Chelsey Cosh's Blog: From Mind to Mouth - Posts Tagged "languages"
Baby, Let's Make Promises That We Can Keep and Call It a New Year's Resolution.
With a new year comes resolutions.
I have a few. Last year (in November 2015, not January 2016, as it turned out) I vowed not to eat sugar. I got my fair share of laughs because I loved me some chocolate and ice cream. But as time went on, it got significantly easier. Fruit and those deliciously sugar-free potato chips are good desserts and have fared me well.
So, in 2017, I've decided to push myself with a new set of resolutions.
First, as a huge fan of languages, I have been learning a handful over the past year or two. I have been a long-time French-speaker, over a decade or two at least. (It started with Madeline .) But I have also been learning Spanish, German, Italian, and, in a much smaller capacity, Arabic, Russian, and Mandarin. I am a big advocate of using Duolingo to sharpen and maintain your reading, writing, and listening skills, specifically for French, Spanish, German, Italian, and Russian. That's why my resolution stems from using that fantastic -- and did I mention free? -- online learning tool to become more multi-lingual this year. Although imperfect sometimes, Duolingo tries to give you measures of your fluency as best as it can muster. Since I let it all go to pot when I got busy with last year's PopSugar Reading Challenge, all of my fluency scores have dropped dramatically. They are currently sitting at 46% for French, 38% for Spanish, 28% for German, and 14% for Italian. (There are currently no percentage-based fluency metrics for Russian. However, I can tell you there are 78 levels of vocabulary and grammar; I have completed eight.) Pretty embarrassing, I know. So, my resolution is for 65% fluency across the board. And, in the case of Russian, 50 fully completed levels should suffice as an equivalent. For some languages, that benchmark'll be easy-peasy. (I'm looking at you, French.) For others, it's going to be a steep climb. (Russian, you are my Everest.) Regardless, I've got to hold myself accountable, so each month, I will keep y'all updated, mi amigos.
Now for my second resolution! As you may know from back in August, I have been learning how to play the guitar using Rocksmith. It has been hugely fun and, now that I have a second Real Tone cable, my husband and I have been able to play together, which is very nice since he plays rhythm and I play lead. Very harmonious!
You see, Ubisoft, the developer of Rocksmith, has their 60-day challenge where you play an hour a day for two whole months to become a proficient guitar player, learning techniques and chords, just by playing songs and arcade games. There are no dull-as-dirt theory lessons or anything like that. It's a great learning tool and I really believe in it, but I don't know if I can commit an hour a day every single day. Most days, sure, but some days I have absolutely no time to spare, so I figured issuing myself a 365-day challenge gives me some much-needed leniency. Currently, my top five songs in terms of mastery are "Blitzkrieg Bop" by the Ramones, "Funeral March" by Chopin, "My Girl" by The Temptations, "The Final Countdown" by Europe, and "Stuck On a Wire Out on a Fence" by The Dear Hunter, in that order, with "Blitzkrieg" at a 73% mastery, thank you very much. However, I am far more interested in improving the songs I actually enjoy playing, namely "My Girl" by The Temptations, "American Girl" and "Refugee" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, "Addicted to Love" by Robert Palmer, "Don't Speak" by No Doubt, and "Go Your Own Way" by Fleetwood Mac. My goal is to raise those statistics by at least 25% each, which, in the matters of full disclosure, would bring "My Girl" up from 53% to 78%, "American Girl" from 30.8% to 55.8%, "Refugee" from 17.8% to 42.8%, "Addicted to Love" from 23.3% to 48.3%, "Don't Speak" from 30.6% to 55.6%, and "Go Your Own Way" from 19.8% to 44.8%. I realize I am only hoping to attain 78% mastery, but playing these songs is hard, you guys! Baby steps, baby steps.
Third, and perhaps the most ridiculous and least likely to succeed of these resolutions, I resolve to clear my own backlog of unwatched films and TV boxsets by actually watching the ... well, who knows however many titles I have purchased as dust collectors. I know how unrealistic this resolution is. It's probably not going to happen, but I'll give it a shot. After all, how many people can make a resolution to sit on their ass and watch TV like it's some kind of major achievement? The world's tiniest violin plays for me.
Lastly, and most importantly for all you readers out there, I have decided not to do the PopSugar Reading Challenge for 2017, but rather to create my own reading challenge, pushing myself to read a variety of books under a variety of prompts in a similar fashion. I will write down my current choices now for what I think I may read to fulfill each prompt, but I am easily swayed. If I am bombarded with suggestions for a particular book, I will read that instead -- unless, of course, I have already it. I may even issue a poll from time to time. And please, if the mood strikes, join the challenge!
So, announcing for the first time ever (and in no particular order), the 2017 Super-Mega-Ultra-Neo-Maxi-Zoom-Dweebie Chelsey Cosh Reading Challenge™!
#1. A memoir published last year: Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls, and Everything in Between , by Lauren Graham, or Scrappy Little Nobody , by Anna Kendrick, or A Life in Parts , by Bryan Cranston (This is a toughie. So many to choose from!)
#2. A memoir published this year: I will have to wait and see what's released later on this year.
#3. A book about or set in Scandinavia: The Almost Nearly Perfect People , by Michael Booth, or Britt-Marie Was Here , by Fredrik Backman
#4. A book about or set in Australia: The Light Between Oceans , by M. L. Stedman
#5. A Black Quill Award winner: Dark Places , by Gillian Flynn
#6. A book about a mother-son relationship: The End of Your Life Book Club , by Will Schwalbe, or The Rainbow Comes and Goes , by Anderson Cooper & Gloria Vanderbilt
#7. A Goodreads choice award winner: Room , by Emma Donoghue (it won for fiction in 2010), or The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks , by Rebecca Skloot (it won the same year for non-fiction)
#8. A sequel to a book you loved: After You , by Jojo Moyes
#9. A screenplay: When Harry Met Sally , by Nora Ephron, or Good Will Hunting , by Matt Damon & Ben Affleck, or Almost Famous , by Cameron Crowe
#10. A classic work of gay literature: Brokeback Mountain , by Annie Proulx
#11. A winner of an Edgar Award: The Grown-Up , by Gillian Flynn
#12. A book most people read in high school but you did not: The House on Mango Street , by Sandra Cisneros
#13. A work of Gothic horror: We Have Always Lived in the Castle
#14. A play written by Shakespeare: I really want to read Hamlet . I can't believe I haven't read it yet.
#15. A play not written by Shakespeare: I have such a selection. My short list includes The Glass Menagerie , Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? , Barefoot in the Park , A Doll's House , Waiting for Godot , The Cherry Orchard , Long Day's Journey Into Night , The Crucible , and Tartuffe . Spoiled for choice, I am.
#16. A book of essays: Me Talk Pretty One Day , by David Sedaris
#17. A book based on a blog: Hyperbole and a Half , by Allie Brosh
#18. A book written about the future, but that future is now our past: 1984 , by George Orwell, or 2001: A Space Odyssey , by Arthur C. Clarke
#19. A graphic novel: I've heard good things about Fun Home , Maus , The Walking Dead , Blankets , and V for Vendetta . Again, like picking a non-Shakespearean play, my largest struggle will be to pick which one I want to read most.
#20. A classic romance novel: Pride and Prejudice , by Jane Austen
#21. A book with a transgender protagonist: Middlesex , by Jeffrey Eugenides
#22. A book written by a woman of colour: Beloved , by Toni Morrison, or Their Eyes Were Watching God , by Zora Neale Hurston
#23. A book about a murder: In Cold Blood , by Truman Capote
#24. A banned book: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn , by Mark Twain, or maybe, if I don't read it for prompt #22, Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston
#25. A book about science: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot (if I don't read it for prompt #7), Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? , by Frans de Waal, or Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything , by Joshua Foer
Now, let's get to checking some boxes, shall we? Here's to putting your best foot forward. Bring it on, 2017!
I have a few. Last year (in November 2015, not January 2016, as it turned out) I vowed not to eat sugar. I got my fair share of laughs because I loved me some chocolate and ice cream. But as time went on, it got significantly easier. Fruit and those deliciously sugar-free potato chips are good desserts and have fared me well.
So, in 2017, I've decided to push myself with a new set of resolutions.
First, as a huge fan of languages, I have been learning a handful over the past year or two. I have been a long-time French-speaker, over a decade or two at least. (It started with Madeline .) But I have also been learning Spanish, German, Italian, and, in a much smaller capacity, Arabic, Russian, and Mandarin. I am a big advocate of using Duolingo to sharpen and maintain your reading, writing, and listening skills, specifically for French, Spanish, German, Italian, and Russian. That's why my resolution stems from using that fantastic -- and did I mention free? -- online learning tool to become more multi-lingual this year. Although imperfect sometimes, Duolingo tries to give you measures of your fluency as best as it can muster. Since I let it all go to pot when I got busy with last year's PopSugar Reading Challenge, all of my fluency scores have dropped dramatically. They are currently sitting at 46% for French, 38% for Spanish, 28% for German, and 14% for Italian. (There are currently no percentage-based fluency metrics for Russian. However, I can tell you there are 78 levels of vocabulary and grammar; I have completed eight.) Pretty embarrassing, I know. So, my resolution is for 65% fluency across the board. And, in the case of Russian, 50 fully completed levels should suffice as an equivalent. For some languages, that benchmark'll be easy-peasy. (I'm looking at you, French.) For others, it's going to be a steep climb. (Russian, you are my Everest.) Regardless, I've got to hold myself accountable, so each month, I will keep y'all updated, mi amigos.
Now for my second resolution! As you may know from back in August, I have been learning how to play the guitar using Rocksmith. It has been hugely fun and, now that I have a second Real Tone cable, my husband and I have been able to play together, which is very nice since he plays rhythm and I play lead. Very harmonious!
You see, Ubisoft, the developer of Rocksmith, has their 60-day challenge where you play an hour a day for two whole months to become a proficient guitar player, learning techniques and chords, just by playing songs and arcade games. There are no dull-as-dirt theory lessons or anything like that. It's a great learning tool and I really believe in it, but I don't know if I can commit an hour a day every single day. Most days, sure, but some days I have absolutely no time to spare, so I figured issuing myself a 365-day challenge gives me some much-needed leniency. Currently, my top five songs in terms of mastery are "Blitzkrieg Bop" by the Ramones, "Funeral March" by Chopin, "My Girl" by The Temptations, "The Final Countdown" by Europe, and "Stuck On a Wire Out on a Fence" by The Dear Hunter, in that order, with "Blitzkrieg" at a 73% mastery, thank you very much. However, I am far more interested in improving the songs I actually enjoy playing, namely "My Girl" by The Temptations, "American Girl" and "Refugee" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, "Addicted to Love" by Robert Palmer, "Don't Speak" by No Doubt, and "Go Your Own Way" by Fleetwood Mac. My goal is to raise those statistics by at least 25% each, which, in the matters of full disclosure, would bring "My Girl" up from 53% to 78%, "American Girl" from 30.8% to 55.8%, "Refugee" from 17.8% to 42.8%, "Addicted to Love" from 23.3% to 48.3%, "Don't Speak" from 30.6% to 55.6%, and "Go Your Own Way" from 19.8% to 44.8%. I realize I am only hoping to attain 78% mastery, but playing these songs is hard, you guys! Baby steps, baby steps.
Third, and perhaps the most ridiculous and least likely to succeed of these resolutions, I resolve to clear my own backlog of unwatched films and TV boxsets by actually watching the ... well, who knows however many titles I have purchased as dust collectors. I know how unrealistic this resolution is. It's probably not going to happen, but I'll give it a shot. After all, how many people can make a resolution to sit on their ass and watch TV like it's some kind of major achievement? The world's tiniest violin plays for me.
Lastly, and most importantly for all you readers out there, I have decided not to do the PopSugar Reading Challenge for 2017, but rather to create my own reading challenge, pushing myself to read a variety of books under a variety of prompts in a similar fashion. I will write down my current choices now for what I think I may read to fulfill each prompt, but I am easily swayed. If I am bombarded with suggestions for a particular book, I will read that instead -- unless, of course, I have already it. I may even issue a poll from time to time. And please, if the mood strikes, join the challenge!
So, announcing for the first time ever (and in no particular order), the 2017 Super-Mega-Ultra-Neo-Maxi-Zoom-Dweebie Chelsey Cosh Reading Challenge™!
#1. A memoir published last year: Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls, and Everything in Between , by Lauren Graham, or Scrappy Little Nobody , by Anna Kendrick, or A Life in Parts , by Bryan Cranston (This is a toughie. So many to choose from!)
#2. A memoir published this year: I will have to wait and see what's released later on this year.
#3. A book about or set in Scandinavia: The Almost Nearly Perfect People , by Michael Booth, or Britt-Marie Was Here , by Fredrik Backman
#4. A book about or set in Australia: The Light Between Oceans , by M. L. Stedman
#5. A Black Quill Award winner: Dark Places , by Gillian Flynn
#6. A book about a mother-son relationship: The End of Your Life Book Club , by Will Schwalbe, or The Rainbow Comes and Goes , by Anderson Cooper & Gloria Vanderbilt
#7. A Goodreads choice award winner: Room , by Emma Donoghue (it won for fiction in 2010), or The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks , by Rebecca Skloot (it won the same year for non-fiction)
#8. A sequel to a book you loved: After You , by Jojo Moyes
#9. A screenplay: When Harry Met Sally , by Nora Ephron, or Good Will Hunting , by Matt Damon & Ben Affleck, or Almost Famous , by Cameron Crowe
#10. A classic work of gay literature: Brokeback Mountain , by Annie Proulx
#11. A winner of an Edgar Award: The Grown-Up , by Gillian Flynn
#12. A book most people read in high school but you did not: The House on Mango Street , by Sandra Cisneros
#13. A work of Gothic horror: We Have Always Lived in the Castle
#14. A play written by Shakespeare: I really want to read Hamlet . I can't believe I haven't read it yet.
#15. A play not written by Shakespeare: I have such a selection. My short list includes The Glass Menagerie , Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? , Barefoot in the Park , A Doll's House , Waiting for Godot , The Cherry Orchard , Long Day's Journey Into Night , The Crucible , and Tartuffe . Spoiled for choice, I am.
#16. A book of essays: Me Talk Pretty One Day , by David Sedaris
#17. A book based on a blog: Hyperbole and a Half , by Allie Brosh
#18. A book written about the future, but that future is now our past: 1984 , by George Orwell, or 2001: A Space Odyssey , by Arthur C. Clarke
#19. A graphic novel: I've heard good things about Fun Home , Maus , The Walking Dead , Blankets , and V for Vendetta . Again, like picking a non-Shakespearean play, my largest struggle will be to pick which one I want to read most.
#20. A classic romance novel: Pride and Prejudice , by Jane Austen
#21. A book with a transgender protagonist: Middlesex , by Jeffrey Eugenides
#22. A book written by a woman of colour: Beloved , by Toni Morrison, or Their Eyes Were Watching God , by Zora Neale Hurston
#23. A book about a murder: In Cold Blood , by Truman Capote
#24. A banned book: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn , by Mark Twain, or maybe, if I don't read it for prompt #22, Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston
#25. A book about science: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot (if I don't read it for prompt #7), Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? , by Frans de Waal, or Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything , by Joshua Foer
Now, let's get to checking some boxes, shall we? Here's to putting your best foot forward. Bring it on, 2017!
