Had to laugh.

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Twice.  Three times?  Twice for sure.

At a fellow bloggers site, I read a word.  Waltersobchakeit.  There... was a definition offered.  But?  I... used to speak German.  Perfectly?  At one time well enough to pass, as German, in Germany.  Then I took the language up again, later.  But, no... not returning to even more than roughly conversable German.  Still, I dug in deep, looked hard.  I preferred weird words, with complex meanings.

A few more vids.

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I was able to get through the thousand.  There were some which were a stretch.  Surprising few.  Mostly the longer more complicated words.  I learned to, if it was very long or with serious linguistic switchbacks, to stop the video and just look at the screen.

Learning a language.

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"Learn Spanish in 10 minutes!", "Learn French without memorizing!", all sorts of strange things spew in banners, offering to teach easily and well.

I have learned French and German, at one time, up to basic or even to middling levels of ability.  As well, I learned some Italian and Spanish (Castillian), and recently began praciticing Japanese.  So little remains.  Some skills remain.  Trilling, rolling r's, things like that.  Not... fully, but there are some things which cross languages which do lightly remain.  Some numbers. in some tongues, remain.  I can still count to, pretty much the millions, in German, from one up if I had the time.  Mostly.

I have to laugh at the promises of videos and books.  Learned too much to not know better.  It isn't just learning a work, such as gift.  That word means what is commonly understood, but just as with English words, but, in German (iirc) it also can mean poison.  So... really, you have to know more than just the common (or uncommon?) meaning, but best to know the whole of it.

Oh, sure, even in English, there are things which take learning.  Double, and more, entendres (which we stole from the French, but in whole or part?), and other languages oddities.  Double speak, hidden intentions meant to be only known within groups, etc.  Language just isn't straightforeward.  And, more, some of that is incidental, some of it is with absolute intent.

As well, between languages, the verb for, say, to eat?  May not be the same meaning.  Eating, in one language, may be about consuming food while in another language it is about the rites associated with eating, not the consumption itself.  What things really mean don't always translate, exactly, directly, or even nearly.

To be honest, my goal is to start learning Spanish.  The thing is, I'd like to learn Argentinian Spanish.  Which is... more like old English, or maybe middle English, to the English or American.  Which... can be considered different even one from the other?  Yes, I think so.  It was a Spanish dialect transferred before Spanish went through serious revisions.  And, for whatever reason, it didn't change in Argentina as it did in Spain (as well as in most of it's current and former colonies).  Sort of like the differences bettween American, Britis, Australian, and other sorts of English, only much more pronounced.

What I am saying is... I have no real idea of how or where to start.  If I start with standard Latin American Spanish, that is probably as good as it gets.  But, finding lessons for even that is odd.  Even Mexican, Ecuadarian, or Brazilian forms (assuming those countries still speak Spanish, only as blind, possible, examples) would be rather different.  So, which to even start with?

And they wonder why most people don't give it a go?  I have pulled some things down, collected sources, am considering what to start with, or how to begin...  Looking over, and listening to, the top 1000 words, or 200 phrases?  Or beginning with just lessons in a book?  The problem with these, as other things, is figuring out how to learn to speak AS I learn the rest.  Gotta be mixed.

Up late.

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I didn't go to bed late, or all that late.  Between 20:00 and 21:00, I think?  But, I took two long trips to town, did some heavier cleaning, went to mass, and... other things?  It... was a longer harder day.  And, I am tired from the rest of the week.  Right down to a very sore, hurting, heart.

I didn't wake, finally, until 5:30.  I only got up then because I felt it was very late.  And, as per my recent schedule, it is.  It was about two hours later than the recent usual.  Still... not terrible.

I fed Sassy first thing.  If I wake at 3:00 to 4:00, I'll wait an hour or two.  But if I don't wake until 5:30 or later, I'll feed her first thing.  Just... trying to play fair with her.  Cats are very regular animals.  I think most animals are, once they become... domesticated to within their capacity.  Though cats would push it, at times, if they could.  They will try to wake you earlier, to get food.  Which is why I usually don't feed them for a few hours after waking.  It removes the immediate payoff of waking me.  And, that actually works well with them.  If I could just wake on a regular schedule.

I have never been good at that.  Nighttime allowed me to... be who I was, or wanted to be, potentially without interuption, punishment, brutality.  The... training, to be who I was supposed to be, was brutal.  So, yeah.  If there may have been health issues involved even back then, too?  Maybe.  But, with the heart added on, keeping days and nights, save for short periods of time, is... literally impossible.  Especially when I work.

Oh, while I have given up on Japanese... the call to it diminished beyond my ability to sustain the effort... I am thinking of attempting to learn Spanish.  More Argentinian Spanish, but alos try to dip my toes into Mexican Spanish.  There are... many reasons.

The hope of moving to Argentina, or visiting.  And maybe Ecuador?  But, too, many locals and Catholics speak Spanish.  There would be some opportunities.  And, depending on which Spanish they speak at the masses for the Spanish ones, that would be an oportunity to learn... hear and learn.  And make new friends.