just an appreciation for the
>language that makes you want to guard it. Sometimes, it's a friend and you
>don't want them to make a bad impression on an employer or someone by
>misusing the language. Sometimes it's just a pet peeve, like not being
>able to stand it when someone squeezes toothpaste from the middle of the
>tube instead of the end.
A nice compilation of all the reasons I half-thought of! Re: the second
reason, it seems an odd balancing act, guarding the language vs. allowing
the natural process of evolution to take place. In cultural geography, we
learn of a general principle that applies to immigrant cultures apart from
their culture of genesis, when some folks move up to the hills (like Hmong?)
or across an ocean. The separate group in each case, in its struggle to
keep the culture or language 'pure' (e.g., immigrant Russian parents sending
the kids to a Russian language school so they won't lose their
'Russianness') actually ends up arresting it at one stage of becoming, such
that as the 'home' language or culture develops, it becomes more and more
distinct from the 'distant' branch because it moves forward, and the
'branch' doesn't - the irony of culture purity... I've even read that the
funny way American Southerners talk is actually very close to what
Elizabethan English-speakers must've sounded like, because it's those folks
who settled the area in the 17th and early 18th centuries. (That little
concept blows away my friends who do the Renaissance Faire.. :>) So the
balance between keeping the language guarded or pure becomes an art,
weighing it against letting nature or culture take its course...
Peace and dry toes,
/\/\
>As far as linguistic islands go... they don't stay totally static either.
>Think of Iceland... 9th century Norse which developed on its own path.
>Minnesota versions of Swedish are closer to 19th century Swedish but they
>have still developed their own American flavor.
Yupyup. Didn't mean to suggest otherwise. I just think it's very
interesting how much like an individual unit our larger social systems can
act. 'Cut off' a 'limb' of culture and it doesn't grow or grows differently
relative to the main 'body'.
By the way, ever read any Peter Hoëg? _Smilia's Sense of Snow_?
>It's possible to correct grammar without stultifying the language. In
>fact, one can't stop language from evolving even if one wants to.
Yupyup!
/\/\
Date: Fri, 14 Feb 1997 14:47:03 -0600
From: Jim McKain
To: spidra@speakeasy.net
Subject: English as a first language
...love the language tips on your page, and here's my question.
Why is America currrently caught up in what I like to call "verbing?"
Kinkos is a great place TO OFFICE? I attend the office, and WORK there.
People all over are PARENTING? No, thank you. As a parent, I RAISE my
children, I NUTURE them, I PUNISH them when necessary- but I do not
PARENT them. Nor, thank God, did my mom ever MOTHER me...
The list goes on and on.
Jim
Date: Sat, 15 Feb 1997 06:31:51 -0600
From: Liz Charnock
Subject: Question
Valet. If one is speaking of a personal body servant the word is normally
pronounced as if it rhymes with mallet. But if we're referring to a kid who
parks our car it rhymes with ballet. Which is correct?
Thanks for posting to the Brave Combo digest. Have you recently subscribed
or have you been lurking? No matter, new and weird always welcome.
Enjoyed your page, but put some biographical stuff up there. Now. (please)
Texans are aggresive and apologetic.
Liz
From: Judith Bode
To: spidra
Date: Wed, 26 Feb 1997 14:22:51 MST
Subject:Re: the vortex
Hello, again, Spidra! I forgot to mention that I visited
the Vortex and would like to contribute my two cents'
worth. You mention the -age suffix, and I absolutely
agree that people have concocted this use to look cool
and erudite. Here at the College we have (get this!) a
Signage Department. Aaaargh!!! Whatever happened
to the word sign???? We no longer erect signs here to
direct people around the campus; no, it's "signage".
Each summer we get a notice from the, uh, Signage
Department to review our signage and advise of any
changes. We have to get appropriate clearance from
whatever department reviews logos and such to get
clearance for our signage! I may puke....
Probably, however, the single most obnoxious phrase
in our area, indeed, it seems to be widely heard across
all of North America, is the collapsed form of would
have + past participle, should have + pp, could have
+ pp, and must have + pp. When these forms began
to collapse, students perceived them to be would/
should/could and must OF + pp. The word "of" has
become rather weak and has been reduced to "uh", as
in "I thought uh yuh yesderrdy" for "I thought of you
yesterday", and thus "would of" has quickly become
"woulda". Now this leaves the speaker in a semantic
black hole: isn't there supposed to be a notion of past
tense here, he thinks. Ah-ha, the solution is to stuff it
in right where that other funny bit is, and voila! the
result is: I woulda wrote my paper last night, 'cept
X-Files was on; I shoulda went home sooner; I coulda
did better on my test; I musta saw her yesterday.
I hear these constructions everywhere, not just from
my students, but on the radio, television, and as quotes
in the newspaper. AAAAARGHHH!!!
All right, enough of my soapbox! I have only one question:
are you by chance a weaver? That, of course, is the meaning
of webster, and it makes a nice additional layer to the pun....
Yours for grammatical purity,
Judith
:-)
To: Spidra Webster
From: Tara Horton
Date: 10 Mar 97 10:40:39 EDT
Subject: hacker's jargon and "ur-"
Hi Megan,
Here's a question for you: What does the prefix, "ur-" mean? I have seen it a
few times in periodicals such as HotWIRED and the New Yorker, but can't seem to
find it in any dictionaries. Here's a sample of its usage (from Hot WIRED):
"...Extensive stencils in Pop's Gallery, networking's ur-guru Bob Metcalfe in
Packet's HotSeat, and the Cosmopolitan, in Cocktail. (splash) ..."
Also, I found this interesting site of hacker jargon that you might want to
check out:
http://web.cnam.fr/Jargon/
Tara
Date: Wed, 18 Jun 1997 10:43:27 -0700
From: Doug
To: spidra
Subject: between u 'n' i
Dear Spidra,
I have enjoyed your web pages. I share the desire to learn languages
and the frustration from not acquiring fluency in them. Though I have
managed conversations in French and German, these were hardly without
difficulty or errors.
I am also interested in the Scandinavian languages, in particular
Danish and Icelandic.
As for pet peeves, "between you and I" and similar constructions do
qualify as such for me. I have now heard with greater frequency "you and
I" after numerous prepositions. Once I read that this form could become
standard English. I believe it now, but hope to be dead first.
On most issues I do try to affect a descriptive, egalitarian pose
(though at heart I am a prescriptive elitist pedant, mea culpa). In
contrast, I have no problem with "It's me" for it appears that the
objective case was used for the predicate nominative long before the
latinizing logicians decided that it should be nominative. The form
seems colloquially appropriate and is analogous to the French "C'est
moi" and Danish "Det er mig" - two languages that had strong influence
on English. Not that I, me, myself _personally_ would say "It's me" but
I am very liberal about others' using it, you understand;)
Doug
Date: Fri, 29 Aug 1997 21:38:09 -0400
From: bellatlantic
To: spidra
Subject: Correct Word Use
Hi,
I stumbled upon your page while searching for something else, and
thought I'd like to comment on some of the observations you have
published.
1). Irregardless is a very old British word (remember the Brits? They're
the people who invented English).
2). The mispronunciation of 'Jewelry' could be partly due to the British
spelling of the word : 'Jewellery'.
3). At the risk of appearing to harp on the way the English speak
English, Queen's English is very clear about where the emphasis should
be placed on all monosyllabic words. I'm not aware that American English
has ever attempted to formalize this.
The root of the word is therefore HARR-iss, and *not* har-ASS.
Best Regards
D.N.G.
From: J Lillge
To: "'spidra@speakeasy.net'"
Subject: The New Plurals
Date: Sun, 21 Dec 1997 22:08:30 -0800
>
> The New Plurals - With the growth in use of acronyms in our society, the
> construction of plurals becomes trickier. Many people, myself included,
> have simply added an apostrophe 's' to construct a plural.
> After discussion with some like-minded pedants, I came to the conclusion
> that this obscures the rules for using the apostrophe 's'. The apostrophe
> 's' is best used when indicating possession or ownership and when indicating
> that a letter or letters is missing. If one uses it to construct the plural, it is
> doing neither of these things. Hence I had to switch from writing "CD's" to
> "CDs" and from writing "'70's" to "'70s". I have not made the switch all
> the way yet. There are some instances when it just looks downright strange
> to me and I revert to using the apostrophe 's'. Weigh in on this one, won't you?
>
I agree.
In cases where it looks odd, I place quotes around the word.
For example, it might look strange to write: she got all As in college.
So I would write it as: she got all "A"s in college.
This case pales in comparison to the confusion and abuse regarding
the possessive plural. Sadly, it's now very common to read:
Charles' cat ran away. The correct version is: Charles's cat ran away.
This can get a bit tricky. If there's a family whose surname is Charles,
then the correct version is: The Charles's cat ran away. However if
the family's surname is Charle, then the correct version is:
The Charles' cat ran away.
Ignorance of this rule has gotten so bad that professional editors are
now getting it right only about 50% of the time.
The algorithm is pretty simple:
- To form a regular plural: add -s (or -es in some cases).
(Optional: Quote the word first if the result would be confusing.)
- To form the possessive of a proper name, a singular word, or
a plural word that does not end with -s: add -'s.
- To form the possessive of a plural word that ends with s: add -'.
(Always form the plural first before making it possessive.)
Cheers.
JL
http://www.accesscom.com/~lillge
Scandihoovian Things
Date: Tue, 11 Feb 1997 21:54:50 +0100
To: Spidra Webster
From: Anne and Johan Santesson
Subject: Re: Grattis!
At 01:14 28-01-97 -0800, you wrote:
>Look out! I'm going to try my childish Swedish on you...
>
>Grattis paa att ni fick era aegna "domain" namn! Jag har inte besoekt din
>hemsida foer laenga sedan, men jag aelskar era sidor!
>
>
>I really think your pages are terrific. I wish I had a list of false
>cognates between English and Swedish. I keep trying to learn Swedish, but
>it's so hard to find people to practice with. What I would like very much
>is the opportunity to work for a year or two in Sweden to see how I would
>like it there.
>
>Have you ever thought of writing a page or two comparing the Swedish
>political and social system with the Dutch? I find both countries
>attractive because of their humane social policies.
>
>Anyway, best of luck to you two!
>
>Spidra Webster
Many thanks for your e-mail.
Why not start a collection of false cognates between Swedish and English?
Eventually=så småningom / eventuellt=possibly should probably be at the top
of the list.
We do not yet know enough of the Dutch political and social system to be
able to write a good paper on the subject. Now and then we believe we
understand the Dutch system and, of course, within a few days we realise
that there are still some aspects we have missed.
The most tricky part is the "pillarisation" of the Dutch society: there has
to be one catholic, one protestant and one socialist labour union or amateur
theater club, for example.
Don't congratulate us to the domain name! It's just a matter of paying US$
50 per year (and being the first to claim the name).
Best regards
Anne and Johan
Date: Fri, 21 Feb 1997 8:56:19 +0100
From: Robbin M. Battison
Subject: FW: Webpage on False Cognates
I think that you'll eventually have to divide the list up into at least
three classes:
"Cognates" usually means words which have some historical relationship to
eachother (words in two separate languages which derive from a common
ancestor). Then there are words which have been borrowed into Swedish
>from other languages. Both could be called cognates,if I'm not mistaken.
False cognates might occur when either of the two caes aboves undergoes a
semantic shift, so that the meaning of the word in English, say, is not
the same as the meaning of the word in Swedish. Add to this the third
case , in which there is some coincidental pronunciation similarity (or
even identicalness) between two words which have no historical relation
(öl/ oil or god/god)-
It is the first two cases which are prevalent and (in my view) more
interesting.
Here are some examples:
hus/house
villa/villa
rationalisera/rationalize (but note that this is false with respect to
Amer. English, but not British English)
aktuellt/actual (Swedish has this in common with many other European
languages)
personal/personal
Date: Sat, 22 Feb 1997 19:26:37 -0500
To: Spidra Webster
From: Torsten Lif
Subject: Re: Falska Vaenner
Hi Spidra.
I had a look at your page - looks good. One minor spelling error ("svalar"
should be "svalor"). Yes, "fitta" means the strongest possible, like
"cunt". "Pussy" with its cutsey double entendre of a furry pet corresponds
to "mus" - mouse. As a side note - some angry feminists object to the use
of the word "mus" for a computer mouse, claiming that it's a deliberate
male-chauvinist insult to women. So some of us tech-nerds started calling
it "rat" instead, but this got jumped on because it was said to remind them
of the "mus" insult. You just can't win...
/Torsten
--
Torsten Lif, Cyberspace Cyclist
Date: Sun, 23 Feb 1997 18:42:56 +0100
To: Spidra Webster
From: Anne and Johan Santesson
Subject: False cognates
We are impressed of how fast your list of false cognates is growing!
We will sit down and try to come up with some additions to it asap.
Best regards
Anne and Johan
Date: Tue, 25 Feb 1997 12:22:19 +0100 (MET)
To: Spidra Webster
From:(MILLOCK, Katti)
Subject: Re: Falska Vaenner
Dear Spidra,
I had a quick look at your revamped website - wow! How did you do the
drawing? I am very impressed and just wish I had more time to read
everything. For now, I landed directly on the false friends list, which
already is so long! I have one for you: heel/hal in the use for the Swedish
word "klack". Don't know if it qualifies, but certainly the expression high
heels NOT hoga halar must :-)
It is called hogklackad - that is you'd use the expresssion "hon har
hogklackade skor".
Det ar ett svengelskt uttryck pa min "tio-i-topp"...
Annars undrar jag bara efter att ha last listan:
Det heter val anda "Jag har lust att" pa svenska (utan TILL)? Jag tror att
det ar danska att saga "ha lust till".... Min svenska ar sa pass undermalig
nu sa att det vore intressant att undersoka detta!
Och sedan en liten kommentar: du skrev "kissa"/to piss Det ger inte nyansen
av ordet - att saga "kissa" ar helt OK "i bildat sallskap", aven om "ga pa
toaletten" ar att foredra. Det ar en oerhord skillnad mellan "kissa" och
"pissa" som ocksa finns pa svenska. "Pissa" ar hypervulgart/ och ar
antagligen den basta direktoversattnigen av "to piss".
Jag ska forsoka komma pa nagra "false friends" att skicka! Ha det bra,
Katti
Date: Tue, 25 Feb 1997 19:02:13 -0500 (EST)
From: Anton Scott Goustin
Subject: Re: false cognates
On Tue, 25 Feb 1997, lisa werner carr wrote:
> pitt/vulgar term for the male sexual organ (OK, this one is a reverse
> cognate, more likely to be confused by Swedes on this end; I had some
> Swedish friends who bought University of Pittsburgh sweatshirts with "Pitt"
> on them. They thought it was uproarious to walk around wearing them, even
> if Americans didn't get the joke.)
My 9-year-old son, studying German at school got a good laugh out of the
idea of an American businessman named Dick Popo trying to do business in
Germany. (dick=fat; popo=butt)...
What do Swedes think of when hear the name Brad Pitt? Hmm....or when they
hear about kids spending alot of time in an American school working on a
"skit" to show their parents?
Date: Sun, 18 May 1997 02:12:23 -0400 (EDT)
To: spidra@pop.sirius.com
From: Laura Bobak
Subject: Your great web page
Hej Spidra,
Hur ma*r du?
I have finally decided to check out your web page after months of reading
your posts on Swede-L, and had a hard time tearing myself away ... really
enjoyable and lots of great links for Scandihoovian-philes. (My father the
Norwegian also uses the term Scandihoovian, and he also calls his fellow
countrymen "Snorwegians". Needless to say he doesn't live there anymore, but
lives in Amsterdam with his Dutch wife.)
I can really relate to your interest in Sweden and your desire to move
there, although it may be for slightly different reasons than mine ... I
recognize the sense of longing though. I will say though, of all the U.S.
cities, you live in one of the most interesting ones -- I was just in S.F.
in February and really enjoyed it. I thought I would like to live there
myself! Anyway, I just thought I'd let you know how much I liked your page,
and keep up the good work.
Ha det sa* bra!
Cheers,
Laura Bøbakk
Date: Mon, 07 Jul 1997 09:55:39 +0200
From: John Hatley
To: spidra
Subject: Language in general
Dear Spidra,
I received your web address from Anne and Johan Santesson, whose Swedish
- Dutch "false friends" I was reading recently. I share your love for
languages and am an American living in Germany. In addition to fluent
(whatever that means) German, I also speak passable Swedish.
Here are couple of recent Germanisms you might be interested in adding
to your collection:
The English verb "to manage" has been fully adapted to the German
language, producing such interested forms as the present participial
form "gemanagt" in "Ich habe gemanagt" = "I have managed" (the German
being pronounced surprisingly close to the correct English:
"guh-'man-etched").
Also the recent popularity of mobile telephones has produced the German
word "Handy" (from the English adjective meaning convenient) for the
mobile phone itself. When travelling on business: "Vergiss nicht dein
Handy" = "Don't forget your mobile phone!"
Keep up the good work!
Best regards
John Hatley
Date: Mon, 04 Aug 1997 12:10:45 -0400
To: spidra
From: Wayne Brink
Subject: Just yacking back
Spidra,
I just took a trip from SWEDE-L to your site for a very short tour. Very
interesting! My own ancestry is Swedish, but I can't claim to speak the
language (though my grandparents--and many other older people when I was
growing up--spoke it with some frequency). You have taken your language
studies a bit farther than I have, though in many ways our interests are
similar: I taugh myself the Russian alphabet while in grammar school and
could actually pronounce words--but I never got an opportunity to study the
language. Also in grammar school, I was interested in other languages and
tried to learn Swedish and Spanish. No luck on my own, though. In junior
high, I started studying Spanish formally (three years), and in high school
I got into German (also three years). Considering that Worcester, Mass.
once had more Swedes than any Swedish city except Stockholm, it's
surprising that Swedish wasn't offered in school here. While overseas, I
picked up smatterings of other languages--usually just enough to get into
trouble. How much do I remember now? Not very much, and the languages are
really running together when I run into a situation where I might be able
to use them. (Sprechen vous Espanol?)
So here I am going to Costa Rica in three weeks and I'm trying to find the
time to brush up on at least a tiny bit of Spanish. (When I traveled out
West a few weeks ago, I tried to spend at least a few hours listening to
Spanish language stations. I can't follow the language that well, but I
susbscribe to the pseudo-immersion techniques discussed lately in SWEDE-L
and figure that it has to help.) Next year or in '99 I hope to get to
Sweden and track down some relatives, and I'm hoping to pick up enough
Swedish to at least look like I'm trying to fit in. It should be interesting.
Your site is well worth the visit. Thanks for putting it up and sharing
with the rest of us!
From: "Sonesson"
To: Spidra
Subject: False friends
Date: Sun, 24 Aug 1997 20:29:09 +0200
Hej!
I really liked your website. Unfortunately, I don´t have any false friends
to contribute to your list, but I have another question. Would you possibly
know if there is another website with Swe-Eng. false friends or if there is
a book written on it? I´m writing an essay for university and I want to
enclose a picture (a "false friend" illustrated, pretty funny). I have seen
them somewhere, but I do not know where, so I thought you might know.
If you know anything about this, I´d be very grateful if you would reply!
Thank you!
Linda Sonesson
Date: Tue, 26 Aug 1997 17:54:32 +0200
From: Magnus Olsson
To: spidra@speakeasy.net
Subject: False cognates
Hello,
Here's another word for your web page: "bad" in Swedish means
"bath"."Dålig" is "bad" in the non-moral sense. "A bad boy" is "En stygg
pojke". If you see the words "bad shop" in a Swedish storefront, it
simply means a place where you can buy swimming gear.
Since you mentione bra/bra, let me add some more clothing-related false
friends:
overall/overalls: "Overall" in Swedish means "coveralls". What Americans
call "overalls" is "snickarbyxor" (literally "Carpenter's trousers").
trosor/trousers: these words are cognates, but "trosor" in Swedish means
"panties" or "briefs". "Trousers" are "byxor".
high school/gymnasium/högskola: In Swedish, "Högskola" means "College".
"High school" is "gymnasium" (and English "gymnasium" is "gymnastiksal"
or "sporthall"). This is a *real* stumper. Even Swedish authorities make
the mistake all too often, demoting universitites to high schools when
writing in English :-(.
coffee/caffeine - The vowels are the other way round in Swedish: the
drink is "kaffe", and the chemical is "koffein".
Some comments on your current entries:
* fart/fart - You're right, "a fart" in English is "en fis" in Swedish.
The true cognate is "fjärt", but that's rather old-fashioned. Speed
bumps are sometimes called "farthinder" in Swedish, believe it or not
:-).
* mil/mile - A Swedish mile ("en mil") is ten kilometres, or 6.2 English
miles.
* kissa/kiss - Sw. "kissa" is milder than En. "to piss" - it's more like
"to pee". It's slightly childish. The more "adult" word is "pissa".
* lust/lust - Nobody says "Jag har lust till att se dig" in Swedish.
"Jag har lust att se dig"
is grammatically correct but sounds a bit strange, because it really
means "I feel like seeing you." The idiomatic translation of "I want to
see you" is simply "Jag vill se dig".
To say that "lust is desire" is dangerous, because the English and
Swedish usages don't
overlap. "Jag har lust att göra det" _could_ mean "I desire to do it",
but only in a
very weak sense - "desire" in English has connotations of sensuality -
and that's "lusta" in
Swedish.. "A Streetcar Called Desire" is called "Linje lusta" in Sweden.
* student - Johan Anglemark is right. "En student" almost always means a
college or university student. Students in other schools are "elever".
"Studerande" is a more neutral form, which can be used as a title (you
can give your occupation as "studerande" or "student", but hardly as
"elev"). When you say "pupil" in English, you generally say "elev" in
Swedish, while English "student" can be "elev", "student" or
"studerande" depending on context.
The meaning you cite, "a graduate" is used only about people who have
just graduated from high school ("gymnasium").
Oh, and when you're talking about the pupil of the eye, the Swedish word
is "pupill".
From: "Magnus Olsson"
To: spidra
Date: Tue, 26 Aug 1997 18:04:25 MET+1MDT
Subject: False cognates, take 2
Oops - seems I just made one of those mistakes myself! In my previous
mail, I wrote
'The idiomatic translation of "I want to see you" is simply "Jag vill se
dig"'
but that's only true if I literally want to have a look at you! It's
more likely that I want to meet you, which is "Jag vill träffa dig".
Which makes for two more pairs of false friends:
see/se: "se" means "see", but only in the sense of seeing with your eyes.
"See" = "meet" is "träffa". (One exception "Vi ses!" means "I'll be seeing
you!"). "Träffa" can also mean "hit" as opposed to "miss" (Sw. "missa") -
"He hit the target" - "Han träffade målet".
miss/missa: English "to miss" is "att missa" when it means "fail to hit"
("he missed the target" - "han missade målet"), but "att sakna" when it
denotes a feeling of loss ("I miss you" - "jag saknar dig"). "To be
missing" is "att saknas".
Date: Sun, 31 Aug 1997 19:46:03 +0100
To: spidra
From:Karl-Erik Tallmo
Subject: "Svengelska" online again!!
Hi Spidra,
my page about "svengelska" is uploaded again.
This is my personal web site, with articles and other texts. You will also
find a few other articles about language.
Several people have asked for this material. I am glad you all liked it ...
BTW, Spidra, I enjoyed your false cognates page!
Best wishes
Karl-Erik T.
__________________________________________________________________
KARL-ERIK TALLMO, Swedish writer, journalist. Contributor of
articles to Nordic dailies, e.g. Dagens Nyheter. Has published
three books. Expert in governmental committees on new media.
Date: Tue, 09 Sep 1997 11:14:10 +0000
From: Sheen
To: spidra
Subject: false cognates
Do you know why the term "false cognates" is being used? As "faux
amis" are indeed cognates, they are not false. What they are are
"misleading cognates".
Ron Sheen
Date: Sun, 19 Oct 1997 10:09:50 -0700
From: Tim Elliot
To: spidra
Subject: Falso Cognates Swedish/English
Hi
Nice page! Wish I'd had this when I started learning Swedish! I lived
there just outside Stockholm for 18 years. Now I'm back in England, I
miss the brilliant summers and actually the food too (strömmingsflundra
o potatismos, eeehhhhuuuhh ecstasy).
My contributions:
1. another word for fart fjärta (noun)
2. two very confusing crossed pairs
viska doesn't mean whisk (verb), it means whisper
vispa doesn't mean whisper, it means whisk (verb)
I got these wrong way round for years...
3. At the end of my very first formal dinner in Sweden, I was seated
next the hostess. I knew (because the bastards had briefed me during the
dinner) that I had to give a speech praising the food and the hostess's
beauty. I managed ok, but fell at the end when I wanted to remember
those of us who were not there that night, and proposed a toast to
'Frånvarande vänner' which caused great mirth. Then someone explained
that I had toasted 'absent-minded friends' instead of 'absent friends'
All the best
Tim Elliot
From: "Troutworks"
To: "Spidra Webster"
Subject: Re: Scandinavian Mysteries in Translation
Date: Mon, 8 Dec 1997 20:05:48 -0600
Hi Spidra, thanks for writing. We're keeping this series in mind as
several people have asked for it. I enjoyed your review, and must say it
made it more likely that I'll read one of the books --- somehow I formed
the impression that they were gloomy and leaden, but your review doesn't
indicate that. I find it interesting that you note that you're not a
mystery fan in general --- do you find this series more "novelistic" than
most?
Joyce Park
Troutworks Mystery Guide
----------
> From: Spidra Webster
> To: tworks@troutworks.com
> Subject: Scandinavian Mysteries in Translation
> Date: Monday, December 08, 1997 3:05 AM
>
> Hi there,
>
> I'm not much of a mystery reader, so why am I writing you? Well, because
> of my interest in Sweden, I started reading police procedurals by the
> husband/wife team of Maj Sjo:vall and Per Wa:a:hloo. I think they're
> really excellent and recommend that you take a look at them. The husband
> died some years ago, so it's a finite series featuring police detective
> Martin Beck. So far I've read "The Laughing Policeman", "The Man on the
> Balcony" and "The Locked Room". I intend to read the entire series.
They
> mostly take place in Stockholm in the late '60s and early '70s and are a
> good look at Swedish society during this era.
> Although I'm sure I don't come up to your reviewer standards, you can
read
> my review of the Laughing Policeman at:
> http://www.bayscenes.com/ind/spidra/martin.html
>
> Spidra Webster
Some jokes don't get put on my "Jokes Scandinavians Tell About Each Other Page" because they don't strictly fit the subject matter. I'll publish them here, though:
From: Awalmquist
Date: Tue, 15 Apr 1997 12:45:01 -0400 (EDT)
To: spidra
Subject: Scandihoovian jokes...
There are lots of them about Swedish immigrants and their
difficulties with the new culture. This is one of my favorites...
Sven sent Ole to a lumber yard to get some materials...
Ole asked for some 'four by twos'...
The salesman said, 'Well, we have two by fours, is that what you mean?'
Ole hesitated a little and said ' I better check with Sven" and left to see
Sven...
A little later he came back and said with a smile ' Ja, two by fours is ok'.
The salsman then asked 'How long do you want them?'...
Another trip to check with Sven. Then Ole's reply:
'Sven says, Ve want them for a long time, ve going to build a house!'
Al Almquist
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 1997 23:36:02 -0700
To: Spidra Webster
From: johanna seppalainen
Subject: Re: jokes about those damn swedes! ;-)
Status: U
Megan,
I took a quick look at your web site. I like it!
I have couple of small corrections to the Finnish, I will get that info to
you in the next week or so. And you did a great job with the jokes, no
meaning was obscured!
Thanks, it actually feels good to have them up there with my name being
mentioned.
Johanna
Date: Sat, 19 Apr 1997 00:46:58 -0700
From: Robert Lein
To: spidra
Subject: Norwegian / Swedish False Cognates
Many jokes that Norwegians and Swedes tell about each other don't
translate well into English. A Swedish word may have a different
meaning in Norwegian. I am more familiar with Norwegian than Swedish.
My first language is English.
Example (correct my Swedish spelling if incorrect):
Norwegian brags to Swede,
"Vi har store kraft!" (We have great strength)
Swede hears the following,
"Vi har store kra"ftor!" (We have big crabs)
I will try to look up other examples for you.
Thanks for the funny Scandahoovian info.
Ha det bra!!!
-------
Robert W. Lein
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997 13:14:36 -0400 (EDT)
From: Grrrey
Subject: Re: Scandihoovian Jokes
i don't recall the few jokes i heard in sweden while i was there in may,
however i thought it was interesting that the jokes i heard (which most
people have already heard) seemed to have substituted germans for norwegians.
my norwegian friends were relieved (although i don't think they have turned
down the heat on swedes).
thought it was an interesting change, i'm assuming this took place after
joining the EU.
grey
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997 21:11:41 -0400 (EDT)
From: Talonvaki
Subject: Re: Scandihoovian Jokes
The only joke I know is the (supposedly true) story I heard during the
Olympics in Lillehammer - some Norwegians had maps of Scandinavia made to
sell to the tourists which left Sweden out...Norway, Denmark, Finland & that
was it!
>^..^<
From: Linda Smidt
To: "'spidra@speakeasy.net'"
Subject: dansk joke
Date: Tue, 18 Nov 1997 17:29:48 +0100
Der var engang en dansk hindu der var hos tandlægen, men ville undgä
bedøvelsen fordi han sagde I practice transcend dental medication
Date: Tue, 30 Dec 1997 17:23:37 -0800
To: "spidra@speakeasy.net"
From: Hansen
Subject: Danish joke about Aarhusianere
Q: What statement can you read in a roundabout in Aarhus?
A: Max. 3 turns per car.
Happy New Year
Patricia
From: "Jarund, Urban C"
To: spidra
Subject: He He He!
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1999 16:57:19 -0000
Your homepage is really a piece of good work. I am a swede myself (even
though a live in London at the moment) and as such i "hate" norwegians in
particular (I'm from the northern westcoast). The jokes about swedes,
however, is clearly nothing but foul lies.
I you want some jokes about the norwegians just send me a mail.
Human Powered Vehicles
From: Steve Ransom
Subject: You got my attention.
Date: Thu, 2 Jan 1997 13:39:08 -0800
Spidra---
May I direct your attention to the best folding bikes web page in the known universe? (In my opinion.)
http://www.bikefriday.com.
Question: will Green Gear ever make a travel recumbent?
Answer: I'm looking at the prototype.
Thanks in advance for including us in your beautiful list.
---Steve Ransom, Internet Services,(formerly of Center for Appropriate Transport)
Bike Friday/Green Gear Cycling
From: John Larvick
Subject: a visitor responds!
Date: Sun, 23 Feb 1997 07:19:13 +0900
spidra
after seeing your website listed in the ihpva digests for so long i finally
took a look at it.
great stuff.
a situation and then a question for you:
when i'm stateside i spend a lot of time at my sister's place in the hills
above berkeley. are there any nice flat rides for recumbants in the east
bay? i need someplace easy to ride where i can go to get aquainted with a
new recumbant. just the thought of having to ride back up spruce street
makes my poor old heart quiver with fear.
john larvick
From: Vern Schuck
Date: Tue, 25 Feb 1997 20:58:19 -0800
To: spidra
Subject: Ah-Hah! It's you!
At last we meet, Spidra Webster. I've seen this name so many times on my
IN mailbox with the [hpv] prefix but I never gave this alias much
thought. But now I think it's a kool name :-D
I've not spent more that a couple of minutes on the hpv list in these
last couple of years. The job's been eating up all my work time. I was
the second list member right after it's daddy, Brian Wilson.
I thought I'd visit the Vortex because of your invitation on the mail
"CA Cyclists Attn!". You have a wonderful site. I'm really impressed
with the menu too.
Time to go. My TEasy, BART (Basically Awesome Recumbent Transportation)
says hi.
vb
From: "Bill Volk"
To: "Spidra Webster"
Subject: Re: [hpv] Updates to my hpv page
Date: Mon, 10 Mar 1997 09:10:50 -0800
Nice work.
Date: Mon, 10 Mar 1997 21:44:35 +0000
From: Tom Bunch
To: Spidra Webster
Subject: HPV Pictures
Spidra,
Thanks for the nice pictures. I was glad to get another picture of a
"Rocket". I'm getting impatient waiting for my new one. It's still only
40 F here in Cleveland, Ohio area, so I guess I'll be happy once spring
and my HPV arrive.
Date: Wed, 12 Mar 1997 10:44:22 -0500
To: Spidra Webster
From: John Culp
Subject: [hpv] Updates to my hpv page
Hi, Spidra!
I've been meaning to write and complement your Web page. You've obviously
put a lot of thought and work into it! I haven't had time to go through all
of the pages and links, but you have some neat musical stuff on there.
John
From: Bruce Boysen
Date: Thu, 13 Mar 1997 20:02:01 -0500 (EST)
To: spidra@speakeasy.net
Subject: Your website
Spidra,
Just was tooling around on your web page....pretty cool. One of the links
that I ended up spending some time at was the WOMBATS page. Jackie Phelan was
the dominant racer when I first got really into mountain bike racing & she is
a funny, witty person who was actually too weird for some of the people at
the races. Those were the good old days when mountain bike racing was at
almost the same place that HPV racing is now. It was fun to be friends with
most of the people you were competing against & it was pretty laid back, I
remember cracking jokes & laughing at the start of most races. Not like now.
I also enjoyed the music stuff. I play lots of Irish music & music hall
stuff on an English Concertina & used to play alot of old time fiddle tunes
with some friends. I also play tinwhistle & flute, but I haven't been able to
play flute much for awhile because of the chronic pain it has caused in my
left thumb.
At a gathering of concertina players the other year I was randomly
assigned a roommate & we were talking the first night & one of us mentioned a
recumbent in passing & we were amazed that we both owned & rode them! The
next day we were again talking about our recumbents in a crowded room & the
person next to us interrupts to say he has an Avatar recumbent & has been
riding for years. We were all thunderstruck! I mean, how many recumbent
riding concertina players can there be? We formed one of the most exclusive
clubs in existance, the international concertina & recumbent society. We are
still searching for a forth member.
bruce boysen
Date: Sat, 15 Mar 1997 08:04:31 -0800 (PST)
To: Spidra Webster
From: Ken Borgers
Subject: Nice site!
Thanks for your post to the hpv list re your web site. Good pics!
Ken B.
(Ryan Vanguard rider)
Date: Sun, 11 May 1997 19:42:30 -0700
From: William Bruce
To: spidra
Subject: Your HPV page
Spidra:
Enjoyed visiting your page, and have bookmarked for future visits, as
you had a lot to offer.
Also, wanted to thank you for plugging in our Fresno Cycling Club page
on the upcoming Central California Recumbent Rally. Hope we can get
this rally to work out so we can try it again next year - probably
earlier in the year. If you know of anyone who has mentioned that they
were thinking about it, give them a shove to come on down!
regards......Bill Bruce
Date: Sun, 29 Jun 1997 17:56:15 -0700
From: Robert Gepford
To: spidra@
Subject: nice site :-]>
Saw your post to the hpv list and decidid to check out your site. I
thought you might like to know that in the Eagle cc over in Napa we have
at least 5 and maybe 6 bent folk and about 10 in the valley. There are
a couple GoldRushes, a Greenspeed a couple of homebuilts,and several
Rotators.(another great builder from SantaRosa). I try to lead a ride
about once a month but not many show,I guess I need to slow
down.
Robertg
From: BossDaddyO
Date: Sun, 20 Jul 1997 15:06:36 -0400 (EDT)
To: spidra
I discovered your web page from your HPV post. I live in Sonoma County and I
am in the process od designing a recumbent trike. Do you have any
suggestions for other bay area resources.
I truly enjoyed your web page and sence of humor..... despite my facial
hair.
Mark
Date: Thu, 21 Aug 1997 15:23:01 -0400
From: Edward J. Kuspiel
Subject: Dahon
To: spidra
Hello!
Found your add via a search today. I wondered if the Dahon was
a)still for sale
b)which model was it
c)if you would ship it to NJ
btw I enjoyed your web page.
Ed K.
Date: Thu, 04 Sep 1997 11:57:14 +0000
From: Zachary Fuller
To: spidra
Subject: Leenks
Hello, I got your web address from the Bike the Bridge! e-letters.
Nice Web Site!
I hope you don't mind but I grabbed your links to bike stuff and the
like to put on my page. I'm building a links page similar to yours but
on a more general basis, covering Social, Environmental, Etc. I've
been looking for all the web addresses you have on yours for a while.
You must've put a lot of work into finding them all. Good Job! I will
definately give you credit for the borrowed links as well as a link to
your page!
You won't mind if I make it that much easier for people to access Bike
resourses, therefore making the world a further bike friendly place do
you?
Thanks Again! Feel Free to visit my web site (still under
construction) if you like.
Zak
Friends Of Lulu
Date: Mon, 31 Mar 1997 21:25:43 -0600
From: DEborah Neuts
To: Spidra Webster
Subject: Re: Directions to Kalachandji's
> Just have to tell you how impressed I am that you can make a map like
> that in ASCII. Beautiful.
Why thank you!
I stopped by your web page - it's nice, not a poor excuse at all.
Mostly, I was way impressed to find another Buckethead who collects
comics by female artists! Guess I shouldn't be surprised. Hmmm,
a couple women on the Dylan list did a great Dylan comic a year or
so ago. I never thought about a Brave Combo comic before, but it certainly
has potential! :-)
DEbbie
Date: Tue, 09 Sep 1997 04:05:25 -0500
From: Sigma Seven
To: spidra
Subject: FOL Home Page(s)?
Hey there! I found the Friends of Lulu-Con page by webcrawling, but was
curious if there were any more FOL-related pages out there. (I'm
assuming, by the lack of links on your page and the similar lack of hits
on
search engines, that there isn't an "official" FOL home page per se, or
if
there is, this is it.) I'm collecting them for a special little project
I'm working on which should be hitting my home page here in the next few
days...feel free to check out the URL below for more info.
And if you'd like more (and less cryptic) info, feel free to drop a
line, as well. It's something of a...surprise. But for a good reason.
Thanks for your time and good luck navigating through the transit strike....
Date: Thu, 30 Oct 1997 00:42:43 -0600 (CST)
From: Sigma Seven
To: Spidra Webster
Subject: Updatin' the pages
Heydere. Got your note and adjusted the Kim Yale pages accordingly. Haven't
gotten a chance to check out the official NorCal page yet, but I trust
your judgment. :) Just got back from driving to Ohio last week. Am now
no longer utterly exhausted, just tired enough to lumber through work and
read about half my mail per day (mental note: must unsub from a few mail
lists). But good news, like your mail, makes it worth it. Thanks.
Here's hopin' all's been good on your end of the coast. I've just taken
the time to check out your page and am continually astonished by your
cross-referencing virtually every other word. Impressive. You've
certainly raised hypertext to its ultimate expression. Congrats. Me, I
have a page with a quote "in a few weeks" that I've not gotten back to in
a year. I'm *bad*.
Well, better mosey, but thought I'd say thanks for everything.
...Wow. I just got the NorCal FoL page. I'm...ah...impressed and
intimidated. That's a good sign, I guess. Take care.
Mac Addiction
Date: Wed, 9 Apr 1997 16:42:18 -0500
To: Spidra Webster
From: Michael N. Walker
Subject: Re:[hpv] Updates to my site again
Status: U
At 03:55 4/09/97, Spidra Webster wrote:
> Well, I've stayed up way too late again updating my web site. I have new
> Bay Area Cycle links, new HPV links, John McCord's list of HPV Manufacturer
> Contacts and pictures of the Cinderella Century, in which I was one of only
> 2 recumbents that I know of that participated. Perhaps we will change that
> next year...
>
> Check it out!
>
> http://www.bayscenes.com/ind/spidra/hpv.html
Spidra,
Been to your homepage. Isn't it amazing how recumbents and Macintosh
computers just go together?
I am the past V.P. of our local users group, the Tulsa Users of Macintosh
Society (TUMS).
Going from Windoz to a Mac is a lot like going from a wedgie to a bent.
Easier, more comfortable, more FUN!!!!
Nice page, keep up the good work.
--
Michael N. Walker
http://www.ionet.net/~mnwalker/
"Those that give up essential liberty to obtain a little
temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
-- Benjamin Franklin (1773)
Date: Wed, 29 Oct 1997 11:40:54 -0500
From: Rottenberg
To: Spidra Webster
Subject: Re: Link to your site
Hi, Megan
I visited your page and liked it . I'll add a link from my site on the
weekend.
Greetings,
Pablo
Spidra Webster wrote:
> I have linked my "Multilingual Mac" page to Macaneo. Check it out!
My Music
Date: 20 Mar 97 17:09:58 CST
From: Jane Lorenzen
To: spidra@speakeasy.net
Subject: Brave MacCombo
To Spidra Webster
From: Jane Lorenzen
> I just started my music section and haven't had time to update things yet.
> I plan to put sound files of songs I've recorded and links to bands I like.
> I sent Carl the demo tape I did and he remembered and dug it, saying "Send
> more along." but I haven't done anything new in ages.
I'm looking forward to hearing those sound files! I won't ask you
the eternal question, "so, what kind of music do you do?" Something
tells me you're not that easily pigeon-holed anyway.
> I look forward to the FAQ, when the scales shall be removed from my eyes,
> your holiness.
Oh, please, I much prefer "holimess." It suits me *so* much better.
Sincerely,
Jane
From: Francisco Perez
To: Spidra Webster
Subject: RE: Just put my demo stuff up
Date: Mon, 7 Jul 1997 15:54:40 +0200
Thank you for your music !!!
Curro &
Familia Pérez Zamarrón
Almería
ESPAÑA.-
Date: Mon, 07 Jul 1997 07:59:56 -0700
To: Spidra Webster
From: jesus
Subject: Re: Just put my demo stuff up
GUUUAUU!!
Nice "stuff", the song "kohl-rimmed eyes" :) 2.24' of gooooodstuff!!.
I am dying to have my site( CompArte.com ) in the air-I mean in the server.
I registered it to internic.net, I am jealous of you. I'll tell you as soon
I get it.
See you,
Jesus
Yodel Central
To: "spidra@speakeasy.net"
From: Ron Affolter
Subject: Yodelling
While surfing the net for yodelling I found your site.
I see that you have found a lot of unique yodelling albums.
For the past couple of years I've been trying to find Yodelling from
various culture but have had no luck finding a source. Even stores that
cater to folk music haven't had much.
I'd be interested to know what you have found in this direction. I'm
mainly interested in how to locate some Australian yodelling records. I
talked with Shirley Field and she said she won a female yodelling
contest in Arizona and the male winner was a guy from Australia. Ever
since I've been trying to find some yodelling from that country. But our
catalogs in the USA aren't always that extensive. So I figured going on
the web would help.
Right now I'm using my work site but I don't think they would want me to
be using it to take up work time. You can email me here without any
problem. I'll just have to wait until after hours to read it.
Thanks
Ron Affolter
Date: Wed, 31 Dec 1997 17:46:19 -0800
To: spidra
From: Peter Taliaferro
Subject: Roy Rogers' yodeling
Mime-Version: 1.0
Status: U
Do you have any advice as to what (if any) Roy Rogers CD has the best
example of his yodeling? I'm not talking about the blues/slide
guitarist here.
Date: Tue, 28 Aug 1956 09:27:17 +0000
From: TALIAFERRO
To: Spidra Webster
Subject: Re: Roy Rogers' yodeling
Spidra:
Thanks for the tip on Wylie Gustafson. Have you heard his records?
How's his yodeling? By the way, if your were going to own one western
yodeling CD, what would it be?
Meantime, I'll keep checking through royrogers.com for a lead on a
good (any?) CD of Roy yodeling.
Peter Taliaferro
Unofficial Brendan Lynch Page
Date: Mon, 15 Sep 1997 17:27:43 +0000
From:Kevin Lynch
To: spidra
Megan, you lovin sister!
That's a good web page. I loved your explanation of what he sounds
like, as I have the same problems describing it. Also, I'd never
heard of or seen the Weekly article...that's a great piece of writing
in itself. Makes me wish I'd seen some of those Lucky Baldwin's
nights.
What has Brendan said to this page?
Good job.
KpL
From: "Drellishak, Steve"
To: "'spidra@speakeasy.net'"
Subject: Brendan's Web Page
Date: Mon, 22 Sep 1997 09:28:46 -0700
Great job on the web page. I'm glad to see his presence on the net,
since Mercury hasn't bothered yet.
Steve Drellishak
Date: Tue, 23 Sep 1997 17:06:23 -0700
From: Kit McCalla
To: Spidra Webster
Subject: Re: Revamped Unofficial Brendan Lynch Site
Thanks for setting this up. His new album is great. Which radio
stations in LA do you suggest we call to hear songs. I have called
KROQ several times, but they have not played anything.
Subject: brendanlynch.com
Date: Thu, 25 Sep 97 13:21:05 -0000
From: Doug Nahory
To: Spidra
Megan
We just got Brendan's "official(?)" page up and running.
We need a few more days to get it fully functional.
It's at www.brendanlynch.com
Could you link your site to it and we will link it to yours...
Your site looks great, let's spread the word!
As I said, I like your writing style, and I would like
to talk to you about writing some stuff for the site after
I get the basics going.
From: CCMarion
Date: Thu, 25 Sep 1997 20:10:41 -0400 (EDT)
To: spidra
Subject: Re: You guys are impressive
>I've just made a website for my brother, who has released his first
>major label album. I wanted to use the opportunity to sneak that Mac
>message in there and you guys were the best purveyors.
>
>Check out your Made with Mac logo at:
Hey!
Looks great on that black background. I'll have to head out to BB's CD
Superstore (our local independent) and see if I can find me some Brendan
Lynch!
Corey Marion
ccmarion@aol.com
http://members.aol.com/ccmarion
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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From: "de Cervantes, Carla Maria"
To: "'Spidra Webster'"
Subject: RE: Unofficial Brendan Mirror Site
Date: Tue, 14 Oct 1997 16:03:54 -0700
Megan,
Do you have an updated schedule of Brendan's shows? I'm bummed that I
missed him last week when he was in San Jose, but I didn't know about
the show. Is he playing in the Bay Area again anytime soon? (I live in
Menlo Park, now.) Thanks for sending along any info. you have.
Incidentally, the web site looks great!
- Carla
Yak Back to Spidra Webster: spidra at speakeasy dot net
Back to the drawing board...
Last modified on 1/11/98