Directionless

[muckefuck]

Last night, I thought I might be dining out with friends (and it might've been better if I had, since I ended up making some poor food choices on my own) so I was killing time in E-ton as I waited to hear from them. I grabbed a bagel from Panera (alas! the XXXtreme cutie I discovered working there on Tuesday was nowhere to be found) and found a lovely street corner to munch it on. People were out, music was playing (Chef's Station, across the street, had hired a jazz combo to serenade the outdoor diners which weren't there), the breeze was blowing, the sun was setting.

Two middle-class teenagers of different races came up to me and one asked, "How far is it to Wilmette?"

"What do you mean? You mean to walk?"

"Yeah. A mile?"

I hemmed. I admit, I really suck at being asked to give directions. Perhaps you could call it a form of performance anxiety, but when someone asks me out of the blue how to get someplace, I suddenly become terribly unsure of facts I would spout in all confidence if I were directing someone to a place I'd thought of first. Like later than evening, spookyfruit asked me where Wellington was. I know exactly where this street is; I used to get off at the Wellington stop on the El all the time. But when he said, "Where do I want to get off the Drive for Wellington? Fullerton?" all that knowledge was wiped from my mind and no amount of straining would restore it. I just stammered like a jackass as he answered his own question.

So it was here. I know where Wilmette is; I've been there a couple of times. But I also know I have a tendency to confuse it with That Other Super Expensive North Shore Suburb What Begins With 'W', so I was stricken with doubt. I ended up saying:

"Maybe more like two. The train goes there, though."

"Which one?"

(The El, you jackass! The train you ride every day! The last station is Wilmette! You've even been there before!) "Uh..." Looking over the tykes head, I saw the Metra station looming. "The Metra goes there."

"What's the stop? Is there more than one?"

"Maybe. What part do you need to get to?"

"Oh, just anywhere in Wilmette."

Comments

[dream-labyrinth.livejournal.com]

Well, that usually is the last part of the answer. It can range from a few meters to a few kilometers, but it is usually correct. *g*
How long have you been in Germany?

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

Ich bin nicht im Deutschland.

[dream-labyrinth.livejournal.com]

F**k grammar
I know. What I meant was How long had you been in Germany.
*frown* Is that correct now?

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

Depends what you're trying to say. The most normal way to refer to be fixed period of time in the past is with the simple preterite, i.e. "How long were you in Germany?" Using perfect tenses in English emphasises the present result of a past action. "How long have you been Germany?" implies that you're there now. "How long had you been in Germany?" implies that you're referring to an event which took place in the past. For instance, "How long had you been in Germany when you met her?" (This can only mean that you met her during your stay in Germany. Cf. "How long were you in Germany before you met her?"; the meeting could've taken place in Germany or elsewhere.)

Ich war nur ein Jahr dort.

[dream-labyrinth.livejournal.com]

Sometimes, it is the easiest things that don't come to mind. Of course, what I wanted to ask was "How long were you in Germany." Anyway, thanks for figuring that out even with my messed-up grammar. *g*
One year sounds like quite a long time to live in a foreign countr, though. And not at all common for Americans, I think. Not like Germans who go to America for Au pair work all the time. (What's so great about taking care of other people's brats children?)

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

Tell me about it. It felt like a solid twelve months!

[dream-labyrinth.livejournal.com]

What did you do these twelve months? Taking care of other people's kids??

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

Ich muss lachen! Ich, Au-Pair?

Damals hab ich an der Uni studiert. Dazu bin ich ein bisschen herumgereist.

[dream-labyrinth.livejournal.com]

*gg*
Every post triggers new questions. So here goes:
Which Uni? What did you study? Where did you travel?
Ever been to Eastern Germany?

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

1. Albert-Ludwigs-Universität
2. Sprachwissenschaft
3. Die Schweiz, Frankreich, Spanien, die Niederlande, Grossbritannien, Tschechei, Italien
4. Berlin, Rügen und Usedom

[dream-labyrinth.livejournal.com]

Thanks. And... No, I'll stop now. Bothered you enough.