Kohl den ich hol... (cabbage i fetch...(?))

today, one of my favorite poems: (about a maggot who goes to fetch delicious cabbage on a nearby field, leaving her child maggot jr. unattended, which results in fatal consequences for maggot jr.)
i was inspired to recite the poem by the fantastic designs involving cabbage which i saw in Tokyo in the last weeks.

Hinter eines Baumes Rinde
lebt die Made mit dem Kinde.
Sie ist Witwe
denn der Gatte, den sie hatte
fiel vom Blatte.
Und diente so auf diese Weise
einer Ameise als Speise.

Eines Tages sprach die Made:
liebes Kind ich sehe grade
drueben dort gibts frischen Kohl,
den ich hol'
so leb denn wohl!

Also sprach sie und entwich,
Made Junior aber schlich,
hinterdrein und das war schlecht.
Denn schon kam ein grosser Specht
und verschlang die kleine fade Made-
ohne Gnade.
Schade.

Hinter eines Baumes Rinde
ruft die Made nach dem Kinde.
(nach Heinz Erhard)

thesis mania

wow- sometimes these intercultural differences drive me nuts. but this case is a little different, its crazy but you can learn something from it.
anyway, what i wanted to tell about is the recent rampage of sotsugyo thesis (graduation thesis) writing. the undergrads in my lab finally got to home yesterday in what seemed to me 2 weeks! yeah- they slept in the lab, taking turns with the futon, i guess. in one instance i was surprised (freaking out) looking two seats to the left, seeing one of the undergrads brushing his teeth while working on a map in autocad!
but the coolest part of it all came yesterday, when literally the entire lab made shure these guys get to graduate! the chief-of-staff senior phd student took rounds checking wheather everbody was printing out allright and helped with stapeling the papermounts. around 3 it got interesting, as the deadline was approaching. 3:30pm was the set and they all made it. it was amazing to see all five students went downstairs together and submitted their thesis. cool.

maybe just from my perspective- i remember getting to the department office one day ahead of the official deadline and beeing bluntly processed by the sectretay, not a word, not another student in sight, returning home and starting to clean up all the mess which had accumulated during the last 3 months i spent working...

i look really forward to graduation, wonder if someone supplies me with energy drinks, food, beer and helps me with stapeling my paper...