Welcome to Discourse Recourse

So I've been thinking... along with my new year's resolutions came an idea of how to stay motivated and interested in learning languages and traveling through the winter, and the months to come.

I decided to start this here blog as a way to keep ideas and inspiration flowing. Already it's working pretty well. For instance, the Times wrote a nice little piece called The Other Iran, a travelogue about being American and going to one of the more unlikely tourist destinations these days. The author manages a great faux pas:

“Excuse me, ma’am,” I sputtered in phrase book Farsi to the first person I met — a bearded soldier.

which pretty much sums up the difference between practice and reality when learning a language! I personally would not have relied on just a Farsi phrasebook to get around, but that's just me.

This leads me to another anecdote about Iran--never buy a Persian rice cooker. No matter how much money you think you're going to save, you're going to end up getting rid of it. Why? It browns the bottom of the rice. Intentionally. This is great for making Persian cuisine, but if you're looking for sushi or stir-fry, it's not going to treat you right!

I hope you find some enjoyment or amusement here in the months to come. Don't be afraid to subscribe to the RSS feeds, and avoid the pesky reload button.

Cheers!