Resolutions

Calendars, mail, knick knacks and procrastination.

Every January first, it seems that people make promises to themselves that they can't keep. I'm guilty of it, too. A diet here, a less coffee there...
This year there are a few that I know I'll keep because for the most part I've been doing them for the last few weeks and a "resolution" will just make it all the more solid. I've resigned myself to never (if I can help it) going to bed with a sink full of dishes, never leaving laundry in the dryer overnight to wrinkle (except towels that might be spinning when I go to bed), and never leaving the bed unmade after forcing myself to crawl out of it. I've been a slacker with those things and a few others and they just make the daily grind of chores seem overwhelming.
Just in the last couple months of staying on top of it, everything else falls into place a little more easily. Seems like it, anyhow.

Now I've just got to stop procrastinating with opening mail, dusting my knick knacks and changing my perpetual calender.
Happy New Year's Day today. (And yes I changed it...after snapping a pic! :D)

North to Alaska...to learn the language of the South

One of the tips I've picked up with jumping into this "learn Spanish" adventure is that listening to phrases set to music will help you remember what you hear if it's done in a "sing song" fashion.

It's sort of along the same line of thinking that jingles will help you remember a product.

Even if you never go to McDonald's, I bet if I said "I'm lovin' it", you'd hear that "Ba da da da da" tune in your head. It works like that.

Another tip I've gleaned is to read children's books in Spanish, especially if they are ones that you've maybe memorized in English.

While searching around the net for "Goodnight, Moon" and "Brown Bear, Brown Bear", I stumbled on a site created by an awesome teacher. This teacher's name is Zulma Barranco and she teaches Spanish at North Pole High School just south of Fairbanks, Alaska.

Ms. Barranco has a project that she does each year with her level 2 Spanish class that is incredible. She's instituted an annual Children's Book Project in which her students create books that she also puts up on the net.

I've spent most of my morning scrolling through 2007's addition and look forward to back-tracking to see the rest!

Please check out the talent at the North Pole.