Tuesday, February 6, 2024

February Week 1: So Much Going On!

 Hello, Friends.

The United States is finally seeing true winter weather. Indiana welcomed warmer temperatures. This coming weekend is chock full of exciting opportunities to celebrate with friends or at home.

Saturday, February 10 is the beginning of the Chinese New Year (also known as the Lunar New Year) celebration that runs through February 16. Welcome to the year of the dragon.

Superbowl is February 11. The 49ers vs the Chiefs with telecasts beginning at 6:30. People meet at parties and pubs to celebrate. While the game is important, businesses launch advertising campaigns during the game, and the half-time show sometimes generates more conversation. 

In America

Groundhog Day

Once again, February is in short but important month. The first week opens with Groundhog Day. Are we tired of winter, darkness, cold? Americans turn to the large, common rodent, the groundhog, to predict the weather. If he sees his shadow, we have six more weeks until spring. If he doesn't see his shadow, we will have an early spring. Regardless of the prediction, the calendar March 19 is the first day of Spring, so...

Punxsutawney Phil in Pennsylvania is the most famous for his predictions, although his track record is only about 39%. By the way, Phil did not see his shadow.

From the IndyStar

What's happening in Indiana for Groundhog Day 2024?

The town of Hope, Indiana, has its own special way to celebrate Groundhog Day, and that is with their own weather-predicting groundhog.

The town will gather at the town square to see what their groundhog, named Hope (the successor of Grubby the Groundhog), predicts for the coming weeks.

Main Street of Hope and Utopia Wildlife Rehabilitators' 11th annual Groundhog Day event will take place at 8:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 2.*

And, what happened on February 2? Like Phil, Hope predicted an early spring for Hoosiers! Read the IPR Article

The Indiana DNR information about groundhogs has a nice refresher.


Singing About the Weather

Yes! We love to talk about the weather. We also love to sing about the weather. Here are a few bopping fun songs:

Walking on Sunshine


And hopeful:

It's Raining Men by The Weather Girls


And wistful:

Somewhere Over the Rainbow


And heartfelt:

What a Wonderful World



Tweaking English

After learning or visiting a topic, review when to use "me" or when to use "I" when talking about doing things with others. 

And to go down a new grammar rabbit hole, look at the capitalization in the title...

There's an app for that! Visit Capitalize My Title and pick the style manual you want to follow.

Typically:

  • Capitalize the first and last words
  • Capitalize words that are more than four letters long
  • Capitalize names, I, and important words
  • Do not capitalize articles unless they are the first word...
  • Capitalizing words that are the focus or point of your article or writing
  • Follow the style that is specified for your school or organization found in any of the official manuals

Generally, anything can go! Here is an article to learn more: Do You Capitalize "In" In A Title? Capitalization Rules

Communication Tips

Do you feel like you are not being heard or understood? You aren't alone. It is easy to assume that your accent or pronunciation has something to do with this. It can be your phrasing, or maybe the other person just does not understand where you are coming from or wasn't paying attention!

On the Screen

Groundhog Day

February should not go by without watching this take on Groundhog Day. This 1993 classic stars comedian Bill Murry plays a reporter stuck reliving the worst day of his career until it becomes the best day of his life. Find it on Amazon or in theaters.

Dharma and Greg

This rom com observes what happens when opposites attract. Dharma and Greg are two young people who are fated to meet and marry. The stories highlight the differences between two cultural styles and points of view in New York City. The snappy dialogue is fun and full of twists and surprises.

Meetings and Classes

American Sign Language: Tuesday, 5:00-6:00 PM EST (UTC -5), Zoom

We spent time reviewing "our" and chatting. Foods were a topic of conversation, of course! We reviewed question words: who, what, when, where, why, and how. And thinking words: think, know, forgot, and remember. These came about as a part of our conversations.

February 6: Following our topic of Family, Friends, and Feelings; we will practice our first-person conversations talking about our family and thoughts and opinions.

International Bible Study: Tuesday, 8:45-9:45 PM EST (UTC-5), Zoom

We started Revelation and talked about the first five chapters. This book is often described as perplexing or maybe even terrifying. Yet, as we discussed what we read, we were struck by the love or a magnificent God who cares about us. This book seems unknowable, but at the same time simple. There are descriptions that defy imagination.

Revelation 1: This chapter sets the scene. Jesus comes to John with a message. John writes that "God blesses those who hear the message [of Revelation]. 

Revelation 2 and Revelation 3: These chapters contain letters to the churches. When following Jesus, we receive a new name and identity as children of God (verse 17). Jesus complements and comforts as well as issues warnings and reprimands. Jesus advises the different churches individually. In our discussions, we could identify our attributes. Jesus is enough to uplift us and support us. The overarching message is that Jesus knows everyone and loves them. When he reprimands, he does so out of love and concern. Each letter ends with "whoever has ears, let him hear". What is this? A command, a blessing, a creation of understanding and light? 

Revelation 4: Do you wonder what it is like in Heaven? This description of heaven and God defies imagination: Multi-eyed creatures, songs of praise and honor, beautiful surroundings. We are given a glimpse of the majesty and glory of the creator God who loves and cares deeply for his creation.

Revelation 5: John tells about opening a scroll. The elders tell him not to worry because Jesus is worthy to open this directive! Jesus who has love and compassion and knows us intimately! All of heaven and earth praise and honor Jesus. The vastness of this description is amazing. Jesus is worthy: awesome. Jesus finds us worthy enough to give his life for us: humbling.

February 6: We will pick up our discussion where we left off with chapter six.

American English and Culture: Thursday, 9:00-11:00 AM EST (UTC-5), Zoom

I enjoyed our day of speaking in first person. From my perspective, I think that most of our Friends soon found that speaking only in first person can become difficult. Remembering that every sentence and statement should revolve around only my personal point of view and perspective made it difficult to give advice and it emphasized that I can only see the world in this way. I observed that our friends lapsed out of first person when speaking about tips or asking questions.  

Extend your practice and build your knowledge:

  • Listen for how and when you and others (family and friends, on TV, in the store, on the radio, etc.) use first person. Compare the impact these statements have on how you communicate and how the directions are received.
  • Check out Story Like You Mean It by Dennis Rebelo (Amazon, free to read on Hoopla with your Carmel library card). Hear about how to talk about yourself on this podcast conversation on YouTube.

February 8: Valentines' Day Party at Cornerstone Lutheran Church! Bring a white elephant gift to exchange. Our focus is on how we socialize in the United States and how we express thanks, condolences, felicitations, etc. to show our care and concern in public settings.

Bring a treat to share and a White Elephant Gift (something from your home that you don't want anymore) to exchange.





Kids' Conversation and More: Friday, 4:30-5:00 PM EST (UTC-5), Zoom

We finished the last three paragraphs in our article about the Edo Period. These paragraphs told us about how cities grew and an urban culture was established. An urban common class emerged, and culture and arts developed including the famous kabuki theater.  Literature and arts told the stories of the struggles in this class. We discovered that outdoor theater continues to be an important past time in Japan. In the United States we have festivals and fairs and outdoor concerts.

February 9: Find out about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and be ready to talk about his life and his impact on American society. 

Words and Phrases

The United States is: This phrase can be confusing. States is plural, but the United States is singular (one country). This was not always the case. Until just after the Civil War we would say, "The United States were (finish the thought or sentence)." 

*Notice that all of these short paragraphs are indented in a block. When multiple sentences from a source, show that this is a continuous quote with what is known as a block indent. The style of the paragraphs may vary with the "style" that is the standard for the publication or for the organization the writing is for (the school, paper, etc.). Common style manuals include the MLA, APA, Chicago, and Turabian. Other style manuals are specific to professional communications like the AMA or IEEE style. Geek out with this article: Major Style Manuals for Editors and Writers

anything can go: There is no hard and fast rule or guideline for something

attributes: quality

emerged: to come out of somewhere

enjoy the ride: encouragement to enjoy an opportunity to experience or view something

lapsed: an error or temporary deviation

past time: recreational activity

snappy dialogue: a quick and clever conversation between two people

take: perspective

typically: usually

where we left off: ending with the intention of continuing

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