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This, theoretically, should be the easiest thing in the world. All you’ve got to do is name the 100 most used words in the English language. You’ve got twelve minutes to do it – that’s plenty, surely…

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Ostensibly I started this blog at the boy’s suggestion to capture the wit that constantly pours from my pretty mouth, but I can not stand it anymore. I have decided to reveal The Big Secret.

If you have a million monkeys banging away at a million typewriters, eventually they will write the complete works of Shakespeare. Now, if a bunch of nana munching chimps can replicate the works of the Swan of Avon, how about relatively literate apes, clever enough to poison themselves for fun and deliberately burn all their food?

Thus, blogging. If enough of us continue to hammer out meaningless, anally retentive screeds about the day to day dullness of our existence and our utterly worthless opinions which we mistakenly believe may be of any interest to anyone, perchance by random accident answer all the Big Questions; who are we, why are we here, where shall we have dinner?

Cynical, moi?

SOUNDTRACK:KATE BUSH-The Sensual World (2009).

It was three years between The Dreaming and Hounds of Love.  And this time it took four years for The Sensual World to come out.  This was the first Kate disc that I bought as it came out.  And I was such a huge fan of Hounds, that I was really quite excited about this release.

Kate has always been fairly forthcoming about sex/sensuality on her songs (even if it was metaphorical, the metaphors weren’t really labored).  So, the fact that she’s putting it all out there is not much of a surprise.  And yet, to me this seems like a much more explicit work than her earlier ones  (an older songwriter perhaps?).

The other thing that strikes me about the album is just how accessible it is.  Unlike her previous discs which featured flourishes and howls, headphone tricks and other show offy tactics (which I totally love), this disc comes across as a songwriter who is more confident in her songs so she doesn’t have to put frills on them.

I have a fndeness for this disc because it was the first one I bought as a fan, but I don’t listen to it all that much.  When I played it again, I had forgotten how much I liked it.  And, yes, I miss all the tricks and cool studio fun on this disc, but the songwriting makes up for it.

The opener “The Sensual World” is, yes, a very sensual song (with the “Mmmmmyessses” every line or so).  The second track, “Love and Anger” is a great, freewheeling Kate track.  The younger Kate would have had crazy wild fun with it, but the more mature Kate plays it fairly straight.  And it really showcases what a great song it is.

As “The Fog” opens, she says, “I’m all grown up now” (and there’s no headphone tricks accompanying it).  That seems to be a statement about the disc itself.  But, just so you know it’s npt a totally safe disc, “The Fog” has a wonderful otherworldly violin running through it.

The one thing that stand out on the disc, though is how rocking it is (relative to Kate, of course).   The guitars on about half of the songs quite loud and raucous.  And Kate is clearly having a lot of fun with the songs.

But there are some mellow songs as well.  “Reaching Out” begins as a delicate piano ballad (although it is full of some wild ethereal backing vocals) but it also builds to a louder chorus and finish.  “Deeper Understanding” is an interesting song in which she sings about a computer (which I thought would sound really dated twenty years later but which doesn’t).

“Never BE Mine” sounds like Kate of old (ah, fretless bass).  While “Rocket’s Tail” showcases the gorgeous sounds of the Bulgarian Choir, who would assist her on many future tracks as well.  The choir seems to take on a lot of the strange vocals that Kate herself used to perform. But they have an oddness of inflection that makes it sound otherworldly.  It also has the unmistakable sounds of a David Gilmour guitar solo.

The highlight has to be “This Woman’s Work.”  When all is said and done, Kate’s voice is what any fan comes back for.  This song is a simple piano based ballad.  Kate’s voice is clean and pure and rather magical.  And the emotional release as the song nears its end is phenomenal.

The Sensual World is an overlooked disc (its regular price on Amazon is $7).  And while it doesn’t have all of the flair and magic of Kate at her wildest records, the stripped down version of Kate is pretty wonderful too.

[READ: November 15, 2009] “Noughts and Crosses”

It took me a few paragraphs to realize what was going on in this story and then I liked it even more.

The story opens with an email.  Several of the words are in bold.  The email, from j to n, is a break-up letter.  It’s sort of generic and doesn’t really reveal all that much.  But the rest of the story is a reply to each of the bolded words of the email.

As n replies (presumably in her head, although it could also be written even if it is never sent) we learn more and more about the two of them and their relationship. The parties involved, the promises told and the little giveaways that show that the relationship was over long before this email (a breakup by email!) was sent.

What is so delightful about the story is that the original email seems pretty straightforward, as if you could tell the whole story from it.  But as the full story unfolds, so much more is revealed, and you learn just how much has been hidden in the suddenly vague phrasings of that original email. Even the genders are hidden in that original missive.

As the reply grows more intense, if not more heated, you get a real feel for what that email could have said, but didn’t.  It’s very clever.   This was a wonderfully original way to look at an age old topic.  I think it would have been very suitable for inclusion in Four Letter Word.

Learning a second language can be pretty tough. I started learning Spanish when I was in 7th grade. I had a break and then took a year or so in high school and at least two semesters in college. I can hardly speak a lick. I still remember some vocabulary and can put together some basic subject-verb-object sentences, but that’s about it. I don’t understand most of what is spoken by native spanish speakers. It’s frustrating.

I’m having a hard time seeing how a computer program can get beyond behaviorist ways of teaching and learning. In class someone suggested having native speakers involved or provide voice recognition. Both of those options, while ideal, do not appear to be in the realm of possibility at this time. The former because of cost, the second because of technology. I don’t know that voice recognition has advanced far enough to really be a viable option to gauge how a learner is progressing.

CALL is still a positive step in language learning and has a lot of potential. I see that some programs provide options for how information is presented so it can be tailored to a learner’s preferences. I’m assuming it can be programmed like some national tests like the GRE where as I get better the information gets harder (should I so choose to go this direction). I think a behaviorist approach to language learning coupled with situational learning is a good mix. Drill-and-practice some of the vocabulary but as soon as possible start using it in realistic setting.

My son is currently involved in a first-grade Spanish two-way immersion program. I actually sought advice to Dr. Graham’s father, Dr. Ray Graham, before placing him in the program. He was so helpful in deciphering research on immersion and encouraging us to have our son give it a try. It’s too soon to tell what the outcome will be, but my son is enjoying himself so right now that’s half the battle. His Spanish teacher has told us that he is a smart boy but needs to work on his vocabulary. Some of the students started this program in kindergarten so I think he’s behind in comparison. This tells me that a little drill-and-practice may be in order for the foundational words (things like colors, big/small, tree, house, school-words, etc). If he can get those then conversations he hears while immersed in Spanish may make a little more sense. I think he will be able to figure out words he doesn’t know hearing them in context with words he does know–that’s where the behaviorism coupled with constructivist (situational) theory may be a good thing.

I studied Gregg shorthand in junior college, and years later took a course in beginner’s Mandarin Chinese. It is surprising how similar both Gregg shorthand and Chinese look when written. The shorthand form of the letter  for V is a frequent shape in written Mandarin.  The shorthand forms of  j, b, the, have, suppose dot the pages of the ancient language. And anyone taking a quick look  at a page of Gregg shorthand might mistake it for Chinese. Who influenced what? There’s no doubt that the language was around long before the shorthand.

I´ve melted. My body is trying to deal with the calor, yes, but the day my heart melted it had nothing to do with the heat. It is still a mushy soup to this moment.

It may have started the melting process as I entered my favorite pre-K classroom last rainy Thursday morning, and I was suddenly pushed back out the door as a yellow swarm of little warm bodies closed around me in a group-bear hug, their tiny arms reaching only as far as the next colega´s shoulders. My heart became more buttery still as they got so excited to show me their new accomplishment, Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,  twinkling thier bright white children´s teeth in proud mouths as they sang.

The one responsible for my corazon´s current gooey state, though, is Iasmin, a bright, happy child who smiles all the way up to her eyes. I love it. She is also deaf. We´d been working through Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See?, by Bill Martin and Eric Carle, a book I remember well from my childhood. Unfortunately, the sounds of English words and songs we teach in class are not able to reach into her ears, but what I learned this day was that the classroom teacher had taught Iasmin the animal-color pairs in Brazilian Sign, so as I was reading the book to the class again, she signed the animals and their colors. I was taken away. When she drew two fingers of both hands above her upper lip out toward her ears, to simbolize “cat” and grinned proudly, we reached critical melting point. Green frog, blue horse, brown bear–it didn´t even matter anymore what it was–she was participating, she was proud of herself, and I was impressed.

Heart status: derretido. Melted.

Tifinagh () is a traditional Berber/Touareg alphabetic script — originally, an abjad (consonants only).

(source)

At ancientscripts.com

At omniglot.com

Tables and map

Lately i am fascinated by words.

it is remarkable to me that we actually understand each other.

usually, when we talk, we understand each other quite well.

despite the fact that our brains and souls are very individual.

my appeal to you is let’s invent new words.

comments and suggestions are highly welcome. perhaps we can make some words really popular?

if i understand correctly, ‘quiz’ was invented in the University of Chicago in the 60s.

Wikipedia adds this note:

There is a well-known myth about the word “quiz”, which says that in 1791 a Dublin theater owner named James Daly made a bet that he could introduce a word into the language within twenty-four hours. He then went out and hired a group of street urchins to write the word “quiz”, which was a nonsense word, on walls around the city of Dublin. Within a day, the word was common currency and had acquired a meaning (since no one knew what it meant, everyone thought it was some sort of test) and Daly had some extra cash in his pocket. However, there is no evidence to support the story, and the term was already in use before the alleged bet in 1791.^[1]

my new word for this post is:

‘News it’.

what does it mean? ‘

news it! – something you say to someone who just bought a new item. ‘תתחדש’ in hebrew

perhaps the salespeople at Banana Republic will great you on the way out with ‘News it’,  instead of ‘have a nice day’ or ‘thanks for shopping with us’

The merging of digital technologies and traditional storytelling took another leap forward recently when Japan’s Mobile Arts Lab announced the PhoneBook, which works by inserting the Apple iPhone into the pages of a story book, allowing the child reader to interact with the changing background, or to change the background of the story by tilting the book. The creators of the book claim that most iPhone apps are targeted at adults, while this is an opportunity for parents to connect with their children through the age-old art of storytelling with a modern technological twist. The combination of print and visual media is yet again forcing us to re-think our familiar and  once discrete worlds of books, pictures, films and music, as well as blurring the edges between the processes of reading, watching and creating. What strikes me when watching the film clip is that there is no apparent dialogue between the adult and the child, which is a pity because the book would seem to lend itself to rich discussion and the beginnings of a growing vocabulary so vital for literacy development in the early years.

My dad, Sparky, is brilliant. He’s a great dad, but he also says amazing things. I spent the night round at the parent’s house last night and mum (also brilliant) reminded me of this gem:

Whilst out shopping for curtains Sparks loudly remarks “Who ever designed these curtains had no taste.” to which the female shop owner replies “Careful, my husband made those.” Not to be deterred Sparky offers up his devastatingly hilarious quip “Looking at you confirms that he’s tasteless!”

Utter gold, made all the more golden by the fact that he thinks that is perfectly acceptable social behaviour. One of mum’s favourite refrains is “Jokes have to be funny dear.” Which is advice we would all do well to heed. Sometimes I get far too caught up in the idea of a joke and forget to check whether the punchline is actually, you know, punchy. For example I was in the pub with an eclectic group of mates a while ago and the ‘laddy’ element were talking sport; rugby, football, NFL etc.. Meanwhile, two of my more, shall we say ‘alternative’ friends declared all sport a waste of time and were having a Top Trumps style conversation about ‘who would win in a fight’.

The match ups ranged from ‘polar bear V shark’ to ‘penguin V walrus’. They weren’t exclusively cold-climate creatures either we had the classic ‘lion V tiger’, ‘4 squirrels V cat’ there were many many battle fought that day. It was when countries got involved that my interest was piqued. Scotland would obviously beat England A) Because I count myself a Scot, and B) Because Scotland holds the majority of Britain’s nuclear arsenal and indeed troops. The point of this story (I haven’t heeded my own advice here have I?) was that eventually the neighbourly squabble of Irelend V England reared it’s head. My mate’s were all in agreement that the emerald isle would crush their historical oppressors, until Pete chimed in with “Yeah, but take Northern Ireland away and they’d lose.” What I said next remains to this day my proudest joke despite not being that funny “No Pete, taking Northern Ireland away was what started this mess in the first place!”

I sat there beaming after that, but no-one laughed. I’d got so caught up with my Have I Got News for You-esque wit that I hadn’t realised it’s not funny. Maybe this is how Sparks felt in that drapery. Work news now: nothing to report. Bloody nothing, not a whiff of an audition. The Naturals are still being my guardian angels though, long may they continue. I did apply for a job that specified “Attractive people only, when we say attractive we mean just that. We are not looking to see people who look like the cast of Shameless.” maybe it was hubris that made me apply, afterall James McAvoy is hardly a minger.

A pigmentation is not a hog farm

I have never been a massive fan of the German language. At school the rolling consonants of Spanish and French were far more alluring to me than the ichts and the bichts of German and learning it was never really contemplated. Whereas I often fantasize about doing more in Spanish than vamosing al cine, discussing Apollinaire in French with my French superstar-DJ/ artist/ model boyfriend and conversing with the Cosa Nostra or Miuccia Prada in fluent Italian, yearnings relating to German chat have pretty much evaded me. Even during my wanting-to-be-a-spy phase I figured a way round the consolatory five languages without learning German; Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese and Dutch. (Was very into Amsterdam at the time.)

In fact only on two occasions have I ever really wished that I spoke German. The first was upon finding myself phoneless and lost on the first night of a German dance festival at around three in the morning. Had I have been able to speak German it may never have reached the point where  I decided that best course of action would be to find the first randomer willing to accept the 5 Euros that I had left one me so that I could call my parents….. who were on holiday in Italy at the time (and FAST asleep,) to cry about being lost. Although….. maybe  I would have done the same even with the power of the German tongue. Who knows.

The other was when I heard this song……

Wir Werden Sehen – Solomun Vox Remix

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-ZlTZu2uFs

I want to sing in German…just like her.

“The four building blocks of the universe are fire, water, gravel and vinyl.“   — Dave Barry

-you know what I’d do if I had a time machine?

-what?

-you know how everyone says stuff like “I’d go back and kill Hitler before he could do any harm” and that sort of shit?

-yeah?

-screw that. you know what I’d do?

-what?

-I’d go back and mess with the minds of important artists. like, I’d go up to Monet and say stuff like “really, another one with the cathedral in it? you sure?” you know, try to make them insecure about their work. or hang around Gauguin going “you sure you want to move there? I mean, it’s up to you, of course. I just…you know…I mean…it’s your call.”

-yeah, and compliment Van Gogh on his ears a lot. like “wow, they’re really symmetrical. it’s like they perfectly complement each other. say you wouldn’t happen to have some sketches that you wouldn’t need lying around, would you? you know, just some stuff you’d want to clear out of the way. nah, I’m just asking. no reason.”

-and you know what else? get this, to go up to Beethoven and only talk to him screaming. like, “HEY MAN, HOW’S IT GOING? EVERYTHING COOL? GETTING ANY WORK DONE LATELY? BY THE WAY, LOVED THAT FIDELIO.” but to do that before he was deaf.

Visual Description:  Some chilly, and very angry, apartment renters.

MOAXI  =  AXIOM,  SESMY  =  MESSY,  ESSMYT  =  SYSTEM,  RAHBOR  =  HARBOR   —   Giving us:  AMESTEHO

Clue/Question:  What the tenants gave the landlord when they didn’t have it.

Answer:  SOME “HEAT“

(The Clue/Question definitely could have been phrased better!) —   YUR