Sticking around a bit and introduce myself

[Yelof]

Since I went to the bother of looking up my password, I think I'll try sticking around a bit.

I surfed into the cellar about 2 years ago following a google text add UT placed, I found I didn't have time to post but have been kept interested enough to keep lurking.

So I feel I know most of the major players on the site, but you don't know me, so I guess I better introduce myself.

I am a 30 year old Irish computer programmer living in Portugal, married to a Portuguese composer. We have two kids aged 5 and 2. I do most of my work contracting to a UK company and despite 4 years living in Portugal I am still not very integrated here, my Portuguese still quite weak, I have been trying to take time off to actually sit down and study it rather then learn by ear, but the problem is finding time to take a break from work- young kids etc..

At the Cellar I find myself mostly agreeing with Jaguar, tw, Sycamore. I think the standard of debate has improved since dave decided to leave. I have decided in returning to the cellar to try not to bring up the subjects of Israel, gun control or the death penalty as I think I hold more typically european views on these issues and it is rare progress can be made discussing them, however I think the subjects of Iraq, the coming US presidential elections, the environment and globalisation although polarising need discussing.

I find myself drawn back to the cellar because I find it important for me as a European to open dialog with Americans, I feel our viewpoints are drifting and we need better to try understand each other.

I like music (favourite artists Brian Eno, High Llamas, David Byrne, Tom Waits), reading (currently reading Guns, Germs and Steel essential reading for anyone who wants to figure out why the world is the way it is), I have a passion for history

Any questions?

[Griff]

Originally posted by Yelof
I do most of my work contracting to a UK company and despite 4 years living in Portugal I am still not very integrated here, my Portuguese still quite weak, I have been trying to take time off to actually sit down and study it rather then learn by ear, but the problem is finding time to take a break from work- young kids etc..

It's funny we were listening to Cesaria Evora tonight and Pete cracked, "She's just making this up as she goes along, isn't she?" She knows a little Italian and I know a little Spanish so to us Portuguese sounds kind of familiar but basically made up. Welcome aboard!

[DanaC]

Hi there Yelof! Nice to make your acquaintance

I had much the same thought about the differences between American views and European views....I found however that even on the topics that you mention, thats not really how things break down here.
On the subject of Palestine for instance there are Americans posting in a very pro Zionist fashion ( such as RADAR) but there are many whose posts have surprised me and made me reassess my own views of American culture and political landscape.

That sounds terribly patronising of me, I dont mean it to *smiles* Its really just a comment on how narrow a band of American culture is shown to us in Europe. It has come as something of a revelation to me to find that there are people who share a similar way of thinking to mine on subjects I had previously believed to break down along national lines.

[elSicomoro]

Originally posted by Yelof
At the Cellar I find myself mostly agreeing with Jaguar, tw, Sycamore.

I'm sorry to hear that.

I think the standard of debate has improved since dave decided to leave.

Agreed.

I have decided in returning to the cellar to try not to bring up the subjects of Israel, gun control or the death penalty as I think I hold more typically european views on these issues and it is rare progress can be made discussing them, however I think the subjects of Iraq, the coming US presidential elections, the environment and globalisation although polarising need discussing.

I think they're all great subjects, and I don't mind talking with people in a reasonable manner about them...even if we never agree.

I find myself drawn back to the cellar because I find it important for me as a European to open dialog with Americans, I feel our viewpoints are drifting and we need better to try understand each other.

Agreed.

I'm not the biggest Brian Eno fan. Tom Waits is cool. And David Byrne's new CD is great.

I just finished "Retribution" by Jilliane Hoffman. I'll probably head up to the free library tomorrow for a few more books.

[Yelof]

Thanks for the recommendation on Cesaria Evora, she looks interesting.

As she is from Cabo Verde I might have particular difficulty in understanding her lyrics, Portuguese is spoken quite differently around the world, I saw a cool Brazilian film recently "Cidade de Deus", neither I my wife or her sister could understand the Portuguese of the Favala dwellers, we had to turn the subtitles on the DVD, the educated Brazillians were quite understandable.

Spanish I find strange to hear, writen you can see the clear links to Portuguese, but spoken they seem to slur everything together and speak too fast. Gallacian which is spoken in the NW of Spain is the opposite to hear it it sounds the same as Portuguese but they write it in a Spanish fashion.

[Yelof]

Its really just a comment on how narrow a band of American culture is shown to us in Europe. It has come as something of a revelation to me to find that there are people who share a similar way of thinking to mine on subjects I had previously believed to break down along national lines.

I think they're all great subjects, and I don't mind talking with people in a reasonable manner about them...even if we never agree.

I agree, the cellar does seem to be a place that although the debate will get heated a debate is normally possible on mostly any subject.

That said Israel quite like Religion are topics I hold views on I try to keep to myself, as I often find myself the next day thinking what did I achive except to get myself and the other person all upset.

I'm bound to break my self pledge of course

[Griff]

Local dialects are funny like that, the first time I saw Train Spotting, I remember panicking for the first couple minutes, wondering if I'd ever pick it up. A Scottish guy I know really strains to understand rural Pennsylvanian. I'd assume if a language is passed on to an isolated population in a spoken form but not written the drift must be much more extreme.

[wolf]

Yelof. This place is like heroin. Just so long as you know that and accept it, you'll be okay.

[jaguar]

If it's any conciliation, I'm in a similar situation language wise, i know how little fun it is to be utterly isolated from the would you live in.

Welcome (back?) to cellar. Busy making an ass out oy myself right now, I'm sure thing will be back to normal in a few weeks

[wolf]

Jag, I actually thought you were comporting yourself quite well.

Only person making an ass out of himself lately is radar, and he has a good running head start.

[tomthejunglecat]

Originally posted by Yelof

I like music (favourite artists Brian Eno, High Llamas, David Byrne, Tom Waits)

I like David byrne too

[Yelof]

David Byrne..

Got into him from listening to the Rei Momo album, working my way backwards, just got to talking heads

Everything he touches is golden

He is a boy
You are a girl
And you will always stay that way
But there are people
In this world
Who'd like to change what nature made

And if you take that decision
Then they will make that incision - down below

The birds and the bees
Are singin' for me
And this is the song I heard them singin'
Goin' tweedle dee dee
Tweedle dee dee
But I never heard a word they're tellin' me

Oh little girl
Please understand
And listen to the words I say
I was your dad
Now I'm your mom
I hope you'll comprehend someday

[Yelof]

I'm in a similar situation language wise, i know how little fun it is to be utterly isolated from the would you live in.

jaguar

What language and where are you stuck? I remember you mentioning Switzerland, Austrialia, UK I think, and Brazil too (? or am I just confused here because of your nickname) save me the bother of having to did the archives and straighten me out.

What I miss most is cracking jokes, most times when I try to crack a joke in Portuguese I mess it up and when people get it it is because they have had to have someone explain it to them, also I often don't get other peoples jokes, a lot of humour is cultural or linguistic.

I tend to talk about very involved topics or else complete nonsense, both are very hard to get right in another language.

When I've learnt Portuguese right, I'm going to try never to have to learn another language again...I suck at it.

[jaguar]

I tend to talk about very involved topics or else complete nonsense, both are very hard to get right in another language.

Oh tell me about it!

Aussie, stuck in Switzerland for now, so French (I'm in Lausanne) is my vice.

[Undertoad]

The Talking Heads were most definitely one of the finest bands ever to record.

Also, "Once in a Lifetime" is the best 4-minute song ever. It's just got all kinds of genius in it including Eno at his poppy finest, and the final "My God, What Have I Done" frames it all so perfectly. It has a strikingly original rhythm including some kind of funky Eno synth thing, and Tina Weymouth understands the "notes not played" bass concept perfectly. What a great, great single.

People. This song contains all the confusion and angst of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and yet Kurt Cobain could never come up with something like "Once in a Lifetime" in a million billion years, because it also contains so much more.

in my opinion.