My Workout Routine and Results

This is just an entry to mark my progress, and maybe help others through example. I currently workout twice a week for about 1.5 hours each session.

Routine:
I manage to work all major muscle groups in two days. The exercises are complementary in that the movements designed to work one muscle group also use the other muscle groups that are worked the same day. For example when you bench press, although it is pec focused, you are also using your delts and triceps.

• Day 1 is pecs, deltoids, triceps
  
  • Bench press sets
    
    • 12 reps @ 135lbs
    • 8 reps @ 185lbs
    • 5 reps @ 225lbs (3 sets)
    • 20 reps @ 135lbs
      
  • Seated shoulder press sets
    
    • 8 reps @ 135lbs (3 sets)
  • Forward dumbbell raises (alternating arms during set)
    
    • 16 reps @ 35lbs (3 sets)
  • Side dumbbell raises (weight in each hand)
    
    • 16 reps @ 35lbs (3 sets)
  • Fixed bar pulley skull crushers
    
    • 12 reps @ 150lbs (3 sets)
      
      
• Day 2 is biceps, lats, traps, quads, hams, glutes, calfs
  
  • Pullups
    
    • 10 pullups (2 sets)
  • Standing dumbbell curls (alternating arms during set)
    
    • 16 reps @ 40lbs (4 sets)
  • Standing one handed preacher curls (alternating arms during set)
    
    • 16 reps @ 30lbs (1 set)
  • Shrugs (dumbbell in each hand so divide total weight by 2)
    
    • 24 reps @ 150 lbs (4 sets)
  • Wide grip pull down
    
    • 8 reps @ 200 lbs (2 sets)
    • 16 reps @ 140lbs (1 set)
  • Machine assisted hack squat (Squating low)
    
    • 12 reps @ 400lbs (1 set)
  • Cardio (Treadmill, Alternating Intervals)
    
    • 3 min @ speed 3.4, elev 0
    • 3 min @ speed 7.0, elev 1
    • 3 min @ speed 3.4, elev 0
    • 3 min @ speed 7.0, elev 1
    • 3 min @ speed 3.4, elev 0

I could do more for my legs, but I hate how tired it makes me feel for the days that follow.

Supplements:
I had alot of new supplements recently donated to me, so I mixed 3 different canisters together which consisted of the following:

• GNC Soy Protien 95
• GNC Distance
• American Whey

I mix one scoop into 8 ounces of whole milk and drink half of it 45 minutes before my workout and half directly after. I feel like the soy protien gives me a little more energy for some reason.

Baseline:
I used a tape measure to get my initial measurements. These can be used to track my progress. I was measured with a caliper in 2007 at 184lbs to have 17% body fat, but the accuracy of these tests vary.

9/14/08
Weight 179lbs
Right Arm 14.75" (Flexed)
Left Arm 14.00" (Flexed)
Waist 34.00" (After breakfast)

2 month check:
I really need to be more strict about when I weigh and measure myself. First thing in the morning before eating and after visiting the bathroom would be the ideal time. Still, I think I have made some actual progress.

11/23/08
Weight 180lbs
Right Arm 15.00" (Flexed)
Left Arm 14.50" (Flexed)
Waist 34.25" (After breakfast, lunch, and dinner)

Targets:
16" arms, maintain 180lbs, bench 300lbs

Update - 09/03/09:
Right Arm 15.50" (Flexed)
Left Arm 15.00" (Flexed)
Weight 176lbs

My wide grip pulldown weight went up to 220lbs.

After much soul searching, I've decided to give up on my 300lb bench. As I make attempts for 280lbs, my lower back hurts for several days after. I can also feel aches and pains that I never felt before as I continue ageing into my 30's.

I also remember pressing over 1100lbs on the leg press at age 29 and breaking a rib and ripping my groin. I really don't need another experience like that..

For me, my long term health is more important than being able to say I could move a certain amount of weight. So my new plan is to get my weight down between 170-175, and keep my arms between 15-16". Then just maintain that for as long as I can.

Reinhardt Family Research

-This article is still under development. Please check back for updates-

Introduction:

This is the start of an article I'm writing about one of my forefathers that was fairly easy to track. He's one of the reasons I decided to learn German. While I was trying to decide which 2nd language I wanted to learn, I found all this historical information about my family (I have many Germanic ancestors on both sides). With old letters available to translate, and needing archive searches overseas, picking German was an easy choice to make. Now I have two hobbies: learning German, and researching history.

(He's the one with the mustache - circa 1908)

The focus of my research:

It's all centered around Herr Carl FW Reinhard. I find that ancestry research is the easiest if you simply research a single person until you encounter too many dead leads to move on. At time of writing I still haven't run out of leads to pursue for him.

• German name was Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Reinhard - Ref: Marienkirche in Hanau

• American alias was Charles "Chas" FW Reinhardt - Ref: US Naturalization Papers

• Born: 1/16/1858 – Ref: US Naturalization Papers, Marienkirche in Hanau

• Born in Hanau Germany – Ref: 1920 US Census

• 5' 4" tall - Ref: 1908 US Dept of State document

• Mother and father born in Hanau Germany – Ref: 1920 US Census

• Died: 10/17/1937 in his home on 18 Bayside Ave, Pawtuxet Warwick RI - Ref: Providence Journal Death Notice

• Arrived in US: 10/4/1881 through New York– Ref: 1920 US Census

• Naturalized: 5/14/1890 at Providence district court – Ref: US Naturalization Papers

• Occupation in the US: Jewelry manufacturer (Goldschmied?) (Reinhardt manufacturing, woven wire chains) – Ref: Toy
  
  • Occupation in Germany: Goldarbeiter (Goldworker) - Ref: Meldebüchern
  • From a RIGS researcher:
    "a city directory from 1912 shows that Reinhardt Mfg was located at 167 Dorrance Street and that Charles H. and William O. Reinhardt also worked there. What was 167 Dorrance Street in the early 1900s is now the site of the Garrahy Judicial Complex, home to Rhode Island District, Family and Workers Compensation Courts. It is on the edge of the city's Jewelry District. In the late 1700s, Nehemiah Dodge of Providence figured out a way to bond a thin layer of gold to less expensive metals, giving rise to the costume jewelry industry. For all but a decade or two of the last 200 years, Rhode Island has been the world capital of the costume jewelry industry. While I can't say what prompted FW to migrate to Providence, it was a logical place for a goldsmith to be."
    
  
  
• Starting in 4/11/1864 he attended the Hanauer Knabenfreischule (Hanau Public School for Boys, sometimes freischule was a school for poor children). The school was renamed 10/1/1864 to Knabenbürgerschule II (State School for Boys, the rename to include the word "bürger" indicates a focus on prepping the pupils for a trade rather than college). In August 1866 he left the school for reasons unknown and went to Dettingen (Baden-Wuerttemberg). In 3/8/1870 he returned to the Knabenbürgerschule.
  
  
• His mother died in her home at 25 Schützenstraße. His father died in the Landkrankenhaus (Rural Hospital). The cause of death was not recorded for either parent, and there are no known plagues or disasters in 1871 that were suspected of killing them.
  
  
• In 1871, the grandparents were already dead. According to a local historian in Hanau, the children most likely lived with their Uncle Kaspar Reinhard (Born 3/30/1828 in Hanau and
  died 12/7/1877 in Hanau). He was a Goldarbeiter or Bronceur and lived at 39 Steinheimer Straße und at 10 Kölnischen Straße among others.
  
  
• Around 1877, FW lived with Daniel Seitz (Gärtner/Gardener) at 19 Hospitalstraße in Hanau. On 2/16/1877 he announced moving to Frankfurt. Later he lived with his brother Heinrich at 13 Lothringer Gasse in Hanau and then on 11/24/1879 he again announced moving to Frankfurt. After that he lived again with Heinrich at the Hanauer Vorstadt Nr. 3 and announced leaving for Frankfurt on 3/23/1880. Hanau had no other records of his location past 1880.

• Heinrich Reinhard was a Diamantschleifer (Diamond polisher) and Goldarbeiter (Gold worker). He married on 3/11/1877 (evangelisch-reformiert) in Hanau to Susanne
  Elisabeth Simon. She was born on 3/9/1855 in Mittelbuchen and was
  the daughter of the Ackermanns Johann Michael Simon and Anna Margarethe
  (Schmidt). Mittelbuchen has been since 1974 a district of Hanau.
  
  Heinrich and Susanne Elisabeth Reinhard had 2 children:
  
  Marie Luise Mathilde * 7/23/1877
  Karl Friedrich Wilhelm * 4/29/1879
  
  The godfather of Karl Friedrich Wilhelm was his uncle Karl Friedrich
  Wilhelm Reinhard.
  
  Heinrich Reinhard lived at Vorstadt Nr. 15. On 3/14/1892 he was registered as moving his entire family to Frankfurt. The Meldebücher after 1894 were burned in the war, und thereby it cannot be known if they ever returned to Hanau.
  

Siblings:

• Ludwig Heinrich Friedrich - 5/28/1863 (Survived WWII living in Germany)
  

• Mathilde Henriette Maria - 5/16/1854 (His only living sister)
  

• Heinrich - 3/29/1856

• Johann Karl August Simon - 1/15/1861

• Caroline Christine Leopoldine - 5/25/1865 to 8/5/1865 (Died as an infant)
  

• Karl Otto - 6/21/1866
  
  

Parents:

• His Parents were married on 3/13/1854.
  
• Father: Johann(es) Heinrich Reinhard born 11/27/1819 and died 10/3/1871 - Ref: Marienkirche in Hanau
  
  • He was a Zigarrenmacher (Cigar maker) and Aufseher (Supervisor) in der Zigarrenfabrik F.L. Vollbracht.
  • His parents Caspar Reinhard and Susanne Schäfer married on 9/25/1815.

• Mother: Maria Amalie Baacke born 4/25/1830 and died 4/16/1871 - Ref: Marienkirche in Hanau
  
  • Her parents Heinrich Baacke and Maria Amalie Heiderich married on 7/9/1813.

• Grandfather (Paternal): Caspar Reinhard
  
  • He was a Seidenstrumpfweber (Silkweaver?).
  
  
• Grandmother (Paternal): Susanne Schäfer
  
  • She was the daughter of Ludwig Schäfer from Niederrodenbach.
    
    
• Grandfather (Maternal): Heinrich Baacke
  
  • He was a Schneidermeister (Master tailor)
    
  • Son of Bernhard Ludwig Baacke from Niederrodenbach.
  
  
• Grandmother (Maternal): Maria Amalie Heiderich
  
  • She was the daughter of the Caffamachers (Coffee Roasters?) Johann Heiderich aus Hanau.

(Niederrodenbach is about 10km east of Hanau.)

(Pedigree Chart)

Wife and her Family:

Anna Hermina (Lippold)
Born: Feb 1867 in Connecticut – Ref: 1900 US Census
Died: 1952– Need Ref

Married: August 8th 1884 – Need Ref

Father: Henry Lippold - 1826 - born in Germany (Saxony)
Occupation: Blacksmith - Ref: 1880 US Census
He could read but could not write - Ref: 1880 US Census

Mother: Louisa W. Rumph – Jan 1833 - born in Germany (HessenDarmstadt)
Filed as head of household in 1900 without Henry
Occupation: "Keeping house" (Homemaker?)

Children:

• William Otto (5/19/1885)
  
• Charles Herbert (1/16/1887 - 1969) (Same birthday as FW!)
  
• Annie Louise (10/18/1888 - 4/6/1965)
• Theresa Selma (8/1890)
  
• Emma Alma (3/1892 - 1963) (Went blind?)
  
• Ernest Edward (11/21/1893 - 1976) (Emmett's father)
• Louisa Freida (2/1895 - 1994)
• Otto Arthur (1/1899 - 1952)
• Henry George (1902 - 1985) (American WWI veteran?)
  
• Walter Raymond (1906 - 1975)
  

Other info: (Ref: Toy and Unverified Documents)

• He went deaf in his later years

• He was known to be cold and aristocratic

• There may have been Reinhardts that owned a pub in Frankfurt.
  

• Anna and FW conversed in German

• He liked automobiles (Cadillacs and DeSotos)

• He had one sister in Cranston/Providence (Hermina/Mina?)

• Mina had a daughter named Clara

• He may have had a brother named Frederick who may have lived in New England

• He had 3 other brothers in Germany named Fritz (born 1863), Heinrich (had a grandson and a grand daughter that were siblings), and Otto

• Heinrich had a grandson that served in WWII (I'm assuming Heinrich's children all lived in Germany)

• Clothes were sent to the surviving Reinhardt’s after WWII (According to a 1948 letter)

• His brother Fritz called him "Wilhelm" (According to a 1948 letter)

• He raised his children episcopalian, but he had church records at Marienkirche Hanau

• Married Anna Hermina Lippold August 8th 1884 (A first gen American, although parents were both German)
  

Historical facts:

• American civil war (1861-1865)

• Germany controlled by William I + Otto Von Bismarck (1862-1888)

• Prussia annexes Kurhessen (1866)
  

• Germany unites as a country (1871)

• Germany annexes France and demands indemnity payments, ending the Franco-Prussian war (1871)

• Bismarck fights against Catholic political resistance (1871-1876)

• Germany’s 2nd Reich (1871-1918)

• German economic crash - gruenderzeit bubble burst (1873-1896)

• The Goldmark (officially: just Mark) became the new currency of Germany (1873 - 1914)

• Bismarck bans socialist activities following two attempts on the life of emperor William I(1878)

• Tariffs and an increase in indirect taxes were introduced in Germany to favor protectionism (1879)
  

• Edison’s first public display of incandescent lighting in America (Dec 31^st 1879)

• America controlled by president Rutherford B. Hayes and briefly in 1881 by James Garfield (1877-1881)

• America controlled by president Chester Arther (1881-1885)

• Benz designs and builds the world's first automobile in Germany (1885)
  

• Ellis Island immigration station opened in America (Jan 2^nd 1892)

• US declares war on Germany (April 1917)
  
  • Males born 1872-1900 were registered for the WWI draft
    

• Armistice signed between Germany and allies (Nov 1918)

• In 1880-1890 most workers in MA worked 10h per day and made $3 or less per day. (Closest state to RI I could find data for) - Ref: Wholesale Prices, Wages, and Transportation - By United States Congress
  
  • A decent loaf of bread cost about 5 cents in the early 1890s
  
  
• The 1880's - The "new immigration" period brought many people from Germany and other parts of Europe to the U.S. to escape from a devastating economic situation. The rise of steamships and ocean liners made this possible. A record 250,000 Germans came to the states in 1882 alone. - Ref: German National Tourist Office

Artifacts:

A. His family wrote him a letter in 1909 from Frankfurt am Main

• The letter appears to have been written by the daughter of his sister Mathilde, who was also named Mathilde? (signed Mathilde Rias ..... you can try to read the last name in the image below)
• FW had requested that his sister Mathilde come to live with him in America, but this letter is a reply stating that they prefer she stay where she is at age 55. "In the end we three persons had the opinion that she should stay here, because it’s a big and onerous journey for her"
• The letter states there was a horrible flood in Frankfurt, and they included some pictures
• The letter states Mathilde's husband "August" died in January
  

(Envelope front)

(Envelope back)

(The part of the letter describing the flood)

(A pic of the flood)

(The author's signature)

(Frankfurt am Main is about 20km west of Hanau. The letter also mentions meeting people in Sachsenhausen.)

(The letter mentions that Mathilde had business dealings on Hedderichstrasse)

B. He took a trip to Germany and back with his wife Anna in 1908.

• Cruise vessel “Königin Luise” took Charles and his wife Anna from the US to Germany in March 1908.
• Cruise vessel “Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse” took Charles and his wife Anna from Bremen Germany to NY in May 1908

(A menu from the return to America)

(A menu from the trip to Germany)

(The actual ship manifest for the return to America)

(A pic of Kaiser Wilhelm Der Grosse)

C. His petition for citizenship (heard and granted in 1890)

(Reproduced from NARA Boston - District court of Rhode Island)

D. The 1920 census

(Town of Warwick, Kent County, Rhode Island, Enum Dist 19, Sheet 16)

E. A 1948 coin from Hessen, which was recently donated to me by my mother. It was most likely passed down from one of FW's children. This was probably what FW's father used in Hanau as currency.

Here's some info on the coin which I haven't fully translated or validated yet:
"Das 3-Heller-Stück kommt, wie es ja auch draufsteht aus Kurhessen, das mit Darmstadt rein gar nichts zu tun hatte. Kurhessen war das Kurfürstentum Hessen-Kassel, Residenz war logischerweise Kassel und sein damaliger Landesherr war Kurfürst Wilhelm II. und sein Sohn Friedrich Wilhelm. Kurhessen wurde nach dem Krieg 1866 von Preußen annektiert. Das Land hatte drei Prägestätten: Kassel, Clausthal und Lippoldsberg. Da auf dem 3-Heller-Stück aber kein Prägebuchstabe zu sehen ist, kann man auch nicht feststellen, in welcher der drei Prägestätten das Stück gefertigt wurde. Auflagezahlen sind nicht bekannt, dürften aber erfahrungsgemäß in die Hunderttausende gehen. Darmstadt hingegen war die Residenzstadt des Großherzogtums Hessen, auch Hessen-Darmstadt bezeichnet. Dort regierte zum selben Zeitpunkt Großherzog Ludwig II."

"The Thaler was the currency of the Landgravate, then Electorate of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel) until 1858. Until 1807, the Thaler was subdivided into 32 Albus, each of 12 Heller. It was worth three quarters of a Conventionsthaler.Between 1807 and 1813, the Westphalian Thaler and Westphalian Frank circulated in Hesse-Kassel. The Thaler and Heller were reintroduced in 1813, but without the Albus (the last coins denominated in Albus were issued in 1782). Thus, 384 Heller = 1 Thaler. In 1819, the Thaler was set equal to the Prussian Thaler. In 1841, a new currency system was introduced, dividing the Thaler into 30 Silbergroschen, each of 12 Heller. The Thaler was replaced at par by the Vereinsthaler."

(This picture shows an identical coin from a different year in much better shape)

F. FW's birth record from the Taufbuch Marienkirche (evangelisch - reformiert) Hanau

Ort and Tag der Taufe = Place and day of baptism/christening.

(The script is really hard to read, but I had an expert verify it. I'm still analyzing the record for other clues)

G. A 1909 newspaper article containing information about some property FW owned.

"New Park Commission Purchase" (Newport Daily News – Wed July 21 1909)

Through the purchase of 12 house lots between Smith street and Bay View street, in the Edgewood section just south of the Providence city ????, the Metropolitan Park Commission has obtained the key to the situation so far as the development of it’s new Edgewood Beach reservation is concerned. Owing to various legal complications the purchase of this particular tract, which just out like a bay windows into the land previously acquired, seemed hopeless for a time although it was clearly recognized as the natural and proper site for the bathing pavilion, with accommodations for (5?)00 bath houses, and other connected structures which the executive committee of the Park Commission and their landscape advisers had projected. The property, however, finall came into complete possession of Charles F.W. Reinhardt, one of the three mortgages of the estate of the late Gustave Wendish, and other legal complications, which involved the occupancy of about 100 bath houses by Mrs. Minna Thoeme, who conducts business at the beach, and the claims of several heirs who live near Dresden Germany, were at last untangled. Mr. Reinhardt was enabled to turn the property over to the commission with no encumbrance except the provision that Mrs. Thomas* shall be permitted to continue the business of catering to the wants of a certain portion of the public for two years longer. The commission is glad to have her do this, as it provides a much needed accommodation which could not otherwise be immediately supplied.

*Did the newspaper make an error here and actually meant to print Thoeme?

H. FW's death certificate

(Indicates he retired in 1924)

Resources:

• NARA Waltham, MA - Good for finding citizenship papers and other info

• The Ellis Island Foundation - Has searchable ship manifests

• The church of LDS - Their libraries have a wealth of information, and also offer things like free ancestry.com census searches

• Ancestry dot com - If you have the money, this is the quickest way to find good data fast!
  

• Google Earth - Lets you find almost any place on the planet, even in other languages.

• Google Translate - Not perfect, but very useful for both cut and paste translation along with full web page translation.

• GenealogyJ - A free GED viewer. (family trees, timelines, etc)

Book plans
I'd like to eventually put all this loose data into a book of some kind as a keepsake for my family. I'll use this section to jot down my ideas.

• Use google book search to help reinforce my reference section (niche history sometimes requires rare books)
  
• Put all the artifacts in the appendix section as complete as possible (meaning the full raw text)
• Use the cafepress self-publish service?
  
  • http://www.cafepress.com/cp/info/sell/books.aspx
  • 7.5 x 9.25 Technical Manual, Perfect Bound, Color Cover/BW Pages
    
• The book cover can be a collage of family photos, state seals, and location photos
• Time period will cover 1858-1937 as it follows FW
• Remember to thank those that helped from NARA and the Hanau Archives.
• Include digital version of the book with the book on CD/Flash drive? Include URL to blog version of book?
• Kurz Selbstbiografie
• List the age of the characters for reference as events are explained.
• Include pedigree chart
• Find out how long it took to travel from Bremen to NY by steamship. How long between Hanau and Frankfurt by train.
• Make selbstbiografie more of a foward and explain all the nationalities in me
  
• Have appendix of addresses mentioned
• Include other appendices and think of other useful ways to chop up the data
• Include emails and letters from all German archiv in the appendix
• Resize all photos 7.5 x 9.25
  

Questions to be answered (and todo list):

• What happened to the Reinhardt children living in Germany? Can the family tree be traced forward to find living relatives that might have more information? (I'm hoping to find a great-grand-child between 80-95 years old) Heinrich had a son that may have lived in Bad-Nauheim 7/8/1948.
  

• Who else lived in Frankfurt related to Mathilde and where did they live? Who signed the 1909 letter? (Can we find records of the January 1909 death of Mathilde's husband August?)
  

• What did FW take for money in 1881 and how did he convert it to US currency?

• Did the Reinhard family speak Hessisch? (In addition to Hochdeutsch?)

• What was FW doing in Frankfurt 1877-1880? Who did he know that lived there? (The Hanau archive speculates that he might have moved around because of joining the military or perhaps for his occupation)
  

• What became of Heinrich's life in Frankfurt? Is there information about his marriage, children, and death? (Born 3/29/1856)

• Did his brother Friedrich have a daughter named Mina?

• Was Mina (Thieme) really FW's sister? (Born 1859, and ran bathhouses at Edgewood beach.)

• Which other Reinhardt's other than FW came to live in America?
  

• How did FW amass his wealth? Did he inherit money from his parents/uncle?

• Are there any living Reinhardts in the US that might be able to help with research?

• Is there any evidence to support that FW killed Mr. Taylor in Slocum with his car? Rumor says he then put his car in the barn and never drove it again.

• Are we connected to the Reinhards that built the Reinhardskirche (Hanau Grafschaft)?
  Some searching can be done here:
  http://wiki-de.genealogy.net/index.php/Datenbanken

• Find info about the Reinhardts in Frankfurt 1877-1910
  
  • Information about their business?
  • Historical photos?
  • Reference 1909 address, Heinrich's move to Frankfurt with his family(3/14/1892), August's 1909 death.
  • Get economic information for the timeperiod 1877-1892 (Frankfurt, Hanau, and Rhode Island)
• More clues of photos in the "Henry A.L. Brown" collection? (Henry might still be alive, but how do I contact him?)
  http://mygfna.com/History.html
  
• FW's son William Reinhardt (JR) took over the American jewelry business (Any records with clues?) (Peerless Margarine)
  
• Get original 1948 letter from Heinrich's grandchild.
  
• Did FW buy a farm in 1927 in North Kingstown (Kingston?)
• What was the Reinhardt family connection with the Herkimil diamond?
• Check for google earth photos for any of the historic streets mentioned in the Hanau documents.
  
• He probably needed some horse drawn transportation in 1877-1880 for all his moving around, but was rail also available?
• From the mitgliederliste des ADAV: Johann and Otto Reinhard were both a Zigarrenarbeiter at age 13 and 8 respectively?
• Did his family send him away in 1866 due to Prussia's annexation of Kurhessen?
• Need more info about the history of his brothers Johann and Karl.
• What did toys look like and what did people eat in Hanau 1855-1865?
  
• What did toys look like and what did people eat in Rhode Island 1885-1905?
• Find other historical facts (Telephone, Film, Prohibition, Female voting)
• Research the Reinhardt kids in the US. (Otto Arthur, etc)
  

-This article is still under development. Please check back for updates-

Transition from mental translation to instant comprehension

Something interesting happened today, I was listening to a German talk show when suddenly I realized that I wasn't translating it to english in my mind before understanding it. It took 3 years of moderate immersion in the language for this to happen, and a lot of practice went into it, but things finally just clicked into place.

I look forward to breakthroughs like these because they always make me feel like all the work I've put in was well worth it. :-)

Learning German - tips and shortcuts

After 3 years of teaching myself German, I've decided to publish some shortcuts and tips that I've learned along the way.

1. Adjectives and Grammar - There are obviously a lot of rules in German grammar that intimidate many of the people attempting to learn the language. In English you would say "I would like the red apple", but it German it would be "Ich moechte den roten Apfel". In this example der becomes den and rot becomes roten. However, what I have found is that you can usually skip it and the audience will still understand what you're writing/saying. For example, you could simply say "Ich moechte der rote Apfel" and most would understand you. I've found that simply adding an "e" to the end of any adjective seems to work, but remember that there is no ending if the adjective is used at the end of the sentence ie: "Der Apfel ist rot".

One thing to keep in mind on this trick is that even though they understand you, adding an"e" to every adjective often results in a sentence that can be understood but still sounds wrong. However I think this shortcut is valuable because it leaves me free to learn more important things like how to properly construct a sentence, when to use du, dich, or dir and how to conjugate my verbs. One example of proper sentence construction is the translation of "I remember", which in German it would be "ich erinnere mich". There are countless examples like this where unless you know which words need to accompany the verb, your listener will be left hanging waiting for you to complete the sentence.

2. Word Gender - This is a new concept for English speakers. How can a objects like tables (in this case male - der tisch) have a sex? In English we simply use "the" for everything. The answer is, there is no logical way to do it so you have to memorize the sex (male-der, female-die, neuter-das) that goes with the word. However, every plural word I've seen uses "die". This means you could in theory always use the plural form of what you're trying to say and then in turn could always use "die". Even better, the plural form of a noun in German often doesn't even use "die" in the sentence ie: "Ich mag Aepfel". This is exactly how plural nouns function in English ie: "I eat apples."

3. Word pronunciation - My best tip here is to immerse yourself in listening to native speakers everyday. Watch TV and movies in German, listen to music in German, and try to repeat back what you hear. At first all the words will seem to run together and sound like gibberish, but eventually you'll be able to hear and separate each word. You won't understand everything right away and that is ok! After 3 years, I can listen to something and write down what was said even if I didn't already know all the words that were used. I feel that German spelling rules were easier to learn than English because they seem to have less exceptions.

4. Verbs - Verb tables are your friend! There's really no way around memorizing a lot of verbs. Fortunately most past tense forms end in "t" or "en" and most future tense forms end in "en", but there are exceptions. There's quite a few different tenses for each verb, but I've found just using the past, present and future tenses are enough. If you memorize nothing else, make sure you learn all the forms of "haben" and "werden"!

5. Ob and Wenn - They seem similar to an english speaker that's used to having only one word for "if". Here's some examples to help clarify when to use which one.

If it is going to rain by tomorrow, (I don't know yet.), i will stay at home.
(Wenn es morgen regnet (Ich weiß aber nicht, ob es morgen regnen wird), dann bleibe ich zuhause.)

By a rule of thumb i'd say, whenever you can construct a sentence by using "whether" in English, it is safe to use "ob" in German.

I don't know, whether you (will) understand this.
Ich weiß nicht, ob Du das verstehst.

6. Don't be scared to try! - Of course you'll sound horrible the first few years, but you'll NEVER improve unless you practice. Most of the German people I've met had a lot of patience and were very kind to me as I struggled to speak and understand what was said.

That's it for now, I'll post more as I think of it. :-)

Silbermond - In zeiten wie diesen (translation)

Here's a translation I did for Silbermond's song "In zeiten wie diesen". You've probably figured out by now that I'm a big Silbermond fan.. ;-)

Please comment if you find any mistakes please!

German to English translation (Deutsch nach Englisch)

Warum sind wir hier
*Why are we here
Sind wir hier um Egoist zu sein
*Are we here to be egoist
Bis der Neid eskaliert
*Until the envy escalates
Nein dafür sind wir nicht hier
*No, we're not here for that

Ich frag mich, ist es wahr
*I ask myself, is it true
Sind wir hier um uns abzuknalln
*Are we here to blow ourselves away
Um uns mit Blut zu beschmiern
*in order to smear ourselves with blood
Nein dafür sind wir nicht hier
*No, we're not here for that

In Zeiten wie diesen
*In times like these
Ist es Zeit neu anzufangen
*It's time to begin anew
Denn aus Zeiten wie diesen
*Because from times like these
Gibt es keinen Notausgang
*There is no emergency exit
Wir haben längst schon bewiesen
*We've long since proven
Dass wir die Kraft haben
*That we have the power
Mauern zu Fall zu bring´
*to bring down walls
Lasst es uns beschließen
*Let's conclude
In Zeiten wie diesen...
*In times like these...

Warum sind wir hier
*Why are we here
Sind wir hier um Nazi zu sein
*Are we here to be Nazis
und nicht aus Fehlern zu lernen
*and not to learn from mistakes
Nein dafür sind wir nicht hier
*No, we're not here for that

Es ist mir nicht klar
*it's not clear to me
Sind wir hier um zu zerstören
*are we here to destroy
Dich mich und den rest der Welt
*you, me, and the rest of the world
Nein dafür sind wie nicht hier
*No, we're not here for that

In Zeiten wie diesen
*In times like these
Ist es Zeit neu anzufangen
*It's time to begin anew
Denn aus Zeiten wie diesen
*Because from times like these
Gibt es keinen Notausgang
*There is no emergency exit
Wir haben längst schon bewiesen
*We've long since proven
Dass wir die Kraft haben
*That we have the power
Mauern zu Fall zu bring´
*to bring down walls
Lasst es uns beschließen
*Let's conclude
In Zeiten wie diesen...
*In times like these...

Sind wir hier um unsere Seelen gegen geld zu taschen
*Are we here to exchange our souls for money
und um Gott zu spieln
*and to play god

Wir erschießen uns für schwarzes Gold
*We shoot ourselves for black gold
Sind Kamikazeflieger, sind wir dafür hier
*are kamikaze pilots, are we here for that

Nein dafür sind wir nicht hier
*No, we're not here for that
Nein dafür sind wir nicht hier
*No, we're not here for that
Nein dafür sind wir nicht hier
*No, we're not here for that
Wir sind hier um Mensch zu sein
*we're here to be human beings

In Zeiten wie diesen
*In times like these
Ist es Zeit neu anzufangen
*It's time to begin anew
Denn aus Zeiten wie diesen
*Because from times like these
Gibt es keinen Notausgang
*There is no emergency exit
In Zeiten wie diesen
*In times like these
halten wir uns fest
*we hold ourselves tight
In Zeiten wie diesen
*In times like these
stirbt die Hoffnung zuletzt
*hope is the last to die
dass auch Zeiten wie diese
*that even times like these
irgendwann zu Ende sind
*are to end sometime

In Zeiten wie diesen
*In times like these
Gibt es keinen Notausgang
*There is no emergency exit
In Zeiten wie diesen
*In times like these
fängt alles bei mir an
*everything begins with me

Silbermond - An Dich (translation)

Here's a translation I did for Silbermond's song "An Dich".

German to English translation (Deutsch nach Englisch)

An dich, ging jede Zeile, die ich jemals schrieb
*To you, went every line that I ever wrote
Und um dich, dreht sich mein Gesicht
*And my face turns around you
Schweissueberstroemt lieg ich im bett und kann nicht mehr
*dripping with sweat I lie in bed and can't anymore
Dich nicht mehr sehen, verstehen, wie es so weit kam
*can't see you anymore, understand, how it came so far

Doch nun bin ich bereit fuer ne neue Zeit
*Yes now I'm ready for a new time

Vergiss mich, dreh dich nicht um
*Forget me, don't turn around
lass mich hier stehen
*leave me here standing
Du wirst sehen es wird gehen auch ohne dich
*You will see, it will work, even without you

Vermiss mich, lass mich hier stehen und ich sag dir nie
*miss me, leave me here standing and I say to you never
niemals wirst du mich wiedersehen, hey.
*never ever, will you see me again, hey.

An dich werd ich noch denken wenn ich nicht mehr hier bin
*Will I still think about you if I'm no longer here
Niemals vergessen, dass es mir mit dir immer gut ging
*Never ever forget, that it always went good for me with you
Verdammt beschissen steh ich da, hin und her gerissen
*It's damn crappy how I stand there, torn back and forth
Und eins ist klar, es war
*and one thing is clear, it was

Doch nun bin ich bereit fuer ne neue Zeit
*Yes now I'm ready for a new time

Vergiss mich, dreh dich nicht um
*Forget me, don't turn around
lass mich hier stehen
*leave me here standing
Du wirst sehen es wird gehen auch ohne dich
*You will see, it will work, even without you

Vermiss mich, lass mich hier stehen und ich sag dir nie
*miss me, leave me here standing and I say to you never
niemals wirst du mich wiedersehen, hey.
*never ever, will you see me again, hey.

Es ist an dich, denn um dich dreht sich´s,
*It's about you, because it revolves around you
um dich dreht sich´s, um dich dreht sich´s
*it revolves around you, it revolves around you.

Adding a Linux swap partition

I'm putting this howto in my blog to make it easier to find later when I need it again. I typically use it to resize swap partitions. I tested these instructions with RHEL 4.

To add a swap partition (assuming /dev/hdb2 is the swap partition you want to add):

1. Turn off all the swap space on the hard drive with the swapoff command.

2. Create the swap partition using parted or fdisk. Using parted is easier than fdisk; thus, only parted will be explained. To create a swap partition with parted:

   • At a shell prompt as root, type the command parted /dev/hdb, where /dev/hdb is the device name for the hard drive with free space.

   • At the (parted) prompt, type print to view the existing partitions and the amount of free space. The start and end values are in megabytes. Determine how much free space is on the hard drive and how much you want to allocate for a new swap partition.

   • At the (parted) prompt, type mkpartfs part-type linux-swap start end, where part-type is one of primary, extended, or logical, start is the starting point of the partition, and end is the end point of the partition.

     	Warning
     	Changes take place immediately; be careful when you type.

   • Exit parted by typing quit.

3. Now that you have the swap partition, use the command mkswap to setup the swap partition. At a shell prompt as root, type the following:

   mkswap /dev/hdb2

4. To enable the swap partition immediately, type the following command:

   swapon /dev/hdb2

5. To enable it at boot time, edit /etc/fstab to include:

   /dev/hdb2 swap swap defaults 0 0

   The next time the system boots, it will enable the new swap partition.

6. After adding the new swap partition and enabling it, make sure it is enabled using the free command.

German Learning Resources

To help fellow english speakers learning german, I've compiled a list of learning resources. I'll update and maintain it as I have time.

1. http://www.byki.com/ - $40 German practice drill software. Free version lets you see how it works.
2. http://www.verbix.com/languages/german.shtml - Free online verb conjugator
3. http://www.muenchen-tv.de/ - News and streaming TV from Munich
4. http://www.dradio.de/dlf/ - Streaming german radio. Great way to practice your listening skills. Can be ripped into mp3/ogg to listen later or grab the shows you want to hear.
5.http://www.amazon.com/Collins-Concise-Dictionary-HarperCollins-Dictionaries/dp/0062760580/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218166183&sr=8-9
One of the better paper dictionaries in my opinion.
6.http://www.amazon.com/German-Idioms-Barrons-Henry-Strutz/dp/0812090101/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218166327&sr=1-1
A bit more advanced, but entertaining to read at any level. Helps you translate sayings like "having a skeleton in the closet"
7. http://www.dict.cc - the online dictionary I use the most
8. http://www.amazon.de/Glaubeliebetod-Premium-Oomph/dp/B000ELL1KI/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1218166457&sr=8-4 - One of my fav German bands (you can listen to samples for free)