From the French for Beginners forum:
My question:
I note that Google Translate renders "I was happy" as J'ai été heureux.
I break that down into "I have been happy" -- but I wonder why they use été, which I understand as ''summer''.
Is this an error on GT's part, or am I incorrect?
And the rapid resonse:
été, the verb, is the past participle of être. Un été, the noun, is summer. French has more than one past tense, so google translator picked one, the passé composé.
This mountain may be higher than I thought.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Tuesday
It is a beautifully cool day. Very humid, according to the weather folks, but as I sit here in the dining room, looking over to where the cat is sitting in the window, it's quite pleasant. In about an hour, I'll be outside, finishing the mowing which has been slowly creeping up on me. I have been startled by how quickly the grass has grown, this August. This is the month when the weather is supposed to be hot, and the grass dormant; instead, the weather's been, for the most part, decent, and the grass has partied like it's late spring.
I had someone refer to me as a Type A person, the other day. I was surprised by that. They were talking about how often I should check my blood sugar reading; they said that once a day was enough; when I said that I did it four or five times a day, they made that response. Now, as it happens, I don't have a lot of respect for the medical abilities of the person who said that (she's a nurse practicitioner, which is fine, but my sense is that she knows what she's seen, but doesn't really know the underlying physiology all that well), and now, with that Type A observation, I think that perhaps her sociological abilities could use some burnishing, too.
An article in the Economist spoke at some length about the economic doldrums that are affecting the United States. I don't have any respect for the people who say that 'clearly, the stimulus didn't work' because things are not back to normal; though I don't have a lot of theoretical underpinnings, it seems pretty obvious to me that the depth of this recession would take a long time to shake off. I think of it like the old analogy about turning around one of those big oil tankers. A lot of energy goes into just stopping the darn thing. The article mentions that the skills of people who are out of work may not be the skills that are needed now. That analogy works pretty well for education, too.
I had someone refer to me as a Type A person, the other day. I was surprised by that. They were talking about how often I should check my blood sugar reading; they said that once a day was enough; when I said that I did it four or five times a day, they made that response. Now, as it happens, I don't have a lot of respect for the medical abilities of the person who said that (she's a nurse practicitioner, which is fine, but my sense is that she knows what she's seen, but doesn't really know the underlying physiology all that well), and now, with that Type A observation, I think that perhaps her sociological abilities could use some burnishing, too.
An article in the Economist spoke at some length about the economic doldrums that are affecting the United States. I don't have any respect for the people who say that 'clearly, the stimulus didn't work' because things are not back to normal; though I don't have a lot of theoretical underpinnings, it seems pretty obvious to me that the depth of this recession would take a long time to shake off. I think of it like the old analogy about turning around one of those big oil tankers. A lot of energy goes into just stopping the darn thing. The article mentions that the skills of people who are out of work may not be the skills that are needed now. That analogy works pretty well for education, too.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Stray Thoughts
I saw a comment in a blog this evening to the effect that Obama shouldn't be counted out; that he is a learner. I am not planning on counting him out, but I do wish he'd do something about these Glenn Beck/Sarah Palin manic acolytes. I know, I was one of the people urging him to fight back during the campaign, and he insisted on taking the high road (at least, so far as I can see), and it worked. We didn't get the President we deserve (which is to say, a hack); we got a great one. He has good instincts. But when I see riffraff like that having a public gathering at the Lincoln Memorial.... I think it's just not right.
Why does it bother me that our summer guest has changed her Facebook status to in a relationship? Is it because I don't want her to change from the person we knew so briefly? Yeah. Probably. A little is that I think she's too young (even though there are kids here who are like that at that age, and apparently it's pretty common there). I do think she could get hurt, and though I have no responsibility for her, I worry a little bit about that. But mostly it's just that I don't want her to change.
My wife says that I am now in the habit of going to the gym, because I've gone every day for a week. I told her that if I missed one day, just one day, I'd be more likely to miss two, maybe three.... and if I missed two, then it'd likely be a week. I know me. And I really don't like going. Okay, its not terrible. I do twenty minutes on the elliptical, and twenty on the treadmill; when I'm done, I'm slightly out of breath. Or I do one of them, and the weights. I don't push myself. And maybe thats part of it: the lurking feeling that I should.
I really want to do some French studying. I feel better when I've learned a little more....even when it hits me just how big a challenge this is, to go from not knowing it at all, to basic fluency, in ten months, by myself.
Why does it bother me that our summer guest has changed her Facebook status to in a relationship? Is it because I don't want her to change from the person we knew so briefly? Yeah. Probably. A little is that I think she's too young (even though there are kids here who are like that at that age, and apparently it's pretty common there). I do think she could get hurt, and though I have no responsibility for her, I worry a little bit about that. But mostly it's just that I don't want her to change.
My wife says that I am now in the habit of going to the gym, because I've gone every day for a week. I told her that if I missed one day, just one day, I'd be more likely to miss two, maybe three.... and if I missed two, then it'd likely be a week. I know me. And I really don't like going. Okay, its not terrible. I do twenty minutes on the elliptical, and twenty on the treadmill; when I'm done, I'm slightly out of breath. Or I do one of them, and the weights. I don't push myself. And maybe thats part of it: the lurking feeling that I should.
I really want to do some French studying. I feel better when I've learned a little more....even when it hits me just how big a challenge this is, to go from not knowing it at all, to basic fluency, in ten months, by myself.
My G
I just came across this picture on a web site advertising the new My Generation show.
I know nothing about the show, other than the name....so let me guess.
Back Row: The normal kid, the hip teacher, the geek, the babe, the pretty girl, the jock, the other jock?
Front Row: The edgy kid, the other edgy kid?
That about right?
I know nothing about the show, other than the name....so let me guess.
Back Row: The normal kid, the hip teacher, the geek, the babe, the pretty girl, the jock, the other jock?
Front Row: The edgy kid, the other edgy kid?
That about right?
Related
Our summer guest just posted on Facebook that she's 'in a relationship'. I'm surprised to find that this amazes me. But she's not even 15! She's just a kid! I think.... remembering the pictures I've seen of her friends, several of whom are clearly good friends with the people of the other gender in their pictures. But still....
And it's not even my daughter!
And it's not even my daughter!
Languages
I used Round Trip Translator to format a note to our XG's mother about the new school year.
For part of it, I wrote "I hope that she is successful, and that she enjoys it. " RTT formatted that into French, and then translated it back into English:"I hope it is successful, and she loves him." At least now, I can see how " J'espère qu'elle est réussie, et qu'elle l'aime." got made into those words, and how they really are okay to use. I think.
But I'm also thinking I won't send something that could be translated as "I hope...she loves him." Just in case.
For part of it, I wrote "I hope that she is successful, and that she enjoys it. " RTT formatted that into French, and then translated it back into English:"I hope it is successful, and she loves him." At least now, I can see how " J'espère qu'elle est réussie, et qu'elle l'aime." got made into those words, and how they really are okay to use. I think.
But I'm also thinking I won't send something that could be translated as "I hope...she loves him." Just in case.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Counting
Sometimes, learning a new language can be really boring. Even when it's things that you know that you want to know - and know fluently, without hesitation, my inner voice reminds me -- they can be less than fun.
Take vingt-et-un, for example. It's French for twenty-one, but for me, it's French for perhaps we can just skip this number. I have difficulty with lesser numbers -- even zero, aka zéro, pronounced something like ZAYghrow, can be intimidating -- but if I take it slowly, I can do it. Some words are so close to the Spanish - onze, douze, treize, quatorze and quinze sound a lot like once, doce, trece, catorce,quince - that I can rattle them off. Seize (16) puzzles me, but I can frequently remember it if I think of the Spanish (Diez-y-seis). I slow down for the next few -- let's see -- dix-sept, dix-huit, dix-neuf. And finally Vingt. Mount Twenty, at last!
And then I'm staring at the next little step, and I'm stunned. Vingt-et-un. Veh-E-oon. Or possibly VANteyon. Past that, the ride smooths out -- the 'et' gets dropped, and you're into vingt-un, vingt-douze, vingt-trois. No problem. But 21....
Ah, skip it.
Take vingt-et-un, for example. It's French for twenty-one, but for me, it's French for perhaps we can just skip this number. I have difficulty with lesser numbers -- even zero, aka zéro, pronounced something like ZAYghrow, can be intimidating -- but if I take it slowly, I can do it. Some words are so close to the Spanish - onze, douze, treize, quatorze and quinze sound a lot like once, doce, trece, catorce,quince - that I can rattle them off. Seize (16) puzzles me, but I can frequently remember it if I think of the Spanish (Diez-y-seis). I slow down for the next few -- let's see -- dix-sept, dix-huit, dix-neuf. And finally Vingt. Mount Twenty, at last!
And then I'm staring at the next little step, and I'm stunned. Vingt-et-un. Veh-E-oon. Or possibly VANteyon. Past that, the ride smooths out -- the 'et' gets dropped, and you're into vingt-un, vingt-douze, vingt-trois. No problem. But 21....
Ah, skip it.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Conversations
When my daughter was very young, I would lie to her.
Not maliciously, of course. For example, she would ask if we could go to Disneyland some day, or live on a farm, or build a big house, and I would say yes. Privately, I would think, to at least some of them, Probably not, but it was my belief that she wasn't asking as an adult, or even a grown child would ask, so that they could make plans, count on things. She was asking the way that a young child might ask if Santa was real, or if unicorns were real. She wanted something to believe in, and I would go along with it. My wife felt that it was wrong, and that you shouldn't lie, even with good intentions. Over time, I stopped -- mostly because she got old enough so that she asked reasonable questions -- and she remembered the answers.
She's been saying how one program that we record is really, really good. I told her that I'd watched one of them, and wasn't that impressed. Tonight, looking for something to watch, she said that we should watch one of them, and so we did. Halfway through, she went back upstairs, saying that she'd already seen it, but that we should watch it. I asked if it got any better, and it was instantly obvious that the question dismayed her, made her unhappy.
So after we watch the whole thing, I made a point to stop by her room and say I can see why you like it.
And I left it at that.
Not maliciously, of course. For example, she would ask if we could go to Disneyland some day, or live on a farm, or build a big house, and I would say yes. Privately, I would think, to at least some of them, Probably not, but it was my belief that she wasn't asking as an adult, or even a grown child would ask, so that they could make plans, count on things. She was asking the way that a young child might ask if Santa was real, or if unicorns were real. She wanted something to believe in, and I would go along with it. My wife felt that it was wrong, and that you shouldn't lie, even with good intentions. Over time, I stopped -- mostly because she got old enough so that she asked reasonable questions -- and she remembered the answers.
She's been saying how one program that we record is really, really good. I told her that I'd watched one of them, and wasn't that impressed. Tonight, looking for something to watch, she said that we should watch one of them, and so we did. Halfway through, she went back upstairs, saying that she'd already seen it, but that we should watch it. I asked if it got any better, and it was instantly obvious that the question dismayed her, made her unhappy.
So after we watch the whole thing, I made a point to stop by her room and say I can see why you like it.
And I left it at that.
TARP Trap
I've several times seen that many people think that Obama signed TARP, whereas it was actually Bush. I suppose it causes them a bit of cognitive dissonance when they find out that the guy they liked did something they didn't like. It's much more comfortable for them to believe that Obama did it.
To me, it's got to start with Was TARP a good idea? Some of the folks who think Obama did it would say no; that a better idea would have been to reduce taxes further. I've yet to see any suggestion as to how this would have been a good thing, but since my copy of Funny Times just arrived today, perhaps it's in there. I think that it was a good idea, though there were serious problems with its execution. Same thing for the bank bailouts. It would have been nice had they been able to do that without enriching the slimeball greedheads, I mean, professional bankers, running that show. But it had to be done. I suppose that those opposed to TARP didn't like that idea either.
I will occasionally see people saying that it would have been better just to transfer the money directly to them, either via a check or a reduction in taxes. If that had resulted in job creation, I might have agreed with them. Precious few people can say that they can create a job, though.
People such as Palin and Beck are busily saying that things would have been better, sooner, had their recommendations been followed. Were it not for the fact that we'd have wanted to move somewhere else, quickly, so as to avoid the economic train wreck, it would almost have been worth letting them try.
It wasn't done elegantly or clearly, but it was a good thing. Now let's just see the Democrats try to get that message out in a believable manner to people who are still hurting.
To me, it's got to start with Was TARP a good idea? Some of the folks who think Obama did it would say no; that a better idea would have been to reduce taxes further. I've yet to see any suggestion as to how this would have been a good thing, but since my copy of Funny Times just arrived today, perhaps it's in there. I think that it was a good idea, though there were serious problems with its execution. Same thing for the bank bailouts. It would have been nice had they been able to do that without enriching the slimeball greedheads, I mean, professional bankers, running that show. But it had to be done. I suppose that those opposed to TARP didn't like that idea either.
I will occasionally see people saying that it would have been better just to transfer the money directly to them, either via a check or a reduction in taxes. If that had resulted in job creation, I might have agreed with them. Precious few people can say that they can create a job, though.
People such as Palin and Beck are busily saying that things would have been better, sooner, had their recommendations been followed. Were it not for the fact that we'd have wanted to move somewhere else, quickly, so as to avoid the economic train wreck, it would almost have been worth letting them try.
It wasn't done elegantly or clearly, but it was a good thing. Now let's just see the Democrats try to get that message out in a believable manner to people who are still hurting.
Dated
I mentioned a while ago that my daughter had arranged to meet a kid she knew from karate at a bowling alley. It was as close to a 'date' as she's had, and we were a little nervous about it. Just recently, my wife told me that on my daughter's Facebook page (which she has access to but I do not; my daughter feels that having one parent friend her is weird, but having both is untenable (doesn't she think we talk to each other? I wondered, when my wife told me this)), there were some posts by the kid saying, in summary, why haven't you responded to my text messages? To which my daughter replied I was at band camp; I didn't have my phone. This, again, made us just a tad nervous. A boy? Contacting my daughter?
So I was intrigued by this, which I found on a New York Times blog site article about kids and dating:
I laid down some ground rules. I told (our son) that he may have a “girlfriend” if he chooses and that he may select anyone he likes. That until we meet her, and until I speak with her parents, he is not allowed to meet her anywhere, though she is always welcome to visit with him in our living room, with her parents’ permission. That he must have express permission to meet her outside our home (before making plans with her), and that I would strongly prefer that he meet her in a group setting.
That sounds just like us, and makes me think that perhaps we're not totally Amish in the way we think about these things. Though, reading the readers' comments, perhaps we are.
So I was intrigued by this, which I found on a New York Times blog site article about kids and dating:
I laid down some ground rules. I told (our son) that he may have a “girlfriend” if he chooses and that he may select anyone he likes. That until we meet her, and until I speak with her parents, he is not allowed to meet her anywhere, though she is always welcome to visit with him in our living room, with her parents’ permission. That he must have express permission to meet her outside our home (before making plans with her), and that I would strongly prefer that he meet her in a group setting.
That sounds just like us, and makes me think that perhaps we're not totally Amish in the way we think about these things. Though, reading the readers' comments, perhaps we are.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Your Driveway Is Mine!
An appeals court out west says that it's okay for the government to attach a GPS tracker to your car if its parked on the driveway, because you don't have a reasonable expectation of privacy there. It's out in the open, after all.
The people who do have a reasonable expectation of privacy in such a case would be the people with electric gates and guarded access to their property. The gates and guards extend the area where they can say this is mine. Your driveway? Feh. Lets just see what you've got in that glovebox.....
"You left place A, at this time, you went to place B, you took this street -- that information can be gleaned in a variety of ways," said David Rivkin, a former Justice Department attorney. "It can be old surveillance, by tailing you unbeknownst to you; it could be a GPS."He says that a person cannot automatically expect privacy just because something is on private property. "You have to take measures -- to build a fence, to put the car in the garage" or post a no-trespassing sign, he said. "If you don't do that, you're not going to get the privacy."
The people who do have a reasonable expectation of privacy in such a case would be the people with electric gates and guarded access to their property. The gates and guards extend the area where they can say this is mine. Your driveway? Feh. Lets just see what you've got in that glovebox.....
"You left place A, at this time, you went to place B, you took this street -- that information can be gleaned in a variety of ways," said David Rivkin, a former Justice Department attorney. "It can be old surveillance, by tailing you unbeknownst to you; it could be a GPS."He says that a person cannot automatically expect privacy just because something is on private property. "You have to take measures -- to build a fence, to put the car in the garage" or post a no-trespassing sign, he said. "If you don't do that, you're not going to get the privacy."
Image
This is one of my favorite wallpaper images.I have a software package that rotates my desktop wallpaper through several dozen images I've found over the years. Occasionally, I'll select one manually, though; if I do, odds are that it'll be this one. It's the girl who was our exchange student this past summer, on the deck of the ferry that's taking her out to Liberty Island. Not sure if its the memory of having her here, or what she said when she got there, or the smile, but there's something about it that attracts me.
I just like it.
Feline Movement
Cat was just lurking around the kitchen, keeping a wary eye on her two or three cat toys, when a bird called from outside. Immediately, she leapt up to the ledge, stared intently at the closest tree, and - began to lick herself.
Cats are truly ADD animals.
Cats are truly ADD animals.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Liquidity
Apparently, the WikiLeaks people have posted a ton of classified information about the Afghanistan war. Anyone can go to their site and download it.
The military says that if any of their people do that, that's a transfer of classified information over an unsecure network, which they regard as a crime, and they will punish anyone who does it.
Um......
The military says that if any of their people do that, that's a transfer of classified information over an unsecure network, which they regard as a crime, and they will punish anyone who does it.
Um......
Morning
Well, I was in a foul mood this morning -- burned the sausage, set off the smoke alarm, found out that the new smoke alarms don't have a reset button, didn't have any coffee, discovered again that the english muffins we buy are pretty poor, all of that -- but now I just watched two hours of Doctor Who, including The Pandorica Opens, and now I feel better. Course, I still have to do the weekly shopping, which means making a list with which to do the shopping, and I really ought to go to the gym, much as I don't want to, and oh, yes, there's mowing to be done, and let's not forget French study -- but still. I'm in a better mood now. Just in case you wondered.
RiD
My mother used to subscribe to the large print Reader's Digest. It's been decades, I suspect, since you could count on that magazine to have anything useful, but it can be pleasant reading for days when you don't want to think. The large print version, which she got, contains an unholy amount of ads for urinary incontinence devices, glaucoma tests, and diabetic neuropathy treatments. That kind of crap is exactly why I didn't join AARP when they offered me their magazine, about ten years ago. Perhaps some day I'll find such things interesting - look, Martha, an adult diaper in camo! - but not soon. The current issue has a picture of a baby on the cover. The baby is staring, goggle-eyed, as kids will, and wearing a pair of 3-D glasses. If I ever think such things are funny -- shoot me. Right then, right away. Just shoot me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)