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Friends, I eschew a blow-by-blow of today's events in favour of letting you know that I reached an important scientific milestone. I have collapsed the wave function of my knowledge of the existence of Erwin Schrödinger's grave.
As one of my scientist friends pointed out, however, since I didn't actually open up his grave, I still can't be certain he's really in there. For all I know, it could be occupied by a cat. I have yet to observe a cat in this village. Note to self: Remember to bring shovel next time.
[Schrödinger's grave marker, with wave equation.]
[Schrödinger's grave in context in the churchyard.]
Additional anecdote: Today's evening meal included a dessert called "Mohr im Hemd". It had been translated into English on the menu as "Chocolate souffle in chocolate sauce". This confused me, because most food-related German is incredibly straightforward, so I turned to the German speaker sitting next to me and asked him what it meant. The poor fellow turned beet red as he stammeringly explained to me that it was not (...not...not...) very...politically correct. I divined his meaning and helped him along by saying, "Oh, I see! It's racist, is it?" Somehow being direct about it made him comfortable enough to tell me that the direct translation is "The Moor (dark-skinned person) in the white shirt" because it was a dark chocolate cake in a white chocolate sauce, and that many people no longer used the description at all for this particular dessert. I got the feeling he wanted to apologise to me that I should have had to encounter the phrase at all, the prospect of which filled me with horror because I had already unintentionally embarrassed him so badly, so I changed the subject to our mutual immense relief.
Now I must return to the Schoolhouse for the night's mission planning session.
As one of my scientist friends pointed out, however, since I didn't actually open up his grave, I still can't be certain he's really in there. For all I know, it could be occupied by a cat. I have yet to observe a cat in this village. Note to self: Remember to bring shovel next time.
[Schrödinger's grave marker, with wave equation.]
[Schrödinger's grave in context in the churchyard.]
Additional anecdote: Today's evening meal included a dessert called "Mohr im Hemd". It had been translated into English on the menu as "Chocolate souffle in chocolate sauce". This confused me, because most food-related German is incredibly straightforward, so I turned to the German speaker sitting next to me and asked him what it meant. The poor fellow turned beet red as he stammeringly explained to me that it was not (...not...not...) very...politically correct. I divined his meaning and helped him along by saying, "Oh, I see! It's racist, is it?" Somehow being direct about it made him comfortable enough to tell me that the direct translation is "The Moor (dark-skinned person) in the white shirt" because it was a dark chocolate cake in a white chocolate sauce, and that many people no longer used the description at all for this particular dessert. I got the feeling he wanted to apologise to me that I should have had to encounter the phrase at all, the prospect of which filled me with horror because I had already unintentionally embarrassed him so badly, so I changed the subject to our mutual immense relief.
Now I must return to the Schoolhouse for the night's mission planning session.
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