Chris and I are leaving on Saturday to spend a few days with his family, so I wanted to take this opportunity to wish you all a happy holiday. Knowing my inability to write regularly on this blog anymore, it'll be awhile before I'm back and posting again, so I hope you'll bear with me. This has been a trying year, to say the least, and my stamina ain't what it should be. You'll forgive me if the blog isn't the first thing on my mind...
At any rate, I do want to wish you all a safe and happy holidays, and hope that 2008 rings in a good new year for you.
A presto!
20 December 2007
17 December 2007
Dreaming in Italian
They say that when it comes to learning a new language, you know you've achieved a certain level of fluency when you start dreaming in that language. For me, however, with the process of learning Italian, I don't think that's actually been true. After years of studying Italian, I've had a few dreams in which I'm speaking Italian (generally to native Italians), but my language abilities in my dreams are no better than my actual abilities in real life. In other words, my dreams are apparently confirming that I'm no more fluent than I think I am!
When I told Chris this, he said, "Well, are the people you're talking to talking back to you in fluent Italian? Because if they are, that's really your brain doing the talking." But what's funny is that the people I'm talking to aren't speaking fluent Italian. The conversations I have in Italian in my dreams are precisely the way my real-life Italian conversations sound - I'm able to converse pretty well, sometimes reaching for words or asking for words, and the people I'm talking to speak relatively slowly so that I understand them and they don't use complicated language or words I don't understand.
I had another one of these Italian dreams last night, and once again it confirmed that I'm not hiding any innate ability to speak Italian in my subconscious. My conscious mind is getting about as much Italian as my subconscious, so at least they're on the same level. Dreams are hard enough to interpret as it is - I'd have a real problem if I were speaking another language in them and wasn't able to translate.
When I told Chris this, he said, "Well, are the people you're talking to talking back to you in fluent Italian? Because if they are, that's really your brain doing the talking." But what's funny is that the people I'm talking to aren't speaking fluent Italian. The conversations I have in Italian in my dreams are precisely the way my real-life Italian conversations sound - I'm able to converse pretty well, sometimes reaching for words or asking for words, and the people I'm talking to speak relatively slowly so that I understand them and they don't use complicated language or words I don't understand.
I had another one of these Italian dreams last night, and once again it confirmed that I'm not hiding any innate ability to speak Italian in my subconscious. My conscious mind is getting about as much Italian as my subconscious, so at least they're on the same level. Dreams are hard enough to interpret as it is - I'd have a real problem if I were speaking another language in them and wasn't able to translate.
16 December 2007
Becoming Part of the Crackberry Nation
I did it this past week - I got myself a Blackberry. I was due for a contract renewal on my cell phone, and I'd been wanting to combine at least two of the electronic gadgets I carry around all the time - my phone and my calendar/address book. And after hearing about my options, the Blackberry made the most sense. The first few days with it were frustrating as hell, but once I figured out how to stop the things that were annoying it's been a piece of cake.
I remember hearing stories on the radio about people who were so attached to their "Crackberry" that their families had to do an intervention of sorts to get them to reconnect on a personal level with their own children. After less than a week with mine, I can see how that could happen. Not that I feel like I'm in danger of becoming one of those people, mind you, but if my job were in a a high-pressure field and my email account came through my phone I'd never leave work at work. Of course, one wonders if those people are the same ones who, before the Blackberry, stayed at work until the wee hours and still never saw their kids.
New toys are always fun when they're new. The phone I just upgraded from was a great little gadget when I first got it two years ago. We'll see how long it takes me to grow accustomed to the Blackberry.
I remember hearing stories on the radio about people who were so attached to their "Crackberry" that their families had to do an intervention of sorts to get them to reconnect on a personal level with their own children. After less than a week with mine, I can see how that could happen. Not that I feel like I'm in danger of becoming one of those people, mind you, but if my job were in a a high-pressure field and my email account came through my phone I'd never leave work at work. Of course, one wonders if those people are the same ones who, before the Blackberry, stayed at work until the wee hours and still never saw their kids.
New toys are always fun when they're new. The phone I just upgraded from was a great little gadget when I first got it two years ago. We'll see how long it takes me to grow accustomed to the Blackberry.
11 December 2007
Bad Blogger
I know, I know. It's been ages. And I'm only posting now because I know I "should," although I can't think of anything to say... Chris and I both were horribly sick with some kind of nasty flu right after Thanksgiving, and I've had a head cold just about since I recovered from that flu thing, so I've been going to bed early most nights and feeling icky. My company party was the first weekend in December, and I had a great time - even if I was still a little under the weather. It was great to see so many friends from last year's party, and meet so many new people as well. A few people are already planning the next "meetup" in San Francisco in late January, and I'm so tempted to go... If lack of money wasn't getting in my way I probably would. I'm slacking big-time on my holiday newsletter this year, and I'll be lucky if it gets out by early February at this rate. Maybe I'll call it my birthday letter...
Anyway, there's plenty going on, just nothing terribly interesting, as you can tell! I hope all's well with all of you, and that you've managed to stay healthy.
Anyway, there's plenty going on, just nothing terribly interesting, as you can tell! I hope all's well with all of you, and that you've managed to stay healthy.
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