Get to Know Me!

What follows is a summary of some of my interests.

Languages

I speak German pretty well, and know a little French and Russian. I aspire also to learn Italian, and one of these days I plan to take the time to learn Dutch. Theoretically, Dutch should be very easy given knowledge of English and German.

I like telling jokes that involve several languages. I don't get to tell them very often enough, though.

I have a weakness for certain accents, and that's all I'm going to say about that.

I have a particular approach to learning languages. First, learn to speak English with the foreign accent. This is an easy way to learn the tricks of pronunciation and grammar. Second, learn a few basic sentence structures. Third, learn a basic vocabulary of about 1,000 words. That's enough for most self-expression, though not enough to read a newspaper (not counting tabloids).

Travel

I love travel and meeting people in new places. My most exciting trip was to Omsk, in Siberia, just after it was opened to foreigners. I've been to Cologne once or twice a year the last few years, and enjoy the Karneval there (they dress like clowns, not demons).

A few years ago I made it to Paris (finally) and loved it as much as I expected. In February I went back to "do" the Louvre. Of all big cities, I would still like to live for a while in New York City and Paris. Plenty of others to visit, though (think St. Petersburg).

Dancing

I lived in Houston, right? I took up country western dancing. That's the Texas Two-Step. I love to dance. When I started, they were even making a fair amount of country western music that I enjoyed. (Very rare these days.)

Don't dance much here lately, but I did go back to Houston for a weekend, mostly to take a few spins around the floor.

Values and priorities

Integrity is assumed.... Loving, health, personal growth, artistic expression, balance and discipline, $, fun, travel.

Jokes!
LBJ died and went to heaven (ha ha ha), Bush, writers, Descartes, Russian optimists, and more!

Pictures!
'Cuz what's a 'homepage' without pictures?