German 101

Today I got to my favourite part of learning any new language - the point when you think you know enough to "wing it." This invariably leads to catastrophe.

Looking around for an eraser, I asked my colleague a simple enough question "Hast du ein Gummi?" er, nein. Not quite - an eraser is "ein Radiergummi" Remember our German-word-arithmetic lesson from the other day

das Radiergummi = radieren (to erase) + Gummi (rubber)

Das Gummi, on the other hand, is entirely something else made of rubber. (Mother will empathize.)

I am getting used to the cordial German custom of hand-shaking - everyday someone from the lab or down the hall will pop in to wish us a good morning and formally shake each person's hand. Getting lots of practice saying Guten Morgen at least :-)

Something beautiful found in a pile of research papers today: an ancient but intricate creature called the radiolarian.
Go forth and explore the other sketches from Ernst Haeckl's 1904 Artforms of Nature. You will throw away your camera and dig out a magnifying lens.