Ruscha 333 (18cm)

Sometimes it pays to be nice(r). I found three examples of Ruscha model 333 for sale in Germany but wasn’t sure if the seller would mail them to the US. Now, it can be difficult to procure ceramics from international sellers; they are wary because package handling involving trucks, planes, and multiple conveyor belts resembles a rugby match and can leave a box as beat up and bruised as your average player after a scrum. This means the nice piece of pottery you sent might just turn into (ow) several not-so-nice pieces. It’s a big risk, in other words. In this case, I decided to do a little research about the best way to phrase a request in German – and was surprised to learn there is a special way to conjugate verbs to make them sound more polite: the Konjunktiv Zwei. Why not try it, I thought? Lo and behold, the seller responded positively – and then asked if I would like to buy two additional 333s he owned! Jackpot! I happily accepted his offer and now enjoy my mini-collection quite a bit, especially considering I learned something in the process. As the German saying goes: Übung macht den Meister!