Donperigo I like your message, but something was bothering me and I couldn't remember the podcast lesson that discussed this issue. I did find something; however, that explains the mi/el issue.  It says you should use el/la (definitive article) unless you absolutely need to reference a body part (with possessive - mi, tu) for clarity.  See below:

http://spanish.about.com/od/spanishvocabulary/a/body_parts.htm

I'm sure JP, Esti, Lili or someone will clarify.  The internet is great, but our experts here are very much appreciated.  

Hello friends, nothing is really overly hard in my life.  Yes there are things that I have to do that seem dificult, but if I keep perspective, then I'll be fine.

4.  Sometimes the adjective form of the pp is used alone, and often it describes an emotional state:

So in the lyrics: "Amarrado a tu cintura".  It appears the emotional state of being "tied" to your hip (waist) is what is getting described here.

Quickly, do you have any insight about referring to body parts (mi pelo vs el pelo)?  Thanks again - Shep 

I was really hoping the post might stimulate some dialogue particularly how people learn (incremental/transformational)? What keeps people motivated?  What roadblocks stop them from succeeding, etc?  Why do people quit?

Last I always wondered why people contribute to this website - some are lurkers, some leave (frustrated, etc.), some come back, some are permanent fixtures (present company included).  The learning process is just as intriguing to me as learning spanish itself.  Thanks again for your insights and other thoughts as always are welcomed.

Gracias, btw I like this Banda El Recodo version much, much better than the slower original.

I wrote this because at times, I think we all get frustrated and I wanted to remind myself like I tell my staff (all the time), you need to step back and smell the roses.  If I didn't have a bad round, the spanish would not have been frustrating, but I never would have received the epiphany.

I bet there are many newbies (at least people on my job who I turned onto Spanishpod) and others who may not post because they feel they are not good enough - everyone on that site speaks spanish so well (people have said that to me).  I just wanted to say it doesn't matter.  What matters is the journey and perfection is only an illusion.

Thanks again to you both - Shep

JP good choice especially since it was slow you could really understand the words - muchisimas gracias.

I thought the word pegadito could have meant "gradually connected".  He could have been expressing the state of their love over time.  Pegadito (gradually connected), Despacito (very slowly), Así te quiero (Like this, I love you).  Maybe he was saying their love started from a spark turning into a burning flame.  In the first line, maybe that's why he says, "The sun's warmth is what I feel (what matters) even in winter days.

My favorite line is "As the moon sets, our dancing is as unstoppable as a train".  Implying they have been together all night enjoying one another's company as the sun begins to rise.  Good imagery.

Questions:

1) Amarrado y pegado.  I thought you needed the verb haber, e.g., He amarrado a tu cintura o He pagado al imán.  JP do you need haber to express past tense with the past participle or no?

2) In a Spanishpod lesson you and Lili said we should not use tu or mi (I think) when refering to body parts.  We should use la or el.  In the lyrics, he says tu pelo, tus labios, tu pecho.  Is this grammatically correct?

Great song JP and Professor, this was a fun exercise. Keep 'em coming.

As I drove home, I listened to an advanced Spanishpod lesson and then stopped in frustration because nothing was sinking in. Then, I started to laugh because I realized why I was taking golf lessons and why I am studying spanish.

It's all about the challenge, regardless of level, and getting better.  Both will help me in business, relate to people better, one is academically and the other is physically rewarding.  Yes, I believe its the journey not the destination.  However, if both were really easy, I probably wouldn't be doing them.

I will go back on the course, like I will continue to listen to lessons.  Some days I post thinking wow this is written well - did "I" write this?  Other days I read something and think boy am I littering these podcast with god-awful prose.  Lili and JP should take away my license to attach anything!!! But you know what, I'm going to keep writing like I'm going to keep hitting that little white ball.  Mom always said you could do anything you wanted, as long you really wanted it bad enough.  And of course, she was right.

I wrote this for me, because its a little cathartic and I wanted to say Shep you're ok. Don't be so hard on yourself. However if it helps you continue your journey too, then great.  For certain, I'll be here.  Nos vemos. 

In terms of other Male latin lovers currently on the scene.  I would say Mario Lopez from dancing with the stars, Lorenzo Lamas, Antonio Sabato Jr, Luis Miquel who is an extremely popular singer in Latin America and Freddie Prince Jr also gets a lot of airtime.  My female friends gush about these guys often.  Looking forward to part II.  Nos vemos.

1) Go on a trip to Puerto Rico or Mexico within the year and speak only spanish.

2) Visit my old neighborhood in Newark, NJ and speak spanish in the bodegas en mi barrio.

3) Have meaningful and helpful conversations with spanish speakers that I know who are struggling learning english. [Sympathetic to the effort]

4) Win our sales contest this year which includes a trip to the Dominican Republic. [Bonus goal only - not really driving my efforts, but a nice perk]

Keep up your great work.  Hasta pronto.

If I do anything, pretty sure I will, it will be the year long session.  The math works out so I think it's extremely economical for the value.  I'll keep you posted. Ciao

JP we should all learn something everything day and you taught me about Oregon (OR) being full service in that state.  I thought I was special because I grew up New Jersey (NJ) and it's the only state besides OR with full service.  It was weird for me pumping my own gas when I moved to Connecticut.

In NJ however there was no tipping.  Interesting huh!  En los Estados Unidos más personas empiezan a usar transporte colectivo por los precios de la gasolina son muy altas.

Based on my proctor's initial assessment, I focused on intermediary lessons and reviewed a lesson ahead of time, asked detailed questions, then was quized on various aspects of the podcast.  The main emphasis was to get me to speak about my own experiences relative to the podcast we were studying (what were my Christmas memories, did I have summer plans, etc).  Also I did role playing relative to the lesson where I played one role and the proctor was another, e.g. I was the waiter and my proctor was the customer - very cool.  I was at a level where the proctor spoke all spanish and it pushed me seriously.  I'm sure they customize the approach based on your level (newbie through advanced).  Also I realize that I really need to practice speaking.  I felt like I was getting so much better talking with my proctor.  I actually miss speaking with her.

We used skype to communicate and the lessons were only 10 minutes long.  I've been wondering if that was long enough, but the more I think about it I think it's about right.  It created a sense of focus for me and I really couldn't wait for the next day.  I'm a real type "A" personality so I tried to prepare for each class seriously, asked questions and tried to get the most out of each session.  I really liked the proctor, she was excellent, and we had a lot of fun. The proctor informed me which lesson I was to prepare for the upcoming day.

In a nutshell, here is why I'm leaning toward Spanishpod: 1) the community here where I can write and communicate to people like you; 2) the great lessons - working with material I like; 3) the spanishpod team who has been helping me get better; 4) the program flexibility - I can work with my proctor to shape my own learning style and 5) quality of my proctor.

I know this was very long, but I hope it gives you some insight into my thinking.  I'll let you know my final decision and if you have any other questions, I would be more than happy to answer questions about my trial experience.  Hasta pronto.