words I cannot pronounce

It's rather dismaying to open your mouth and discover that a word you're trying to pronounce simply will not come out right. I can sort of manage them if I look at them written and proceed very slowly; but spontaneously, no. I've discovered two:

Ahmadinejad

metastasize

What I regret is the circumstances that have led me to attempt to pronounce either.

San Francisco Symphony preview

SFS only just announced its next season program, and at the same time the renewal form appeared in my mailbox. Here are my first reactions on looking it over:

oh goody: I'd rather hear him conduct the Eighth, but the Seventh will do ... yet another composer named Adams? ... oh, two of the Respighis; that will be interesting ... I like that combination ... why isn't that Peer Gynt melange on my series? ... Mendelssohn First? Wow, and what an interesting pairing ... hmm, MTT is doing the Bruckner this year, and Blomstedt? He has the Eroica and Nielsen's Fifth: oh, all right ... yet more Mahler; at least that's one ticket I can exchange without hesitation ... Why on earth are they playing that early Beethoven cantata? It's absolute dreck ... what, that again? ... I'm sure Shaham will play the Stravinsky very nicely, but I'm not jumping for joy about it ... and the concert West Side Story isn't on my series either, blast it.