Once upon a time, I spoke German. Oh, I wasn't fluent, but I could speak well enough to make myself understood, and to follow along in a conversation. Truth be told, my listening and reading skills were much better than my speaking skills. When I visited with our German exchange student, Lena, and her family at their home in Freising, I could follow the conversation without anyone having to translate for me. I even had to do some translation of my own. When my the tour bus company accidentally sent us a non-English speaking tour guide, I had the joy of translating his commentary about the sights we were seeing. Let me tell you - I learned both Hochdeutsch (High German, the equivalent to the Queen's English) and a Bavarian dialect. This man was a good 40 years my senior and from Austria. It was like being a non native English speaker who suddenly has to converse with someone who only speaks in Ebonics. Both the age difference and the difference in region made it to difficult for me to understand him, but somehow we managed.
Anyway, that was 6 years ago and since then I have not used my German at all...until this week.
I happened upon the website www.livemocha.com. It is a cooperative language learning website, where members help members. There are courses one can take in various languages to learn the vocabulary and basic grammatical rules, but in addition to that members can grade and correct each other's assignments, as well as converse directly with one another through an instant messaging feature. It's even possible to speak to the other members, so I've been able to have both written and spoken conversations in German!
So far it's been a great asset. My German is coming back faster than I imagined; while the courses are helpful, I find that simply speaking with a native speaker is what is helping the language to come back. I made a friend, Steffi, who lives in Germany. We IM each other, me speaking in German and she in English. We are helping each other, and since we both speak some of the other's language, we're able to help with words that aren't easily translated.
Ricky is thinking of using the site to begin to learn Mandarin. While I'm not quite that adventurous, I think I will use it at some point to learn some Spanish, which will be quite helpful at school. In the meantime, though, I am enjoying speaking German with various people from around the world.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
I have a new boyfriend
Ok, not really a new boyfriend, per se. Just a renewed crush on this man.
Be still my heart. Not only is the man incredibly good looking, but he's wicked talented to boot. If Captain Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Carribean), Mort Rainey (Secret Window), or Benjamin Barker, aka Sweeney Todd (Sweeney Todd: Demon Barber of Fleet Street) showed up on my doorstop...well, "So long, Charlie!" (10 points if you can name that movie).
Anyway, we watched Sweeney Todd tonight. First of all, yum. I love me some Johnny Depp (duh). Secondly, I love this show. It's horrible and violent and disgusting and disturbing - and I love it. The new version got a little slow in places, but overall I liked it. It's very dark, though somewhat humorous, and, well, I got to stare at Johnny Depp for 2 hours! The other actors weren't bad either ;-)
Anyway, it was good, and I definitely recommend it - if you have a strong stomach. There is definitely a lot of blood and guts, merciless killing, and some cannibalism. But it's a strong film, made from a strong Broadway show. And hey, did I mention it stars Johnny Depp?!
Be still my heart. Not only is the man incredibly good looking, but he's wicked talented to boot. If Captain Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Carribean), Mort Rainey (Secret Window), or Benjamin Barker, aka Sweeney Todd (Sweeney Todd: Demon Barber of Fleet Street) showed up on my doorstop...well, "So long, Charlie!" (10 points if you can name that movie).Anyway, we watched Sweeney Todd tonight. First of all, yum. I love me some Johnny Depp (duh). Secondly, I love this show. It's horrible and violent and disgusting and disturbing - and I love it. The new version got a little slow in places, but overall I liked it. It's very dark, though somewhat humorous, and, well, I got to stare at Johnny Depp for 2 hours! The other actors weren't bad either ;-)
Anyway, it was good, and I definitely recommend it - if you have a strong stomach. There is definitely a lot of blood and guts, merciless killing, and some cannibalism. But it's a strong film, made from a strong Broadway show. And hey, did I mention it stars Johnny Depp?!
New Hair!
I had a hair appt today to get all cute before school starts. I report back on Monday and the kids come back on the 2nd. Thanks to the incredibly talented team at Capello Salon (including my sister in law, Janelle), I have a cute new 'do.
Augtober
Augtober. That's August, feeling like October. And why does it feel like October? Because for the past 3 days it's been gray skies and rain.
I'm not really complaining, though. We had 43 days of no rain, so we really needed it. The 3 days preceding the rain, we reached triple digit temps, so we really, really needed the cool down that came with the rain. I'm happy that things have cooled off outside (and in our house; we're no longer melting!) and I'm happy to not have to handwater the plants for a few days. No sprinkler system (one of the few things I miss about the old house) means lots of time with the hose, watering in the heat and watching the water evaporate as soon as it hits the dirt.
But with this weather, it definitely feels more like October 20th than August 20th. Last night, Puppy decided he wanted to go for a bike ride around 9pm. He hates going in the rain, so I hesitated to take him, but he needed to burn off some energy so away we went. With it being wet, semi-cold, and dark (don't worry, I have a headlight and taillight, and I wore Ricky's bright yellow safety gear), it really felt like fall. We didn't see another walker or rider out until we were almost home, and the couple of cars that passed us made splashing sounds as they went by. I have to say, as much as I love the sunshine, I am looking forward to the cooler temps the fall brings, and being able to wear the cute fall and winter clothes I haven't been able to wear since March.
PS - I'm not the only Portlander happy about the rain - Zoo agrees with me.
I'm not really complaining, though. We had 43 days of no rain, so we really needed it. The 3 days preceding the rain, we reached triple digit temps, so we really, really needed the cool down that came with the rain. I'm happy that things have cooled off outside (and in our house; we're no longer melting!) and I'm happy to not have to handwater the plants for a few days. No sprinkler system (one of the few things I miss about the old house) means lots of time with the hose, watering in the heat and watching the water evaporate as soon as it hits the dirt.
But with this weather, it definitely feels more like October 20th than August 20th. Last night, Puppy decided he wanted to go for a bike ride around 9pm. He hates going in the rain, so I hesitated to take him, but he needed to burn off some energy so away we went. With it being wet, semi-cold, and dark (don't worry, I have a headlight and taillight, and I wore Ricky's bright yellow safety gear), it really felt like fall. We didn't see another walker or rider out until we were almost home, and the couple of cars that passed us made splashing sounds as they went by. I have to say, as much as I love the sunshine, I am looking forward to the cooler temps the fall brings, and being able to wear the cute fall and winter clothes I haven't been able to wear since March.
PS - I'm not the only Portlander happy about the rain - Zoo agrees with me.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Chocolate Buttermilk Cake
I love to make these "from-scratch" cakey brownies. They are rich in chocolatey goodness, but have a very unique flavor that everyone loves but no one can seem to pinpoint. I'll tell you - it's buttermilk. No matter where I'm going or who is in attendance, these brownies disappear very quickly. Enjoy!
Cake Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
4 tbs cocoa
1c water
2c flour
2c sugar
1tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1/2c buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
Frosting Ingredients
4 tbs cocoa
6 tbs buttermilk
1/2c (1 stick) butter
1 box (3 3/4 c) powdered sugar
1c chopped pecans
To make the cake
Bring the butter, cocoa and water to a boil. Remove from heat. Add the flour, sugar and soda; mix well. Add the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Mix well; spread onto greased sheet pan and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.
To make the frosting
While the cake is baking, bring hte cocoa, buttermilk and butter to a boil. Remove from heat and add the powdered sugar and nuts.
Spread the frosting on the hot cake.
NOTES: I've found that I need to start the frosting about 5 minutes before the cake comes out of the oven. If your house is too hot to cool the cake/frosting sufficiently, put it in the fridge for 30-45 minutes - works like a charm!
Cake Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
4 tbs cocoa
1c water
2c flour
2c sugar
1tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1/2c buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
Frosting Ingredients
4 tbs cocoa
6 tbs buttermilk
1/2c (1 stick) butter
1 box (3 3/4 c) powdered sugar
1c chopped pecans
To make the cake
Bring the butter, cocoa and water to a boil. Remove from heat. Add the flour, sugar and soda; mix well. Add the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Mix well; spread onto greased sheet pan and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.
To make the frosting
While the cake is baking, bring hte cocoa, buttermilk and butter to a boil. Remove from heat and add the powdered sugar and nuts.
Spread the frosting on the hot cake.
NOTES: I've found that I need to start the frosting about 5 minutes before the cake comes out of the oven. If your house is too hot to cool the cake/frosting sufficiently, put it in the fridge for 30-45 minutes - works like a charm!
Friday, August 15, 2008
In honor of the heat, a joke
It's crazy hot here. Our house hasn't cooled off at all since last night. Horrible.
Since it's hot, I stole a joke from Erica, as my brain is melted and I cannot think of anything original to post. Enjoy!
A man who just died is delivered to a local mortuary wearing an expensive, expertly tailored black suit.The female blonde mortician asks the deceased's wife how she would like the body dressed. She points out that the man does look good in the black suit he is already wearing.The widow, however, says that she always thought her husband looked his best in blue, and that she wants him in a blue suit. She gives the Blonde mortician a blank check and she says, 'I don't care what it costs, but please have my husband in a blue suit for the viewing.'
The woman returns the next day for the wake. To her delight, she finds her husband dressed in a gorgeous blue suit with a subtle chalk stripe; the suit fits him perfectly.She says to the mortician, 'Whatever this cost, I'm very satisfied. You did an excellent job and I' m very grateful. How much did you spend?' To her astonishment, the blonde mortician presents her with the blank check.'There's no charge,' she says.'No, really, I must compensate you for the cost of that exquisite blue suit!' she says.'Honestly, ma'am,' the blonde says, 'it cost nothing. You see, a deceased gentleman of about your husband's size was brought in shortly after you left yesterday, and he was wearing an attractive blue suit. I asked his wife if she minded him going to his grave wearing a black suit instead, and she said it made no difference as long as he looked nice.''
'So I just switched the heads.'
(BET YOU DIDN'T SEE THAT COMIN!!!)
Since it's hot, I stole a joke from Erica, as my brain is melted and I cannot think of anything original to post. Enjoy!
A man who just died is delivered to a local mortuary wearing an expensive, expertly tailored black suit.The female blonde mortician asks the deceased's wife how she would like the body dressed. She points out that the man does look good in the black suit he is already wearing.The widow, however, says that she always thought her husband looked his best in blue, and that she wants him in a blue suit. She gives the Blonde mortician a blank check and she says, 'I don't care what it costs, but please have my husband in a blue suit for the viewing.'
The woman returns the next day for the wake. To her delight, she finds her husband dressed in a gorgeous blue suit with a subtle chalk stripe; the suit fits him perfectly.She says to the mortician, 'Whatever this cost, I'm very satisfied. You did an excellent job and I' m very grateful. How much did you spend?' To her astonishment, the blonde mortician presents her with the blank check.'There's no charge,' she says.'No, really, I must compensate you for the cost of that exquisite blue suit!' she says.'Honestly, ma'am,' the blonde says, 'it cost nothing. You see, a deceased gentleman of about your husband's size was brought in shortly after you left yesterday, and he was wearing an attractive blue suit. I asked his wife if she minded him going to his grave wearing a black suit instead, and she said it made no difference as long as he looked nice.''
'So I just switched the heads.'
(BET YOU DIDN'T SEE THAT COMIN!!!)
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Ode to China
Oh China! Please, why?
That poor little girl is cute.
She can't help her teeth!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26153578
That poor little girl is cute.
She can't help her teeth!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26153578
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