Too Stupid To Drive And Refresh German At The Same Time?

Too Stupid To Drive And Refresh German At The Same Time?

After seeing my comments about finding some free German lessons that I could burn to CD for my drive back and forth to Bend, a reader told me of his experiences trying to use audio learning CDs while driving on a rural Interstate--and indicated that it was surprisingly easy to lose concentration on driving, even in what would seem like a demand situation. My first reaction was to thank him for the warning, while wondering, "How hard can this be? I listen to the radio all the time."

But actually doing it, I came to the conclusion that the learning process of listening to CDs, and trying to make sure that I remembered what these German words mean, was far more distracting than I expected--enough so that I won't be trying this in the future. Nor did I even get through the first CD.

In addition, while these audio files probably work fine in the context for which they were intended--using the workbook that came with them--they really aren't suited to the purpose for which I was using them. I might transfer the MP3 files to my wife's MP3 player, and use them (and the printed book) when I fly to and from the District of Criminals next weekend (for the Heller Brunch that the Cato Institute invited me to attend). At least I am not trying to pilot the plane at the same time!