May 2019 IWSG

March Goals

✓ Plan and prep for April A-Z.

✓ Write a monthly financial review post.

✓ Maybe raspberry pi will be up and running?

✓ Spend more time outside as the weather gets nicer. I'll set my goal to 2 days outside? (Spent almost every day of April outside, if only for a few hours at a time! The weather was perfect!)

✗ Get tires on truck rotated. (Will we ever do this? 🤨 Thank goodness it's not getting driven much!)

Additional Successes

• Lost some more weight. Almost 15 pounds down from my highest January weight. 👍
• Started planning our summer trip – LA and California.
• Commented on 300+ blogs!
• Worked on analytics for my blog, which, of course, broke halfway through the month. 😩
• Participated in a large number of twitter chats. Grew my twitter following.
• Also was able to connect with fellow bloggers Sara and Tasha on social media! How fun!
• Started participating in Wordless Wednesday again (in March).
• Made some clothing returns and got some money back.
• Went ice skating for the first time in approximately 10 years and remembered how much I loved it (in March). Trying to make a point of going more often.
• Finished watching The Good Place (tv show). It was cute. (Any of you seen it?)
• Completed April A-Z! Given last year's problems, I'm quite happy with this!
• Going to Miami, FL for three days was a great way to get out of my own head. The food, the music, the 80º weather with amazing spring breezes? Yes, please.
• Also, having a vacation from work was nice. I was able to go back feeling refreshed and more energetic.
• Learned that having headphones at work makes me happier.
• Paid taxes on time. Didn't cry. 😒
• Was placed in Phase 1 registration for Dîner En Blanc Paris. THEN managed to get in. 😳Can't go this year but I will be on the list for phase 1 registration next year so 🤞. Anyone want to go with me?!? 😉
• Bought ice skates. Mine broke. I tried the rental skates and could barely skate on them. Went on Poshmark, found used skates for $50 and now have them in my possession! Can't wait to take them on the ice for the first time!

May Goals

– GET OUTSIDE. It's good for your mental health. Even if it is just blogging on the porch. Goal? 4 days? (It will start getting hot where I am soon.)

– Work on summer vacation to LA. (WOOT!!!)

– Keep participating in Wordless Wednesday.

– Participate in at least one twitter chat.

IWSG Question –– What was an early experience where you learned that language had power?

Talking to someone whose first language wasn't English!

I remember sitting at the computer writing an email thinking through every word I said. This wasn't always the case, but it was the case often enough that I remember doing it. I would analyze every word I said: was it a simple word that would easily be understood without explanation? How do you explain more complicated topics with easy-to-follow vocabulary? Was I adding superfluous words or context to the email that was unnecessary? How could I condense what I was saying and still have the email be conversational?

At the same time, I had a friend who was superb with the English language. She was a voracious reader always encouraging me to develop my writing and pushing me to up my reading game. "I just read Shakespeare; what have you read lately?" 😳🙄The amount of work she put into reading and writing had me feeling like my skills were only ever at an elementary level. She was kind, though, and helped by critiquing me and giving me ways to improve. Unfortunately, the friendship dissolved over time, but the reminder that what we read and how we practice writing remained, having a huge influence on my understanding of language.

My first year in college, we were studying poetry. I was less than thrilled, but it was a required class. For a major project, I compared poetry to music. I discussed the difference between the two. That's when I realized that writing, reading, and language are all essential to the human experience. And, even beyond that, how you structured words, phrases, sentences, and ideas all played a part in how your writing was read.

The last example, I promise. 🙂

We're going back to people whose first language isn't English. I once read an article about how your first language influences your understanding of the world. Like, in other languages nouns often have genders. While it might not be conscious, the end effect is that you might place gender stereotypes on the objects in your thought process. This isn't the original article I read, but it has the general idea (that gender effects perception, not that perception effects gender equality within society).

Your Turn

So, let's talk. I think I covered some pretty deep topics in this post. What are your thoughts on gender within languages? Can you see how writing to someone whose first language isn't yours could encourage you to think more deeply about what it is you are trying to communicate? Have you seen, in your own life, how what you read plays a role in how you write and speak?

Congrats to all of the April A-Z bloggers out there!