Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Tuesday Coffee Chat: Challenging Lessons

Rory Bore at Ink Interrupted hosts the Tuesday Coffee Chat, and this week's discussion is,   So how did you do on your monthly personal challenge.  You don't have to provide personal details of the nature of your particular challenge -- just let us know how you did, and your overall thoughts. 







My challenge was to work on a Spanish lesson each day, and i have done that.  Using Duolingo, i've relearned some vocabulary and i hope it all sticks this time.  

No, i still can't speak much, or read as much as i'd like, and i especially have trouble if it is spoken too fast.  That's okay.  If i continue all my life to get a bit better at it, then at least i've tried.

The plan is to continue with Duolingo and the cassette tape lessons i have (yes, i even have an old tape player that still works) as long as the tapes last.  There's a flash card program online where you can make your own, and when i have time, i want to make cards, they always help me. 

Right now i do want to thank Rory for the November challenge that kept me at it.  Without that, i might have decided to quit again.  Because i've put it out there that i am committed to continuing, i will feel terrible if i stop, so i won't.

In other news, Little Girl is getting bored.  She is job hunting, and while there are several possibilities, every one takes time to put a hire through and she wants to be working yesterday.  Her plan is to move out as soon as she can, and i know it's because she feels she wants to be self supporting as quickly as possible.

Grandpa wants to get her a vehicle, and she is insistent that she will pay for as much of it as she can herself.  No one has to light a fire under her.

The Happy Couple (#2 Son and Daughter-in-Law Becky) are also talking about moving out.  My understanding was they wanted to stay here long enough to save up a downpayment on a small piece of land with a mobile home, but i think they are antsy to be on their own.

Bigger Girl, considering all the educational challenges she's had to overcome, knows she's welcome to live at home as long as she needs to in order to get through school.

#1 Son likes his separate "apartment" at the back end of the house, and i like that he stays there.  No trouble with having room mates who don't pay their share of the rent!

It's better that they not all move out at once, i think it would be too big a shock to my system.



Today is:

Dita e Clirimit -- Albania (Liberation Day)

Electronic Greetings Day -- sponsored by Wellcat Holidays

Fairy Flute Fantasy -- Fairy Calendar

Festival of Saturnia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (for the Sons of Saturn; Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto)

Giving Tuesday -- after celebrating Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday, be part of the international giving movement 

International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People -- UN

National Chocolates Day -- yes, another one

National Lemon Creme Pie Day

National Unity Day -- Vanuatu

Strange Names Day -- in honor of all the celebrity -- and other -- kids with "unique" names; sponsored the last Tuesday in November by Marlar in the Morning at 101QFL in Rockford, IL, US

St. Andrew's Eve -- in many traditions, a night to fortell the future, especially whom you will marry

St. Saturnius of Toulouse's Day (Patron of Toulouse, France)

Square Dance Day -- internet generated, and fun to do, but here's some information about square dancing 

William Tubman's Birthday -- Liberia (it's longest serving President)



Anniversaries Today:

Erwin Rommel marries Lucie "Lu" Mollin, 1916


Birthdays Today:

Jon Knight, 1968
Don Cheadle, 1964
Andrew McCarthy, 1962
Kim Delaney, 1961
Cathy Moriarty, 1960
Jeff Fahey, 1956
Howie Mandel, 1955
Joel Coen, 1954
Garry Shandling, 1949
Petra Kelly, 1947
Chuck Mangione, 1940
Peter Bergman, 1939
John Mayall, 1933
Jacques Rene Chirac, 1932
Diane Ladd, 1932
Vin Scully, 1927
Madeline L'Engle, 1918
Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., 1908
C.S. Lewis, 1898
Busby Berkeley, 1895
Nellie Tayloe Ross, 1876
Louisa May Alcott, 1832
Wendell Phillips, 1811
Christian Doppler, 1803
Charles Thomson, 1729


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Tatort"(TV), 1970
"I Want to Hold Your Hand"(Beatles single release), 1963
"Bells Are Ringing"(Musical), 1956
"Kukla, Fran, and Ollie"(TV), 1948
"Gay Divorce"(Musical), 1932


Today in History:

Jews of Augsburg, Germany, are massacred, 1349 (Sometimes, it seems, the more things change...)
King Philip II devalues Spanish currency, 1596 (See above...)
Sir James Jay invents invisible ink, 1775
San Jose, California, is founded as el Pueblo de San JosÈ de Guadalupe, 1777
Dessalines & Christophe declare St Domingue (Haiti) independent, 1803
First Italian opera in US, "Barber of Seville" premieres (NYC), 1825
Thomas Edison demonstrates hand-cranked phonograph, 1877
The first motorcycle race ever is held in Surrey, England; the distance was one mile and the winner was Charles Jarrot in a time of 2 minutes, 8 seconds, 1897
The first US patent for inventing the traffic lights system is issued to Ernest Sirrine. 1910
Fire destroys most of the buildings on Santa Catalina Island, California, 1915
Howard Carter opens the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun to the public, 1922
Richard Byrd becomes the first person to fly over the South Pole, 1929
The first surgery (on a human) to correct blue baby syndrome is performed by Alfred Blalock and Vivien Thomas, 1944
The United Nations General Assembly votes to partition Palestine, 1947
Mercury-Atlas 5 Mission ñ Enos, a chimpanzee, is launched into space, orbits earth twice, and is successfully recovered after splashdown, 1961
Canadian Space Agency launches the satellite Alouette 2, 1965
Nolan Bushnell (co-founder of Atari) releases Pong (the first commercially successful video game) in Andy Cappís Tavern in Sunnyvale, California, 1972
The United Nations General Assembly passes a resolution stating that Soviet Union forces should withdraw from Afghanistan, 1983
The Czechoslovakian Parliament votes to end Communist rule, 1989
The United Nations Security Council passes two resolutions to restore international peace and security if Iraq did not withdraw its forces from Kuwait and free all foreign hostages by the following January 15, 1990
A 7.4 magnitude earthquake occurs off the northern coast of Martinique, 2007
Pablo Picasso's electrician reveals 271 previously unknown works he claims were gifts from the artist, 2010
NASA announces its space probe MESSENGER has almost certainly found water ice buried beneath the surface of the north pole of Mercury, 2012

7 comments:

  1. Good morning Mimi. I have three children, Nicole, Michael and AmyLynn. Nicole is married with two wonderful children Emily & Cole, Michael is married with three boys, two adopted and one of his own and AmyLynn is still home and will always be here at home for health problems. Me, I'm married. Ha,ha,ha. Gotcha. That's about it for me.
    Have a great Tuesday my friend. See ya.


    Cruisin Paul

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  2. I am glad your challenge is going well. It sounds like all your kids are doing well. I think it is great that they want to pay their own way- you have done a wonderful job raising them.

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  3. I had the empty nest syndrome for a couple of weeks and then it went away. I then enjoyed having my home to myself. It's good that they spread their wings and find their own way.

    Have a fabulous day and keep up the good work on learning Spanish. ☺

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  4. One by one and two by two they will head out on their own to start their own independent lives, and when they are all gone, you will find it very quiet, but you will enjoy it very much. Hopefully some will stay nearby so you can visit with them as often as you like!

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  5. It IS a shock when all of the kids are gone and you have an empty house.

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  6. I remember, it does take time to adjust to an empty nest. I hope your young ones don't fly too far from home. It's strange, we want them to spread their wings and see the world, but we also want them to come back close by. I do so miss my son who lives in another country! As I know my parents missed me when I went to live overseas. So glad to hear you are progressing with your Spanish lessons.

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  7. Yeah for you!!! I would love to brush up on my French again -- having lived around it all my life I can still understand quite a bit, but I haven't had to speak it in conversation since I left my job to stay home so many moons ago. And if a Quebecer is talking?? Forget it -- they are way too fast!! ha. Proud of us both for meeting our challenges!!
    We don't want your full house to empty too quickly either because then we would miss all the great stories! :)

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