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Languages

I was reminiscing about a song in a show I've done called "I Speak Six Languages." The character in the play speaks French, German, Russian, Hebrew, and Japanese in addition to English...and she's only 11.

This got me thinking about how I've wanted to learn more than one foreign language. We Americans are woefully inadequate when it comes to learning them. Granted, English is a difficult language to master (indeed, many of us don't seem to have it down yet, and we've been speaking it our entire lives). Furthermore, America is such a large country that we can travel within it for days and not need to know another language to get by--regional accents and terms change, but we can still be understood. Besides, we arrogantly think, the rest of the world is learning English anyway as the international business language, so why should we bother?

I imagine that mentality does not work at all in Europe. The countries there are much smaller, so anyone who wants to travel will likely need to know at least one other language. Besides that, their education system seems geared toward being multi-lingual: most students seem to know their primary tongue, plus English and one or two others by the time they finish high school. One of my classmates was a foreign exchange student from Germany who was taking French more or less for fun, yet it seemed her mastery was already beyond ours.

This isn't limited to just Europe, either. My former neighbor, originally from India, knows Hindi, Punjabi, and at least 3 or 4 other Indian languages in addition to English and Spanish. This, I would suspect, comes not just from his education, which is considerable, but also from necessity: with hundreds of millions of people living in such proximity, speaking dozens of languages and perhaps hundreds of dialects, knowing several of them would be a matter of survival.

More than one travel guide has stated that learning even a little bit of the local language goes a long way. The service is better when they see you're trying; it's a measure of respect, because you're not some American who demands everything in English, as if your language is somehow superior to theirs. And while I haven't traveled abroad yet, how cool would that be to visit Europe and use as little English as possible? I bet you could go almost anywhere and find someone who knows French, German, Italian, or Spanish and get what you want before you have to use English as a last resort.

I've always had a lot of respect for folks who know several languages. At one point, I was pretty good at French, having studied it for one-and-a-half years in junior high, two years in high school, and one year in college. But years of not needing it, and therefore not using it, have taken much of the vocabulary away. I still know the basics, but I'd need a long review to get to where I was. My Spanish is OK, but not great; at least the more frequent use of it has kept it in my head. I don't regret studying French at all; but I know that if I'd learned the same amount of Spanish, I'd still be using it today and would be near-fluent.

Some years ago, Jennifer and I decided to study another language. We debated between Italian and German before settling on German. That was the language she had studied in college, so we thought it would be easier for her to pick up where she left off. It went well for a couple years, and our vocabulary grew to where we could possibly talk to an 8-year-old. But again, the lack of opportunity to use it robbed our enthusiasm, and we stopped.

Now I think we're going to start on Italian. I know, there's no more opportunity in America for Italian than there is for German or French or most other languages, unless you live in an area with a concentration of speakers in one neighborhood. But it's so beautiful to listen to; most of the vowels and pronunciation rules are pretty regular; and so much of English comes from Latin that we already know more words than we realize. Will it be different this time around? We certainly hope so. If we decide we're going to do it, and do it right, we'll be fine.

Lessons from Hollywood

It's not often that we see movies which actually teach us or inspire us, but the recent film "Julie and Julia" has done just that. We don't just mean an inspiration to read the book the film is based on, or to do further research on the person or events portrayed. Most movies have that effect on us (as evidenced by our overloaded bookcases). But this film has actually motivated us to be better people. Only once in a while does that happen. Here are some of our thoughts.

JEFF: Usually it's the so-called artistic movies, the ones loved by the Academy, that are considered inspirational. I doubt that "Julie and Julia" will be nominated for many awards, even though Meryl Streep's portrayal of Julia Child is charmingly rendered. But I have gained another level of appreciation for good cooking. Other light-hearted cooking movies like "Ratatouille" and "No Reservations" have done this too. What sets this one apart is the lesson in perseverance. As the author George Eliot said, "It's never too late to become what you might have been."

JEN: First, I think it's an amazing feat to see a film that inspires me to buy a cookbook. As you may or may not know, I don't cook. Despite the mean cookies I bake, I am a person who eats to live rather than anticipating my next gourmet meal. However, I heartily enjoyed the film "Julie and Julia" so much that I'm tempted to place my order on Amazon for Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" (as the local Barnes & Noble was out of stock) if only to discover new dessert creations. I found the film delightful both times I saw it.

JEFF: By the time most people get to my age, they are well-established in their careers and family life, and they can easily project the next several years of their lives. I, however, still don't know what I want to be when I grow up. Julia Child is a great example of discovering one's passion somewhat later in life and becoming successful with a hidden talent. (Maybe buying the cookbook will awaken a knack for fine cooking in Jennifer after all...)

JEN: I'm not sure that'll actually happen. However, the Bavarian cream that swirled across the screen reminded me of a recipe for Caledonian cream in Godey's Lady's Book, 1860. Anything 19th Century motivates me.

JEFF: While I have no plans to become a gourmet chef, I continue to find pleasure in learning and practicing my culinary skills. Tonight, an omelette with bacon, green bell pepper and squash; tomorrow, perhaps, Beef Bourguignon.

JEN: Inspiration from this film came to me on three levels: first, to want to try my hand at cooking a dish or two; second, encouraging me to be more creative in my writing for Cloak & Corset; third, discovering a new method of brainstorming.

If you have a chance, go see the movie. Then tell us when you're cooking chicken with mushrooms sauteed in a butter, port, and cream sauce, and we'll be your guests for dinner. Bon appetit!

Another Busy Summer Ahead

This time last year, I listed all the activities I planned to do over summer break. I am not so sure that I will be able to do as many varied things, because I have already filled my calendar until August.

I am involved in not one, but two musicals this summer. "Honky Tonk Angels" features the music of the early girls of country: Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, and Dolly Parton, among others. Musically, it's not very complicated, but it's going to be fun. This is the country music I was raised on, so I know and like most of the songs already.

The second show, "Into the Woods," weaves the stories of Cinderella, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, and other fairy-tale characters together. The music is quite challenging, but the assembled cast has a great deal of talent, and we are all excited to see how it's going to turn out.

Building a Family Tree

Last week I "broke down" and purchased family tree making software. I figured that all my notes on little and loose sheets of paper needed to be contained in one area. Gee - why don't I use my computer for something like that?


I'm really excited to undertake the task of entering all of this sorted information about my family and ancestors. From ever so many names and dates to photos and fun facts like my 3x-Great-grandfather was born in Ireland and two of my grandfathers lived in Iowa.


Here are my three Ransom great-aunts taken in 1902. I love this photo. They are so adorable.

And for those who follow my Civil War character, Mrs Rosbrugh, or reenact with me on Oak Street, here is my 2x-great-grandmother, Katie Minora Foote Todd, who I've made into my character's Aunt Katie who died shortly after the Oak Street town fire.

I also have the wonderful opportunity of researching 3 lines (my father's and 2 of my mother's) as my mother was adopted (the grandparents I grew up with) but found her birth mother in 1992. I can now trace the blood line back with much information already found by my mother and her sisters.

Yea for computers and ancestors! I don't care about digging up black skeletons 'cause every family has 'em. But those people in my tree went through their life with happiness and struggles like all of us. Their course in life has formed the path down to where I was born. How exciting to connect with the past!

Disneyland Roses

I know these aren't "our" roses - yet, but I was searching thru old photos and found this one I took in May 2007 while at Disneyland. These roses are beautiful!

So much so that we now have three plants of official Disneyland roses in our front flower beds and three more plants coming next week for the back patio. Yippie! Roses and Disneyland - both on my favorites list.

My Newest Addiction

All right, so I admit that we haven't been posting much lately. Well, the main reason is that we've discovered Facebook.

It is tremendously fun to catch up with high school and college friends, as well as to connect with people you already see on a regular basis. What really eats up the time, though, are all the applications: quizzes, personality tests, and online games like Kidnap. Sometimes more than an hour goes by without our even realizing it. We were warned that it's addictive, and it certainly is.

So while blog posts are better for long explanations, those of us who like the quick fix just put our thought for the day on Facebook and be done with it. I apologize in advance for what I expect will be less frequent posts here. But if you look on Facebook (and I don't want to advertise too much here) I promise you'll hear from me often.

The Fat Cat Dance

or... what Finley does when he REALLY wants outside to join us on the patio.

Maybe we should give him some soap and have him wash the window while he's at it.

Smaller World

OK, so I know we live in a pretty small town, but something happened last night that just made it a little smaller.

I went to my regular jazz workshop, and the second person I see is none other than my niece. I hadn't said anything about the show to her, and I'd not seen her in there before, so I wondered how she came to be there. Turns out she is very good friends with a girl whose dad was playing saxophone in the band. I had met him a few years back and worked with him a couple of times.

After his set, I told him that his daughter came in with my niece, and he said, "Oh yeah, she's great. We see her all the time, she's like another daughter to us." So then I met the rest of his family, and now they know the family connection on my side.

I guess those six degrees of separation just closed a bit more.

A Small Grammar Lesson: Bi vs. Semi

Looking at a recent magazine, I saw that it is published every two months, and I thought, is this what bi-monthly means? Because some people define bi-monthly as twice a month, while others say it's every other month. Even dictionaries disagree in their definitions, so they're not much help. Well, here's my thought:

Using "bi" should mean every other (bi meaning two), and for twice per, use the term "semi" (semi meaning half). So a biannual family reunion occurs every other year, while a six-month sales meeting is semi-annual. The magazine we have is published bimonthly, while church services held every Sunday and Wednesday occur semi-weekly.

The most confusing term, I think, is biweekly. Using this definition, however, it means every other week. Since this is roughly twice a month, then, semi-monthly and biweekly are virtually the same. So take your pick for this one. (Even better, just say "twice a month" or "every two weeks." Nobody will fault you for being clear, but many will be annoyed if you confuse them.)

Any grammar specialists out there are welcome to disagree with me, but I think this system is pretty clear...to me at least.

St. Patrick's Day Thoughts

There's something about holidays to get me thinking...and also to remind me that I haven't posted anything in a while. So here goes.

St. Patrick's Day never meant too much to me as a kid. It was a reason to wear green so as not to get pinched. Sometimes I would try to cover up the green in the hope that if someone tried to pinch me, I could show the green and then retaliate by punching them. (Ah, the innocent yet violent games we played as children.) But not being Catholic or Irish (that I knew of), the significance of the day never extended beyond that.

Sometime in college, I found out that I have ties to the Wallace clan. Yes, the same Wallace clan as William Wallace of Braveheart fame. (Break out the bagpipes!) I also found out at this time (from a Scottish classmate) that the Scots celebrate St. Patrick's Day by wearing orange instead of green. So I began wearing an orange shirt and explaining myself to anyone who questioned the absence of green. (No pinching was involved that I remember...I suppose we do grow out of some things.)

Finally, a few years ago on a trip to England and Ireland, my parents found out that my mother's family name, Hurley, is of Irish origin. So I do have a bit o' the Irish in me after all. Now I can wear green, or orange, or both, and still celebrate my heritage authentically. (The only thing I have that's green and orange is an old University of Miami shirt, as those are the school colors. Good thing I've kept it.)

Thank goodness for ceramic!

In my Total Health Breakthroughs e-newsletter a couple weeks ago they gave a great recipe for Blackberry Souffle. It was great as it uses xylitol and stevia, both natural sugar substitutes.

We had guests coming over last Sunday to watch the Oscars so I wanted to try out the recipe as it seemed easy enough. So we took a trip to Williams-Sonoma (great store!) and picked up six ceramic ramekins - what the recipe called for.

I cooked the blackberries and Jeff helped with the lemon zest and juice. Mixing everything together, I spooned out the ricotta and egg mixture into the ramekins. They were quite full! Ok. Well, we'll see how they turn out.

They nearly overflowed after the first 15 min. baking. I had to spoon out some of the mixture so I could top them with the blackberry compote and bake another 15 minutes.

And then - well, let's just say I'm glad they were on a cookie sheet in the oven or I'd have to buy an oven over cleaning the thing.

Ta-Da! Exploded Blackberry Souffle.

But they tasted wonderful.
And were very filling with 15 grams protein and 3 grams fiber but with only 6 grams of sugar.

Thank goodness the ramekins were ceramic as I worried how many hours I'd have to soak and scrub them to get them clean. They actually cleaned up quite quickly.

Another Re-enacting Season Underway

My 2009 Civil War season started off with a living history event at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park. There were no mock battles but plenty of drill and demonstration, which gave us a greater chance to interact with the public. Even though the battles are fun and well-watched, it's the history that really keeps us in the hobby. There's only so much history that can be taught in scho0l, and much of it is wrong anyway. So it's our job to educate the public and show them things that a textbook never will.

Jennifer's civilian group decided not to come this time, because it had been raining on Friday, and it's really hard to set up when everything is wet. But to my surprise and delight, the weather on Saturday was clear and beautiful, and Sunday had just a few clouds with temperatures low enough to make us all glad we have so many layers of wool. Even though the initial forecast was for a wet and rainy weekend, we could not have had better weather.

Both days had a parade through the park. For the first day, I carried Vermont's regimental colors. For Sunday, I carried the National flag and led the whole Union brigade. Only Mr. Lincoln marched ahead of me (and you know that nobody was going to march in front of him). It was rather a proud moment.

All in all, it was a great start to the season and I look forward to another good year.

Thoughts from a (New) Sergeant

I am now in my sixth season of re-enacting. (Has it been that long already?) I spent the first three years as a private, then I served two more years as a corporal. Now I will spend the next season as a sergeant. It's both exciting and a little scary.

For many groups, promotion can be slow in coming, so those of us who aspire to higher rank (like me) often have to wait, then take the opportunity when we can. The hobby has lots of members who have been in it for many years (even longer than me) and have never wanted to be anything above a private, which suits them just fine. Not everyone wants to be an officer, of course, which is also good, because someone has to do the actual fighting. Also, privates (and most corporals) have less responsibility and therefore often have more fun, because they just do what they're told.

Then there is the middle management position known as sergeant. The NCO (non-commissioned officer) has several duties, not the least of which is taking care of the troops and seeing that they do what the senior officers tell them. Having now spent my first event as a sergeant, I must say that I like the position very much. The stripes definitely mean something, and I find myself noticing rank on others' uniforms that much more now that I have "extra stuff" on my own. (Jennifer keeps making popping noises when I mention it, just so my head doesn't get too big.)

I still have a lot to learn about the position, but I know it will come, just like everything else I've learned. We all started out as privates, green and clueless. But now that I'm teaching others the ins and outs, I only hope I do as well as I was taught.

Pretty Clouds

Gorgeous clouds at sunset after a hard day's rain. The system yesterday (2-13) cleared out and left the eastern hills covered white. I'm sure the higher mountains received a full blanket of snow.

Ahh... San Diego

Jeff and I went down to Carlsbad (30 min. north of San Diego) this last weekend for a Cloak & Corset planning meeting. (See the blog post here.)

We took Sara and Jeremiah down to Ocean Beach and Point Loma, spending time on the pier and taking a quick driving tour of the PLNU campus, our undergraduate alumni home. We hadn't been to the city in over 5 years! But oh, it still feels like home. Maybe someday we can move back...

We also ate dinner on Friday night at Corvette Diner on 5th Ave. What a blast!

OB Pier:

The tide coming in:

Looking North, view of Mission Bay and La Jolla:

Looking East along Newport Ave. in Ocean Beach:

We had a terrific weekend and can't wait to visit again.

Confessions of a football fan

Years ago, before we were even married, Jennifer and I read a saying: "We interrupt this marriage to bring you the football season." And how true that is for us, especially when my beloved Pittsburgh Steelers are playing. It is hard enough for her to get my attention when any good game is on; when the Steelers are playing, forget it.

It's not that Jennifer doesn't like football; in fact, she rather enjoys it and often asks very specific questions about the game (e.g. What's the difference between offsides and encroachment?). But most of the time she can't watch more than a quarter or so before her attention shifts to something else. So I was quite pleased yesterday when she stayed in the living room for almost all of the AFC Championship. (Granted, she was hand-sewing and doing business on her laptop for much of it, but at least she was in the same room, so she was able to see the big plays and cheer with me.)

Now that my favorite team is in the Super Bowl, I have two more weeks to follow them, wear my Steelers shirts (and I have a few), and cheer them on to victory. My brother who lives in town is every bit the die-hard Pittsburgh fan that I am, so we will probably get together to watch the big game at my place or his. (More likely his, since his TV is bigger than mine!)

Our 2008 Christmas

Jennifer and I drove up Wednesday evening to Sacramento to spend Christmas with my family. We stayed the night at my parents' house then drove to my sister's in Wilton for Christmas morning. (Wilton is a small rural town in southern Sacramento County.)

Altogether, there were 16 for gifts and dinner: my sister & her husband; their two girls and son-in-law; my mom and dad; older brother, his wife and 3 boys; younger brother and his wife; and Jen & me. It was especially good to see my younger brother, because we weren't expecting him to make the trip from Anaheim. But a friend was able to use an airline voucher for him, and the flight had a seat, so my sister-in-law (who was already in town visiting) picked him up Christmas Eve from the airport.

My sister loves to cater for parties, so you know the food was good: roast beef, ham, twice-baked potatoes, green bean casserole, rolls, and plenty of dessert: banana cream pie, cheesecake, fudge, cookies and snowballs (a recipe from Jennifer's family of cream cheese & chocolate chips rolled in coconut). YUM! It makes me hungry just thinking about it again.

Another fine holiday spent with the family. I hope all of yours were good too.

A Christmas Adventure...sort of

Our family had an unusual experience this Christmas. Some might call it a miracle, others a good coincidence. But whatever your belief system, it's a pretty good story.

My brother-in-law received a large toolbox from my sister as his big gift. It was so big, in fact, that she couldn't bring it home, so he brought my dad, me and my two brothers, and his son-in-law to pick it up from my sister's office and load it into the truck to take home.

On the way back, the six of us noticed a van on the road with smoke pouring out of it. So we pulled over to help. OK, so here's the interesting part: our family in the truck included a Fire Battalion Chief, a firefighter trainee, an ER doctor, an electrical engineer, and enough collective knowledge to put together a whole vehicle from spare parts. What's more, my brother-in-law, the fire captain, carries his dispatch radio with him all the time, so we had fire & police on the way before we had even crossed the street to help the stranded van. (MORAL: If your vehicle breaks down, you could not ask for better qualified help in one vehicle unless a fire engine was driving by.)

Fortunately, the van had only overheated and was not on fire. By the time the first police squad car arrived, the engine had stopped steaming and everything was completely under control. The mother and grown daughter in the van were just fine and so glad that we stopped to help. As we were leaving them and wishing all Merry Christmas, it seemed that just a few seconds difference, and we might not have seen them to help.

Call it what you want to, but we were glad to be there when we were. It didn't have to be Christmas Day for us to lend a hand, but not many other occasions would have put those six guys in one vehicle (especially when that vehicle includes a radio with a direct link to a fire station). Don't worry, I'm not going to write to Hallmark to make a TV movie...it wasn't that dramatic. But for two strangers, at least, we saved Christmas, and that felt pretty special.