Secular Confessions

Oh, Mandy, I did not know that. How fun! It sounds like she is living the life I envisioned for myself... A job using Japanese, married a Japanese guy, speaking Japanese at home... Obviously, my life didn't turn out that way, and I'm quite happy with that fact- but a part of me still kinda whishes that the guy I'd fallen in love with was Japanese, hah. I guess it's fair, though, because he tells me he never imagined he'd marry a white girl, either. Ah, love is blind!

Yeah, I bet if we got together, we'd bore everyone else to death... I can go on for hours, too!

Oh, I hope it ends up that way for Maiya. I really hope that I don't give up on Japanese with her. Obviously, I'm not drilling it in to her, but I still speak it sometimes, we still hang out with friends who speak only Japanese around us, I still call my host family who only speaks Japanese, and they sometimes visit and I hope to bring her back to Japan as often as possible (though with the cost, it's not going to be often!), and we still read Japanese books and watch Japanese TV. At least her favorite movie is Heidi- the Japanese version! She does ask me to translate the whole thing for her, though...

And, thank you! I don't know when I'll trigger. I have another U/S on Monday, and if the follies are big enough, I will trigger that night, and the IUI will be Wednesday morning. My nurse today said the follies should grow about 2 mm per day, so they can be up to 18 on Monday, and that would be enough. If they're not big enough yet, we'll just keep doing meds and U/Ss until they are. Though I don't think it will be long- I respond really well to Clomid, so expect to at least have an average response to these. The cycle I got Maiya, my biggest was 17, so hopefully 18 would be big enough. Though I've had cycles lately with even up to 27, and that didn't work, so I'm nervous... Part of me hopes we give them an extra day to grow, and part of me hopes they are at 18 on Monday and we can move forward!

I know you said we are cycle sisters, what did you end up doing this cycle? I seem to recall you said you might try, or might not, but hadn't decided last we talked.

I did not do meds this month. I don't know - I'm not feeling "ready." I've been on a break while my thyroid levels evened out and I'm just really enjoying the lack of stressing over TTC and I just couldn't find it in myself to bite the bullet and call the doctor in time to get my meds so here I am without. We might try without, but I really doubt it. I don't hold out much hope either way.

Still, I'm stalking you! We can still be cycle sisters, can't we? :)

And my sister ended up hating her boss and hating her job. She found out that while they hired her for her bilingual skills, her actual job was not something she trained for or enjoyed (management for a Japanese business, where she majored in history). She quit when B has born and has been a SAHM for 18 years. Now she wants to go back to work but has no idea what she wants to do or how to get back into the workforce. So don't be too jealous of her career!

It's funny - both of us grew up loving languages and really the biggest reason I didn't major in a foreign language in college was because I didn't want to be a copy-cat and do exactly what my sister did. I did pick a language-heavy career (and my minor is in linguistics and with that came classes in Russian and Navajo as well as French and Spanish) but I'm glad I went the direction I did. But I'm still envious that she has native-like fluency in a second language she learned as an adult. I don't suppose I'll ever have that but there's a part of me that knows I could have if I'd done things differently. Still, as I said, I wouldn't trade a career I love for the job she hated.

I love languages, too. Despite not having grown up bilingual, or studied much at an early age, I tend to enjoy other languages and have a good ear for them. Instruments, as well, also without that magical early window. Before I settled down into my actual major (I think I've mentioned this before), I originally wanted to know five languages before graduating. My Dad keeps sending me articles on the importance of early musical education and other things, and I've been telling him that they're in Spanish class now after school two days a week and they're already complaining that it makes their days too long. I was an exchange student in Spain when I was in high school, and I would recommend the experience to anyone, not just for language acquisition but to change the whole mindset of one's home country as the main center of the world and the only way people do things.

L, I do think some people's brains are wired to learn a second language more than others. You can see the difference between my sister and I who seem to be able to hear the sounds and learn the accents of a new language easily, and my mom who tries but just can't pick it up in the way we can. And we certainly were not raised bilingual!

Just like some kids have brains that do not learn languages, even a first language, easily. There is definitely an opposite side to that coin.

The big difference with early exposure, though, is that the second language is not learned but acquired in the same way a first language is acquired. And schools just aren't very good at teaching native fluency in a second language. As you get older, you actually lose the ability to hear distinctions in sound contrasts that don't exist in your native language and for most people it's hard to get past that. I do think the ability to pick up sounds in other languages is similar to having an ear for music.

I like Spanish because everything is pronounced the way it looks. Vowels sound the same every time, letters are pronounced the same way every time. As far as I remember, at least. I forget most of what I learned in high school.

B, I'm sorry S is actually doing worse :( Poor little tyke. You must be exhausted too.

I'm sure I'm missing stuff...there was a lot to catch up on! I helped my mom & brother move today. I'm exhausted.

Programming is a language (or so they say) and there's lots of evidence that suggests children that take programming classes as young as 8 or 10 grow to be the best programmers. It's definitely easier to learn as a child/adolescent than it is to try to get a handle on as an adult. A plus for me, though, is I did know a lot about about 10-12 years of age and supposedly someone with that foundation would have an easier time picking it up than someone else just learning anything about it at 18 or 20.

That's true, Chrissy. When I was taking linguistics classes people had realized that the way to make money with a degree in linguistics was to become a computer programmer. Suddenly linguists were realizing they had marketable skills! Otherwise it's a life of academic obscurity. But it's the same type of concept - breaking down languages to see how they work.

I happen to think Minspeak is fascinating - it's a communication system designed by a PhD linguist that uses a computer interface to help people communicate. I've dabbled in it but I'm not as conversant with it as I would like to be. http://www.minspeak.com/HistoryofMin...p#.USlfSVpetyc

So Mandy....what are you doing May 10th? :) I may be in the area...sorta. I'm planning a solo trip that starts in St Louis, spends time in Pagosa Springs, CO, and ends up on Phoenix. I may have enough ambition/time to get to Tucson. Just thought I'd toss that out there.

I should probably elaborate. I learned that I could get to Phoenix cheaper if I first went to St Louis, MO rather than straight from Ithaca. My cousin is getting married May 4th and I'm considering making it an actual vacation. i'd leave there a day or two after her wedding, go visit my friend Kim (sandersmommy, some may remember her) in CO, and then drive down to Phoenix to visit ShannonG (my virtual BFF). Since Tucson is only another 2 hours from there and it's during the week (Shannon likely won't be able to miss work) I contemplated taking a day to drive down and visit you. I'd still have the 11th and part of the 12th to be with Shannon.

I'd be working but if you were coming for sure, Fridays are the easiest day of the week for me to take a day off and I have personal days available. Let me know once you make definite plans. How fun!

Does anyone know a good site where you can get quotes for multiple destinations, car rentals, and hotels? This is like work doing each piece individually, and I know sometimes you can get discounts if you do the airfare, hotel, and car all in one package. But I don't have a clue which sites would be the best to use.

I've used Priceline and Travelocity in the past but I've never done the package deal thing. I found often you can get the same or better prices for airfare with less hassle by going direct though the airline, but I like to check the prices on Travelocity first to see what the different airlines charge and go from there.

ShannonG suggested Kayak, and I just did it. It automatically fowarded me to American Airlines, where all 3 of my flights could be booked immediately (if I had my $ available!). I then went back to Kayak and did the hotels. It took me directly to Priceline's site after comparing prices with others. So I think when I can actually do this (hopefully Tuesday) I'll use Kayak.

Mandy, I totally understand not being ready. I've had to skip many cycles because I wasn't ready and / or didn't want to deal with it. There's more to life than STC!

And of course we're still cycle sisters!

Ok, I won't be too envious of her ex-job. Still, must be great for her and her whole family to be bilingual and have two cultures mixed together.

I don't think I was exposed to ANY Japanese growing up. Living in CA, I got a decent amount of Spanish, but not really on a regular basis. But I still enjoy studying different languages and think I'm at least decent at learning them. And what you say about hearing the different sounds is SO true. There's a sound in Japanese, somewhere between an r and l and d, that doesn't exist in English, and so many people have such a hard time with that, they don't even HEAR it. It's amazing. And what's really interesting to me (and most English speakers) is that, since neither r nor l exist in Japanese, most Japanese speakers literally can NOT hear the difference between r and l.

So, I'm being very careful with using Japanese words that have that r/l/d sound around Maiya, and I was SO PROUD, because today she said it correctly!!! Our friend's name is Kaori, and though it's written with an r in English, it isn't, and though no non-native Japanese speaker around us gets it right, she said it correctly today. So she's not bilingual, but she can hear AND SAY at least one sound that isn't English! I'm sure it won't be often, yet, but it's a start. I mean, she can't even say the English r correctly yet!

Oh, that would be so fun if you guys could get together! Hope the timing works out. I agree with Mandy, the airlines are usually better for pricing, but it's always good to check all those package sites. We often use Kayak, too.

That's great! I'll have to try that sometime in the future.

We just got back from a comedy show with two of the guys from Whose Line Is It Anyway? and we both got called up on stage (and had front row seats!). OMG.

Oh, wow, Kate! Did you have to say anything?

Eek, Kate, I'd have died! Do tell, I want to hear all the details. How fun!

No, we had to each control one of the guy's movements, which was probably harder than having to say something. I wasn't getting the gist of the bit, but DH made his guy do some funny stuff and I think we did okay.

Too funny! Didn't Josh get called up to be a magician's assistant just a few months ago? You guys seem to attract that sort of thing :)

Yeah, I guess we are the unassuming type that performers like to pick on. LOL

Quote:

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Originally Posted by daylilies

Yeah, I guess we are the unassuming type that performers like to pick on. LOL

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I tried inserting the laughing emoticon, but it doesn't appear to be working :(

Well, we can't have that!

I'm wondering if they ever plan on fixing our paragraph problem or make it so we can edit our siggys again. It's ridiculous how long our board has been messed up.

Chrissy, it's a nightmare. The short version is, the people who upgraded the site to a new server were hired for that job and that job only. They did what they were paid to do, and the next morning Brad left for a trip to go mountain climbing. He won't be back until the first of the month or so. There is no "IT staff" to call on - trust me, L and I have both done all we could - and without Brad to authorize more work being done, we just have to wait it out. Be patient, and any issues you see, please add to the Site Issues thread in Random so we at least have a detailed record of the bugs that need to be fixed.

Interesting enough, it was when I was doing my exchange experience in France that I realized just how american I am and kind of tapered my desire for most international travel. I really didn't love being where I didn't totally understand the language....and I understood some and my "sister" translated for me. The funny part is that I had a fantastic time there. My host family was great. And I would like to go back to France, mostly to see my french sister and her family. It is just hard for me to get out of that comfort zone and I do not have an adventurous side. Kate....OMG we would have died! When we were in Vegas we went to a stage version of Price is Right and were talking all this smack ahead of time about getting called up and doing awesome....reality is we sat there and were like, please don't call us on stage, please don't call us on stage. LOL

LOL I would freeze up on a game show too.I hope it looked better than I feel I was doing. We're trying to scout for pics and videos and haven't found any yet. We should have handed our phone to someone sitting next to us! LOL

Oh, I loved France! I had so much fun using my French everywhere. I wasn't great when I got there but over the course of the trip I definitely got more comfortable. And I loved that they would answer me in French if I asked a question in French. When my mother tried to talk to people in French, they would respond in English! LOL...

I will add that French people have a way of making you feel very "American," though. I did not get the same feeling traveling in Mexico. Although it was just as foreign of a culture, the Mexican people were much more gracious and welcoming. France is kind of known for not exactly welcoming tourists with open arms. Although I actually thought England was just as bad, if not worse. I got a sense that a lot of the people I came across in London didn't really care for Americans.

Do you get a lot of prejudice for being American, Ash? Or is it different outside of London?

Kate, I would have been totally mortified to be chosen! I bet you did fine. When I took the kids to that play, part of it was interactive and the producer was telling the children when it was appropriate to make noise and said, "When we ask you a question.." and G, the four year old i care for grabbed my arm and said, "If he asks me something, you have to answer! I am very, very shy!" Lol. Btw, Mylah, it was that story you talked about. I wasn't crazy about the story itself but they did a great show. When the rabbit would settle in to read himself a bedtime story, the lights would dim and a puppet show would appear in what had been a picture on his wall. They used hand puppets, marrionettes (sp?) and silhouette puppets.Mandy- I know this was ages ago but that book sounds so sad. At this point in my life I cannot read sad. I have to keep it light. Same with shows and movies.Kai is better today. His cough is productive now which is a step in the right direction, I think. He has enough energy to be back to himself following me around with nonstop chatter. But still not eating much and lots of coughing. Sawyer is now boogery and sneezy too. I just hope he gets by with just a cold. He's still nursing so he's got that in his favor. We all got a great night sleep last night. I think I actually may have fallen asleep before Sawyer, him right next to me but still awake is the last thing I remember. And we slept until 7:30 which is an absolute record since the beginning of time. My house is wreck and it's making me crazy. I usually do so much after they go to bed but I've been just falling out with them, not knowing how much I have to be up in the night. And I am seriously grouchy when I'm tired. We've just come back from sledding in the yard. Sawyer's sleeping. I don't know where to start on my house. Dangit I really had my sh!t together housework-wise for a good while there. Now it's all up in smoke.

Can someone repeat to me the paragraph trick. My posts are making me queasy with no breaks.