tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post7117366633703848866..comments2024-03-22T05:18:29.555-04:00Comments on Romance Bandits: Learning Something NewLoucinda McGary aka Aunty Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02217492654108300014noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-86849994980274844792011-01-17T23:25:41.702-05:002011-01-17T23:25:41.702-05:00Hi Christie!
We have two guitars in the house, o...Hi Christie! <br /><br />We have two guitars in the house, one of which I dragged all the way back from Singapore when I was twelve. I played piano for over ten years, the flute in band, and know one chord on the guitar, G major. :) I've been thinking of getting Rosetta Stone tapes for French. Spanish is more useful in CA, but I've always loved French. I'm amazed that I'm able to understand instructions in French after three years of h.s. French classes eons ago. <br /><br />Good luck with the guitar. Continually challenging ourselves is so importatnt. I hope you grow some callouses on your fingertips. It helps! <br /><br />Congrats on the GR, Helen!PinkPeonyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08474965710589933443noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-11774664449585425212011-01-17T19:45:20.162-05:002011-01-17T19:45:20.162-05:00Good on you, Helen !! I know he will enjoy a day w...Good on you, Helen !! I know he will enjoy a day with you!<br /><br />Christie, I think it is great that you are learning the guitar! And very brave of you to take lessons from your DH !! <br /><br />There are so many things I want to learn and study, but until I can shed the DDJ (Dreaded Day Job) I just don't know it if is possible. I spent years in undergrad and grad school learning foreign languages with my opera performance degrees, but it has been so long since I have studied or spoken these languages on a daily basis that I know I am losing my language skills every day. I would love to spend some time brushing up, especially my German, French and Russian. <br /><br />I play the piano (to quote Lizzie Bennett "Only a little and very poorly.")and the clarinet and bassoon, but I would LOVE to learn the Celtic harp and I would also love to learn to play the bagpipes! <br /><br />I only took up writing again a little over 4 years ago and I am learning more about the craft every day. <br /><br />I took fencing lessons a hundred years ago and I would LOVE to take it up again. <br /><br />Janga, quilting is easy and very soothing. I love needlework and especially quilting, but again working a 40 hour plus work week I and trying to write every day I just don't have the time for it as much as I would like. <br /><br />Oh, and I would dearly love to study the art of stained glass !!Louisa Cornellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12971924594129471055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-74060808514345772832011-01-17T18:42:22.396-05:002011-01-17T18:42:22.396-05:00Hats off to you for having the guts to take up a n...Hats off to you for having the guts to take up a new instrument (AND lessons from your husband).<br /><br />I've always wanted to write, but my education and career were in something entirely different. So in order to explore this writing thing, I had to step way out of my comfort zone to take nonfiction and fiction writing classes, in addition to editing and proofreading classes. Two years later, I felt better prepared.<br /><br />Helen, yay. Hooray for the GR at your place!Keira Soleorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14440213826734580889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-54050744974170929262011-01-17T18:42:12.445-05:002011-01-17T18:42:12.445-05:00WTG, BJ on learning to paint! That Bob Ross method...WTG, BJ on learning to paint! That Bob Ross method looks really fun and fairly easy. Please let us know how it goes for you!<br /><br />And Trish, reading a biography of every president sounds like a wonderful idea! I saw the author of the new Washington biography interviewed on Charlie Rose and he was super-interesting. Bet his book is too!<br /><br />ACLoucinda McGary aka Aunty Cindyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02217492654108300014noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-37710720593835161412011-01-17T18:39:48.874-05:002011-01-17T18:39:48.874-05:00WTG on capturing the GR, Helen!
As Nancy says, ma...WTG on capturing the GR, Helen!<br /><br />As Nancy says, maybe the heat will sap his energy and make him easier to deal with. :-)<br /><br />Christie, I think it's totally KEWL that you're learning to play guitar. I played the flute when I was a kid and was actually pretty good at it (practicing got me out of doing dishes). Then I discovered boys and flute practice went out the window! I'd love to take it up again someday.<br /><br />When we were traveling more to Europe and Asia, I always tried to pick up a few handy phrases in the various languages. I can ask for the bathroom in Spanish, French, German, Italian, Turkish, and Thai! Italian is such a pretty language, I'd love to learn more of it, and I'd also love to learn some Mandarin, since it has the most speakers worldwide. ;-)<br /><br />ACLoucinda McGary aka Aunty Cindyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02217492654108300014noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-64161132294338344282011-01-17T17:48:56.039-05:002011-01-17T17:48:56.039-05:00Christie, I hope your 13-yr-old will give karate a...Christie, I hope your 13-yr-old will give karate a try. It's a lot of repetition and, at our school, conditioning, but it can be very cathartic. <br /><br />And x-ray paper makes a very satisfying thwack when you kick or punch it.<br /><br />If I remembered much about clarinet, picking up the flute would be mostly a matter of breath control and embouchure (lip placement and tension--alas, not as romantic as it sounds). Unfortunately, I'm not sure I could still play even a simple scale on a clarinet now, though we still have it.Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13705259501965011703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-22475106493013807302011-01-17T16:47:22.555-05:002011-01-17T16:47:22.555-05:00This isn't quite as ambitious as taking guitar...This isn't quite as ambitious as taking guitar lessons, but one of my goals for this year is to begin on a bigger goal of reading a biography of every U.S. president, in order. So I just downloaded the new Washington bio a few days ago.Trish Milburnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08812010789617982102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-52200404032632486202011-01-17T16:17:03.463-05:002011-01-17T16:17:03.463-05:00Christie Kelley said...
I've been trying to ...Christie Kelley said... <br /><i> I've been trying to get my 13 yr old interested in it. He's decided not to play baseball this spring so I want to get him involved with something.</i><br /><br />My 5 year old granddaughter takes Karate and loves it. She thinks it's fun and doesn't realize she's learning useful lifelong skills. Doesn't hurt that she's getting an outlet for excess energy!Laurie Loganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08957432244479640433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-61001084050169621412011-01-17T16:16:08.191-05:002011-01-17T16:16:08.191-05:00Hi Danielle, the chords are definitely hard. I'...Hi Danielle, the chords are definitely hard. I'm still learning the strings, which is pretty easy.Christie Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05188201459186901767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-27545070747379030562011-01-17T15:04:38.331-05:002011-01-17T15:04:38.331-05:00Good luck with learning the guitar. I tried to lea...Good luck with learning the guitar. I tried to learn a couple of years ago. I learned a few chords in some songs. I didn't keep going with it because I realized I have really tiny hands and it is super hard. I can't reach the bottom strings.RFTC Bloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01794488183771670244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-72107561885743690742011-01-17T13:34:53.277-05:002011-01-17T13:34:53.277-05:00Hi Margay, I hear you with the time issues. It'...Hi Margay, I hear you with the time issues. It's tough some days finding time to practice. I tried playing around with the violin when my boys took it in 3rd grade. Maybe if I'd had a teacher it would have helped.Christie Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05188201459186901767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-35865552751921859192011-01-17T13:33:05.026-05:002011-01-17T13:33:05.026-05:00Jo, I'm sure all the writing helps keep the br...Jo, I'm sure all the writing helps keep the brain young. We'll see about the guitar though. I'm having a difficult time with the chords.Christie Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05188201459186901767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-73255657766743396002011-01-17T13:32:03.151-05:002011-01-17T13:32:03.151-05:00Nancy, I think it's awesome that you took kara...Nancy, I think it's awesome that you took karate. I've been trying to get my 13 yr old interested in it. He's decided not to play baseball this spring so I want to get him involved with something.<br /><br />I think you could pick up flute without too much trouble but celtic harp might be just a little harder :)Christie Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05188201459186901767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-42728083379950388952011-01-17T13:30:05.487-05:002011-01-17T13:30:05.487-05:00Anna, I've always wanted to go back to get a d...Anna, I've always wanted to go back to get a degree in history. I think that may have to wait a few years, though. Just not enough time in the day right now.Christie Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05188201459186901767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-59942694354904942022011-01-17T13:00:24.725-05:002011-01-17T13:00:24.725-05:00I'd love to learn to quilt. I have a friend wh...I'd love to learn to quilt. I have a friend who has offered often to teach me. Finding time is the problem. Time wouldn't help with playing a musical instrument since I have no musical aptitude at all. I do find it satisfying to give the characters I create the gifts I lack.<br /><br />Since I am regularly engaged in research for the freelance writing I do, on subjects ranging from global warming to disaster relief to the Mandarins of Southeast Asia to people as varied as Dolly Parton and Francoise Barre-Sinoussi, I think I keep my brain active.Jangahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15128188159653860806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-90291236068939487132011-01-17T11:46:57.688-05:002011-01-17T11:46:57.688-05:00Congrats, Helen!
Interesting topic, Christie. I ...Congrats, Helen!<br /><br />Interesting topic, Christie. I think that keeping-your-mind-young ship has sailed for me LOL.<br /><br />I love guitar, probably because it's one of the easiest instruments to become proficient-sounding in a short time. Good luck on the journey.<br /><br />I hope that all of the writing that I do will keep my mind healthy!jo robertsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16824237193217632098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-19230788592844932962011-01-17T11:23:59.840-05:002011-01-17T11:23:59.840-05:00Helen, congrats on the bird! Maybe the heat will ...Helen, congrats on the bird! Maybe the heat will keep him too tired to steal your Tim Tams.<br /><br />Christie, good for you! I played both piano and clarinet, with a brief bit of dabbling with flute, when I was younger. String instruments are a different proposition, as you say.<br /><br />I'd like to learn Russian someday, or take jewelry-making at Michaels (part of my longterm plan to de-mystify Michaels).<br /><br />The last time I learned something new was when I enrolled in karate, which was very new and very different. I'd still be doing it if not for back and knee issues. I hope you will enjoy guitar as much as I enjoyed that.<br /><br />If I were going to pick an instrument to learn now, it would be either flute or Celtic harp--which I suspect would be extremely challenging.Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13705259501965011703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-26636573662772672652011-01-17T11:02:32.951-05:002011-01-17T11:02:32.951-05:00Yay Christie on learning something new! It's a...Yay Christie on learning something new! It's always such a great mix of enthusiasm and frustration, isn't it?!<br /><br />My hubby went back to Uni when he retired, to study his first love, history. He absolutely loves it - mind, you, being in Cambridge kind of helps *g*.<br /><br />I'd love to learn all sorts of things. How to chop like a chef and how to arrange flowers properly. I'd love to learn how to speak Italian and Japanese.<br /><br />As with all things, it's finding the time that's the problem!Anna Sugdenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02015356374453032571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-42564721175067427372011-01-17T09:13:46.634-05:002011-01-17T09:13:46.634-05:00I can't remember the last time I tried to lear...I can't remember the last time I tried to learn something new - I haven't had the time between my writing, getting my older daughter into college and my younger daughter through back surgery. One thing I've always wanted to learn how to do, however, is to play the violin. I'd also like to learn how to paint with watercolors and spin my own yarn.Margay Leah Justicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15490126898758440254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-24613322572707925332011-01-17T08:11:55.239-05:002011-01-17T08:11:55.239-05:00Anita, even learning something small is a great ac...Anita, even learning something small is a great accomplishment. I was so relieved when I volunteered at the middle school book this year because they actually had cash registers. Before you used to have to use a calculator to add everything and then calculate tax. This was so much easier!Christie Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05188201459186901767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-88064113786569502732011-01-17T08:10:21.158-05:002011-01-17T08:10:21.158-05:00Sheree, I haven't built up the calluses yet. I...Sheree, I haven't built up the calluses yet. It's really more the wrist positions that get me. <br /><br />I laughed at the fencing comment. I have always wanted to take fencing lessons. Maybe someday!Christie Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05188201459186901767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-37228158222646665422011-01-17T08:09:14.089-05:002011-01-17T08:09:14.089-05:00Donna, after my husband started to struggle with t...Donna, after my husband started to struggle with the Italian classes at the local community college, I bought him the Rosetta stone course. My oldest bought it for Japanese and highly recommends it.Christie Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05188201459186901767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-17759252937898513152011-01-17T08:07:56.728-05:002011-01-17T08:07:56.728-05:00Jane, I love chess. When my oldest was around 10, ...Jane, I love chess. When my oldest was around 10, we played all the time. We actually haven't played in a while so it might be time to pull out the board.Christie Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05188201459186901767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-45363762703951873532011-01-17T08:07:06.070-05:002011-01-17T08:07:06.070-05:00Bj, the painting lessons sound like so much fun!
...Bj, the painting lessons sound like so much fun! <br /><br />I'm still struggling with the finger positions on the guitar. I broke my left wrist about six years ago so I don't know if sometimes I'm having issues because of that. My husband says it just takes practice. We'll see!Christie Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05188201459186901767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-75211723853284843552011-01-17T08:05:31.145-05:002011-01-17T08:05:31.145-05:00Laurie, your comment about the tennis lesson almos...Laurie, your comment about the tennis lesson almost made me spew my coffee. <br /><br />We're a big Scrabble family here too. I love all your ideas for things to keep the brain active. It's funny I had also thought about the Irish fiddle. Maybe after I learn a little more guitar.Christie Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05188201459186901767noreply@blogger.com