Language Learning, Lumping Clay, and Blown Away Dreams | Calm Background Listening

In Language Learning, Lumping Clay, and Blown Away Dreams, Marco and Amanda ease into a gently curious conversation inspired by a listener request about their experiences with the language app Duolingo. Amanda shares her progress with Italian vocabulary, while Marco reflects on the challenges of French pronunciation, all delivered with their usual soft humour and unhurried pace. What begins as talk of language learning slowly drifts into the tactile world of pottery, as Amanda suggests taking a class and they reflect on their talented potter sister-in-law — along with a lighthearted story involving their friend Michael Miranda and an especially enthusiastic ceramics discussion.
The episode continues into the creative realm with nods to The Great Pottery Throw Down and Blown Away, exploring the quiet satisfaction of shaping clay and glass. As always, this calming podcast unfolds at a relaxed, steady rhythm, offering a relaxing conversation designed to help you fall asleep, ease anxiety, or quiet racing thoughts. Perfect for background listening at bedtime or during a middle-of-the-night wake-up, this episode provides gentle companionship and creative daydreams to guide you toward rest.

 Language Learning, Lumping Clay, and Blown Away Dreams
(Original airdate: March 13, 2024)

Welcome to the Insomnia Project. I'm Amanda Barker and Marco Timpano

Welcome to the Insomnia Project. Sit back, relax and listen as we have a ever so calm conversation meant to help you find your way to sleep. Drift off, Relax. Sit back. You know the drill. You've been listening. And if you haven't been listening, welcome. I'm your host Marco Timpano.

Amanda: I'm Amanda Barker.

Marco: Amanda and I are. You know, I just. I just put paws on the washing machine and the dryer that were tumbling behind us. Amanda.

Amanda: There was lots of tumbles.

Marco: So many tumbles. Last week we did an episode based on one of our listener suggestions. Amanda. This week, this suggestion was sent in by susanross88 on Instagram.

Amanda: Oh, wow.

Marco: And I particularly love the winter scenes that Susan has on, their Instagram. Instagram, page. They want to know, Amanda, what your approach to duolingo is.

Amanda: Oh, that's an interesting question.

Marco: And adults learning new things.

Amanda: Ooh, okay. well, that might be. That's a pretty rich topic, I think.

Marco: And there's more, too, but we'll start there.


Duolingo is a language app to help you learn a second language

Amanda: Well, let me start with the first question. Duolingo. Here's, the thing I've realized about myself, actually, rather recently, that I am very task and goal driven. So for me, I like to achieve a goal, particularly an attainable or somewhat attainable goal.

Marco: We should mention that Duolingo is a language app to help you learn a

Amanda: second language or several second languages. Second languages, including English. or to brush up on language skills. It's. It's actually quite an amazing app. I believe it was developed because, Well, a. To help populations learn other languages, sure.

Marco: But also to transcribe literary works or. Or stuff that's on the Internet.

Amanda: Right.

Marco: Old scrolls.

Amanda: I. Yeah, maybe I thought it was

Marco: like a Wikipedia thing, but maybe it was to. It was to.

Amanda: Oh, no, now I'm something. Translate works.

Marco: To translate the works in other languages.

Amanda: I thought it was Wikipedia. Well, now I don't know.

Marco: Okay, so there's some obscurity to that. But, Amanda, you have been doing duolingo for how many days straight?

Amanda: I'm gonna look it up right now.

Marco: Okay, Amanda's gonna look it up. Because Amanda has been so active on duolingo, I also started doing duolingo in French to brush up my French, because, of course, I studied French in high school, in grade school, but that's where it stopped. And I've always wanted to develop my French better. And I'll be going to Montreal in April twice. So I'm going to be able to practice what I've been learning. And I tell you this, my French, I can tell, has already gotten better.

Amanda: I know your French has gotten better. I am on day, as of today, 1532 of my Italian studies. And the truth is, I had about 50 days prior to that, and then I lost my streak. So one of the Things they have on duolingo is streak freezes and streaks, and so they. They kind of encourage you to keep up your stre streak. And you can. You're in points, and you can buy with the points a streak freeze in case you need a day off or. Or take a day off inadvertently.

Marco: A streak is consecutive days of doing.

Amanda: Yeah.

Marco: The tasks.

Amanda: So I've definitely used streak freezes, so I want to be really upfront with that.

Marco: Sure.

Amanda: But that being said, it's day 1532.

Marco: We'll just count the 50 that you lost as one streak.

Amanda: Yeah, there you go. I would say, you know, my approach to Italian at this point is very much was my approach to becoming an actor, which was, I'm going to do it or I will die trying.

Marco: Okay, fair enough.

Amanda: I hope that sounds okay. But that was my, approach to becoming m an actor because there were so many people. I didn't really try to start acting legitimately until I was probably 25. And I had heard a lot of, like, reasons to do other things.

Marco: Sure.

Amanda: Like you do. And, I finally just went, well, I want to know that I've tried, so I'm gonna go there and I'm gonna try, and I'll just keep trying until I can't try anymore.

Marco: And your Italian has gotten much better since you've been doing it.

Amanda: I will say.

Marco: Yeah, your pronunciation is really lovely.

Amanda: It's definitely help with pronunciation. I've learned a lot of vocabulary.

Marco: Amanda turned to me the other day, and you know what I learned? And I was the one. She's like, franco Bolli. And I was like, oh, m. My God, stamps. You had just learned about stamps. How to say stamps.

Amanda: I feel like people on this podcast don't understand how beautiful and melodic your Italian is. I would love it if you did a full episode in Italian.

Marco: we don't have m many listeners from Italy who listen to the show.

Amanda: Yeah. Okay. But it would be nice for people, I find. Listen, I had a German movie on the other day, and that German, which

Marco: put me to sleep.

Amanda: Put you to sleep. Which one would argue German is a lot less melodic than Italian. I think it's a fair argument, but sometimes hearing another language and just the soft sounds of someone speaking in another language is enough to soothe you into sleep.

Marco: Well, maybe I will. We'll see what our listeners say to that.

Amanda: Okay.

Marco: I'm looking for listener suggestions. So that's your approach. So.


Amanda uses duolingo to learn Italian for conversational purposes

So, Amanda, how do you address your duolingo? Like, do you do it in the morning? Do you do it in the afternoon.

Amanda: I find I tend to do it at night before I go sleep, because I'm like, oh, I haven't done it yet. I should do it before the day is out. But I often will do it if I'm waiting, like waiting for an appointment at a doctor's or dentist's office. or, sometimes I'll do it if I have a little bit of a lull at work for a few minutes just to grab a coffee, I'll do it there.

Marco: I see.

Amanda: sometimes I do it first thing in the day when I'm, you know, spending some quality time in the, In the bathroom.

Marco: I see. So that's your approach to using duolingo. And how do you find it as far as language acquisition and language knowledge is concerned?

Amanda: I'm going to be really honest. I found there's aspects to it for myself that I find frustrating because I find for conversation, my brain still goes to French. That's its first thing. And I'm frustrated that I'm, you know, almost 1500 days or past 1500 days of this, and then I'm still. When I actually want to have conversational Italian in a real world setting.

Marco: Sure.

Amanda: That is speaking to your mom or her friends that might. Her English is great, obviously, but there are other people in her life where they mostly speak Italian to her.

Marco: Right.

Amanda: so I would love to have a conversation in Italian with some of your mom's friends. That would. That for me, would be a huge accomplishment. However, I'm not there, and that's what's frustrating to me. So it's the conversational stuff where I'm lacking the. How do I put the sentences together is still not where I would like it to be. I can tell you what stamps are or the press or all the animals or various foods. There's lots I can tell you about Italian.

Marco: Is there a favorite word that you can tell us?

Amanda: M. You know what's funny? When you ask me that, all I can think of is Elizabeth Gilbert's favorite word in Italian.

Marco: Well, if we had Elizabeth Gilbert in the studio, that would be amazing.

Amanda: Yeah. Author Elizabeth Gilbert in Eat, Pray, Love, she talks about the word, I think, and she does it in a weird phrasing, but it's like, to cross. It's like Albert. Now I can't remember the word, but.

Marco: Travisiamo. Like, to cross the street.

Amanda: Yeah.

Marco: I thought you meant to, like, do the sign of the cross.

Amanda: I was trying to think of that. I don't know, genuflect. but, yeah, so that's always the first one that comes. Franco Boli is my favorite. I have to say the word for bus is one of my favorites because it was unexpected.

Marco: Sure.

Amanda: Il Pullman.

Marco: Pullman?

Amanda: Yeah, like a Pullman bus. somehow there's no other word for bus other than Pullman.

Marco: There you go.

Amanda: Which is really funny to me that it's not a slang for bus, but actually the word for bus, so I guess that's mine. Well, how about you for French? Have you learned some new words that make you laugh?

Marco: Schwette or shouette? Oh, yeah, I wasn't expecting that.

Marco: And what's the one that I was saying just the other day and you were like, oh, yeah, they. They use that a lot in French for each or every shock, shock, shock.

Amanda: Like oni. Like thinking Italian. Ogni is each and every. Right?

Marco: Yes.

Amanda: Do they use that a lot in Italian? I think they say this and that a lot in Italian. Questa. I hear that a lot with your family.

Marco: Yeah, so. So, yeah. So those were the two words.

Amanda: Oh, that's so funny. for a time with Duolingo, I would go back and forth between French and Italian, but I've stayed pretty consistent with my Italian in the last year. just because I want to. I really do want to get better and to grow. I will say language acquisition general. so to answer the question in terms of my strategy.

Marco: Sure.

Amanda: I see lots of people on it. I invite you to follow me on dual lingo. I don't know how you can do that, but.

Marco: What's your handle?

Amanda: I don't know. It's my name, I think. I don't know. I'd have to.

Marco: If you want to be Amanda's friend and then. And you can challenge your friends to where's your profile?

Amanda: Like, how do you.

Marco: I don't have my phone here, otherwise I'd look. But look at who you're friends with.

Amanda: It should say, friends with John Bork.

Marco: No, don't say who you're friends with. Look at what it says.


For me, learning a language is about consistency and doing it every day

Like the challenges you currently have with friends.

Amanda: Oh, okay.

Marco: while Amanda's looking that up.

Amanda: Okay, Hang on. Me and Mitch, he's a. Okay, so it's Amanda. JB.

Marco: Okay, Amanda. JB.

Amanda: It's Amanda. JB.

Marco: Perfect.

Amanda: So just find me at Amanda JB. There's 67 people following me. but I find with some friends, I see them, and they're doing a ton. There's one friend of ours who's learning Danish and you know it because when you have to do challenges, because you get paired up with friends to do challenges, which just means you both are committing and they'll give you little goals because they have what they call xp, which are just points.

Marco: Sure.

Amanda: I don't know why they're called xp, but, so sometimes it'll be a lot of xp and you'll think, well, that's a huge goal. But that's because that person, that's the norm for them. It's their algorithm rhythm that you're tapping into. For me, it's about consistency and doing it every day. If I only do two minutes and do a little tiny challenge for two minutes, then at least I've done two minutes of Italian a day. My goal is I'll just keep speaking Italian every day until I someday, the dream is someday can say I speak Italian.

Marco: Maybe we go for two weeks and you learn and you get to use what you've spent a hundred and fifteen hundred days learning.

Amanda: Well, that's what I was going to say. With French, I spent years and years and years with textbooks and in classes. But the vast majority of French that I learned was from doing a French immersion program for six weeks, five weeks, where the, there was many benefits to it. We don't have to talk about the program. Sure, we can talk about it another time if people are interested. But it's a very special program they have in Canada. And, and the rule, was if you get caught speaking English more than twice, you're gone. And I had a lot of incentive to stay in the program.

Marco: Did anyone get kicked out while you were there?

Amanda: Oh, two people did.

Marco: Oh, wow.

Amanda: Yeah, they were really, it was, it was real, it was strict. And, you know, we found workarounds. We, we would hover around faucets, if you can believe it, and whisper in English. but still, when you think that that's, that's the world you're in, you're gonna learn a language pretty quickly.

Marco: You have to by necessity. Right.

Amanda: And so that's the most French I ever learned to this day was from those five weeks of going to a bar, going to a restaurant, going to class, eating lunch, hanging out, having a coffee with people. And you erase, when you do that, you erase the self consciousness of, I'm not very good because none of you are very good. But you're all trying and working and finding it together. it really changed the way I look at language.

Marco: There you go.


Susan Ross: How do you feel about adults learning new things

So how do you feel about adults learning new things? Do you think they can. Or do you think they can't?

Amanda: I think they can't. No. Can you imagine?

Marco: There you go. Susan Ross, you wanted the answer to that.

Amanda: well, I mean, I have lots of thoughts, but I feel like I've done a lot of talking. How do you feel about this topic?

Marco: I think it's a great way where it's like, okay, you're an adult now. Learn the things you've always wanted to learn.

Marco: And not the things you think you should learn. Because whatever, you know, I mean, like, at this point in my life, do I need to learn trig? No, because it doesn't. It doesn't. It doesn't excite me. I'm never going to use it. And if I have to use it, I'll phone a friend. But I really want to. You got a pasta. A pasta maker? I want to learn how to make pasta with a pasta maker.

Amanda: That's a very achievable goal, I feel like.

Marco: So that's one thing I want to do. I wanted to bake.

Amanda: Uh-huh.

Marco: But I didn't. I didn't do any baking. I suppose I was going to take a class, but then they wouldn't let me into the class. Maybe because I was an adult. They didn't believe in adult learners.

Amanda: That's not true. And you know that it's interesting that we're having this discussion today because I, I went for a long walk today, sort of out of necessity and sort of out of joy and play. I. Marco had the car, so I was coming home from my work and it was a beautiful day. And I thought, I wonder what it would be like if I walked all the way home. I didn't do that because I. It's two hours. It's a two hour walk. It's quite a hefty walk. but I did probably about an hour of it, and then the other hour I took transit.

Marco: Ah.

Amanda: Sort of a 45 minutes on each side or whatever it was. Yeah, it was a journey.


I was listening to the Power of Vulnerability by Brene Brown

But my point is, during that time, I was listening to the Power of Vulnerability by Brene Brown.

Marco: Do you recommend this book?

Amanda: Oh, yeah, I really do. I recommend any book I've ever listened to by Brene Brown. I've only ever listened to her books. I love listening to her books. all but one. She narrates and she's an amazing narrator. And this one is actually a live lecture series that's been taped and made into a book.

Marco: Who read the one that she didn't and did you like their reading?

Amanda: No, I spent about three minutes with it and went, I can't do this.

Marco: Oh, wow.

Amanda: Yeah, it's one of her earlier books. And I think she just didn't have the courage.

Marco: I see.

Amanda: Which is unfortunate because she's amazing. But she talks a lot about all those types of things. And she's a. If you don't know Brene Brown, she's a. She's many things, but she's a researcher on the, She's a researcher on the concept of shame.

Marco: Okay.

Amanda: And so all of her studies emerge from that. And so this. The power of vulnerability. M. She talks a lot about vulnerability in all of her work. and this is about particular wholehearted living. So it's like a lecture series on living a wholehearted life.

Marco: Okay.

Amanda: And what does that mean? And what do the wholehearted among us people, what do they do? How are they different?

Marco: And they walk. They walk home from work.


Today she talked about how important play is for us

Amanda: Well, so today she was talking about this idea of play and how important play is, and really embracing play because we're not a species that does a ton of that.

Marco: At least not after a certain age. He's not valued well.

Amanda: It's just like, you go have fun. I have a job.

Marco: Sure.

Amanda: In fact, at one point she said, enjoy your art. I have a job. Which was really funny.

Marco: Was.

Amanda: Was when I was walking. Anyway. but the truth is, in terms of our wholehearted life, of our mental well being, how important play is for us. And so she defines play. And so I was thinking a lot about that today, and I think learning new things. Sometimes what I've done this year, or trying to do anyway, is to go back to the things that I loved as a child.

Marco: I see.

Amanda: I don't think people change that much. I don't think I've changed that much. I've learned a lot. I've grown a lot.

Marco: So what did you love as a child that you're going to go back to?

Amanda: I loved swimming, and we've talked a lot about that.

Marco: Amanda bought a swim cap.

Amanda: I did. And I haven't worn a swim cap. There's a picture of me in New Hampshire at about 10 years old wearing a swim cap. And I look hilarious with a strawberry shortcake bathing suit. Oh, that's, amazing. I feel like I'm gonna. I'm going back to that person now. I loved dancing. I haven't quite re. Embraced that, but that is definitely on the agenda. I loved languages as a child.

Marco: There you go.

Amanda: I had no opportunity to learn them. So I would make them up, which I don't recommend as an adult, but I would make them up constantly. but I loved this concept of travel and of languages. I love the idea of travel as a child. I love cooking.

Marco: Sure.

Amanda: I think I've been edging closer to getting back, like, to getting into pottery. I loved pottery.

Marco: Got to get you in that class. Knitwise wants to know when you're going to be taking that class. Okay. So.

Amanda: But the question is, am I doing it alone?

Marco: I'll do it with you.

Amanda: But do you want to do it with me, though?

Marco: I'll do it with you if you want me to do it with you. Okay. I will do it with you because we really.

Amanda: No, I want you. Okay. Do you want to do it with me? It's not about what I want. It's about, do you want to do it? Because I don't want to do it without you. If you actually want to do it.

Marco: Listen, I could be convinced either way.

Amanda: However, I don't need to convince you. I just want to know where you stand on a pottery.


We need to get Michael Miranda on the podcast to talk about pottery

Marco: Well, since we've been watching the Pottery Throwdown, which is an awesome show, folks, if you're looking for a show to watch.

Amanda: And now we're watching the great Canadian Pottery Throw Down.

Marco: And so. And we have a friend who we ran into recently who's a potter. Yes, you should do Michael Miranda. I should have Michael Miranda.

Amanda: I have Michael Miranda on the show to talk about pottery. He's a lovely person, a great potter, and a very talented actor as well.

Marco: He'll probably never hear this that we're going on. He's fantastic. I gave him a big hug. And you know those moments where your friend is trying to get to their car and drive home, but you want to talk to them for one last minute, and so you kind of hold them in the vestibule of a, location.

Amanda: Movie theater.

Marco: In a movie theater. And his lovely wife was just standing there as I spoke to him for easily 20 minutes. I know about pottery.

Amanda: I know.

Marco: And, folks, you would think as you listen to this podcast that I would be calm and easygoing about it, but rather, I was yelling, grabbing his hands and shaking him as I screamed about pottery and the great Pottery Throwdown. So funny in his face. And he seemed to love every minute. And his wife was just looking at me and you thinking, who are these two?

Amanda: Yep.

Marco: So we do need to get him on the podcast.

Amanda: We do.

Marco: So, Michael, that's an open invitation for you on the podcast, But I also Want to talk about Blown Away?

Amanda: All right, let's do it.


Susan wanted to ask about swimming in Florida in the Atlantic Ocean

Marco: Okay, so we've got six minutes left. Sorry, Susan, wanted to ask about swimming in Florida in the Atlantic Ocean. Beach swimming and things related to it. Walks or things we do in Florida. But that'll have to wait.

Amanda: Are we recording next week?

Marco: Yes, we have to pre record for next week.

Amanda: Oh, pre record.

Marco: Yeah.

Amanda: Well, I was going to say are, we recording on location? Because we're on location next week.

Marco: Well, I'm not bringing a microphone.

Amanda: Okay.

Marco: Should I bring a microphone?

Amanda: I don't know. We'll figure it out. But that would address the swimming question.

Marco: Okay, so we'll see. We'll see. If I have.

Amanda: If you don't want to, then you don't have to. Do I want you to have a vacation?

Marco: Yeah, it's true.


Blown Away is a competition show that takes place in Hamilton, Ontario

So we were going to talk about Blown Away.

Amanda: Let's be blown away by Blown Away.

Marco: So Blown Away is this competition show that takes place that, that is filmed in Hamilton, Ontario. So not far from us. We have friends who just moved to Hamilton. We did shout out to Connor Thompson and Ashley Kamal and where they create things out of glass. They blow glass, they spin glass, they pull glass. They do all kinds of glassy things.

Amanda: They do.

Marco: And when it first came on, we both thought it was ridiculous. Then we were home for two years and we got into it and now we can't get enough of it. And season four is out now on Netflix here in Canada. But look, look for Blown Away, wherever you are and you'll probably really enjoy it.

Marco: That's all I have to say about that.

Amanda: Well, and Blown Away has made me think a lot about this idea of play. Sure. Because they talk about the type of people that are drawn to creating glass and working with glass. There's different types of people. some work more with blown glass, others are more sculptor kind of people that got into it and use glass as a medium. So I do think of creative pursuits and one of the things I was listening to Brene Brown say today is the number of people who, when you talk about it or really investigate. A lot of us were told at younger ages that we weren't particularly gifted in some type of creativity. Whether it's like you can't draw.

Marco: Sure.

Amanda: you know, she said one teacher said to a kid, it's so good you're smart because this does not look like a horse. And just an off candid comment. Right. Probably set out of love. Right. But after that he just realized he he Had a real issue with drawing.

Marco: Sure.

Amanda: Was asked to do it on a university application, like, draw what this feels like to you or something for Rice University. And then he didn't go because he didn't want to do the drawing.

Marco: Wow.

Amanda: Yeah. So I think we. And part of it is you don't, you know, we're all creative and it doesn't have to be perfect or good. you know, you don't have to be an amazing painter to take a painting class. Or in my case, you know, I have a sister in law who's an amazing potter. Right. So there's a little piece of me that's like, oh, I don't. I would never give her. I would take a beginner pottery class and then hand her, you know, a bowl that I made because I'd feel really, like self conscious about my beginner bowl.

Marco: She actually knows someone who's a judge on the great pottery throw down.

Amanda: Yeah, she's up there in the pottery world, right.

Marco: I want to see her on a pottery throwdown.

Amanda: I'd like to see her do pottery.

Marco: I'd like to see her pottery and hold it.

Amanda: You know, that's a member of our family. Then. We've never seen her do one of the things that she's incredible at doing. When I think about it, you know,

Marco: what you said just made me think of a, line from a song. Tell me I'm not perfect, but I'm perfect for you. You gotta bring that to the, the task that you thought you weren't perfect or someone told you you weren't perfect and just know that you're perfect.

Amanda: I'm perfect for this moment and that's all I need to be. I'm perfect for myself enough. Because really, who are you creating for exactly?

Marco: Do you know who wrote that song or who sings that? Grace Jones, in case anyone's wondering.

Amanda: Oh, that's not what I thought you'd say at all. Yeah, I thought it'd be like Willie Nelson.

Marco: No, he's a great songwriter, don't get me wrong. But every once in a while you got to throw out, a Grace Jones for sure.

Amanda: It's a great place to end it, I guess.


Amanda: We have a lot of listeners who listen during the day

Marco: And this is where we are, Amanda. We're at the end of our podcast. I also want to give a lovely whisper out. Not a shout out, because at this point in our show, hopefully people have fallen asleep. But we have a lot of listeners who listen during the day. They like to listen as they start their day, and they have no intention of listening for sleep, but they like to hear the sound of our voices. So I want to thank those listeners very much for being, the listeners who listen to the end of the podcast and enjoy it.

Amanda: Hm.

Marco: And whoever you are out there, please know that we value you and we're

Amanda: happy to have you, and we're happy to start a beautiful day with you.

Marco: So I hope it's a beautiful day wherever you are. And until next time, Amanda, I hope you were able to listen, enjoy, and maybe sleep.