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“Captain, Lord Vader demands an update on the pursuit.” – Communications Officer to Captain Needa, Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back
Two posts in as many days. I know! When will the madness stop?
So I realized that I needed someplace that I could “quick a minute” jot things down as I do them regarding this crazy completely understandable and realistic mission that Red Leader and I have undertaken (possibly at my bull-headed insistence). Dog on a bone. Fly swatter to any argument. Resistance is futile and all that. Yes, I will in fact poach from other franchises if it suits my purpose. I’m an equal opportunity geek.
We’ve been watching Enterprise again on Netflix, by the way. Can you spell T I M E - W A S T E R? PL’s favorite is Lt. Reed and his “hey baby” houndog style and DW loves Tucker’s no-nonsense engineer ways, although both perk up significantly whenever T’Pol has to get yet another anti-microbial rundown after visiting an alien world (this happens surprisingly often). While I find Hoshi to be a kindred spirit, I think Doctor Flox is hysterical.
ANYWAY…
So I popped up a public OMK Facebook page [link fixed now] (some monster already took the FB obimomkenobi nickname – razzlefrickenskortig - so I had to modify) to keep track of what I’m doing. I’ll do a general overview here once a week, but if you want the real nitty gritty, stop over there (maybe even like the page! – ooh, the excitement) to get the updates. Wouldn’t want to annoy all 10 of you passionate readers with minutia.
EV-9D9: “How many languages do you speak?”
C-3PO: “I am fluent in over six million forms of communication, and can readily…”
EV-9D9: “Splendid! We have been without an interpreter since our master got angry with our last protocol droid and disintegrated him.”
C-3PO: “Disintegrated?”
Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi
Well, let’s be honest. I speak one language, English, and a smattering of Dutch. I can get around a menu, buy some groceries, read a short kids’ book, and be polite, but really speak Dutch… Nah, not so much. I’ve been at this in fits and starts for (shamefully) decades now and have pulled out all the excuses you can imagine: too little time, raising a family, working, no one nearby to speak with anymore, we’ve (not so recently) moved, the damn cat puked on the carpet again, there’s something good on Netflix, I started that new engineering-related website, the usual.
I have, however, recently acquired a commitment from Red Leader in a game of chance to move to Belgium for 3 months (the maximum stay allowed) after Padawan Learner and Wedge Antilles graduate from high school and are off on their own, making their way in the world. Gosh darn it, we’ve earned ourselves a little R&R – a little learning-for-me time – a chance to work towards something lovely and interesting and important for reasons that have nothing to do with college applications, ACT/SAT scores, core competencies, getting child X to activity Y in under Z minutes, or anything so wholly unrelated to us (to mis-quote the brilliant Elizabeth Bennet).
Since Belgium has two national languages (French – her target language) and Flemish (a dialect of Dutch – mine), sits between France and the Netherlands, and is an easy train trip into either language region, it will be ideal for our purposes. She will be able to rely on me in the Dutch-speaking regions and I on her in the French-speaking areas. While we will, of course, visit all the main tourist spots (hello again, Paris and Amsterdam) where English could be spoken if we wanted to – BUT WE WILL NOT WANT TO – learning our target languages well will allow us to visit and enjoy the non-touristy spots that are so often bypassed due to the language barrier.
Because of this travel plan and language-learning need, I am going to be using some of this space for a bit of recording keeping and public accountability. Please feel free to give me grief is I don’t update my progress regularly. I apologize in advance if you just don’t give a hoot about this goal, because you’re going to hear a lot about it.
Luke: But tell me why I can’t…
Yoda: No, no, there is no why. Nothing more will I teach you today. Clear your mind of questions.
Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back
Palawan Learner recently became an even bigger boy and not because he’s now 6’2″. How did this happen? I swear I turned my back for one second…
Here’s the proof for yourself:
The Emperor: “I’m looking forward to completing your training. In time you will call me master.”
Luke: ”You’re gravely mistaken. You won’t convert me as you did my father.”
The Emperor: “Oh no, my young Jedi. You will find that it is you who are mistaken, about a great many things.”
Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi
There has been a nice discussion going on at one of the local Facebook homeschooling groups in our area about duel enrollment classes. An area of quiet contention is that the public schools get to bump a duel-enrolled homeschool student from any class up to, but not after, the first day of school if a full-time public school student wants to take the class and there aren’t enough seats to accommodate everyone.
I was told that the public schools get full state funding per class for full-time students but only half funding per class for duel-enrollment students, although I don’t remember who I heard that from, so that’s why they give preference to full-time students. I think that’s fair. Basically, our kids fill the holes in these classes. It’s a win-win in my book.
I also think it’s been a great experience for Padawan Learner, especially the realization that classes move at a steady pace regardless of where you fall in the mix. He has had classes where he’s been so far ahead of everyone else that it’s agonizingly boring – for example, he did an entire year’s curriculum projects for two blocks of piggy-backed intro to and principles of (mostly mechanical) engineering classes in about 2 months, proceeded to teach himself several advanced concepts in the same area, and (as the teacher admitted in our winter conference) so outstripped the instructor’s knowledge in the software usage that he honestly had nothing more to teach him the remaining 7 months - and enough behind in getting things done that he’s been stressed about getting everything turned in at times. He even learned when to admit that a (distractable) student and (disorganized) teacher fit is SO bad that despite really enjoying the content of the class and liking the teacher’s personality, it’s best to drop the class and cut & run to save your GPA some seriously horrendous damage. He also learned that you can pick right back up at home with a self-teaching program and keep learning the material that you enjoyed so well.
This is, in my opinion, a great lesson to learn for anyone about to head off to a community college or – especially – a large, 4 year university. As one of my instructors in a 600 person freshman mathematics class at (40,000 undergrads alone) Galactic Empire University said in almost incomprehensible English, “Kas vate no man.” (Class waits for no man.)
Luke Skywalker: (via Hologram) “Greetings, Exalted One. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight and friend to Captain Solo. I know that you are powerful, mighty Jabba, and that your anger with Solo must be equally powerful. I seek an audience with Your Greatness to bargain for Solo’s life.”
(Jabba’s crowd laughs)
Luke Skywalker: “With your wisdom, I’m sure that we can work out an arrangement which will be mutually beneficial and enable us to avoid any unpleasant confrontation.”
Hurrah! I’m back to part-time – that which I originally applied for last May. My part-time co-worker and occasional partner in mischief, Hermione Bagwa, was looking for a full-time position now that her classes are over, so we decided to swap out spots. We’re going to do a graduated switch over for the next six months while she gets a feel for running the store, managing the staff, overseeing the volunteers, processing donations, and taking care of the building’s regular maintenance tasks, but at least now I’m home in the afternoons and we will both have a long weekend every other week.
Of course, because I have finally passed a much longed for cross in this road, I have come down with a massive cold to compliment my sudden-onset seasonal allergies. What can I say, it’s what I do.
My to do list now that I’ll have more free time is growing by the day. First up though, get back to my Dutch language lessons. I want to be speaking it, writing it, reading it, and understanding it on a conversational basis by New Year’s Day. Not fluency, not perfectly, not like a native – but good enough to read a newspaper, listen to the radio, hold a casual conversation, and send/receive emails in Dutch without the other person feeling like they need to switch to English (a rather large problem when communicating with the Dutch). Yes, I know it’s only 6 months, but I have a decent head start and (hopefully) the motivation to put the time in.
Luke Skywalker (via hologram): “As a token of my goodwill, I present to you a gift: these two droids.”
3-PO: “What did he say?”
Luke Skywalker: “… Both are hardworking and will serve you well.
3-PO: “This can’t be! R-2, you’re playing the wrong message.”
Star Wars VI: A New Hope
Yesterday was a special day, a glorious day – a SPA day (ok, a spa afternoon but still!). Dad Windu and Padawan Learner took pity on me and presented me with a gift certificate for a shoulder massage and some foot reflexology for mother’s day. It was much needed, much appreciated, and I may have become hooked. I sounded like a piece of aluminum foil was being crinkled up for the first time when she began working on my back. I, perhaps, should have had this done a long time ago. All those hours of work at shoulder level appear to have caught up with me. Lesson learned. As for the foot reflexology, it was so relaxing that I almost fell asleep while she rubbed warm oil into my parched skin and worked hot stones across the soles of my feet. Ahhhhh. Just thinking about it again makes me relaxed. Thankfully, she was very careful around the broken pinkie toe that is still mending. For the record, a broken pinkie toe is the best reason – ever – for having to wear flip-flops to work for a couple weeks in a row.
Supreme Chancellor: “Remember back to your early teachings. ‘All who gain power are afraid to lose it.’ Even the Jedi.”
Anakin Skywalker: “The Jedi use their power for good.”
Supreme Chancellor: “Good is a point of view, Anakin.”
Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith
OK, the Supreme Chancellor is a bit twisted in his interpretation of things, to be sure, but still here are a few good things I’m thankful for today:
- The weather lately has been so pleasant for walking to work in, for sitting on the patio, for roaming the neighborhood
- The school year is coming to an end again for Padawan Learner. The more he attends, the more I enjoy his breaks from the daily go-go-go of early up, early out, perpetually sleep-deprived teenager
- Padawan Learner’s land-speeder is continuing to hold it together. We just need it to get to June…
- Our tickets to visit Canada are purchased, 2 of our 3 passport renewals have been completed (last one went in today), and the time is sure to come faster than we can even expect
- We have a quickie trip back to Michigan planned in the near future. It will be wonderful to see some old friends and family again.
- We’re all healthy. This really should be first. I’m coming to realize more and more that good health is paramount.
- Dad Windu is still one of my favorite people..
- Padawan Learner is more interesting than exasperating these days. They really do grow up given enough time (and with a lot of tongue biting on everyone’s part)
- Shmi Skywalker, aka my mom, tells me that she’s making two trips out this summer, one with my brother, Plo Koon, and another with my sister, Kit Fisto. Neither have been here before.
- DW’s sister (Padme Amidala) and her son (also known as PW’s nemesis during their early years, Sebulba) are also planning a visit.
- My Fox Barrel Pacific Pear cider is utterly delicious and doesn’t give me a tummy ache.
- Padawan Learner received two awards from a couple of his classes for exceptional progress and going above and beyond in the class.
- DW and I were able to roam about a construction site nearby. That’s always a good time, and I always learn something new. This one showed several layers of historic road that was quite interesting – old tram lines still in place, filled over and covered by a brick road, covered by multiple layers of asphalt.
- Both of the cats finally seem to understand that going out on the patio means staying WITHIN the patio border and not over onto the rubber decking. This makes their excursions outside with us much more relaxing.
- I’ve finished two interesting books this week – always a highlight for me.
- Qui-Gon Jinn sent a Facebook message to say she’s heading out our way for a graduation party, so we might be able to grab a bit of time together that weekend.
- And much, much more. I could probably make an equally long list of complaints, but I choose not to focus on those so I will not.
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