An injurious weekend

Landon is fine, before you get all huffy and puffy, I am the only one who was hurt in the making of this post.

We did a lot of work around the house this weekend and I sustained 2 injuries and general soreness.

Injury #1:

We named her Gertrude.

I was so upset that I tried to then cut my own finger off for injury #2.
And knowing that things come in 3's I was completely paranoid for the rest of the weekend. I'll talk about Gertrude tomorrow, though, after the results of the poll are in.



We did get a lot of stuff done around the house this weekend - although it seems our list did not shrink.

Landon was helpful too. He took the trash out:


He's always concerned about safety:


He got tired of waking up to his squeaky door after I put him in bed at night, so he helped grease his hinges:

He helped rearrange the stuff on his shelf in his bedroom:

And he wanted to be absolutely sure that his crib had the safe distance between rungs:
I'm not sure what his plan was if they weren't, because we're not buying another crib.

Does anyone need anything drilled?

You should know that I had to upload these photos one at a time. It took forever. You're welcome.

Hiatus - Explained

I wasn’t going to write today, but then I couldn’t concentrate until I said some things. If you feel like this post is directed at you? It probably is, but I promise you, that you are not alone, this is not regarding a one time incident, this is regarding multiple incidents and multiple people, and it’s just something that generally needs to be cleared up before I can move forward with this blog.

I am as honest as I can be on this site. I relay stories how they happened, I do not embellish them for the thrill of the story. I steer clear of any controversial topics, because I am not that thick skinned.

I was well prepared for insults from the dumb trolls that might eventually show up, but the majority of my readership is people who actually know me. I think there are only 2 of you I have never met.

Since this site’s inception I have been called a lot of things. Things I am not. Things that were hurtful to me. By people who are supposed to care about me, at least peripherally, and by people I care about. Which, by all means, is worse than being called names by people who you don’t know.

These people called me these things, but they didn’t have the guts to talk to me directly, privately through email or publicly through a comment or even via phone call. They either told my husband, or they told someone else who told my husband. And that’s not fair to him. That he fields these complaints and dutifully brings them home to tell me, speaks volumes of our relationship. He is completely honest with me. And I appreciate that more than anything. (In return, I never ask him if my butt looks big in these jeans, because quite frankly – I don’t want to know if it does.)

But that grapevining of complaints against me? Is not fair to him. He doesn’t write this blog, and it shouldn’t be his responsibility to tell me if you have an issue with something I wrote. He didn’t write it. I did.

So from here on out – any complaints regarding the content of this site should either be left in a comment on the post you hold issue with, or in an email directly to me. My email is at the top of the page. (I will say as a disclaimer that I am more likely to respond to a comment in a timely fashion, because I only check that email maybe once a week.)

Complaints will be handled on a case by case basis. I write from my memory and my perspective, and if yours is different, I can’t help that. When you roll a die, we may both see a 3 on top, but I may also see a 6 facing me and you would see a 1 – that’s a fact.

If what I wrote is truly offensive, like a support of puppycide or something equally ridiculous, I will remove the material. I have already removed a portion of a post that upset someone. I will probably be more likely to add more explanation to things in the future rather than remove material. But you should know that this makes for a much longer and more boring post. Can we assume that I am generally not evil, that I don’t go around tripping children and kicking cats? That when I say “I almost left Landon out on the front porch in his car seat to see who came to get him.” That I don’t also have to add “but I didn’t and of course I never would, because I love him and that would be considered child abuse, and technically I don’t want to actually get rid of him, but he was driving me crazy. And of course by crazy, I don’t mean to insult anyone who has a mental disorder.” I mean, to me? That second part should be a known and I shouldn’t have to state it.

I told Clinton I was considering stopping. He said I can’t please everyone all of the time. And he’s right. (Write that down on your calendar, Clinton.)

Look for pictures on Monday.

Hiatus

I'm just not in the mood to do this today. I'll try again Monday.

Wonder Killer, Day Light Saving Time

I heard at my Girl Scout leaders' meeting that Day Light Saving Time started this weekend. And I had no idea. I mean Spring Forward, Fall Back and all that, but I didn’t know it was THIS weekend.

As is turns out, G. W. Bush signed into law the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Which, among other things, says that starting in 2007, DST will begin on the 2nd Sunday in March and ends the 1st Sunday in November. Until the Department of Energy study is complete, then they’ll decided whether to change it again.

So that means that this Sunday, everyone has to stay up all night and at precisely 1:59 am on March 9, they need to set their clocks forward to 3:00 am. (Or you can do it before you go to bed like any normal person. Or later on Sunday when you realize you’re an hour late for everything.)

Some interesting facts:

• Why 2:00 am? – It’s supposed to minimize disruption. Something about trains.
• What about restaurants and bars and alcohol? Do they get to serve for an extra hour in the fall? Technically – they’re not supposed to. But some do.
• Who in America gave the old DST the finger and said no way? Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, and Arizona. I’m sure I left a few out.
• Oh and most people say “Daylight Savings Time.” “Savings” should actually be “saving.”
  

More Info Here.
And Here.

Realizations

Hey guess what? If you don't plug your camera into the charger for like 2 weeks and you use it like every day at least for about 10 minutes, eventually the battery dies. Go figure.

My gigantor of a test is in 5 weeks. I feel more prepared for it this time, but GAH - I'm already tired of studying. I have been given 15 tons of advice on this test and most of those people want me to spend $1500 on a class, but for some reason they aren't offering to pay for it.

I spent the last 2 evenings doing Girl Scout stuff, so I've got no cute stories or pictures or anything (not that I would be able to download pictures anyway - see dead camera.)

I'll try again tomorrow.

Spa Pad Building

This weekend we went down to LJ to help my parents build a pad for the spa they bought.

And of course, we had a big helper.

And inspector.

This is it after all the wood work was done:

Then came leveling:

Then he ate lunch with the boys (even though technically he'd already eaten lunch with the girls):

And also - we got a new second cousin yesterday. Nicholas Rowland.

Monthly Newsletter #17

Dear Landon,

These are getting harder and harder to write, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop. One day I will take them all and the pictures I have included and print them and put them in your scrapbook. But honestly, I just don’t have the time to do it. Maybe we’ll sit down together in a few years and do it together.

The thing is that when I am at home, I want to be with you, not doing something else. There are days that I spend at the office just wanting to go home and play with you. And then I get home and you’re a little turd for us in the evenings and it makes me rethink my whole goal of working from home. Your daddy assures me that since you spend your time at Linda’s playing, that when I finally get to spend those hours with you it will be worth all the extra effort. I pray he’s right, because this hasn’t been the easiest 15 months.
We are continually trying to introduce new things to you, although sometimes we don’t give you what we’re having for dinner because we think it’s too spicy. I never intend to be the type of Mom who makes 2 separate meals at dinner, but there are just some things we don’t think you’re ready for. So it was kind of a surprise to us the other night when you kept urging us to give you something off the table and we didn’t know what you wanted. As it turned out, you wanted the ribs we were eating, not that stupid banana we were waving in front of your face. I didn’t think you’d like them, since you have not historically been a fan of beef and I was leery because of the spiciness, but it seems you are definitely our child. I guess the days of separate meals are finally nearing an end for us.

You are such an animal lover. You insist on feeding the cats twice a day, not that you’re insisting that they be fed, but that you are the one who does it. You still hug Scarlett and Fiona as much as they will allow you. It’s a testament to her that she just lets you do whatever you want to her, and then licks your face when you hug her. Fiona is a little less tolerant; she just runs away – if you have nothing tasty on your face for her to lick off, she has no use for you. While we know that you love them, you occasionally do things that are kind of mean. We know it’s because you don’t know any better and we are working on your treatment of them. For example, using Fiona’s hips as a step stool is really not cool, and while Scarlett tolerates you getting on her back when she’s lying down, she honestly doesn’t want you “riding” her. When we stop you from doing something to them, you always hug them – like an apology I suppose – and that’s good, but maybe, you should stop doing the mean things in the first place.

You are a neat freak…kind of. You don’t voluntarily clean up your toys, but you will help it that’s what we’re doing. You also like to throw things away. You get this from your father. You throw away anything we hand you and tell you to throw away, and sometimes you pick up pinecones and pine needles and throw them away on your own. It’s a nice and fun activity and it keeps you busy as we hand you stuff and tell you to throw it away, and we congratulate you on being a “big helper.” Sometimes it’s the only way I can get dinner cooked; I keep the pile of junk mail beside me and hand it to you one piece at a time. However, sometimes you throw things away on your own. Like your toothbrush. And I only find out about it later, when I can’t find your toothbrush. I guess all in all, I’d rather replace your toothbrush and still have you throw away my trash for me. Next step is teaching you to get Mama a Coke.
We have had a small breakthrough in communication. You take instruction “go throw this away” and you recognize several nouns and what they mean. “Where’s your nose?” “Where are Mama’s eyes?” (Although you are a little dangerous with the pointing out of other people’s eyes.) I’m still holding out hope that more useful words are just around the corner for us. I don’t know what those words are specifically, but hopefully they’re the ones that tell us what the heck you want, so we don’t have to listen to the grunting whining noise.

Love,
Mama

Loose Ends

****This post has been edited to remove some of its original content****

Remember our leak?

We got our income tax return and we got it fixed!

We now have only 487 more projects on our list of things we intend to one day maybe get around to, if we happen to have enough money to do it list. Friday I meet with a sprinkler guy and a fence guy, and then on the 8th I meet with the brick mailbox guy. We are well on our way to 484. Yea! (I know that there will be 5 million more items added before then, but let me dare to dream.)

Also - Chaos? Is a teen club. The spray paint sign has been replaced with this - uh, I can't get a picture, so this is a representation of the vinyl sign:
And since I posted about the side of beef, I've gotten a lot more searches about what's in a side. So here's our list:

Ground Beef - 49 (+22 given away)
T-Bone - 32
Round Steak - 28
Cutlets - 35
Sirloin - 10
Chuck Roast - 4
Short ribs - 10
Beef Ribs - 1
Flank - 1
Fajita - 1

Ground beef is in 2 lb packages. All our steaks are cut at 3/4 inch. The round is half a round and it's cut at 1/2 inch and run through the tenderizer (think chicken fried steak). Cutlets are part of some other roast - they're set up to be like chicken fried steak as well and packaged in sets of 2. Chuck Roasts are between 4 and 5 lbs, short ribs are in 2 lb packages.

Here's the thing though. 32 T-bones? Doubtful. Very doubtful. No ribeyes? Weird how about half our T-bones are the size and shape of ribeyes. Yeah, they're mislabeled - so we estimate that actually it's 16 of each. It should also be noted, that I had them turn a bazillion pounds of what could have been roasts into gound beef. I just don't have a hankering for roast more than about 4 times a year. And that sirloin number? 1 sirloin is actually like 4 sirloins. I can't find a picture and unwrapping meat to just take a pictures seems dumb - what with the invitation for freezer burn. But you know when you order something and it says top sirloin. Well apparently there's like 2 or 3 other sirloin parts. And 1 of ours contains all of those parts. Seriously - we cooked 1 sirloin and it would have fed 4 adults. We opted not to get the whole brisket, because the butcher said it's better to buy a brisket on it's own where you can inspect it individually, so we got the flank and fajita and the rest went to ground beef.

Anyway - see how full our freezer still is?
Please ignore the bacon, our cow did not come with that bacon, lest you be upset when you buy your side of beef and it does not come with bacon.

And we've already taken out a chuck roast, 12 or 13 pkgs of ground beef (we have given a few more away), 1 sirloin, 4 ribeyes, 2 T-bones, 5 or so sets of cutlets, and 1 round steak. That's from memory, it's probably not accurate.




Notes for next year:

1. T-bones should be separated into filet mignon and NY strip. They are seriously huge, and separating them will be better for cooking as well.


2. Steaks (ribeyes, filet mignon, and NY strip) can probably be wrapped as pairs instead of singles.


3. Sirloins, maybe we need half in each package (to feed 2, instead of 4).



4. We need more coolers for the pick up day and we need to be in the truck or without extra people.



5. We need a partner in purchase. I tried to get into the logistics of it, but it turned into a big math word problem. And while I have a great affinity for them, I suspect I am among the few and far between. But the bottom lines is that we want to buy a hog in about 6 months and we just don't have the freezer room for both animals to overlap.


I did finally register to take the PE exam, the price went up this year, but I guess it had to happen sooner or later. I am on track with my study plan, and I actually feel a little bit better about it this time than I did the first 2 times. I have changed my approach, and despite my other blog being the most boringest blog ever, it is helping me stay on task and study what I said I would when I said I would.


ANNNNNNND finally - TREC and I are at peace now, I am just waiting for my new education evaluation letter, and then I can apply. However, since I only have 6 months to take the test once my application is accepted, I am going to wait until just after my PE exam to turn it in, that way I can begin studying for that test after the PE and hopefully be ready to take it by the time they process my application.

So...now what?

We had a modeling session.

We showed the importance of voting.

We showed you how to finagle your parents into the pool.

What do we do now?

I dunno.

Let's just relax today.

How to get your parents in the pool in February

First, stand by the pool and think about your plan.

Then squat as close as you can to the pool.

Then lay down and reach into the pool, alternate between getting the thermometer and just sticking your hands in and playing.

Check the temperature, only to find out it's in the mid 60s.

Do not give up. If you lay down and play in the water enough, one of them will turn on the spa and get your bathing suit. It just takes a little bit of persistance.

Landon's PSA

Landon has a little something he wants to tell you.

Lean in close.

Are you ready?

It's very important, so he wants all eyes up front.

Do you see this sign?

This one, right here? The one about voting?

And in case you don't know exactly where to go? There are helpful arrows on the sign.

Photo Shoot

I asked him this morning if I could take some pictures, because if I posted one more post without pictures the internet was going to lynch me.

And he proceeded to pose for me...with no prompting. I can only hope he'll bust through that dumb model stereotype.

Wonder Killer (Organics)

Now, listen, this is not a REAL synopsis of how organics are grown. It's my own personal approach. I have linked to some sites that have real information. Feel free to click on those if you want real information.

My (limited) research tells me that this whole organic movement is due 97% to people who are deathly afraid of pesticides, preservatives, and hormones. The other 3% are just followers.

So let’s throw out some quick facts – Organic produce is harder to grow because the farmer has to be out in the field with it to swat the bugs with his hand instead of relying on a chemical to keep them away. Because it’s harder to grow, because it’s more labor intensive – what with all the hand swatting – it’s more expensive.

There is limited evidence to suggest that some behavioral problems – such as ADD and ADHD may be intensified by certain preservatives. Note that I did not say that the preservatives CAUSED the problem, just that it intensified it. Much like sugar or caffeine or crack might.

There is no evidence to suggest that hormones given to animals during their lifetime will be passed on to humans who consume them.

The organic side of the argument is very strongly opinionated, and the non-organic side is all “well, if it were cheaper, I’d buy organic, I’m not against organic.” There is limited evidence to suggest that people who buy organic eat less vegetables and fruits because they are more expensive and if that’s the choice, you’re better off buying non-organic produce and eating more of it.

In my unscientific opinion, if I am murdered (unsolved) and buried and they have to dig me up 15 years later, all the preservatives and pesticides will keep me in better shape forensically to solve my murder. You’re welcome future Cold Case people.

Like I don't have enough to do

I started a new most boring blog ever.

It's to help me prepare for the Civil PE exam. 99.9% of you will not be interested, but I do occasionally get someone who finds my blog by searching for civil PE or some thing like that, so maybe they'll find it. It doesn't really matter, it's a study tool and an accountability tool for me more than anything.

I also finally heard back from TREC. They tried to not give me credit for 2 of the classes I took. So I called and it's pretty much fixed, except the fax machine won't send them what I need it to, so i tried to scan it and email it to see if they'd take it that way. But because they took so long to respond, I will be waiting until after the PE exam to study for and take the inspector exam. I have changed the timeline accordingly.

His Morning Schedule

He has his own morning schedule. I'm pretty sure it revolves solely around messing up mine.

Rosy what?

Hey, remember that fever last week?

Yeah, that one.

When we got home from work Thursday night, we had a pink kid. And I'm not talking about flesh colored pink, I'm talking a splotchy rashy pink. Kind of like this:

That's not him. I didn't take a picture of it on him.

We thought it might be a heat rash, so we gave him a little Tylenol. Friday morning it was pretty much gone, so I went down to do my errands in LJ. I told my mom about it and she suggested it might be a result of the same virus that caused the fever...and then she started saying funny words that started with "rosy" and I thought she was just making stuff up.

By the time I got back home, he was pink again. So I called the Dr.

His doctor said Roseola (sorry for doubting you, mom). He said that his symptoms, from the high fever to the rash, and even where the rash was, were typical. He said it was a viral strain similar to chicken pox, less dangerous, therefore not vaccinated for. He said kids normally get it right around 1 year of age. He said they are usually fine through the fever, but are ornery when the rash appears. He also said they are not contagious once the rash appears. Also, the rash doesn't itch and there's nothing you can do about it, but wait it out. And once you get it, you aren't supposed to get it again.

Oh, and ornery, means screaming for something. Then screaming at you when you give it to him. And then screaming at you for taking it back. And then screaming some more, just for good measure. Almost like returning to the days of colic.

By Saturday morning he was 100% ok physically, with only a little left over ornery.

By Sunday he was his normal demanding self.

Valentine's Day

Clinton and I don't celebrate Valentine's Day. Not really. I mean, sure we tell each other "Happy Valentine's Day" and for the last 2 years he's given me virtual flowers (which I appreciate, since real ones are expensive and will die anyway.) I honestly consider it a Hallmark manufactured holiday anyway.

Growing up, on Valentine's Day I could count on finding a heart shaped box of chocolates from my dad on the table for me when I got downstairs. And as someone who doesn't really "care" about the holiday, I was surprisingly disappointed the first year after I left home and I didn't get those chocolates.

Anyway - this one's not getting chocolate yet, so he'll have to wait until next year - but I'm thinking it's a tradition I'll continue with him.

Wonder Killer Strikes Again (Veggie Drawer Humidity Control)

Do you have humidity controls on your vegetable drawer in you refrigerator?

I have never touched them, because I didn’t really know what they should be. I WONDER what those controls should be set on?

So I did a little research. Kenmore says leafy vegetables and vegetables without skins should be kept on high humidity. And Fruits and vegetables with skins should be kept at low humidity.

Easy. Except, that’s never good enough for an inquiring mind, and I require at least 2 sources to tell me the same thing. So I kept looking.

Bosch says that meat and fish should be kept on low and fruits and veggies should be kept on high.

Uh…you companies are like contradicting each other. That’s not a good deal for the wonder killer.

Ohio State University says veggies on high (98%) and fruits slightly lower (90-95%).

So high and low is relative. Got it.

Which means, your fridge? Its controls are also relative. And unless you can locate the owner manual or look it up on a web-site – you might just have to experiment.

***This post was written in January, but not posted. Sorry for the lack of informative links. I don't have much time today.

100°

I never thought I'd be so happy to see 100° in my life.

He ran a low grade fever all night. I think we're on the downhill side of this illness.

Huh.

103.6° - at 2 am this morning.

It's not the flu.

But it is viral.

If it's not gone by Thursday, we go back.

Am commissioning a plastic bubble for him.

Houston, we have an allergy

To what? We're not exactly sure.

Yesterday we tried buttermilk ranch dressing from Jack In the Box. He was bright red everywhere it touched his face for the next 2 hours.

And then he woke up at 2 am with a 102° fever.

He's fine now. The Tylenol brought the fever down, and I guess the time his body had to deal with whatever it was, was enough to have the fever not come back.

He's had ranch dressing before, so I don't know if it's something about that Ranch dressing, or what. I'm a little bit too chicken to try another one at this point.

So I am late to work, I have lots to do, and I don't have a lot of time.

Normal weekend update:

We closed on our lots in East Texas.

And we had a good visit with the grandparents as well.

This is my 200th post, which I wish was a better post than - hey, we're allergic to something.

And I found out what the Chaos sign was about, but I'll save that for later - I'm gonna need a new pictures for it.

And then some stuff happened

Here's that "Chaos" sign.

I still don't know what that's about.

It took me 2 hours to get home last night because of traffic.

I have a bunch of work, so this is it for today.

Genes

I took Landon to the park on Friday.

When we got there, there was a group of 3 men and 2 little boys playing on the equipment. I thought nothing of it, it’s not like they own the equipment, so I led Landon to the steps of the thing.

Landon froze at the bottom of the steps. He would. not. move. He would not say anything. As if he thought that if he was still enough he would just disappear into nothingness.

The men made heroic efforts to include him with their sons’ activities. The dad came over and aided in introductions. They said encouraging words to him about playing and having fun. They even complemented his sunglasses. They explained that the little one with them was 1 – almost exactly the same size as Landon.

The older boy (3 or 4 maybe?), gave him a big hug, and tried his best to get him to shake his hand. He was terribly disappointed that Landon would not shake his hand. He tried to take off Landon’s sunglasses, I'm guessing he was thinking that maybe if he looked him in the eye, he could be friends with him. I pointed out that maybe he doesn’t know about hand shaking, how about trying a high five? And reluctantly, Landon gave the little boy a high five. It broke the ice, and Landon made some noise - but was still frozen solid.

It took another 2 or 3 minutes before he warmed up enough to move. And he climbed the steps, and climbed the mountain, and even went down the slide a few times. And all was well in whoville.

Until 30 minutes later, when he climbed up the mountain to find both little boys and the dad at the top of the mountain. And he froze again. And again it took some time to get him moving again - but he did, eventually, move on.

The other boys left shortly after that, and a new group showed up. An older couple, a young woman, and a maybe 4 year old boy. That boy completely ignored us, and I couldn’t have been more relieved. We'd had enough awkward social interaction for the day. Landon didn’t mind sharing the area with other people, he just didn’t want them hugging him, or talking to him.

I don’t think it’s a huge issue. I’m not on my way to get him diagnosed with autism or Asperger’s Syndrome. I think he’s shy and I think he’s a little slow to warm up to people. And to be perfectly honest, I think he probably got it from me. It's one of the things I wish I hadn't passed on to him.

The odd thing? The outgoing little boy? The one who makes friends at the drop of a hat? If I heard this right – and I’m praying I didn’t. His name? Is Pariah. Talk about having the wrong name for your personality.

Wonder Killer strikes again, Fighting

Did you know that 83% of arguments are actually the result of miscommunication? (And that 100% of the statistics on this post are completely fabricated?)

How many times have you gotten into an argument and found out at the end of it all, that you both were nearly on the same side all along? Or been in one where one side or the other (OR BOTH) took something the "wrong way" and then it spiraled out of control.

Communicating clearly is probably the easiest way to avoid arguments. But even when you think you are communicating clearly, you may not be.

Something, oddly enough, that I learned in my inspection classes. Did you know that when 2 people are talking there are 6 sides to the conversation? It only gets more confused after another person joins in – it doubles – 3 people talking 12 sides. 4 people talking? 20 sides. (Note to self, only ever talk to one person at a time.) For you math junkies:
n=number of people in conversation
n*(n+1)=number of sides to the conversation



No wonder people have such a hard time communicating. Let’s break it down in the simplest form: 2 people are talking. (You and Me)



6 sides:

1) What I said

2) What I think I said

3) What You think I said

4) What You said

5) What I think You said

6) What You think You Said



In some cases 1, 2, & 3 are the same, and 4, 5, & 6 are the same. Sometimes. Probably not as often as you’d think.



Take a simple actual conversation like this:

Billy Joe - “Sure is cold out today.”

Bobbie Sue - “The weather man said it would warm up later on.”



Sounds reasonable, let’s work through it though:

1) Billy Joe said “Sure is cold out today.”

2) Billy Joe thinks he said “I’m really cold, I had to put on an extra layer of clothes”

3) Bobbie Sue thinks BillyJoe said “Why aren’t you wearing your jacket, you moron?”

4) Bobbie Sue said “The weather man said it would warm up later on.”

5) Billy Joe thinks Bobbie Sue said “I’m not a sissy like you, so I don’t need extra clothes.”

6) Bobbie Sue thinks she said “I’m not wearing a jacket, because I didn’t want to be hot later.”



It’s probably not that charged a conversation in real life, but it’s possible. And it’s just an example, get off my back people. (See what I did there? And you’re not even actually saying anything, but I’m thinking you said something and I responded to what I thought you said and you probably didn’t mean it that way.)

That's probably why therapists say things like "What I hear you saying is _______." It gives the other side a chance to clarify. It might be worth putting into practice, when someone says something to you and you think they're attacking you, just repeating back to them what you heard, to make sure you got it right. Once you know what they mean, you can rear back and ball your fist only when necessary, and retreat if they didn't mean it like that.



Anyway, it’s just a small nugget of information that has helped me avoid some conflicts (note I said some, not all) since I learned it, maybe it can do the same for you.