Nerds

My man and I just unintentionally got into a Duolingo battle to win the family scoreboard for the week, simply by coincidence. We both happened to do a lesson, and also happened to see how the score had changed for the other.

In the last seconds of the timer, he passed me up and got first place. I had a 30-point lead on him, but he eeked it out, nonetheless, by completing half a legendary round with bonus right before the time ran out for the day. So, even though he hadn’t finished the lesson, he’d gotten halfway through it, and it gave him the first 40 points for today and the next 40 points for tomorrow’s scoreboard. Ridiculous.

It was a fun little event.

I love this man.

Even though we have really been passing each other off lately, I remember that I love him despite it all, and even because of most of it.

Thank you, God, for our idiocy and nerdiness. Thank you for, even after all this time, giving me someone who can enjoy this adventure so well with me. Thank you for all of it. Also, please, heal all my mosquito bites, please. In your name, I pray. Amen.

Post-a-day 2023

Phew

It was a 45-minute cap, not a 40-minute cap. And I finished in 37:15. So, I made it for both timeframes! Yay! I may have gotten second place, but otherwise third (we started staggered, with me at the end by a few minutes). The JROTC kid finished in under 34 minutes, which I had fully expected – he does this kind of training specifically all the time, and he really pushes himself. I pace myself, while still pushing, but I have no interest in making myself sick or anything.

Anyway, rest number two has been completed and passed for me. Yippee. Only one kid didn’t pass, and he missed the time cap by fifteen seconds… we’ll see what happens there. I personally hope he retakes the test so that he can actually pass the test. (When I missed a run time by a few seconds last belt level testing [because it was suddenly a longer run with shorter timing than it had ever been, and only because our instructor wanted us to be preparing further for the black belt testing, not because it was actually required], I redid the run the following day and got it done within the time cap.] We shall see what happens.

Afterward, I went to the grand opening of the second Black Rifle Coffee Company location in Houston. It was great. It was packed with veterans and active military and first-responders, and the air was so fun, I felt at ease, though I knew no one.

They did the national anthem and the raising of the flag, cut the ribbon – with a knife!! – and made a few brief announcements about the awesome work they do to support veterans, while we all stood in the cold rain. It was a silly ten minutes-ish, but great. And then we got to return inside, where it was cozy and smelled great.

I had a decaf hot latte, which was great after being soaked in the cold rain of the karate run beforehand, and a hot bagel breakfast sandwich. I also bought us two majorly discounted t-shirts to match (or not!), bought him a nitro cold brew on tap right before I left to rush home and give it to him fresh, and I won a $50 gift card! Also, my three receipts all come with a survey and free hot coffee for the future. Oh, and I got a bunch of stickers. (We love stickers here.)

So, basically, it was an awesome time.

After I got home, I took a hot, hot shower, napped for a while, and then went with my man to his brother’s birthday celebration, which I quite enjoyed. (By the way, Ninfa’s has great fajitas and queso and green salsa.) Then we rushed home to do Duolingo before midnight, as 1)we never expected to be out that late, so it hadn’t seemed to matter much that 2)I had forgotten my phone at home. We’d had plenty of time to turn around for it right after we’d left, but I didn’t feel I needed the phone, anyway, so we left it be.

I tried logging in on my man’s phone’s web browser to do Duolingo, but it is set up with my Google account. So, I had to log in to my Google account first… But Google does the two-factor authentication nonsense now, so I couldn’t access any account to be able to log in and do Duolingo not on my own computer or phone, because I didn’t have my phone to get the special code.

It was extremely upsetting and frustrating. But we made it home just in time for me to sprint inside and do a lesson before midnight struck. (Come to find out, I had, apparently, already done a lesson earlier today, so my streak was already maintained for the day… ugh.)

Anyway…

At that, I’m off to sleep. Goodnight!

Post-a-day 2023

Oh, no…

Duolingo is changing. And I am not at all looking forward to it. One of the things I love is going to do a random story or few. Now, it looks like we won’t be able to do stories in a row anymore, because it is being set up by levels, and you can only do the story when you reach its level on the lessons, or a story you have already completed.

Not excited, folks… not excited.

::massive sad face

Post-a-day 2022

Habits

It’s always funny to see what people’s habits are in life, what things they pursue for their own enrichment and enjoyment, for no reason other than that they want to pursue it. For me, right now, I have a quite ridiculous streak on Duolingo (streak meaning that I have done it every day for that many days). I had used it for years without consistency on the whole ‘every day’ thing. Yet, here I am, looking like a weirdo and dork with my streak. I’m not one of the ones who does loads of lessons and gets thousands of points in lessons every month. No, not I. I just have kept up the habit.O

Nerd… oh, well…

Today was actually 801, for anyone counting ;P

Post-a-day 2022

A pause…

So, we do Duolingo every day, right? As we both sat in the living room just now, pulling up Duolingo, I begin my second lesson just as he clicks to start his, only a couple minutes behind my beginning with my first lesson. And what does his screen show him?

But what did mine do? Start my next lesson like nothing was different! As we sat right next to one another… bizarre and goofy, right?? 😛

Oh, well… so it goes!

Post-a-day 2022

Colors

I was discussing yesterday with a friend how I never had a favorite color as a child (and still have none). I knew I needed an answer to the question that almost everyone posed to me, so, I took stock of the favorite colors I knew of the people around me in life. One neighbor girl was really cool. And so, I figured her favorite color would be an acceptable one to have as a favorite color, since she was so cool. Her favorite color was green. So, whenever anyone asked, so was mine. (Though, I regularly forgot this fact, unless explicitly asked for it.)

In my Duolingo lesson today, I was reminded of this conversation and that time in my life. Nowadays, I just tell people that I have no favorite anything. But most of my childhood involved the green answer. And so, it felt as though Duolingo knew all about me when t ave me this phrase to learn and practice:

What else could they possibly be referencing? 😛

Post-a-day 2021

Double down

What if the work I really want to do really does involve spending hours a day in front of a computer screen?

Hmm…

I just don’t see it. Part of the day? Sure. Hours every day? Nope.

But I can still see it as a possibility, my having a semi-desk job, in one of those hipster-y-yet-not ways, of course.

I am thinking this all, because I have been looking to see what lights me up whenever I cross it as an opportunity. And this nerdy language stuff and language software really has me booming like firework finales on repeat.

And I mean lighting up the whole night sky kind of bright, here…

Duolingo, I might be coming for you in the near future. I don’t have the credentials for it yet, but it is all too likely that I will be figuring them out and getting the necessary ones soon… You are forewarned. 😉

Post-a-day 2021

Toy Story for all languages

Playing on Duolingo, I crossed the following today:

Turns out Woody can exist in Italian, not just English…, but he is awfully proper-sounding in Italian, though I do say so myself. 😛

Whatever the case, I am looking forward to all of the fabulous images that are already forming in my mind of an Italian Woody (not unlike the changes that occurred for Buzz, when his Spanish version was enabled!)… yess… entertaining it shall be. 😂

Post-a-day 2020