Happy Thanksgiving, continued

I was tempted to reference Christmas in the heading for this post, but resisted - never mind that it's now less than a month away.

Soon the Christmas ships begin four weeks of evening parades, a welcome brightening of our dark season. Many participating boats live in marinas along the lake below this building, so we get extra chances to check out their colorful decorations. Grand finale happens December 23 at Gasworks Park, at the north end of the lake. That night so many boats crowd close to shore that it looks, from here, as if you could walk right across the lake without getting wet.

Listening to NPR on the aftermath of the carnage in Mumbai, I realize that since 9/11 I've grown used to hearing an interesting group of international commentators from the Middle East and elsewhere. A few speak the measured, precise English that most Americans can't manage any more - others are more difficult to follow. It's all good ear training.

In Transylvania, we become de facto English tutors for our interpreters (especially for the ones whose English teachers give them time off because "you'll learn more from working with the Americans.") It's true - we correct past participles, tangled syntax and pronunciation when we can, all the while complimenting these ambitious 17 and 18-year-olds on their proficiency. I think English must be a fiendish language to learn, but our Hungarian/Romanian speakers just laugh and assure us that French and German (which they also study) are MUCH more difficult.