Hello, all! I'm back.
Or as we say in Govro, Kajxo a xutis! Mi renaidekar! (pronounced: KYE-sho ah TOO-teese. me REH-nah-ee-deh-KAHR)
You may well be asking "What the heck is Govro?" Well it's a new language project, started by yours truly :). I've devoted a whole other blog to it: http://govroanesperantoalternatie.blogspot.com/2015/11/kajxo-tutis-kaj-bonaida-to-all-and.html in case you're interested (and if you're not, you won't hurt my feelings, lol).
Anyhoo, Not much of any import has happened since last summer. It seems that the people who run Lernu (the Esperanto learning site online) are not the tolerant liberals they profess themselves to be. Let's just say, when you have to resort to locking someone out of a forum because of their political and religious beliefs, you are not the lover of tolerance you tout yourself as being, and leave it at that.
I am again living alone; roommate finally took the hint and moved out. I don't think he was too dumb to realize what was going on; he just didn't have anywhere else to go (he finally did find another person to dupe). So, I'm back to my severe budget crunch, which includes eating as cheaply as possible, which usually translates as no meat.
Of course, here in Iowa, where pork subsidies are a way of life, it's not too hard to buy pork. A pound of ground pork (not sausage) is usually a third of the price of similar-fat-content ground beef, and ham is relatively cheap, so there is all that. Once in a while, like yesterday, there's a great deal at Aldi's (a no-frills grocery store): I got an 8.5 lb bone-in ham for $7.34! When all was said and done, there were fixin's for about 7 dinners and 4 or 5 lunches with tons of leftovers expected. Add all that to the deals I get at the local Amish store (e.g. a 6.8 lb bag of navy beans for just under 6 bucks, which will probably last me about 3 weeks) and living on a food stamp budget isn't as hard as the Welfare Industrial Complex would have us believe.
As most of us are well aware, the Iowa Caucuses were this past Monday. No, I didn't go. Why? Well, being a Libertarian, there was no need for me to go. My candidate gets chosen at our convention later in the spring. I guess you could say the convention IS the Libertarian caucus, but every state Libertarian Party picks their candidate at their conventions instead of a primary election, not just Iowa and New Hampshire. Frankly, I don't like the idea of the caucus, at least not for picking the candidate for president. A primary election, as done in the other 48 states, has a much better chance of getting a more representative result of the voting process. Of course when it comes to the two major parties (or The Party, if your opinion goes that way), that's probably not such a good thing. I have yet to hear any Democrat and more than a scant handful of Republican cite "what's best for the country" as the reason for the voting choice they'll be making. For Bernie supporters, I've noticed (of course this is all in my own experience) it's almost entirely "what's in it for me??" I just can't help but wonder how popular he'd be if he were NOT promising "free" college and "free" medical care and "free" this and "free" that. I honestly don't know if the John Doe American Voter is greedy and selfish or just plain stupid. Where do they think all the money for this "free" stuff is going to come from? Oh, sure, Bernie SAYS "start making the super rich pay their fair share" (they already do and then some), or "end corporate welfare" (I agree with him in this regard), but in reality it's going to end up coming out of every taxpayers pocket, eventually.
Thursday, February 4, 2016
Thursday, August 20, 2015
New Developments and a sad "adiaŭ"
I will probably be an Esperanto speaker for the rest of my days. I will continue to attend our local meet-up, as long as it continues, if only in support of the others that come.
I will not be burning any of my Esperanto books, but I will also not be renewing my membership in any Esperanto organizations; I will do no more "varbing (recruiting for the cause)," and my will has been changed to divert all the assets that I had originally steered toward the Esperanto movement (the mid-5-figure range if anyone is interested; sorry, Esperanto-USA and Radio Verda) and give them to other, more worthy, causes.
You're probably asking why the sudden attitude change. Well, yesterday saw more knife blades to my back from so-called "samideanoj (comrades, same-idea-fellows)" and I'm sick of it. The slanderous language, mockery, and bullying I have received (especially the ones that were posted after yesterday's blog entry) from other Esperantists around the globe has shown me that the "community" (a term I now use very lightly) is not worthy of any more of my time or money. I wash my hands of it.
Esperanto had such promise, but alas, the spirit of "more Zamenhof than thou"(no pun intended) not to mention the hypocrisy, arrogance, bigotry, slander, and condemnation I have received in the past few months over a perfectly correct, Zamenhofian, Esperanto word (albeit one that is rarely used, even though it is used in the Ekzercaro and also defined in the Universala Vortaro) has shown me that my time and energy can be put to better use elsewhere.
I wonder, though..........would the reaction to my use of that perfectly correct Esperanto word have been different had it not been out of religious obligation but out of a sense of equality and tolerance and other such nice leftist buzzwords? I guess that will never be known for sure.........however, based on some of the more outrageous comments I read yesterday, I really think it would have. It's sad, really, that a community of people that touts itself to be oh-so-liberal and tolerant would allow such hatred and intolerance (no matter what the cause) to go unchallenged within its ranks.
I will not be burning any of my Esperanto books, but I will also not be renewing my membership in any Esperanto organizations; I will do no more "varbing (recruiting for the cause)," and my will has been changed to divert all the assets that I had originally steered toward the Esperanto movement (the mid-5-figure range if anyone is interested; sorry, Esperanto-USA and Radio Verda) and give them to other, more worthy, causes.
You're probably asking why the sudden attitude change. Well, yesterday saw more knife blades to my back from so-called "samideanoj (comrades, same-idea-fellows)" and I'm sick of it. The slanderous language, mockery, and bullying I have received (especially the ones that were posted after yesterday's blog entry) from other Esperantists around the globe has shown me that the "community" (a term I now use very lightly) is not worthy of any more of my time or money. I wash my hands of it.
Esperanto had such promise, but alas, the spirit of "more Zamenhof than thou"(no pun intended) not to mention the hypocrisy, arrogance, bigotry, slander, and condemnation I have received in the past few months over a perfectly correct, Zamenhofian, Esperanto word (albeit one that is rarely used, even though it is used in the Ekzercaro and also defined in the Universala Vortaro) has shown me that my time and energy can be put to better use elsewhere.
I wonder, though..........would the reaction to my use of that perfectly correct Esperanto word have been different had it not been out of religious obligation but out of a sense of equality and tolerance and other such nice leftist buzzwords? I guess that will never be known for sure.........however, based on some of the more outrageous comments I read yesterday, I really think it would have. It's sad, really, that a community of people that touts itself to be oh-so-liberal and tolerant would allow such hatred and intolerance (no matter what the cause) to go unchallenged within its ranks.
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Mergatroid!
One would think I ate someone's dog!
I'm talking about the reactions i've been getting lately over my use of "ci" in Esperanto. "Ci" was introduced by no less a personage than Zamenhof himself to be a 2nd person singular pronoun. Granted, it's rarely used and is wrongly associated with informality (Zamenhof himself admitted that this nuance was from the outside influence of other languages). It also happens to be convenient for distinguishing singular and plural in the 2nd person. So why the fuss?
I've even had people tell me that the English counterpart (a la Quaker "Plain Speech", i.e. "theeing and thying") is offensive? Sorry but I call BS. This isn't the 1600s people! Put on your big girl panties and deal with it ;).
Considering the reasons why the Quakers retained these older forms, it (insisting that being called "thee" is offensive and "please use "you" when talking to me") strikes me as arrogance, plain and simple. Think about it: back in the day, "thou/thee/thy" was used much as "tu" is nowadays in Spanish and French: with children, animals, subordinates, etc. and "you" was used as an honorific, as a form of flattery or in biblical language, "respect of persons" (which, by the way is condemned in the New Testament). So basically what these people are saying is "I insist that you treat me with a level of honor" one that they probably don't even deserve ;).
Why am I talking about this? Well, as I told you all last time, recently I have adopted some Quaker practices as a way of advancing my spiritual life. I look at a couple of these practices as religious obligations: it is my belief, that it is essentially untruthful to speak to one person with a plural pronoun for one thing. The other is that, in my church tradition, we use "thou" in our prayers, and it struck me one day: by calling God "thou/thee" and calling my fellow humans "you" I was essentially (again, according to my belief) elevating man over God. Now, whether you agree or think I'm a total loon is irrelevant. As the Quakers would say, "it is my leading and not thine". Now, let's return to those poor souls offended by my calling them "thee"......what they're saying is that they are insisting that I bestow honor or respect upon them that I do not give to God. Yeah, good luck with that!
Anyway, to get back to "ci", I use it when speaking Esperanto to one person. No nuance of familiarity or contempt (oh, you'd know when I'm being insulting and it's not because I use "ci"!), just 2nd person singular, plain and simple. I've been told, even, that this is "wrong." Well, it's in the Fundamento. Defined in the Universala Vortaro as 2nd person singular pronoun. If that's the way I use it, then it can't be wrong, can it?
The other thing i've been accused of is "leading beginners astray". Ha! Not bloody likely with the "kontraŭ-ci-istoj" around! Whenever I happen to post something in an Esperanto group using "ci" less than 2 seconds later some buttinski comes swooping in castigating me for it. Yeah, no chance of komencantoj being led astray with that kind of thing going on!
And the nastiness about it! Ho, mia kor'! As I said above, one would think I just ate someone's dog!
So,
1. This ain't the 1600s people, so stop with the "i'm offended" BS. Calumny is wrong.
2. If you must "warn" komencantoj, it is sufficient to say "'ci' is not used in everyday Esperanto even though you may meet some who insist on using it. It is equivalent to the singular use of 'vi'." Anything more than that is unnecessary, and, depending on what you say, can be considered bullying or even discriminatory. Better is expected of samideanoj!
I'm talking about the reactions i've been getting lately over my use of "ci" in Esperanto. "Ci" was introduced by no less a personage than Zamenhof himself to be a 2nd person singular pronoun. Granted, it's rarely used and is wrongly associated with informality (Zamenhof himself admitted that this nuance was from the outside influence of other languages). It also happens to be convenient for distinguishing singular and plural in the 2nd person. So why the fuss?
I've even had people tell me that the English counterpart (a la Quaker "Plain Speech", i.e. "theeing and thying") is offensive? Sorry but I call BS. This isn't the 1600s people! Put on your big girl panties and deal with it ;).
Considering the reasons why the Quakers retained these older forms, it (insisting that being called "thee" is offensive and "please use "you" when talking to me") strikes me as arrogance, plain and simple. Think about it: back in the day, "thou/thee/thy" was used much as "tu" is nowadays in Spanish and French: with children, animals, subordinates, etc. and "you" was used as an honorific, as a form of flattery or in biblical language, "respect of persons" (which, by the way is condemned in the New Testament). So basically what these people are saying is "I insist that you treat me with a level of honor" one that they probably don't even deserve ;).
Why am I talking about this? Well, as I told you all last time, recently I have adopted some Quaker practices as a way of advancing my spiritual life. I look at a couple of these practices as religious obligations: it is my belief, that it is essentially untruthful to speak to one person with a plural pronoun for one thing. The other is that, in my church tradition, we use "thou" in our prayers, and it struck me one day: by calling God "thou/thee" and calling my fellow humans "you" I was essentially (again, according to my belief) elevating man over God. Now, whether you agree or think I'm a total loon is irrelevant. As the Quakers would say, "it is my leading and not thine". Now, let's return to those poor souls offended by my calling them "thee"......what they're saying is that they are insisting that I bestow honor or respect upon them that I do not give to God. Yeah, good luck with that!
Anyway, to get back to "ci", I use it when speaking Esperanto to one person. No nuance of familiarity or contempt (oh, you'd know when I'm being insulting and it's not because I use "ci"!), just 2nd person singular, plain and simple. I've been told, even, that this is "wrong." Well, it's in the Fundamento. Defined in the Universala Vortaro as 2nd person singular pronoun. If that's the way I use it, then it can't be wrong, can it?
The other thing i've been accused of is "leading beginners astray". Ha! Not bloody likely with the "kontraŭ-ci-istoj" around! Whenever I happen to post something in an Esperanto group using "ci" less than 2 seconds later some buttinski comes swooping in castigating me for it. Yeah, no chance of komencantoj being led astray with that kind of thing going on!
And the nastiness about it! Ho, mia kor'! As I said above, one would think I just ate someone's dog!
So,
1. This ain't the 1600s people, so stop with the "i'm offended" BS. Calumny is wrong.
2. If you must "warn" komencantoj, it is sufficient to say "'ci' is not used in everyday Esperanto even though you may meet some who insist on using it. It is equivalent to the singular use of 'vi'." Anything more than that is unnecessary, and, depending on what you say, can be considered bullying or even discriminatory. Better is expected of samideanoj!
Thursday, August 13, 2015
Li vivas! He lives!
Hello, all! Saluton al ĉiuj!
Yes, I'm alive!
First of all I must apologize AGAIN for taking (gulp) 6 YEARS (mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa!) to come back and update my blog. There truly is no excuse!
So, developments since last time.......well, the most important is I'm now retired. I had very nasty fungal infection in my lungs back in early 2012, which left a lot of damage. Damage to the tune of I only have the equivalent of one lung left, hence being on disability. Other than making it nearly impossible to find work, (I have a LOT of work restrictions, and those combined with modern technology making clerical jobs that are still done by actual warm bodies a thing of the past means there isn't a lot out there I can do) the worst thing about my disability, I suppose, is that I can no longer hold notes nearly as long as I used to when singing. Now to some this may not seem like such a big deal but music, and particularly singing, has always been a very big part of my life. I've been in some sort of choral group since 8th grade (cough1974cough) and am currently one half of the bass section in church choir most weeks.....and once in a while the whole bass section! So, yes, when I have to breathe basically twice as often, most of the time in the middle of phrases I used to be able to sail right through, it's a little depressing. That and the 50% pay cut makes for a very home-bound life!
Esperanto: Due to the above-mentioned pay cut (ouch), my Esperanto activities have not been what I would wish them to be. I never did make it to a Landa Kongreso (not even when it was just down in St. Louis!) and also never made it to Finland. Sadly, the Finland situation may be no longer an option (even if I did have the money). This year there was no week-long course listed and enquiries have returned nothing. Sigh.
I have, however, had great luck with the local Esperanto club! There are now four of us who meet on a weekly basis to chat (I plan a screening of Incubus very soon) and there are more than us four listed on the Meet-up page. Sadly one of those "more than four" is going away to university this fall, 90 miles to the north, so won't be able to join us during most of the year. Another of the "more than four" has disappeared. Ric, where is thee??
Ah, yes. That last sentence brings me to the other big, new thing in my life. I've been doing genealogical research the past couple years (I found some cousins right here in Iowa City!) and one of my discoveries was that one of my great-great-great-great grandfathers (in the Mosier line) and his family were Quakers. Now, I used to belong to a small Protestant sect where the members adopted Quaker-style "Plain Speech" mainly out of scruples about "truthfulness in speaking" and "avoiding heathen ways." This translated to, for us, using the Quaker-style "thee as a subject pronoun" to one person with what is modern English is the 3rd person singular form of the verb ("thee is" instead of "thou art"), as well as avoiding the names of the days (felt to be honoring pagan gods, all) and the months (either honoring pagan gods or else pagan rulers). I have decided (out of 1. a cognitive dissonance that has lately developed in my language-addled brain about using plural pronouns to refer to singular persons, and 2. as a way to honor my forbears) to take up Plain Speech once again. At first I didn't feel any need to go back to saying "first month" for January, and "second day" for Monday, etc. but lately I've "felt a leading" (as the Quakers would say) to do that as well. Please note, all you who speak languages with a T-V distinction, that my use of this form does not carry any particular nuance of familiarity or contempt (unless, of course, my voice is dripping with scorn, lol)
I guess that's about enough for today. I promise you all! I will be updating this at least once weekly (usually on Tuesday night after our local Esperanto club meet-up). Till then,
Cheers
Dimo
Yes, I'm alive!
First of all I must apologize AGAIN for taking (gulp) 6 YEARS (mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa!) to come back and update my blog. There truly is no excuse!
So, developments since last time.......well, the most important is I'm now retired. I had very nasty fungal infection in my lungs back in early 2012, which left a lot of damage. Damage to the tune of I only have the equivalent of one lung left, hence being on disability. Other than making it nearly impossible to find work, (I have a LOT of work restrictions, and those combined with modern technology making clerical jobs that are still done by actual warm bodies a thing of the past means there isn't a lot out there I can do) the worst thing about my disability, I suppose, is that I can no longer hold notes nearly as long as I used to when singing. Now to some this may not seem like such a big deal but music, and particularly singing, has always been a very big part of my life. I've been in some sort of choral group since 8th grade (cough1974cough) and am currently one half of the bass section in church choir most weeks.....and once in a while the whole bass section! So, yes, when I have to breathe basically twice as often, most of the time in the middle of phrases I used to be able to sail right through, it's a little depressing. That and the 50% pay cut makes for a very home-bound life!
Esperanto: Due to the above-mentioned pay cut (ouch), my Esperanto activities have not been what I would wish them to be. I never did make it to a Landa Kongreso (not even when it was just down in St. Louis!) and also never made it to Finland. Sadly, the Finland situation may be no longer an option (even if I did have the money). This year there was no week-long course listed and enquiries have returned nothing. Sigh.
I have, however, had great luck with the local Esperanto club! There are now four of us who meet on a weekly basis to chat (I plan a screening of Incubus very soon) and there are more than us four listed on the Meet-up page. Sadly one of those "more than four" is going away to university this fall, 90 miles to the north, so won't be able to join us during most of the year. Another of the "more than four" has disappeared. Ric, where is thee??
Ah, yes. That last sentence brings me to the other big, new thing in my life. I've been doing genealogical research the past couple years (I found some cousins right here in Iowa City!) and one of my discoveries was that one of my great-great-great-great grandfathers (in the Mosier line) and his family were Quakers. Now, I used to belong to a small Protestant sect where the members adopted Quaker-style "Plain Speech" mainly out of scruples about "truthfulness in speaking" and "avoiding heathen ways." This translated to, for us, using the Quaker-style "thee as a subject pronoun" to one person with what is modern English is the 3rd person singular form of the verb ("thee is" instead of "thou art"), as well as avoiding the names of the days (felt to be honoring pagan gods, all) and the months (either honoring pagan gods or else pagan rulers). I have decided (out of 1. a cognitive dissonance that has lately developed in my language-addled brain about using plural pronouns to refer to singular persons, and 2. as a way to honor my forbears) to take up Plain Speech once again. At first I didn't feel any need to go back to saying "first month" for January, and "second day" for Monday, etc. but lately I've "felt a leading" (as the Quakers would say) to do that as well. Please note, all you who speak languages with a T-V distinction, that my use of this form does not carry any particular nuance of familiarity or contempt (unless, of course, my voice is dripping with scorn, lol)
I guess that's about enough for today. I promise you all! I will be updating this at least once weekly (usually on Tuesday night after our local Esperanto club meet-up). Till then,
Cheers
Dimo
Monday, August 31, 2009
Postsomera skribado
Hello again!
Well I didn't make it to Finland, but it was kind of expected.
I also didn't make it to Saint Louis. By the time my brother had decided on a date for my nephew's graduation party (finally picked was the weekend before the LK), somebody had already taken the days at work. For both weekends. Sigh.
Anyway, I'm really gonna make an effort to get to the ARE. (Cols day weekend)
ORIESO is going pretty well. Two of us are very regular. There is another lady from up north who comes down about once a month. School started this week so I'll be working on the quarter sheets and flyers in the next couple weeks.
La somera vetero estis tre netipika; malvarmeta temperaturo, tre malalta humideco. Tian someron mi amegas!! Okazu pli kaj pli!
Well I didn't make it to Finland, but it was kind of expected.
I also didn't make it to Saint Louis. By the time my brother had decided on a date for my nephew's graduation party (finally picked was the weekend before the LK), somebody had already taken the days at work. For both weekends. Sigh.
Anyway, I'm really gonna make an effort to get to the ARE. (Cols day weekend)
ORIESO is going pretty well. Two of us are very regular. There is another lady from up north who comes down about once a month. School started this week so I'll be working on the quarter sheets and flyers in the next couple weeks.
La somera vetero estis tre netipika; malvarmeta temperaturo, tre malalta humideco. Tian someron mi amegas!! Okazu pli kaj pli!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Yeah. Two posts in a week. Don't get excited, though; this was an eventful week (Esperanto-wise, for me). The Eastern Iowa Esperanto Society (or ORIESO (ORienta Iovaa Esperanto SocietO) had it's first Meet-Up meeting.
Well, alright only two of us were there, but this *is* Iowa afterall. I'm hoping to make some quarter-sheet flyers and hand them out at (what I call) the Speakers' Corner, on the sidewalk at the T-intersection right in front of the heart of campus here at the Univ of Iowa (and that just so happens to be across from the Foreign Language Departments building). CraigsList postings, flyers stapled to the poster boards downtown. I have some ideas. If any or all of these garner even one or two more people I'll consider it time well spent.
Mainly we spent this meeting getting reaquainted (We met, along with three students (who, unfortunately, are no longer in Iowa City) at the University of Iowa Esperanto League 3-4 years ago). There are two gentlemen in the area that are interested who didn't show up tonight but I'm hoping that will change in the future.
Here's hoping.
St. Louis is looming and it looks like Finland is maybe out of my reach this year. Oh, I'm still gonna try to go, but I'm being pragmatic. Ah well, there's always the LK and ARE to look foreward to.
Gxis!
Well, alright only two of us were there, but this *is* Iowa afterall. I'm hoping to make some quarter-sheet flyers and hand them out at (what I call) the Speakers' Corner, on the sidewalk at the T-intersection right in front of the heart of campus here at the Univ of Iowa (and that just so happens to be across from the Foreign Language Departments building). CraigsList postings, flyers stapled to the poster boards downtown. I have some ideas. If any or all of these garner even one or two more people I'll consider it time well spent.
Mainly we spent this meeting getting reaquainted (We met, along with three students (who, unfortunately, are no longer in Iowa City) at the University of Iowa Esperanto League 3-4 years ago). There are two gentlemen in the area that are interested who didn't show up tonight but I'm hoping that will change in the future.
Here's hoping.
St. Louis is looming and it looks like Finland is maybe out of my reach this year. Oh, I'm still gonna try to go, but I'm being pragmatic. Ah well, there's always the LK and ARE to look foreward to.
Gxis!
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Saluton, denove!
I know. I'm a bad blogger.......waiting almost two years between posts is disgraceful, I admit it.
So. For those of you waiting with bated breath for my rebuttal to the next section (regarding vocabulary) of Mr. Eddy's Esperanto "critique," well, I'm afraid you may be waiting a long, LONG time. I'm sorry, but he bores me. Whine, whine, whine, and about something he supposedly doesn't like? Obsessive, much? Plus it's such a pain with all the special formatting needed (I'm basically a lazy pig....which may explain the year and a half since my last post!)
So, here we are in January of 2009. I'm getting more involved in Lernu.net (great place!) and have rejoined the United States' national Esperanto organization (Esperanto-USA: www.esperanto-usa.org). I've also subscribed to a couple magazines and will be back to raiding the retbutiko on a monthly basis.
I'll be going to the Landa Kongreso in St. Louis; and when I told a en-Sankta-Luiso-logxanta friend of mine, who I went to college with 10 years ago, that I was going to be there and how about if I visit for a few days before the conference, imagine my surprise to find out his partner is ALSO an esperantist and will be going to the Kongreso as well! And he's teaching my friend Esperanto. Life is good.
June, I pray, will see me (hopefully, I'll be given the time off from work) attending a week-long Esperanto course in Finland at the Finnish Orthodox monastery in Heinavasi. The website states that the students are welcome to attend services with the monks when they (the students) aren't in class. What more could an esperanto-speaking Orthodox boy ask for?
I just found out this morning via email (I really love the internet) that there is to be a week-long event in Sete, France in August. Alas I won't be able to attend that one, nor will I be able to attend the Unversala Kongreso in Bjalistok due to money and vacation shortages, but I will be going to the Autuna Renkontigxo Esperantista at Lake George, NY (could this place BE any more out of the way???), so if any of my readers are at the LK or ARE, look for the guy wearing a cassock/thobe/dishdasha (a robe basically) and say Saluton. (I'll be wearing "regular" clothes in Finland so as not to be confused with any of the monks. :). )
Of course, if I ever win the lotto, I'll be spending as much as possible of a year in Esperanto immersion, so root for me!
Till next time.
Dimo
I know. I'm a bad blogger.......waiting almost two years between posts is disgraceful, I admit it.
So. For those of you waiting with bated breath for my rebuttal to the next section (regarding vocabulary) of Mr. Eddy's Esperanto "critique," well, I'm afraid you may be waiting a long, LONG time. I'm sorry, but he bores me. Whine, whine, whine, and about something he supposedly doesn't like? Obsessive, much? Plus it's such a pain with all the special formatting needed (I'm basically a lazy pig....which may explain the year and a half since my last post!)
So, here we are in January of 2009. I'm getting more involved in Lernu.net (great place!) and have rejoined the United States' national Esperanto organization (Esperanto-USA: www.esperanto-usa.org). I've also subscribed to a couple magazines and will be back to raiding the retbutiko on a monthly basis.
I'll be going to the Landa Kongreso in St. Louis; and when I told a en-Sankta-Luiso-logxanta friend of mine, who I went to college with 10 years ago, that I was going to be there and how about if I visit for a few days before the conference, imagine my surprise to find out his partner is ALSO an esperantist and will be going to the Kongreso as well! And he's teaching my friend Esperanto. Life is good.
June, I pray, will see me (hopefully, I'll be given the time off from work) attending a week-long Esperanto course in Finland at the Finnish Orthodox monastery in Heinavasi. The website states that the students are welcome to attend services with the monks when they (the students) aren't in class. What more could an esperanto-speaking Orthodox boy ask for?
I just found out this morning via email (I really love the internet) that there is to be a week-long event in Sete, France in August. Alas I won't be able to attend that one, nor will I be able to attend the Unversala Kongreso in Bjalistok due to money and vacation shortages, but I will be going to the Autuna Renkontigxo Esperantista at Lake George, NY (could this place BE any more out of the way???), so if any of my readers are at the LK or ARE, look for the guy wearing a cassock/thobe/dishdasha (a robe basically) and say Saluton. (I'll be wearing "regular" clothes in Finland so as not to be confused with any of the monks. :). )
Of course, if I ever win the lotto, I'll be spending as much as possible of a year in Esperanto immersion, so root for me!
Till next time.
Dimo
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