The title of this post, oh gentle reader, is a quote from Henry David Thoreau. Time does seem to move like a river, or better stated, recollection seems like a river that one can travel back on. Time traveling if you will. Bends in the river obscuring what actually has already passed.
Being with a 93 year old man makes me realize how odd memory is. Our memories can make us better at what we do, but a lack of memory doesn't really prevent one from being alive.
I am asked by my grandfather if I have my aunts' dog with me. He comments that I have grown a lot, which I finished doing 20 years ago.
So is there really only now? Reality seems to unfurl itself continuously in a single moment. It is just our finite cellular structure that decays, all in this one contantly morphing and moving moment.
I need to go back and read what Edgar Cayce said about time. Be right back....
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Still Patiently Waiting
So it is now the end of September and I am still waiting on the documents I need for my visa. It is difficult to stay enthusiastic about something when you fret about bureaucracy rather than preparing lesson plans. I have posted some of my grammatical research to this blog. In many ways that is all there is to really write about some days.
I had a chance to go see the new, unauthorized biographical movie about L Ron Hubbard, The Master. It is a very well acted and well put together film which is based loosely on L Ron Hubbard and his inner circle during the period between the end of WWII and the establishment of Scientology. I have had a chance to read Dianetics and an unauthorized history of Scientology. The film is a very well made fictional biographical sketch of L Rom.
The film does not dissuade me from my regard of Scientology as a misunderstood group that has a lot of problems. I actually kind of like Scientology in several regards. I respect their fight for recognition as a religion, for the furious legal battle they waged against the IRS, and for some of their cosmological ideas. I also think they are kind of too reactionary in their views and sort of, we'll, a cult.
I suppose I could walk away from this China thing and become a scientologist. Weird that the spell check on my iPad does dot recognize Scientologist as a word.
So, here's to continuing my aberrated existence as a non clear thetan. The skies have been grey and there has been a lot of rain over the past several days. I will make some more posts tomorrow.
I had a chance to go see the new, unauthorized biographical movie about L Ron Hubbard, The Master. It is a very well acted and well put together film which is based loosely on L Ron Hubbard and his inner circle during the period between the end of WWII and the establishment of Scientology. I have had a chance to read Dianetics and an unauthorized history of Scientology. The film is a very well made fictional biographical sketch of L Rom.
The film does not dissuade me from my regard of Scientology as a misunderstood group that has a lot of problems. I actually kind of like Scientology in several regards. I respect their fight for recognition as a religion, for the furious legal battle they waged against the IRS, and for some of their cosmological ideas. I also think they are kind of too reactionary in their views and sort of, we'll, a cult.
I suppose I could walk away from this China thing and become a scientologist. Weird that the spell check on my iPad does dot recognize Scientologist as a word.
So, here's to continuing my aberrated existence as a non clear thetan. The skies have been grey and there has been a lot of rain over the past several days. I will make some more posts tomorrow.
Adjective Clauses
inside sentences." The "job" of adjective clauses is to
modify (describe, identify, make specific) the noun
phrases that they follow. In their full forms, adjective
clauses have several parts: a relative pronoun (or, in
some cases, another kind of connecting word), a subject,
and a predicate (a verb and, often, other types of
words which follow it).
In adjective clauses, the relative pronoun is a kind of
connecting word: it joins the information in the clause
to the noun phrase that it follows. Without the adjective
clause, the meaning of the modified noun phrase (and
of the sentence) is unclear and incomplete.
Examples (full forms):
I know a person who / that can help you.
I know a person who(m) / that you can help.
I know a person whose advice I can trust.
I know a person to whom I can refer you. /
I know a person who(m) / that I can refer you to.
I want a car that / which gets good gas mileage.
I can't afford the car that / which I really want.
| 1. | "Subject Pattern" Clauses In this type of adjective clause, the relative pronoun is the subject of the clause. Subject pattern clauses can, however, modify both subjects and objects of sentences: The man who / that talked to us was very friendly. Do you know the man who / that talked to us? | |
| 2. | "Object Pattern" Clauses In this type of adjective clause, the relative pronoun is the object of the clause (but an object pattern clause can modify both subjects and objects of sentences): The people who(m) / that we met seemed very friendly. The people to whom / that we were speaking seemed very friendly. / The people who(m) / that we were speaking to seemed very friendly. I recently saw the people to whom / that we were talking. / I recently saw the people who(m) / that we were talking to. | |
| 3. | Clauses Showing Possession Here, the relative pronoun is possessive and is attached to another word in the adjective clause: The people whose names are called will work the first shift. Do you know the student whose brother won a gold medal in the Olympics? |
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Prepositions - IN
The material below is from about.com:
For discussion of the preposition ON see http://esl.about.com/od/prepositions_intermediate/a/Preposition-On.htm
In addition, we will need to purchase a number of appliances for the home.
For discussion of the preposition ON see http://esl.about.com/od/prepositions_intermediate/a/Preposition-On.htm
The preposition 'in' has many uses in English. This page summarizes the uses of 'in' as a preposition and provides examples for each type of use. Important prepositional phrases with 'in' are used to introduce and connect ideas are also listed with appropriate examples. These are also known as discourse markers.
In as a Preposition
In - Time
'In' is used as a preposition with various times. Use 'in' with specific months of the year:
Let's get together in June.
Tom's birthday is in September.
Use 'in' when referring to specific years:
Jack was born in 1986.
I was hired for this job in 2005.
Use 'in' when referring to a period of time in the future.
We will be finished with the project in two weeks' time.
I think I'm going to study Russian in three years.
In - Time Expressions
'In' is used with specific time expressions referring to the morning, afternoon or evening. NOTE: Use 'at' with 'night':Let's discuss this issue in the afternoon.
They usually have breakfast early in the morning.
BUT: I generally go to bed early at night.
In - Places
'In' is used with cities, regions, countries and contents.
They live in Canada.
I've never lived in London. In fact, I've never lived in Europe.
In front of
The prepositional phrase 'in front of' is used to refer objects and people that are placed in front of another object, building, landmark, etc. The opposite of 'in front of' is 'behind'.
Tom is standing in front of his house.
There are a number of benches in front of the municipal court house.
Important Phrases with In
There are a number of important phrases with 'in' used to introduce and link ideas in English.
In addition
'In addition' is a way of introducing another topic, idea, object to what has already been stated.
In addition, we will need to purchase a number of appliances for the home.
In addition, Tom felt we should seriously consider hiring a new assistant.
In all / most / many / few cases
'In all / most / many / etc. cases' provides a reference to how many instances in a certain situation is true or false.
In most cases people choose their profession in their twenties.
In some cases, patients experience discomfort.
In any case
'In any case' is used to move forward with a topic after considering other ideas.
In any case, let's decide where we'll stay on vacation.
In any case, we finally bought the car after much consideration.
In case
'In case' is used like 'if' to indicate a condition.
In case you need me, just give me a telephone call.
He brought his umbrella along in case it rained.
In conclusion
'In conclusion' is used to summarize a discussion, or to suggest a final action.
In conclusion, I would like to suggest that we take a vote on the proposal.
In conclusion, we're interested in working with you on the project.
In fact
'In fact' is used to present factual information. 'In fact' is often used to emphasize certain information.
In fact, she left work earlier than was allowed.
I really like your idea. In fact, I think we'll put it into action!
In general
'In general' is used to introduce a general idea about a given topic.
In general, teens enjoy spending a lot of time texting.
What do you think in general about his ideas?
In my opinion
'In my opinion' is used to introduce personal opinions.
In my opinion, I think we should stay in this house rather than move.
In my opinion, it's important to hire a consultant for this job.
In order to
'In order to' is used together with a verb to state a purpose.
We need to make some cement in order to complete this job.
Tim hired an assistant to help him with daily tasks around the office.
In other words
'In other words' is used to restate something.
In other words, let's spend more time researching this idea.
In other words, I'd love to find another job.
In particular
'In particular' is used to highlight a specific point in a discussion.
In particular, I think we should focus on finding new clients.
In particular, Tom wants us to speak to Peter about the issue.
In short
'In short' is used to quickly summarize.
In short, we need to hire a few assistants.
In short, we decided to stay home this summer.
In spite of
'In spite of' is used as 'despite'.
In spite of the weather, we went for a walk.
She got married to Doug in spite of her parents reservations.
Special Case: In time vs On Time
'In time' indicates that you have done something within the appropriate amount of time. 'On time' means that you have arrived somewhere at the agreed upon time.
I finished the report in time for the meeting.
Janice gave her recommendations in time for us to make an informed decision.
BUT
I arrived at the meeting on time.
She picked us up at the airport on time.
Grey overcast day
Today up here in G-Vegas has turned to an overcast grey day. It's rather gloomy.
The past couple of days have been productive getting ready to go overseas. I would very much like to start practicing Chinese using a comprehensive course, rather than the add hoc way I have been trying to learn using various apps. Some of the Chinese in free apps is not standardized mandarin, instead it's Cantonese or another regional dialect.
Learning to speak Chinese is the biggest draw I have to this job. Language and travel are the main reasons.
I heard from someone who plays hockey in Beijing and hopefully I can skate when the ice freezes at a park in Beijing. I will have to content myself with pond hockey until I can get closer to a bigger city that has an ice rink. I am not without hope that Handan may have a rink somewhere, it is after all a city of 9 million souls.
It is pretty evident that I need some conditioning. I have not been getting fat, but have lost a lot of the tone I had before I was semi disabled after my finger injury.
Hopefully, I will do some skating, hiking and some ab crunches over the next couple of weeks.
The past couple of days have been productive getting ready to go overseas. I would very much like to start practicing Chinese using a comprehensive course, rather than the add hoc way I have been trying to learn using various apps. Some of the Chinese in free apps is not standardized mandarin, instead it's Cantonese or another regional dialect.
Learning to speak Chinese is the biggest draw I have to this job. Language and travel are the main reasons.
I heard from someone who plays hockey in Beijing and hopefully I can skate when the ice freezes at a park in Beijing. I will have to content myself with pond hockey until I can get closer to a bigger city that has an ice rink. I am not without hope that Handan may have a rink somewhere, it is after all a city of 9 million souls.
It is pretty evident that I need some conditioning. I have not been getting fat, but have lost a lot of the tone I had before I was semi disabled after my finger injury.
Hopefully, I will do some skating, hiking and some ab crunches over the next couple of weeks.
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