laconic

[lobelia321]

but alive

P.S. Since 27 August, I have worked on my academic book almost every day, between 20 minutes and 3 hours. My counsellor told me to. I am fremdbestimmt, driven by t'other. But it's good!

Now I will make fruit salad to take to lunch with the neighbours with whom we are then going on a walk, including their dog! A very, very cute... um, I've forgotten the race. Something with terrier in it.

Comments

[brightest-blue.livejournal.com]

It seems that you generally respond well to someone telling you what to do! You just need a bossy voice in your head! :D

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

a) Flylady
b) Missus Smarty Pants
c) Jonathan Roche
(All of the above from the Flylady family.)
d) Demelza/ badgermonkey
e) My counsellors

Actually, my counsellor asked me why I did what she told me to do (she being a stranger, more or less) and why I didn't do what t'h told me to do? It's a tough question.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

fremdbestimmt meens requiring outside motivation? This is a word I need in my daily vocabulary, since I am. Too bad I despair of being able to pronounce it.

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

I haven't looked this up in any dictionary so I don't know the official English translation but fremdbestimmt is the opposite of selbstbestimmt. Selfbestimmt is made up of selbst (self) and bestimmt (determined). Fremd literally means 'strange' (as in 'a stranger came', not as in 'weird') or 'foreign'. So it's being determined by something foreign to the self.

It's a good word, isn't it?? Shall I make an LJ voicemail post to help you pronounce it?? :-)