Yi Bian Commute, Yi Bian Ponder Issues of Vocabulary
Lately, I've been re-framing my dilettantism. From here on out, I will no longer think of myself as "flaky," "scatterbrained," and "easily distracted." Henceforth, in the vein of the PC linguistic contortions of the 80's, I will consider myself to be "differently multitasking."
I've always been a bit of an obsessive multitasker. I like to knit while I watch movies, listen to books on tape while I drive (though I've never found a language tape that was commuter-oriented enough to really use in the car), memorize poetry while I work out, and clean while I cook. Less admirably/successfully, I also surf the web while I write papers, compose blog entries during classes, and watch TV while I read.
The Chinese have a grammar construction for multitasking. It goes Yi bian thing X, yi bian thing Y. To do thing X, while also doing thing Y. My first year in China, my roommate Jenny and I became enamored of this construction to the point that it became a running joke: the more unlikely the multitasking, the better. Yi bian study, yi bian climb in the bathroom window. Yi bian sleep, yi bian practice your characters. At this point, I'm not sure if I found it funny because it struck so close to home, or whether something about the language infected me with this need to do two things at once. I think I'll blame China — it's the American way to blame other countries for our own problems, and who am I to go against the wind?
I think part of what I love most about Himself is his total lack of multitasking drive. When he focuses on something, he focuses, disappears into the project or reading or activity to such an extent that he has difficulty resurfacing. It's admirable, and fascinating, and totally alien to me. My relative flightiness drives him crazy - he can't understand how I can mean to do something and then get caught up in five other things and forget.
"Multitasking" has such a positive, power-suit sort of connotation to it. You'd think I'd get a lot done, multitasking as much as I do. Unfortunately....
Oooh, look! Shiny!
*runs off mid-sentence to do something totally unrelated*
See the problem?
I've always been a bit of an obsessive multitasker. I like to knit while I watch movies, listen to books on tape while I drive (though I've never found a language tape that was commuter-oriented enough to really use in the car), memorize poetry while I work out, and clean while I cook. Less admirably/successfully, I also surf the web while I write papers, compose blog entries during classes, and watch TV while I read.
The Chinese have a grammar construction for multitasking. It goes Yi bian thing X, yi bian thing Y. To do thing X, while also doing thing Y. My first year in China, my roommate Jenny and I became enamored of this construction to the point that it became a running joke: the more unlikely the multitasking, the better. Yi bian study, yi bian climb in the bathroom window. Yi bian sleep, yi bian practice your characters. At this point, I'm not sure if I found it funny because it struck so close to home, or whether something about the language infected me with this need to do two things at once. I think I'll blame China — it's the American way to blame other countries for our own problems, and who am I to go against the wind?
I think part of what I love most about Himself is his total lack of multitasking drive. When he focuses on something, he focuses, disappears into the project or reading or activity to such an extent that he has difficulty resurfacing. It's admirable, and fascinating, and totally alien to me. My relative flightiness drives him crazy - he can't understand how I can mean to do something and then get caught up in five other things and forget.
"Multitasking" has such a positive, power-suit sort of connotation to it. You'd think I'd get a lot done, multitasking as much as I do. Unfortunately....
Oooh, look! Shiny!
*runs off mid-sentence to do something totally unrelated*
See the problem?
posted by The Stute Fish at 18:02
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