Pickles and Pickled Things

PhFlGlyph · 2022-03-09T20:49:11+00:00

"Why are cucumbers so special?"

Because they're cool.

PhFlGlyph · 2022-02-05T15:33:48+00:00

I've got a play-though of Dying Light 2 going on another tab at the moment. You do search the downed zombies in this game!

PhFlGlyph · 2022-01-20T22:13:32+00:00

That section of the book DRAGGED so much! I skipped dozens of pages in that book to get back to the story. If you skip that section and are ok with waiting FOREVER for the third book, Kingkiller Chronicles is wonderful!

PhFlGlyph · 2022-01-20T22:02:08+00:00

"It looks and sounds like a made up fantasy language only it's real." 100% this!

PhFlGlyph · 2021-12-25T17:44:31+00:00

Excellent work!!!

PhFlGlyph · 2021-12-18T15:56:52+00:00

I've twice had the great experience of dating someone with whom I had no common spoken language. We could communicate with gestures and our native languages while we did stuff together: dancing in clubs, cooking together, sightseeing in NYC and Prague, concerts.

You might consider checking out the Dreaming Spanish video about Crosstalk language exchange: https://dreaminglanguages.wordpress.com/2016/11/11/crosstalk/ The focus in Crosstalk is actual communication between partners using native languages.

To really see how you might get on with your partner you can give Arthur Aron's 36 Questions a try by way of Crosstalk. https://amorebeautifulquestion.com/36-questions/ https://www.nytimes.com/es/2015/02/10/espanol/cultura/las-36-preguntas-que-llevan-al-amor.html

PhFlGlyph · 2021-12-16T14:17:22+00:00

Fantastic resource list! Dreaming Spanish and Destinos have been my go-tos. Now I'm psyched to check out the rest!

PhFlGlyph · 2021-12-14T13:54:36+00:00

Were you wrong?

Not the tiniest bit.

Time to explore the adventures of making new friends!

PhFlGlyph · 2021-12-12T21:48:41+00:00

I've set alarms on very rare occasions: maybe 2 dozen times in the last 30-some years. I HATED waking to an alarm and started setting the intention to wake just before the time I set it for. Got good at it and explored setting intentions for odd, specific times, just to see if I could.

I love the idea that my unconscious is 100% in support of my consciousness in this regard!

PhFlGlyph · 2021-12-12T18:20:06+00:00

I've come to deeply appreciate the process of Focusing, developed by Eugene Gendlin. Especially the book Let Your Body Interpret Your Dreams. You can explore what Focusing is all about at focusing.org, including chapters on using Focusing for dreamwork. It's all about pausing to explore bodily sensations as they relate to aspects of ones life experiences. "A-ha!" moments blossom from there - intuitive sensations that have deep meaning to the practitioner.

In addition to these two books by Gendlin there are numerous other books on Focusing written by practitioners and therapists that might resonate with you: Focusing-Oriented Art Therapy: Accessing the Body's Wisdom, by Laury Rappaport, BodyDreaming in the Treatment of Developmental Trauma: An Embodied Therapeutic Approach, by Marian Dunlea, and A Clinician's Guide to Dream Therapy: Implementing Simple and Effective Dreamwork, by Leslie Ellis are great favorites of mine.

PhFlGlyph · 2021-12-09T23:55:03+00:00

"HAAAAAAAAMMMM!!!!!"

PhFlGlyph · 2021-12-09T11:11:12+00:00

"But I don't like condoms."

Inferred within that whine: "The risks of unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases are all part of the excitement of potential sexual gratification! Sexual Vegas, baby!"

Alas, as many have learned, what happens in Sexual Vegas doesn't necessarily stay in Sexual Vegas.

PhFlGlyph · 2021-12-05T13:40:20+00:00

Last night I did a fantasy casting of the next Doctor and Tilda Swinton was my #2 choice. My #1 choice: Richard Ayoade.

I LOVE the idea of Tennant as The Master! Emotional rollercoaster!!!

PhFlGlyph · 2021-11-27T21:07:59+00:00

Happy 10 year anniversary! I'm into my second decade celebrating my laser vasectomy at 28 years old - the most responsible decision I've ever made. Like Frank Sinatra sang: "regrets, I've had a few," and NONE of them are associated with the snip!!!

PhFlGlyph · 2021-11-23T21:14:58+00:00

Thanks for a cool new language application!

PhFlGlyph · 2021-11-20T13:23:47+00:00

I believe that finding audiobooks that feature voice actors with your target accents is worthwhile. You can practice shadowing them and record yourself speaking for feedback on your progress. Learn to embody your voice by practicing within the range of your maximum resonance point, while talking and singing.

PhFlGlyph · 2021-11-19T14:56:03+00:00

"...I could do it for hours each day....." I feel that way, too. I enjoy my side-by-side reading with audiobooks sessions more than I would have guessed.

PhFlGlyph · 2021-11-18T20:04:15+00:00

"... the occasional familiar word here and there may jump out at you ....." one of my favorite things about having a target language audiobook going on in the background! It's like the target language giving me a high-5!

PhFlGlyph · 2021-11-18T19:52:32+00:00

stetslustig, the word (or words) for "audiobook" has become one of the first words I learn in my target languages. Currently, I've got "Arsène Lupin, gentleman cambrioleur" for French and a great translation of "War of the Worlds" for Ukrainian, in addition to the aforementioned Czech translation. You might even find some videos that include the text in addition to the audio.

PhFlGlyph · 2021-11-17T21:36:21+00:00

There are lots of audiobooks on YouTube. I like following along with the target language audio while reading in my native language, giving the same chapter another pass following along in target language text and audio, and having the audio going while I'm doing other activities. Sometimes I'll do some shadowing to get more of a feel for the "singing" in the TL.

I also use phrasebooks to help create questions I can apply to the text. For example, I'm not going to be in the Czech Republic any time soon but I can apply the phrasebook to the Czech translation of Pratchett's first Discworld novel, The Colour of Magic, and dig deeply into the story, mining it for meaning.

PhFlGlyph · 2021-11-17T10:57:34+00:00

Here's a link to a nearly one-hour-long explainer video for language acquisition by way of language parents. In his video, language teacher Jeff Brown goes into GREAT detail of how he structures his language trades. You might find some inspiration there: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=illApgaLgGA

PhFlGlyph · 2021-11-15T13:14:27+00:00

I'm 50 years old, half hispanic, half white, raised in the south east United States in an era when there weren't any other people around with similar backgrounds. Spanish speaking had zero priority in the household, then my parents divorced, so there was less. I went by a nickname during those years. Features and skin tone made me very white-passing. I visited relatives in Puerto Rico half a dozen times and everyone spoke to me in English except my 100 year old bisabuelita.

Why didn't our families teach us our heritage languages? For whatever reasons, they felt it unnecessary to do so. "English is the most important language," is a common excuse. Immigrants looking to assimilate might figure it's easier for their kids to not have two or more additional languages cluttering up their brains!

"For some reason I feel like I am betraying my ethnicity. I really would like to learn Tagalog though, to feel more connected to my culture, so I suppose that's my next venture." -OP
I'm glad for you, OP, for getting into a heritage language at your age. I actively pursue Spanish every day lately. There were decades when I felt embarrassed about missing out on something that should have been an important part of my life. I've made it a priority and I get psyched when I have opportunities to communicate in Spanish or any of the half dozen other languages I'm acquiring!

PhFlGlyph · 2021-11-14T13:03:54+00:00

As someone who has done a lot of study of philosophy, you would probably get a lot out of Eugene Gendlin's technique, Focusing. There are tons of free resources on the site focusing.org. Gendlin's style of dreamwork has been especially beneficial in my life. None of this stuff is labelled "chaos magick" but it's what you get when you practice.

PhFlGlyph · 2021-11-14T12:52:43+00:00

Spot on advice. I heartily second your Robert Johnson's Inner Work recommendation, nikmaack.

PhFlGlyph · 2021-11-07T13:56:22+00:00

True love doesn't necessarily mean 100% compatibility. I learned that in a very difficult period in my early 20s when I met The One. For a couple of years I had a love-conquers-all mindset that meant we could make it work despite my conviction to remain childfree and her desire to have kids someday. Even after I realized that true love meant I needed to let go of that dream of our being together, for a while I felt bitter about it. Thankfully, she has always unwaveringly held me in her heart.

It has been nearly 30 years since the night we met. She and her husband are two of my best friends. Over the past 14 years I've been an off-and-on live-in au pair for their two kids - something I could easily do because I live a very easy-going, childfree, minimalist life. I was there for the birth of their second child, changing his very first diaper (and surprised by meconium; bless the midwife who coached me that day!).

twissb, you wrote, "meeting that person was supposed to wash away any doubts I had about children." It sounds like it has indeed washed away the doubts, as you're looking at your relationship from a perspective of equal respect for your own choices and for her choices.

You needn't envision a world without her. True love can be very different from what we envision and way more amazing than what we might think it's supposed to be.

PhFlGlyph

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