The Daily Biff - 2008 02 25

Currently playing on my computer (tune in: pls, asx)

Mon, 25 Feb 2008

Home Renovation Project: Attic Conversion: The Status of the Hardwoods
So, before we left for our trip to Arizona, I mentioned that we were going to have our floors completely re-sanded, re-stained... just completely re-done while we were gone. I'm happy to report that the hardwoods look 1,000,000 times better (yes, that is 1 million). The hardwood subs showed up today to put the first of the two final coats on the floors. We requested that the same stuff be used on the new floors that was applied to the rest of the house. It is already dry up there this evening and it looks absolutely wonderful. We are so relieved.

:: Posted by rus on Mon, 25 Feb 2008 11:12 pm
:: Filed under /projects/attic_conversion

[0 comments] [permanent link]

Reading English
I pity those that must learn English as a second language. I was laying in bed tonight with Berkeley reading a book with him. He reads "the easy words" and I read the "hard" words. We read from a library book he brought home from school, a Scooby Doo story. He is really trying hard to read. But English is hard. There are so many exceptions to the rules, that I think it must be maddening to anyone trying to learn.

Take one example - the word "feet". When Berkeley sounds it out he does Fuh-eh-eh-teh. "Fet" he proudly proclaims. Well son, you see when there are two e's together it makes the sound of the letter... the long "eeee". This word is fuh-eee-teh... "feet". And of course we ran into a few words with a silent e at the end (e.g. race, a word which also has a C that sounds like an S). It's nothing short of craziness.

When people find out I served a mission to Taiwan and can (or rather used to) speak and read Mandarin, they usually say something like "that must have been really hard." Actually, learning English makes learning Chinese look like a cake walk. Chinese is a beautifully simple language and is actually quite easy to learn. But English, oh boy.

:: Posted by rus on Mon, 25 Feb 2008 10:59 pm
:: Filed under /daily_journal/2008

[0 comments] [permanent link]

About
The Daily Biff
Rus Berrett's weblog

Contact Me
Email: rus at berrett dot org
AIM: biffordtdavis

Proclamations
Exaggerated opinions of my own importance. Proceed with caution.

Why I Blog

Buy Me Stuff
My wish list is my gift to you (yes, shameless, I know).

My Wish List

Subscribe
Subscribe to a syndicated feed of my weblog, brought to you by the wonders of RSS.

Categories
You can isolate posts by category using the following links.

about (1)

announcements (3)

annoyances (4)

contrib (15)

·babynames (2)

·blosxom (12)

·x10 (1)

daily_journal (974)

·2005 (184)

·2006 (280)

·2007 (263)

·2008 (242)

·2009 (5)

links (32)

·blogroll (3)

·bookmarks (3)

·gadgets (2)

·games (1)

·misc (2)

·news (4)

·rootbeer (2)

·tech (2)

·trivia (1)

·tv_programs (2)

·video (10)

media (118)

·galleries (104)

·2005 (23)

·2006 (18)

·2007 (17)

·2008 (27)

·archives (17)

·taiwan (2)

·music (5)

·portraits (9)

·berkeley (3)

·eliana (2)

·family (3)

·kids (1)

newsletters (4)

·christmas (4)

opinion (2)

photography (1)

politics (26)

·antiwar (2)

·domestic_affairs (2)

·editorials (1)

·election2008 (3)

·energy_policy (2)

·foreign_policy (9)

·opinion (2)

·religion (1)

·social_policy (4)

·same_sex_marriage (4)

pro_tips (2)

proclamations (1)

projects (280)

·around_the_house (3)

·attic_conversion (128)

·back_patio_deck (42)

·exterior_painting (11)

·garage_storage (4)

·maintenance (1)

·new_garage_doors (4)

·vault_removal (86)

recipes (61)

·basics (5)

·jam_and_jelly (2)

·sauces (3)

·breads (2)

·breakfast (5)

·desserts (14)

·cakes (1)

·candy (1)

·cookies (2)

·fruit (1)

·ice_cream (5)

·pastries (1)

·sauces (3)

·drinks (2)

·first_courses (5)

·appetizers (3)

·salads (2)

·main_courses (23)

·meat (14)

·pasta (3)

·poultry (2)

·seafood (4)

·side_dishes (4)

·snacks (1)

religion (3)

reviews (321)

·beverages (33)

·chocolate_milk (1)

·cola (2)

·dry_soda (2)

·egg_nog (5)

·ginger_ale (8)

·jones_soda (3)

·juice (3)

·milk (2)

·root_beer (6)

·sparkling (1)

·board_games (13)

·books (8)

·camping_gear (7)

·cold_cereal (3)

·concerts (2)

·food (20)

·breakfast (2)

·candy (1)

·cookies (1)

·desserts (1)

·fruit (1)

·jams_jellies (1)

·meat (1)

·salad_dressing (1)

·sauces (1)

·snacks (8)

·yogurt (2)

·movies (122)

·music (3)

·products (20)

·restaurants (62)

·service (1)

·software (2)

·symphony (14)

·theater (7)

·tv_programs (1)

·video_games (3)

shameless (6)

tags (10)

·christmas (5)

·sourdough (5)

tech (21)

traditions (15)

·cousin_preschool (3)

·class_pictures (3)

·fathers_and_sons (3)

·friendship_festival (2)

·hoa_barbeque (3)

·santa (4)

vacations (85)

·2005 (32)

·park_city (12)

·slc_summer (14)

·slc_winter (6)

·2006 (13)

·california (1)

·salt_lake_city (6)

·vancouver (6)

·2007 (17)

·cayman_islands (9)

·cedaredge (5)

·utah_winter (3)

·2008 (23)

·arizona (8)

·chula_vista (4)

·hawaii (6)

·utah (5)

Archives
Past entries are available for review.

Blogroll
These are a few blogs run by my esteemed friends and colleagues. My personal comments about the blog (and its author) can be accessed by clicking on the "wtf?" graphic to the immediate right of each entry (wtf = "What the flip?" as in "What the flip is grandma doing at the sand dunes?").

Family

Friends