4 Things, all unrelated
Got the notification about my raise for my current position. Much sweeter than previous year's raises. Administrative details and HR are holding up the process on the other, way sweet, sweet deal, but it is a certainty, I was told this morning while receiving my current raise.
When I'm done with this post, I'm going to head east on Sidney and see if Veruca is serving lunch yet. I read that this was supposed to begin this week. I could call, but I really need to get out of the office, and if I know they are not, I'll continue to sit here. There's a hot, humid day out there that I need to enjoy!
I've made appearances in the Post Dispatch and the RFT over the years, but last night presented me with an opportunity to appear in the Belgian press! as a taste-tester of InBev's Belgian beers. A reporter for a Belgian newspaper brought a passel of beers to the Pig and Whistle last night (accompanied by a photographer who is a native of Kirkwood, but lives in Columbia). I tried the Hoegaarden. (BTW: the Belgians say "Who-garden" but that's not as much fun to drink as "Ho-garden." Also, Flemish Belgians speak Dutch). I gave sound bites. Great ones like "This tastes, I don't know, European" and when further pressed said, "You know, this is a wheat beer. The local AB products use corn and rice as adjuncts." I should have sent him my short essay on living near the brewery. Anyway, we all had our pictures taken and I think Little N wrote down the website.
I received a summons for Grand Jury duty last night. But, I have friends in high places, and hopefully, I won't have to serve past the selection afternoon.
Submitted by christy
at 7/17/2008 1:40:45 PM- I have a friend who is just completing Grand Jury duty. She really liked it and said it was far more interesting than Petit Jury duty. The problem is that, in the city, the Grand Jury meets on the following schedule: 2 days a week, with alternate weeks meeting 3 days a week, for THREE months. When I was first notified about the possibility of this happening last year, I figured that women who have babies take 3 months off, so I could take 3 months off part-time to serve my country. But now, things are different.
Submitted by Annie
at 7/17/2008 4:59:43 PM- Had lunch at Veruca today. It was delish. Although....I had a hard time paying $8 for a salad. Need to talk to them about that.
Submitted by Kara
at 7/17/2008 5:19:32 PM- I'm also having administrative issues regarding my position right now, although I've also been told that it's a certainty.
Congrats on the sweet deal and the sweet raise. :)
Submitted by christy
at 7/18/2008 8:51:23 AM- K -- if you are still working at our shared institution, then it's probably for the same administrative reason. The Prez is in a foul mood, I hear.
A - I had the pork panini. I couldn't finish the other half. I may go back today...though I had a similar issue wrt $$.
Submitted by Annie
at 7/18/2008 12:40:35 PM- That's what we had. We shared it though. I'd pay the 8 bucks for that pork sammie...but not a mixed green salad.
Submitted by ricket
at 7/19/2008 11:37:45 PM- Flemish is a variety of Dutch. And is considered by some to be the closest relative of English. If you know English and German, as you do, learning Dutch should be a breeze, Belgian or not.
Submitted by ricket
at 7/19/2008 11:40:46 PM- Oops, I forgot about Frisian, another close relative to English. (spoken in the Netherlands)
Submitted by christy
at 7/20/2008 8:53:17 AM- Don't the Swiss have some sort of language derivative of another language or languages? Seems like I remember that from HS German...
Submitted by ricket
at 7/20/2008 4:28:19 PM- The Swiss speak French, Italian, Swiss German, and Romansh (you'll see diff spellings for that last one). I'd say that Swiss German is a "derivative" German. (my friend speaks it… nearly unintelligible to a German speaker) And Romansh is probably a "derivative" too... of Latin. (more specifically Ladin). It's probably not safe (at least around linguists) to call any language derivative though, since they are all derivative of something earlier.
Submitted by christy
at 7/21/2008 8:26:31 AM- Well, I'll consider myself lucky that I didn't get scathed this time. :-)
How come I never get called for Jury Duty? I think I'd actually enjoy it. (Maybe they know that, and that's the reason.)