https://twitter.com/WallStreetSilv/status/1653805219623448577?cxt=HHwWgsC9tbjFv_MtAAAA

Thanks. I do understand speaking as a kind of sport — one can read about it, hear lectures, but eventually it comes down to Doing It in the moment and hang the worries.

I just hate to make mistakes in public. Which is why writing suits me. No one gets to see all my grammar/spelling mistakes, all my editing, all my restarts, until I’ve gotten it (mostly) right.

Your suggestion about descriptors is good, but today my mind went almost entirely blank for any French words. I was sweating so much I had to change my shirt afterward.

I’ll get over it.

I am inspired to work harder on speaking and pronunciation. She’s a good teacher.

If you continue to practice French avec une Normande, you can take advantage of the region’s historic association with British (and later American) history. To wit: the tenth-century Château de Falaise is still a tourist attraction, as it is the place where William I of England (aka Guillaume le Conquérant or Guillaume de Normandie) was born. Falaise is also the location of a major WWII battle, the poche de Falaise, which was the last stage of the battle of Normandy following le jour J. I watched a recent documentary about the closing of the Falaise pocket in which you can see Allied shells striking the walls of William’s castle. Those Normans built well, because the tenth-century part of the castle suffered surprisingly little damage from twentieth-century artillery.

To get back to England’s first Norman king, you could try asking your Norman tutor about the impact of Norman French on what was basically a West Germanic language in 1066. I bet you could have some interesting conversations about language in general as well as the history of specific languages.

Happy to hear you had your first conversational lesson. As you are seeing; speaking and reading are two very different things. My guess is you will soon make great strides in speaking if you also focus on it between lessons. It is a hurdle to get over that initial fear.

Think of it like a sport; playing tennis or basketball, or judo or any sport you’re familiar with. Don’t worry about planning things out; react and work on reacting imaginatively. Get stuck on a word for a fraction of a second? Start using descriptors, (in French) “You know, those white and yellow things people eat with toast for breakfast.” “The tall animal with the long neck.” “The room where people sleep.” “A car with a roof/ceiling that disappears/removes/slides…”

Just grab words you do know to get to the words you don’t. Then she’ll fill in the words and you’ll learn them. And because you’re scared and excited and nervous and your adrenaline is flowing you will remember the new words.

You’ve got this, mon Ami!

Not that I expect anyone is desperate to be apprised on my progress in French, but today I had my first session with a French tutor.

Not the nice Parisian lady I mentioned earlier — she flaked — but a different one in Normandy, who got my attention because in her ad she mentioned her interest in literature and music.

It went about as badly as I expected. I couldn’t understand most of what she said. I could barely come up with “Je m’appelle huxley” when it was my turn.

Fortunately, she wasn’t a stickler for French-only. She would also type out what she said in the chat window. I read French much better than I hear it.

But I broke the ice. I’m going to speak French poorly for a long time. That’s the way of it and it’s good to get started.

But, but, but Seymour Hersh said ……. Nevermind.

Russian navy ships near Nord Stream pipeline blast site, report says – BBC News

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYknEGsvv0M

And about the Nordstream 2 story

Russia accuses Ukraine of Kremlin drone strike | Ukraine: The Latest | -Podcast – The Telegrapg Nordstream 2 pipeline discussed from 19:00 – 32:00 minutes in the podcast.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7n213BlKhY

The Danish (in english) podcast – “Listen to the “Cold Front” podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/co…:

But, but, but NATO, and the CIA, and poor, poor Russia ….. Where is ee cervantes?

Rufus:

I fear you are correct.

It’s one thing for dewy-eyed environmentalists to back utopian schemes to save Mother Earth. It’s another for flint-eyed political leaders and tech overlords — who mostly can do the math — to do so.

I can’t see another way to understand this move.

guinness as pointed out is even more stupid,

https://www.leefang.com/p/diversity-activists-helped-first

Thanks for the tip on Carta Blanca. I like it, but Modelo Especial is so much more abundant in my area that had been my go to, heavier Mexican beer. Moving to Carta Blanca is an easy adjustment.

For less heavy (but non-light) Mexican beers to drink on a warm day, or at the beach or picnic, I recommend Sol.

I was disappointed to learn Kona Brewing is AB-Inbev. I really like a few of their beers, as does the lovely, Mrs. Firefly.