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    Iron Heart Fall/Winter 2025 Collection Preview - Now Live

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    • SKTS
      SKT
      見習いボス
      Joined:

      For you international, multilingual folks, is there one language you would recommend to learn as a second to English? I’m in my 50’s and need a brain challenge…other than having teenagers.

      last edited by I Denman JohnD 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • goosehdG
        goosehd
        Mod Squad
        Joined:

        Probably French or Spanish with the most chance of being able to use it frequently. I have thought Japanese would be fun to learn.

        @Alex thoughts and insights on Japanese?

        "I don't give a shit what anyone else is doing, we will do what is best for us and our customers" - Giles P. :)

        last edited by goosehd 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
        • I
          IrishHeart
          Haraki san Expert
          @SKT
          Joined:

          @SKT I would definitely say Spanish. There are twice as many native Spanish speakers as French. ( All of South America except Brazil).
          My daughter speaks it fluently and says it’s one of the more straightforward languages to learn and has helped her to understand Portuguese and Italian.

          last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
          • Denman JohnD
            Denman John
            Haraki san Prodigy
            @SKT
            Joined:

            @SKT Learning Japanese has worked out well for me. Not the most widely spoken language, but I was able to have about 5 or 6 different conversations on my recent trip.

            last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
            • SKTS
              SKT
              見習いボス
              Joined:

              Thanks guys. Spanish does seem to be a no-brainer. But the idea of Japanese is very interesting just because it’s so different. Appreciate everyone’s thoughts

              last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • AlexA
                Alex
                IHUK Crew
                Joined:

                @SKT I am pretty fluent in french, and have I'd say an intermediate standard of Japanese. Japanese is really, really fucking hard. French comparatively was super easy - I would say both are as useful or useless as each other in that there are not many places other than France or Japan that either are useful, though French clearly is slightly more widely spoken than Japanese globally.

                I assume Spanish is the obvious choice for any American - my foundation in french gives me above average comprehension in Spanish/Italian. My Japanese gives me little to no benefit in China (only obvious comparison)

                last edited by SKTS 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                • SKTS
                  SKT
                  見習いボス
                  @Alex
                  Joined:

                  @Alex thanks Alex. I mean Japanese looks hard. It would really be a challenge to learn at this point I’m thinking. I like what you said about French giving you a foundational understanding of Spanish/Italian. I would hope learning Spanish would do the same for me with Italian and French. More bang for the buck

                  last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • pechelmanP
                    pechelman
                    啓蒙家
                    Joined:

                    @Denman-John and @Alex or anyone else who has learned Japanese; what/how did you go about it? Something like Rosetta Stone or duo or something totally different? The huge hurdle seems to be not being familiar with any of their alphabets.

                    last edited by Denman JohnD 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • AlexA
                      Alex
                      IHUK Crew
                      Joined:

                      Leaning Hiragana and Katakana is the easy part, but until you do that, you cant do much else. Start with hiragana. There are loads of good apps/sites for flashcard style learning of these characters. This is also a good site: https://www.tofugu.com/japanese/learn-hiragana/

                      Once you nail down the two alphabets, if you're still interested, DM me
                      @pechelman

                      last edited by Alex 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 3
                      • Denman JohnD
                        Denman John
                        Haraki san Prodigy
                        @pechelman
                        Joined:

                        @pechelman I took Japanese for a year in university and that gave me the basic grammar and sentence structure. When I moved to Japan it was sink or swim as I lived in a rural area where nobody spoke English. I learned much faster when I was immersed in the language and culture and HAD to use it on a daily basis. I have forgotten some vocabulary and my grammar can be a little sloppy, but I can still get by pretty well. It also helps that my wife is Japanese 😉

                        last edited by Denman John 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                        • WhiskeySandwichW
                          WhiskeySandwich
                          啓蒙家
                          Joined:

                          Admiring the patina on the waiting room chairs at my tax joint…. Is that tea core? Lol
                          IMG_9828.jpeg

                          "The greatest obstacle to living is expectancy, which hangs upon tomorrow and loses today...The whole future lies in uncertainty: Live immediately."
                          -Seneca

                          last edited by Luijim78L 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                          • Luijim78L
                            Luijim78
                            啓蒙家
                            @WhiskeySandwich
                            Joined:

                            @WhiskeySandwich I don't think so, I think it's a chrome tanning, with wear it tends to whiten but maybe I'm not seeing the colour in the photo

                            last edited by GilesG 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • GilesG
                              Giles
                              IHUK Crew
                              @Luijim78
                              Joined:

                              @Luijim78 I think it's a joke Luigi, I think it is plastic showing the white material underneath.....

                              "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

                              last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                              • N
                                NickD
                                Raw and Unwashed
                                Joined:

                                Milk core.

                                last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                • flannel slutF
                                  flannel slut
                                  Raw and Unwashed
                                  Joined:

                                  Just got back from a mini getaway where we were away for 3 days. Certain vacations require at least a week to make it worth your while but find coming back to reality from those trips brutal and need a full day to mentally prep Defoe getting back to the grind. This quick trip was great and a perfect recharge of the battery.

                                  Edit: was going to fix the auto correct from Defoe to before but would like to think William would approve.

                                  last edited by flannel slut todyT steelworkerS 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 2
                                  • todyT
                                    tody
                                    啓蒙家
                                    @flannel slut
                                    Joined:

                                    @flannel-slut soooo... where did you go? we'll do the same on thursday afternoon, escaping the cologne carnival and heading for the island for an extended weekend.

                                    last edited by flannel slutF 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • flannel slutF
                                      flannel slut
                                      Raw and Unwashed
                                      @tody
                                      Joined:

                                      @tody perfection bud enjoy your escape… we ran for warmer weather as well and visited my parents in Florida.

                                      last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • mclaincauseyM
                                        mclaincausey
                                        見習いボス
                                        Joined:

                                        One of the most refreshing vacations I’ve ever had was a weekend getaway without the kid. Second only to having someone watch our kid, the biggest single factor to the reset was being in the desert. Itching to go back soon. Beaches in theory are the most relaxing environments, but deserts hit different. Enchantment Resort, Sedona AZ.

                                        IMG_7930.jpeg
                                        IMG_7903.jpeg
                                        IMG_7951.jpeg

                                        Think it, be it.

                                        last edited by todyT seawolfS 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 7
                                        • todyT
                                          tody
                                          啓蒙家
                                          @mclaincausey
                                          Joined:

                                          @mclaincausey considering the current volume of your beard, that must have been a decade ago

                                          last edited by mclaincauseyM 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                          • mclaincauseyM
                                            mclaincausey
                                            見習いボス
                                            @tody
                                            Joined:

                                            @tody haha it’s two beards ago. December 2022.

                                            Think it, be it.

                                            last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
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