Ride the Wave

(Original date 14.März.2006)

• Reading: Texts on immigration policy


• Listening to: Mitch Hedberg: Mitch All Together: Arrows


• German Word of the Day: der Zufall


• Translation: coincidence


• Example: Reiner Zufall, dass ich den Autor gestern kennengelernt habe./Total coincidence that I met the author yesterday.

Yesterday I was wandering around a bookstore, pricing books for my literature course [13 books including "Die Blechtrommel" (The Tin Drum), the 700 page monster from Guenter Grass] when I heard someone reading downstairs. Upon closer inspection I realized that a man was reading in English and it was being translated into German. I hung around for a while because it was a pretty interesting story --"Boot Camp"-- and went up afterward to introduce myself and ask him how he liked Europe.

Kim: [...] So, how long have your books been translated into German?

Author: Well, ever since I wrote "The Wave" about twenty years ago...

Kim: You wrote "The Wave"?!? OH MY GOD! I loved that book! And the movie!

[Kim proceedes to buy "The Wave" to have Morton Rhue, aka Todd Strasser, sign it.]

So that's my exciting story for the day.