The Great Photo Purge (Send Snacks)

Jenn McKinlay: Recently (last year, the year before, I have no idea), I listened to The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson. It is exactly what it sounds like, a book about cleaning out your possessions before you die so that the people you leave behind don't have to. 

My best friend is Swedish and we talked quite a bit about the book while I was listening to it. My friend confirmed that this is how most Swedes are - thoughtful about not leaving behind problems for others. I can vouch that this is true because she and I are the same height and weight and every time we visit, she gives me shoes or clothes because she's also 12 years older than me and in constant death clean mode. I'm okay with this because she has excellent taste and takes care of her things so it's a win win.

What I loved about Magnusson's book was that she made the death cleaning easy and straightforward and then you get to the final chapters and she talks about the one thing that makes even death cleaners stumble -- photographs. 

Well, I was determined not to falter. Armed with a trash bag, a shredder, and the misplaced confidence of someone who has watched exactly one episode of a home organization show, I opened our storage unit.

You know the one. The Indiana Jones warehouse of my past where between the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy Grail were seventeen boxes labeled “PHOTOS—IMPORTANT!!!” (Apparently, I felt very strongly about that in 2009.)

Here’s the thing about old photos. You don’t simply “go through” them. You time travel. One minute you’re tossing duplicates, the next you’re misty over a blurry snapshot of a long-gone dog who, in that photo, is mid-zoomie and eternal.

I found hairstyles that should have come with warning labels. Seriously, I think my bangs in the 80's are solely responsible for the hole in the ozone layer. Outfits that were clearly chosen during a period of temporary insanity, I mean, were shoulder pads that doubled as pillows really necessary? Entire vacations documented before smartphones, when I took 24 photos and 19 of them featured my thumb or a sunset that looked beige.

And yet.

There were the Hooligans dressed up as toilet paper mummies. The Hub's grandparents dancing at our wedding. Friends tailgating at the college game where the keg was featured but we're all there in our  day-glo highlighter hued clothing, holding red Solo cups.

I’ll confess: the shredder remained tragically underfed.

Yes, I mailed a decade of photos to an ex so he could remember what he looked like in the 90's. Yes, I let go of the mysterious landscapes that simply didn't translate their awesomeness to a faded 4 X 6 inch print. Yes, I bravely discarded photos of people I absolutely couldn't identify. Who are you, sir, and more importantly why are we hugging?

Still, knowing that my Hooligans (bless their hearts) are never going to care about the 20,000 photos that document their Dad's and my lifetimes, a solid dent was made. Many giant boxes have been distilled into several much smaller ones with their contents to be digitized at a future date. The rest? Well, progress is best measured by hefty bags and I have many to go before I sleep (nod to Robert Frost).

How about you, Reds and Readers, what do your photo archives look like?

Happy Lunar New Year! by Jenn McKinlay

Jenn McKinlay: If you're like me, the new year comes around and you're never prepared. Seriously, I am never prepared! So, decades ago, I adopted Lunar New Year as my chosen start to the new year. This has worked out really well for me and not just as an excuse to order Chinese food, although that, too, is a perk.

This is the year of the Fire Horse, combining the horse's freedom and speed with the fire element's intensity and urgency. A year of chaos and opportunity! Very exciting, I know!

For me, there are two horses in the family, Hub and Hooligan 2. While Hub was born in the year of the Fire Horse, H2 was born in the Water Horse cycle. Hooligan 1 has the coolest of years as he is the Metal (Golden) Dragon, while I am (alas) the lowly Sheep. 

My friend Xui Hai (from China) brought me a beautiful baby outfit from Shang Hai when I was pregnant with H1 and explained that he would be born in the year of the Golden Dragon and would always be lucky. 

Xui Hai then asked my birthdate and when I told her, she sighed and said, "You will always struggle, Jenn." Really, Xui Hai? Really? 

I have since discovered I'm a Fire Sheep so I hope that balances out the struggle. LOL.

The chart below is from: 

https://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/chinese-zodiac-years-chart.htm

to find your exact Zodiac symbol use this calculator as the lunar year starts later than the Gregorian so you can't go by year exclusively: 

https://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/social_customs/zodiac/

Now Reds and Readers, tell me, what is your Chinese Zodiac sign and how do you feel about it?

Hablo Español más o menos por Jenn McKinlay

JENN McKINLAY: Growing up in New England, taking a foreign language in middle school and high school was mandatory. We had three choices: French, German, or Spanish. I chose Spanish on advice from my mom who said, “You’ll have more opportunities to use that one.” Little did she know. 

I ended up in Spanish V Honors my senior year and was sent to the neighboring elementary school to teach the littles Spanish. It was fun! Then I went to college where I studied two years of Russian just to expand my horizons. I know enough to understand the basics – Добрый вечер (dobryy vecher -- good evening) – which is delightful as Hub and I are currently watching PONIES (two CIA wives become spies in 1976 Moscow - so good)! 

Fast forward to my move to Phoenix decades ago and because of my Spanish, I was tapped by the library to do story times and teach computer classes in Spanish, where my Hispanic co-teacher teased me by saying I spoke “newscaster Spanish” (very proper). Anyway, nod to mom. She was right about the Spanish!

Presently, I’m studying Japanese with the Hooligans as we are planning an excursion to Japan. Side note: why must they have multiple alphabets? Hirigana, Katakana, and Kanji – you’re killing me. Needless to say the progress is slow but I’m confident that desu ka ですか (roughly meaning “is it?”/”what is it?”) will do most of the heavy lifting.

How about you, Reds? What languages have you studied and what’s your competency level?

HALLIE EPHRON: Wish my mom had talked to your mom. Mine insisted we take 2 years of LATIN! (because other languages derive from it)... And then French. Boy do I wish I’d taken Spanish instead. So much more useful. When I taught in the New York City public schools (Go, PS189M!) I took classes after school in Spanish. I desperately wanted to be able to communicate with my students’ parents.

Needless to say there are precious few opportunities to practice my Latin. Veni, vedi, vici! Gallia in tres partes divisa est.

RHYS BOWEN:  I had twelve years of French… beginning at 8 at my private school and ending with a degree. So my French is pretty good. When I’ve been in France for a couple of days it comes back enough to be able to read newspapers and have earnest discussions.

My German is also almost as good as my English. I spent summers in Austria, took intensive German in school and then went to stay with the family of the German teaching assistant at my school with whom I had become good friends. I took a gap year working in a corner grocery store in Stuttgart, where everyone spoke the Swabish dialect so i became good at that out of necessity.  I also met my friend’s brother… so I took a semester at the University of Freiburg with him, then he came to London for year, then I did a Semester in Kiel. When I am in Germany people ask me what part of Germany I’m from so I guess I would have been a good spy!

Living in California you have to speak some Spanish. I did a year at school and can muddle through. Ditto Italian when I am in Italy. A little smattering of Welsh from my childhood and I did try Russian when I was in college. I signed up for beginner’s Russian only to find most of the class had taken A level in school and could discuss the quietly flowing Don while I was still mastering the alphabet.

Oh, and I took 5 years of Latin in school. Compulsory. I enjoyed it.

LUCY BURDETTE: French all the way for me. I started in high school and went through college. I’ve also taken refresher conversation classes that I talked about here on the blog–helped a lot with confidence! I admire our grandkids who’re going to dual language classes in 1st and 3rd grade. They already speak and read Spanish, which is handy in San Diego!

JENN: The Hooligans did Spanish immersion from Kindergarten through High School - very helpful in AZ!

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Rhys, I didn’t know you lived in Stuttgart! That’s where my family was stationed, and yes, all the German I know sounds (I’ve been told) distinctly Bavarian.

My academic language was French, and like a lot of you, I began in sixth grade (why do we start so late in the US?) and took it all the way through three years of college. My vocabulary and verb tenses are extremely rusty, but I’m guessing if I spent any time in France or Quebec, it would come back pretty quickly. 

It was helpful when I was on an archaeological dig in the Apennine foothills of Tuscany; I picked up enough Italian in six weeks to understand the other students (mostly) and to get around confidently. One Romance language = all Romance languages.

I’m gearing myself up to begin studying Nederlands (Dutch.) If Youngest stays there and if things continue with her Very Tall Boyfriend… well, I want to be able to communicate with any grandchildren I might have!

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: You know what they call a person who speaks several languages? Multi-lingual. 

What about what they call  a person who speaks two languages? Bi-lingual.

How about what they call someone who speaks ONE language?  An American.

🙂

I used to be extremely fluent in French, but no more, grr. But I bet if I were in total immersion (like going to Paris with Hallie, I wish) I would be fine. Maybe not waxing philosophical, but I could get my size in black, just saying.

I’m fine in Spanish and German, too, halting but manageable. And always when I’m there, I get back into it. I agree, Lucy, a lot of it has to do with confidence.

I always feel so unworthy and uneducated when I can’t speak the language. My sister  Nancy, a chef/caterer, is effortlessly bilingual in Spanish, and her entire demeanor changes when she speaks it. 

That would be so wonderful.

I am doing Duolingo to get my French back, but I’m not sure it’s effective. But it’s fun.

Oh, when we went to Italy I did my best, but my go-to was: “Mi dispiace, no lo sapevo.”

Meaning: I’m sorry, I did not know that.  

Always valuable.

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Here in Texas we started Spanish in elementary school. I think French was offered in middle school but I stuck with Spanish. Unfortunately, since I left high school after my sophomore year, I didn’t take advanced classes. But I had spent much time in Mexico with my parents, and when I was eighteen I lived in Mexico City for a summer with my folks’ Mexican friends. I was functional if not fluent.

After college, I took a semester’s French course, but it didn’t stick. My Spanish is rusty but good enough that I’ve unwittingly eavesdropped on some conversations! (Our contractors, when we had our house remodeled. Oh, my. I kept having to remind them that I understood them!) I always have good intentions to brush up. I’m very embarrassed that I’m not at least fully bilingual.

How about you, Readers? Have you studied a second language or mastered one?