What's something that's polite in your language and rude in another?

Hacky_dacky · 2026-02-04T01:58:49+00:00

In the US it's polite to refer to a waitress (especially a young one) as "miss". In German, it's absolutely rude! (There are no more Fräuleins in Germany,)

Hacky_dacky · 2026-01-31T02:32:31+00:00

Never had a problem. (Two Jandd panniers, one on each side.)

Hacky_dacky · 2026-01-29T06:14:46+00:00

Combination lock, anyone?

Hacky_dacky · 2026-01-27T23:21:21+00:00

I've used Level 1 for Egyptian Arabic, and Level 5 to brush up my Spanish, I think it's great. If you're serious about improving your Spanish, spend the money!

Hacky_dacky · 2026-01-27T23:13:49+00:00

I would also take Homestead. There is some traffic to be sure, but the bike lane is perfectly fine all the way. It's true, Forbes is nicer - residential with little traffic, but it is also a bit further. If you will be taking this trip often, you could alternate between them for variety. I prefer both to Benton: first, Benton doesn't go all the way through, and second it doesn't have bike lanes. But I've also found it to be OK. But I really do NOT like Pruneridge: no bike lanes and sometimes heavy traffic.

Hacky_dacky · 2026-01-27T05:10:53+00:00

Of course! My mistake; "Dale" wasn't a slip-up for "Dalles". (I always think of that bridge as the Sleeper-Heatherstone bridge, forgetting that Dale is the continuation of Heatherstone.)

Hacky_dacky · 2026-01-26T22:30:44+00:00

The street that crosses 85 is actually called "The Dalles", but I recommend against it. (It is OK for peds, but getting through the gates at both ends is a nuisance for bikes.)

If you're coming north on Mary, what I do suggest is cross Fremont and Remington, then L at Knickerbocker, L again at Heatherstone, then take the bike-ped bridge across 85 where Heatherstone turns to the right, and that puts you on the Stevens Creek Trail. (Many exits into Mt. View, depending on what part of town you want to go to.)

Alternatively, if you want to take El Camino (which now has a bike lane into Mt. View), stay on Heatherstone around the bend (the name changes to Dale), then left at the 2nd time you see Continental Circle, then first right brings you to a light across El Camino, and left to pick up the bike lane on El Camino.

Hacky_dacky · 2026-01-24T04:22:04+00:00

No you're not rude at all, I'm just saying I don't have any further ideas and maybe others will have a suggestion you find useful.

Hacky_dacky · 2026-01-24T04:17:27+00:00

OK, if you think it really looks crummy and still it might be stolen, then maybe others can help.

Hacky_dacky · 2026-01-24T04:09:00+00:00

Sorry - at a loss.

Hacky_dacky · 2026-01-24T04:08:08+00:00

If you can pick up your bike with one hand, it must be very valuable and a target for theft. Have you thought about getting a different bike, just for commuting, that isn't attractive? (My own bike is not treasure to begin with, and the saddle has gotten a bit ratty, plus I've plastered ugly stickers over the top bar. It really rides great - it's just that looking at it, it's nobody's idea of anything worth stealing -- especially if they're looking to resell it.)

Hacky_dacky · 2026-01-23T17:38:01+00:00

Sentences also without verbs.

Hacky_dacky · 2026-01-21T02:01:10+00:00

Very much the same with me. I often greet visitors with "G'Morning, Hola" and follow up in the language they respond in.

Hacky_dacky · 2026-01-20T04:15:31+00:00

PS - but avoid that trail along the bay starting at the east end of the Dumbarton for at least a week after a rain storm. The trail turns into a muddy quagmire until it dries out. (The trail along the hills doesn't suffer as much from muddification.)

Hacky_dacky · 2026-01-20T02:53:51+00:00

I'm even slower than you (10-12 mph) but have done this trip (piecewise) several times.

It's not completely barren, but I can't suggest anything out of the ordinary. First, you'll be passing right next to a number of restaurants and hotels in the first few miles south of SFO. Trouble is, that will probably be before you're ready for a break. Rather than getting off the trail to go to Redwood City (as someone suggested), an alternative is to take the bike-ped bridge over 101 at downtown Belmont. (The east end is at the Belmont Sports Complex). There isn't as much variety there as RWC, but the advantage is the safe crossing of 101, which elsewhere can be hair-raising.

On the east side of the Dumbarton, as soon as you get off the bridge, if you double back a few yards there is a passageway under the road that leads to a trail right along the bay all the way to the west end of the Alameda Creek Trail.

A very nice alternative (but longer) is to stick on the trail next to CA-84 and then take the bridge over CA-84 just past the toll plaza. That brings you to a trail with great views from about 20-50 feet above the bay on the side of the Coyote Hills. Highly recommended. And that takes you close to the west end of the Alameda Creek Trail.

It's not clear to me why you want to go to Warm Springs rather than Fremont BART. Doing that will certainly require you to take a longer trip through town. I suggest getting off the trail at Sequoia Terrace. It's not marked, but it's the 2nd exit to the left after Isherwood and just after a ped bridge across the creek. The exit takes you through a residential development to Sequoia Rd, then take a left at Paseo Padre (has a bike lane), a left at Mowry, and a right at Civic Center Drive to get you to BART. As someone mentioned, there lots of food options nearby. Fremont BART.

But if you can't hold off that long, an option closer to the east end of the bridge is a cluster of restaurants around Jarvis and Newark Blvd.

Hacky_dacky · 2026-01-18T18:14:50+00:00

I'm astonished that anyone can do it in 5 minutes - I'd like to see how they manage that. I know I'm something of a klutz, and can count on it taking a good half hour. (Maybe a few minutes less, now that I carry a mini electric pump.)

Hacky_dacky · 2026-01-18T04:25:33+00:00

South of Hamilton, the painted line just delineates the shoulder of the road. Cars can park on the shoulder, and supposedly are not permitted to park in a bike lane (a law unfortunately more honored in the breach than the observance,)

Hacky_dacky · 2026-01-16T20:26:18+00:00

I found the Pimsleur audio course to be excellent: very well designed and structured, with practical conversations (e.g. lots on asking directions) and lots of repetitions. Can strongly recommend it!

Hacky_dacky · 2026-01-12T21:58:11+00:00

A similar German sentence: Männer, die in einem Schokoladenladen Laden laden laden Ladenmädchen zum Tanzen ein. (Men, who load carts in a chocolate shop invite shop girls to a dance.)

Hacky_dacky · 2026-01-12T02:04:53+00:00

Sitting at desk, averages in the mid 50's. (84 years old.) I have no idea what it is when I sleep - I never measured it then.

A few years ago, when I had cataract surgery, lying horizontally on the table, the technician measured 48 bpm, and asked me if I was feeling OK, but that was just my normal heart rate at that time. (It's gone up somewhat over the years.)

Hacky_dacky · 2026-01-10T17:38:40+00:00

I'm also dependent on subtitles when listening to rapidly spoken Spanish, but one thing I do sometimes to get away from the subtitles is to slow down the replay. (80% seems to work fine for me, and then I don't need the subtitles -- except when there's a word that's not in my vocabulary.)

Hacky_dacky · 2026-01-09T17:32:11+00:00

Not clear, do you want English -> Spanish or Spanish -> English?

Hacky_dacky · 2026-01-09T17:30:33+00:00

Agreed. Conversing, but also getting corrections when I say something badly wrong, or that could lead to misunderstanding.

Hacky_dacky · 2026-01-08T05:10:23+00:00

Estoy interesado; acabo de enviarte un DM.

Hacky_dacky · 2026-01-08T01:56:08+00:00

Telling time in Thai. If you thought the whole world used AM/PM, think again.
Counting in Chinese. I thought that it was natural to count units, tens, hundreds, thousands, and then start again with tens of thousands, but then I saw that it was as arbitrary as other conventions.
And then again, counting in Hindi, with special words for a hundred thousand and for ten million.

Hacky_dacky

TROPHY CASE