Ancient & Medieval Historical Fiction discussion
General Discussions
>
Random Thoughts
I haven't read this one yet but Kissing Sherlock Holmes is on my list. I heard good things about it...
Alicja wrote: "I haven't read this one yet but Kissing Sherlock Holmes is on my list. I heard good things about it..."Oh, now that looks interesting.
Darcy wrote: "I was gifted an iPad mini thingy, so while I've been trying to keep up with the posts I was having trouble with posting. Anyway, turns out iPads are more than just a supped-up iTouch. That'll teach..."Nice to be gifted a tablet though. :)
OMFG. I am having the combined stress inducers of Goodreads dropping out/over capacity/slow and my wireless dropping out (and it shouldn't be, it is just what has been happening since I upgraded to Windows 8.1).I am giving up. Signing out.
Terri wrote: "OMFG. I am having the combined stress inducers of Goodreads dropping out/over capacity/slow and my wireless dropping out (and it shouldn't be, it is just what has been happening since I upgraded to..."Having the same issue with Win 8...didn't upgrade to 8.1 so it does not became even worse. Well done MS!
See guys, this is why I'm still using Windows 3.1 ;)
Windows 3.1..Good golly. :)
Terri wrote: "Nice to be gifted a tablet though. :) "True, but methinks there is a hidden agenda. They were given by my workplace for having worked on project that will require additional modules. I reckon, the expectation is that the tablets will be used for this. We've already been told that we'll be sent apps (my company is getting into making some...oi vey!) to test out... so at a guess this is all a trial run to see if a switch to Apple products is worth while.
Dun dun dun duuuuuuuuuuuunnnnnnn
Hi, everyone. Is our Group on holiday? I just checked and the last posting forRandom Thoughts was 18 hours ago. Did we go away and I forgot? Or, as we say here in the US "s'z'up ?" What's up
best from
Portia
Portia wrote: "Hi, everyone. Is our Group on holiday? I just checked and the last posting for
Random Thoughts was 18 hours ago. Did we go away and I forgot? Or, as we say here in the US "s'z'up ?" What's up
..."
Hi Portia. It has been unusually quiet around here today.
Random Thoughts was 18 hours ago. Did we go away and I forgot? Or, as we say here in the US "s'z'up ?" What's up
..."
Hi Portia. It has been unusually quiet around here today.
Hi Portia. I for one have been travelling back from Sydney to Victoria, through what we call " the high country", Dargo High Plains, in the Victorian snowfields. No snow here of course, lol. Relaxing for the weekend before returning to work on Monday after a week and half off. But you are correct, everyone here has been quiet. Perhaps we are all contemplating our introversion. I've never considered myself an introvert. Mostly I just thought I was perhaps anti social. Or I liked dogs more than a lot of humans. I may have to reassess. :))
You'll find it slow down a bit over the Christmas holidays. Everyone is busy with family, shopping and cooking. Though I personally am just so stressed I've been zoning out by watching TV and eating chocolate! :)
Well chocolate will sort it all out Dawn! Make sure you get plenty. With all the scientific things we do now, I have never understood why we can't genetically modify food to taste like Cadbury chocolate!! :)))
I learned that there is nothing like chocolate for sorting out a bad day, I'm unfortunately stringing too many of those together right now and I think I know what my New Year's resolution is gonna have to be!I do happen to be eating Cadbury and I can see nothing wrong with all food tasting think it! :)
I had an anniversary celebration last night so of course all my attention (with a brief lapse where we both couldn't resist checking various social media sites) was on my partner. It was so much fun! Laser tag is an awesome anniversary activity. There is nothing better than running around and trying to shoot your partner while ducking away from their shots. :P
She looooved her gifts and is playing games as we speak right now on her new device. I ended up finding PACMAN2 at a used game store and added it, and I love how she can be consumed by such an old and simple game.
And she got me/us a pair of plane tickets to go visit my family in Poland in June! We weren't sure if we could afford it this year and she wasn't sure she could get the time off but her boss approved and she figured out if she used the designated anniversary gift money and added to our trip money then we could afford the trip. I love her practical side!
I promise I'm done gushing about my anniversary now. :P
Alicjia, what a wonderful time you both had! Where in Poland will you two be visiting?
You are all doing very interesting things. I have been over on the December Group Read thread. (Is that the correct term?) We were hit with an arctic blast that came much too early for our region. I loved watching the NFL game between the Phillies and Detroit. They played in a blizzard! Miami played somebody in the blizzard. Miami would have preferred a home game I'm sure. Our heat/ac pump burned out so I stayed under the electric blanket until my side burned out. I flipped it over, but I won't get away with that trick. We'll be playing 'flip the blanket' until this weather system passes. My two minute warning man just came in to tell me Christmas is upon us, time to give up the heated blanket, wrap packages, cook the Christmas treats. He said his shopping was done and asked, "Have you
finished your shopping?" ****no! I have to get his gift--a new electric
blanket! Happy Holidays to everyone on Goodreads and the A&M Group!
Agreed Linda. That Philadelphia vs Detroit game was a classic. It's the first NFL game that I've ever watched where the conditions were so bad, they didn't even bother trying to kick field goals or extra points.
Stay warm & Happy Holidays to you as well!
Stay warm & Happy Holidays to you as well!
Portia wrote: "Alicjia, what a wonderful time you both had! Where in Poland will you two be visiting?"We'll probably only have enough time for the highest concentrations of closest family members so Gdansk (or Danzig as may be the better known name for it) and Warszawa (or Warsaw) and their surrounding areas. I half grew up in Gdansk so I know the city well and spent half my summers on a farm outside of Warszawa working in the fields alongside my cousins so it's nothing new there. This will be the second time for my girlfriend to come with me, the first time was, uh, interesting to say the least, it was spent with me coming out, showing my family a girl, and dealing with homophobic drama. This time the family (in general, some family members are still homophobic assholes) has had time to deal with it so it shouldn't be as stressful.
And regarding Miami playing in a blizzard, don't know if that is worse than 80+ degree weather, which is what we have down here now.
That must have been quite the drama. Poland struck me as a very conservative country. And the Polish people I know also seem very conservative. :)Hope this trip is a little easier for you!
I'd like to visit the coast of Poland sometime. It's not a place you see advertised but I've seen some pictures and it looks very beautiful. And of course, Warsaw is on my list of places to see, lots of history there, even though all the buildings are new!
Dawn wrote: "That must have been quite the drama. Poland struck me as a very conservative country. And the Polish people I know also seem very conservative. :)Hope this trip is a little easier for you!
I'd li..."
Yes, it is a very conservative, very Catholic country. Haha, I am a black sheep of the family, I'm the vegetarian, bisexual, atheist with a Mexican-American girlfriend and doesn't plan on ever having kids. It was even tougher to explain to my family because I had a boyfriend of 7 years before my current girlfriend. No, I'm not a lesbian, I'm bi. Yes, I choose to be with her regardless of what God and the Catholic Church says. Yes, I'm in love and if you don't like it I don't have to visit you. No, I'm not dating her because I was broken up with by a man, nor do I hate men, nor have a sworn men off (well, I guess technically I have since we are monogamous but it didn't happen before I met her), nor do I believe I can't get a man. But as most families tend to do, even the conservatives ones, they sweep it under the rug and pretend its not happening; many family members pretend she is a friend coming to visit with me and I let them, if all they need is a good dose of denial I'm more than happy to provide it when visiting.
Gdansk is a coast city and part of the tri-city area Gdansk/Gdynia/Sopot along the Baltic Sea. Hel is also a wonderful place to visit if you are looking for a seaside experience. If you have any questions about visiting any of those, feel free to message me. I lived in Gdansk until I was 10, then spent at least a month each summer there until college and have been back randomly since. I know the tourist and local spots there. I know Warszawa a bit less since my family lives in the outskirts but I've been enough to know the popular tourist spots. Also, if visiting Poland don't miss Krakow, beautiful, historic, and probably my favorite (even though I only have one cousin living there so I don't get to visit often).
Very classic responses you got. They shall have to be dragged into the modern times sometime, sucks when you have to be the one doing it though. Much nicer if the family could just accept you for you and not worry about the rest. Now if we could just drag the North American right into some acceptance as well, doesn't have to be approval but a live and let live attitude would be a nice start! :)
I have actually been to Krakow. Absolutely loved it, it's a gorgeous place. My sister and I spent 2 weeks in Eastern Europe last year. It's what prompted us to look at other spots because we had such a great time.
I'm sure we won't make it back for a few years but we'd really like to do the coast area and go north to the former Russian countries.
I was so glad I had her for support there (and that she's willing to brave Poland again, but I guess she understands since her Catholic family in Mexico wasn't thrilled when we visited either). I think there is a lack of understanding too. One of the first things my 80-something year old grandma asked me is how lesbians could possibly have sex, and the way she said it seemed to be more of curiosity than anything else. By the way, this same grandma is one of our biggest advocates there which really surprised me because she is super Catholic woman who goes to mass every single day. I think most people like that go onto acceptance as-long-as-I-don't-have-to-think-about-it when faced with a family member. It is hard to actually condemn family and disown them (although still too many people do it). The coastal areas are pretty and Gdansk is a great historical city. It has medieval Cathedrals and churches, homes of famous people turned museums (like Fahrenheit's home), defensive walls, one of the first attack points during WWII (Westerplatte), the famous shipyard where Solidarity was formed, beautiful gardens, castles on the outskirts of the city, in August each year it has the Jarmark, a huge open air market, museums, beaches (more of that in Sopot), etc.
Ohh, Catholic on both sides. Thank goodness there is each other for support. I can't possibly imagine having that kind of conversation with my grandmother. Awesome that you get her support though.
Castles, Cathedrals, history, museums......what's not to like? And I love taking photos so the coast is a big draw for that. The communist history really intrigued me when we were there last, I realized how little I knew and I was curious about how it affected the culture. It's such a foreign concept over here but it's pretty recent history there.
Hehe, I never actually ended up telling my grandmother anything more than its possible (after blushing like crazy) and changed the topic of conversation. And we call ourselves the recovering Catholics, its nice to have that support system. Gdansk:
The shipyard (Stocznia Gdanska), famous for workers starting the Solidarity movement and where my grandfather used to work:
Westerplatte, one of the first places stacked by the Germans on September 1, 1939, I think the attack happened at around 5 am (there is a monument and museum there now):
And about a 30 minute train ride outside of Gdansk is Malbork:
There is so much more but I just wanted to share some of the beauty of the area. People know so little of Poland, and many, especially Americans, don't think there is much to see there.
I like that, recovering Catholics! Gdansk is gorgeous, I think the Baltic coast will be a wonderful trip.
What wonderful pictures. My father's father and his brothers immigrated from Poland and my mother's father from Lithuania during the Ellis Island days. One of these days I'm "going home."
@Alicja, I've no idea whether you care, but I read this rather good book Litany. Set in Chicago 1968 but with much more Polish background & neighbourhood than I mention in my review, because I know nothing. Along with a lesbian story. Hippy politics and Polish politics... I liked it for the bag lady.
Bryn, sounds interesting, thanks for the recommendation!! Poland is definitely worth seeing, and it is still cheaper than most other European countries. It is also a unique combination of Eastern Europe and Western Europe. Funny fact, a pint of beer will cost you about a $1 in a restaurant (the good kind of beer too) while a small glass of Coke or Pepsi about $3. So, when in Poland, drink lots of beer! :P
Maybe even for your grandmother or other relatives. The lesbian story is gently told and about the social inhibitions she faces. Of its time. There's nothing to upset people, from memory, more to help understanding.
I would have to see if I can find a Polish translation of it, although my grandma can't see well enough to read large print anymore but maybe for other family members. Thanks!
$1 for a pint of good beer? I need to move to Poland permanently!!;)
Those are very beautiful pictures, Alicja.
Those are very beautiful pictures, Alicja.
It's indie, and though they can be translated from time to time, you'd be lucky.
Bryn wrote: "It's indie, and though they can be translated from time to time, you'd be lucky."I'll try to find it and read it but my family in Poland doesn't tend to speak English, except for a few cousins of mine but they aren't the ones having a problem with my girlfriend. Another fun fact, more Polish people lived in Chicago in the 70s than in Warszawa (Warsaw), the capital of Poland, during the same time.
I see I missed a great Poland discussion. Thanks for sharing all that Alicja and the pics. :)I have been super busy these last couple days.\ so i had a lot of posts to catch up on. I enjoyed learning something about Poland through your eyes.
Been flat out here on the farm. Finished Xmas shopping and wrapping though. Which is fun. Having a Christmas tree up and decorated is nice, but having some presents under it is the icing in the cake.
Tickets to Poland? That's frickin' awesome! I do hope things go smoothly for you guys this time around so that you can just enjoy your vacation time together. My grandmother was Polish but didn't teach any of her children Polish since they were born here. I wish she had because my dad only remembers about 3 words but can't really pronounce them! I tried the Pimsleur approach (you learn a language for 30 minutes a day by breaking down the sounds and repeating them) for Polish and Greek because visiting Greece and Krakow & Warsaw is on my bucket list. I got pretty good at the Greek but Polish was a different matter. I kept listening and listening to the tape, just threw up my hands and said "nope. Not going to happen!"
Allie wrote: "Tickets to Poland? That's frickin' awesome! I do hope things go smoothly for you guys this time around so that you can just enjoy your vacation time together. My grandmother was Polish but didn't t..."Oh no! I can try and help with the Polish if you ever want to say something. But I get it. I have been picking up Spanish so much easier than my girlfriend has been picking up Polish. I guess it is a more difficult language.
Oh my, this is one of the funniest things ever! The Auto-Correct Love Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXvv3p...
Allie wrote: "Tickets to Poland? That's frickin' awesome! I do hope things go smoothly for you guys this time around so that you can just enjoy your vacation time together. My grandmother was Polish but didn't t..."I saw this in the giveaways and thought of you
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
All of you should enter and start learning Polish!
I forget the book within a few days of reading it! Relieved that there may be others who do the same. I don't forget books by my favorite authors, but the new generation of writers will either over look me or write books that live forever.
Alicja wrote: "All of you should enter and start learning Polish!"Ha, I've seen how that stuff is spelled. I'd be better off trying to learn Welsh.
I'll stick to learning German! :)
Dawn wrote: "Alicja wrote: "All of you should enter and start learning Polish!"Ha, I've seen how that stuff is spelled. I'd be better off trying to learn Welsh.
I'll stick to learning German! :)"
They're all pretty phonetic once you understand the system. I know some German from college, and got through 12 lessons in a Welsh textbook; at least I can pronounce the ll [double l].:)
Gaelic is the one that throws me. Nothing looks like it sounds or vice versa.
I understand that Welsh is actually very phonetic once you know the rules. German is pretty easy, I just have to stick with it. It would be nice if there were classes around here but there isn't any!
Dawn wrote: "I understand that Welsh is actually very phonetic once you know the rules. German is pretty easy, I just have to stick with it. It would be nice if there were classes around here but there isn't ..."
It is. The ll is the hardest to pronounce or maybe the rh.
I've been trying forever to read Medicus
in German. I'm about 3/4 finished. The title's completely different: Tod einer Sklavin [ Death of a slave girl] and there's a picture of Paris abducting Helen of Troy on the cover.
Polish is phonetic too, if you know what sound each letter makes. And to make it even easier, each letter only makes one sound, unlike in English where there are a million ways to pronounce everything. For example my name, Alicja.
As are always hard ah
L is always pronounced like the "l" in lavender
I is like the English eee
C is pronounced tine tss
JA the ending two letters pronounce like "yah" with that hard ah at the end just like in the beginning
So pronounce Alicja as ahleetsyah.
And the way each letter sounds in my name never, ever changes, it will always be read with the same hardness and emphasis no matter what. The only difficulty is that we have extra letters in our alphabet and combinations like "sz" (pronounced "sh") are actually kind of like separate letters, unique combinations that are always pronounced the same. And then we have some letters like ą, ć, ę, ł, ń, ó, ś, ź and ż. I think there is 32 letters total so not too much worse.
Polish pronunciation help: http://mowicpopolsku.com/polish-alpha...
Dawn wrote: "I understand that Welsh is actually very phonetic once you know the rules. German is pretty easy, I just have to stick with it. It would be nice if there were classes around here but there isn't ..."
And it's hard to keep up the motivation if you're doing it by youself, isn't it? :)
Oh, have you tried this on the internet? htp://www.duolingo.com
for learning French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, italian
Ancient & Medieval Historical Fiction
Books mentioned in this topic
The Berry Pickers (other topics)Fortune's Child (other topics)
Hild (other topics)
Sharpe's Command (other topics)
Edenglassie (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Amanda Peters (other topics)Nicola Griffith (other topics)
Bernard Cornwell (other topics)
Bernard Cornwell (other topics)
Allan Hands (other topics)
More...
That's the problem. It's no longer in print and my library doesn't have it, and it's not available on Inter Library Loan.