When the machine that serves promotional messages at Skype started producing click reports dating from 1982 all the way to 2031 I had the first hunch that in one of our secret labs someone is trying to invent a teleporting feature. I mean, anyone that didn’t sleep in physics classes at school (unfortunately this rules out myself) can tell you this may screw up linear flow of time, right? I am now sure I am onto something. Look at the calendar invite I received this morning. Apparently I’m going into a meeting tomorrow at 5.30 pm and finishing it in year 1601

If you don’t hear from me any time soon, don’t worry. Just check the Archives link on the left column here and keep an eye out on 17th century blog posts.

I’m going into language teaching. Yeah. Not permanently though, the first attempt should last no more than half an hour. In an email I sent my English-speaking workmates that frequently deal with Estonians I promised to teach:

Using polite phrases like Hi, Thank you and You look great today

Using useful phrases like Sorry, there has been another change in the spec and Can I get a receipt for that order of 12 sambucas

Phrases that get you out of trouble – at work, in the bar or elsewhere

Phrases that get you back into trouble

Why saying 12 kuud stopped being funny in May 2005

… All that in one lesson. So far 21 people have signed up so I better get my act together. Help welcome! What are the new Estonian expressions like Tehtud! that every foreigner should know? If you’re an English speaker – what words and expressions would you like to learn?

Everyone knows the importance of first impression. Nothing you will do later will have quite the same impact. As someone who just started blogging in English about travelling, business ideas, marketing, kiteboarding and such I should put extra effort in making the first real English post a hit. How ironic then that my first real English blog post is about something as random as … buying a lemon tree.

Doesn’t it look nice though? If you had just discovered a flower market literally 200 meters from your house you’d do exactly the same. The guy that sold it to me said it needs very little care. It can be out on the balcony all year, there will be blossoms in May and fresh lemons in the autumn. Fertilizing with nitrogen-rich substances wouldn’t harm, but is not a must. Perfect for someone like me whose previous attempts to have some green around in the house have not had very happy endings. Not for the plants at least. And I quite liked the ones that looked like Einstein’s hair and I really did try to keep them alive.
So now I have lemons growing on my balcony, I also happen to have salt. It’s just the tequila that’s missing.

Change is good. And this is not the only reason why I’m switching to the most popular language on the planet. (This reminds me someone still owes me something from a related bet. Or do I owe someone? If you’re reading this, give me a shout.) Anyway, let’s see how this goes, perhaps bi-lingual is the way, seikatsu-style. Maintaining two blogs is a definite no-no.
If you‘re want blogs written exclusively in beautiful Estonian (I like them too), try Ants Klots, Jaanuse asjad, Jänese urg, Katariina, Linnar, Martin, Pixelpost, Stellaris, Teller, Zilmer (Later addition: that’s in English as Teller correctly pointed out) or one of the many other lovely weblogs out there. English, here I come.
PS. If Murphy’s laws still stand, I’m sure there’s a nasty typo or grammar faux pas here somewhere.