April 30, 2005

in the home stretch

Coming up is the last week of classes (except for the class I teach, which ended on Thursday night; I've been procrastinating about grading their final papers).

This morning I made a "schedule" for studying Polish that will allow me to connect some things that were touched on in different ways in different chapters. I decided this was necessary based on a funny (to me) eureka moment in class this week. I asked what was the gender of Niemcy, the word for Germany. "It's not known - but it's plural so it doesn't matter," said my professor. Well, I was mystified by that - wouldn't you need to know the gender to know what adjectival endings to use? He was not really getting my question, so I flipped to the grammar summary at the back of the book, and guess what? All the plural adjective endings are the same across genders!

I had never really thought about that - I learned them by gender, and never realized they were all the same. So my mental grammar compartments have just had a merger. I suspect there are other like commonalities that will help me to reinforce what I know, and to learn what I've forgotten this term.

In other work: a paper for history and some reading lite for my proseminar. Then full speed ahead for prelims - I have to work out a plan and a schedule so that we can decide if/when to head for the E Coast for a couple of weeks in May/June, before my job "starts" on the 13th.

We also have to decide whether to sell the house. We're inclined not to, at the moment.

Also: I slept through the middle of Kung Fu Hustle last night.

Posted by otto0114 at April 30, 2005 03:05 PM
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