Posted on May 6, 2015
For several months I’ve had some ideas rolling around in my head for articles to write on my blog. Most of them have been about my passion for languages and language learning. Recently, as I’ve been reading books and other blogs on similar topics, the idea has been forming to start my own, more focused blog, on the same topic.
Continue reading `The Glossophile: My new language learning blog` →
Filed under:
blog
language learning
Languages
Posted on April 29, 2015
I have a new software project in mind. I want to do it right. So I’ll use a RESTful web API. Which, of course, like any good software developer, I already understood pretty well, but I wanted to just brush up on my REST game, and make sure I got all the best practices down.
Continue reading `How to learn REST: A resource guide` →
Filed under:
api
book review
Programming
rest
Posted on March 8, 2015
EDIT: If you’re just interested in the list of French Minimal pairs, you can go straight there at my new site MinimalPairs.net.
_
I’m in the early stages of learning French. I recently read Fluent Forever: How to Learn Any Language Fast and Never Forget It by Gabriel Wyner, which I highly recommend to anyone trying to learn a language.
Continue reading `List of French Minimal Pairs` →
Filed under:
french
language learning
Languages
Linux
Perl
Posted on March 5, 2015
Go is all the rage these days, and I decided to give it a try. And as my company uses Debian packages to distribute our software, I need to package my new Go-written project for Debian. Mark Stapelberg has done a lot of leg work to find the best (and official!
Continue reading `Creating a Debian package of a Go project` →
Filed under:
debian
golang
Linux
Programming
Posted on April 26, 2014
That’s not a dis on Brazil, for those of you who don’t speak Portugues… that’s “In Brazil”…
Which is where I am, as of a week ago. I arrived last Saturday morning, and my friend Mariah met me at the airport with her two daughters, Isabel (10) and Stephany (15). Sunday we went to her church, which is quite small, and full of very friendly people.
Continue reading `No Brasil` →
Filed under:
brazil
language
portuguese
travel
Posted on September 13, 2013
It’s a good thing my flight doesn’t leave until tomorrow. I’m sure flying on Friday the 13th would be a bad idea.
Approximately 1 am, I’ll be boarding a flight here in Mexico City, bound for Montreal. I’ll spend roughly 12 hours on the ground there, then fly to Paris, where I’ll be meeting up with a friend of mine for a 3-week whirlwind tour of France, Germany, Belgium, and England.
Continue reading `Friday, Sept 13, 2013 -- Leaving the Americas` →
Filed under:
canada
europe
food
france
mexico
paris
travel
Posted on August 12, 2013
About a week and a half ago, I was driving near Querétaro, when the answer to this riddle became quite apparent:
Q: How many Mexican highway workers does it take to change a light bulb?
A: 50. One to change the light bulb, and 49 to redirect traffic.
Driving along the highway, I saw some orange cones, and a lone man in an orange vest, directing traffic to merge from the left lane into the right.
Continue reading `Day 31 - August 12, 2013: How many Mexican highway workers does it take to change a light bulb?` →
Filed under:
mexico
traffic
travel
Posted on August 7, 2013
I don’t have much to write today. But I have a free moment, so I’ll write something.
I just walked back from the market, where I bought a liter of fresh carrot and orange juice for MXN$25 (US$1.97), and a mango to put on my steel-cut oats.
I’m in Guadalajara this week, staying with some friends, and venturing into the city to visit friends in the evenings after work.
Continue reading `Day 26 - August 7, 2013` →
Filed under:
mexico
travel
Posted on July 26, 2013
Today I took my second trip to the Mexican Immigration office in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato. Also my third, fourth, and fifth.
In stark contrast to the good experience I had with the Mexican bureaucracy on Day 3, this experience left much to be desired.
I showed up about 9:30am yesterday, and was told of the requirements to finish my visa application:
Continue reading `Day 14 - July 26, 2013: Immigration office` →
Filed under:
immigration
mexico
travel
Posted on July 20, 2013
Last night I was invited to the Far West Rodeo club in Monterrey, Mexico for some live music. The MXN$150 (~US$12) cover included free drinks, so I had some cheap beer and come cheap pineapple juice with rum.
The music varied a little, including some Salsa and Cumbia, but mostly Tejano.
Continue reading `Day 6 - July 18, 2013: If you're holding a beer, it doesn't count as dancing` →
Filed under:
dance
mexico
monterrey
nightlife
travel