[dba-Tech] Languages, Thoughts and Realities

" And I had this vision of going into a graceful retirement."

Am there, doing that.  I failed to retire.  But the work is fun without the
pressure of HAVING to do it. So...it's all good. :)

R
 

-----Original Message-----
From: dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
[mailto:dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Arthur Fuller
Sent: Wednesday, January 28, 2015 5:10 PM
To: Discussion of Hardware and Software issues
Subject: [dba-Tech] Languages, Thoughts and Realities

Well, since we're all volunteers to some org or other, I am compelled to
relate a funny story. I do volunteer work at a place called St. John's
Mission, which is a modest church and shared by Greek Orthodox and Coptic
Christians. Way back when, I majored in Philosophy with a minor in Religious
Studies, and consequenly know a little about a lot of religions.
In St. John's Mission I have found some excellent company among the Fathers
of both sects, and frequently enjoy sharing meals with them, once the
volunteer part of it is done.

A week ago I shared a meal with two Chinese people, one white Canadian, one
Metis, and Father Roberto. I was chatting with the Chinese people in
Mandarin. Father Roberto was amazed. So also, I think, were the Chinese
couple: it's not to be expected that a guailo (uncivilized person) can speak
Cantonese and/or Mandarin. But anyway, that's not the point of this story.
Father Roberto, a genuinely beautiful man, asked me to teach him and the
other Fathers some basic Cantonese and Mandarin (well, actually, his request
was "Can you teach us some Chinese?", at which point I had to point out that
there are about 250 dialects, but for the most part in Toronto we can reduce
it to three: Cantonese, Mandarin and Hakka.

So anyway, here I am, a white boy from Winnipeg, teaching Greek Orthodox and
Egyptian Copts the basics of Mandarin and Cantonese. Only in Canada, you
might say. And I had this vision of going into a graceful retirement.
LOL.

As Michael Corleone said, "I keep trying to get out, but they keep dragging
me back in."

I guess that there's just no chance of retiring. Gonna work until I can't
work any more, and that's that.

And to make matters worse, now I've got teenage puppies asking me about
HTML5.

I need a new pharmaceutical called DamnItol.

A.

--
Arthur
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