I have recently been conducting interviews with people in town who have businesses. Why? Because I am beginning to build a website of interviews and dialogues. I hope to launch it before Christmas;....let's see if I can get it ready in time. It sounds like a simple procedure, doesn't it? Interview a person, add grammar notes and pronunciation practice, edit it until it is clean and professional, and then upload it to my website. Well, it's actually all new for me, including the interviews. Most people, I have found, are not that comfortable with being interviewed. That's understandable; they don't want to sound silly. Some people might not even want their voices on the internet. So, there are steps that I have to take to keep everyone happy. First of all, I must ask their permission, and see if they are comfortable with being interviewed. Secondly, I must inform them that the audio of their voice will be on the web, and then together, we must arrange when and where to conduct the interview. Well, I've done that so far with four people, and it's all turned out to be okay. But, one thing I have noticed is that they all got nervous during the interview. Now, when you listen to the interviews, they don't seem very nervous. That's because I have edited out all of the ums and ahs and stuttering. However, as I sit in front of the people, I can see them fidget, scratch thier heads, chew their lips, and even sweat. Do I make them nervous? Is it me, or is it the experience of being interviewed? I do my best to make them feel comfortable. I smile, but not too much. I put my head on one side, to act friendly and not domineering. I agree with them and nod my head, and I make sure that I don't stare at them for too long. If I put myself in their shoes, I would probably feel the same. Thank goodness for editing.
Grammar notes.
Related vocabulary: to conduct an interview, to launch a website, to stutter, to fidget.
1. Yesterday, we had to conduct ten interviews.
2. He launched his website last year, and has had great success with his new venture.
3. He had to give a speech, but he was so nervous that he stuttered quite a bit.
4. Most kindergarteners fidget a lot, and find it hard to sit still.
Hello everyone. I'm afraid there won't be a podcast today as I am really busy with preparations for Thanksgiving. There's a lot to do, as I am hosting the holiday meal at my house for a lot of people. So, catch up with me next time!
This past Friday night, I was settling in for the evening, when my youngest son said, "Mum, can we go to the family bingo night at school?" I groaned inside, not wanting to go anywhere. I had received an automated voice message from the school a few days previously about the fundraising night. Bingo was on the agenda, and the winners would win large baskets, or hampers, filled with all kinds of goodies. These hampers had been donated from various businesses in town to help the school raise money. I had actually never been to any of the bingo nights, but I had heard that they are very popular. So, being a push-over, and wanting to please my kids, I took my two youngest. My older two wanted to stay at home and hang out with their dad; anyway, they are far too sophisticated for school bingo, now that they are eleven and twelve.....As we turned up at the school, it was starting to snow. The parking lot was full of cars, so I knew that it would be a full event. We walked in and found the whole gym full of people sitting at tables, concentrating on their bingo cards, and munching away on snacks that they had bought at the concession stand. There was a table where you could rent bingo cards for five dollars for the evening. "Which one do you want?" said the lady who was in charge. "Oh, I don't care. Just give me any of them," I replied. "You're obviously not a serious bingoer,"she said to me laughing. She's right; I'm not. I've barely ever played it. But we sat down and started to cover the numbers that were called out. My children really got into it. We didn't win anything at all. I was hoping that we could take home one of the Christmas hampers, but it wasn't to be. What made it worse was that a couple of people each won three hampers. Three! There should be a rule against that! But we tried our best. My kids were very disappointed that we went home empty-handed. I told them, "Most of the time, you don't win anything. Only a few people ever win in these games, but there is always a chance." That didn't cheer them up, but I suppose it was a good lesson in reality.
Grammar notes.
Related vocabulary: a hamper, a push-over, to hang-out, to be in charge.
1. The first prize will be a hamper full of all kinds of coffee products.
2. She is such a push-over; you can ask her for anything and she'll give it to you.
3. How about we stay in and just hang out together?
4. When you train your dogs, you have to be in charge.
My energetic daughter has been begging me to take her to karate classes. She had already enrolled in gymnastics, and our rule is to do only one after-school activity each season, so I decided to only look into it, and not agree or commit myself to taking her. The other day, however, we were in the neighborhood, so we popped into the karate school, just to have a look. It is situated in one of the older brick buildings, near the railroad tracks. It has been nicely converted, preserving the brick and old wood feel, but updating it at the same time. There are three rooms in the school. One long exercise room with a big mirror which is used for lots of running and jumping exercises, a room with lots of punching and kicking bags, and then the entryway with a large wooden floor space for further exercises. Domini had a twinkle in her eye when she saw the children exercising in their black suits. They all looked so cute! "Mum, can I quit gymnastics and do this instead?" Domini asked me. She was extra excited because there was a little boy there who she recognized from preschool. She had always played and got along well with him, so she felt at home. Well, I agreed. Domini will finish this month of gymnastics, and in the meantime, she will try a few classes of karate, and see how she gets on. So, today was her first time. Let's just say that it wouldn't surprize me to see my daughter with a black belt on in a few years. She loved it. There was a warm up, a break, more exercise, and then learning some forms. She was in a beginners' group with children her age. At one point they all had to do 10 push-ups because one of the boys wasn't listening. It was serious business, and you know, I think most kids enjoy that side of it too. It makes the whole event seem important. So, to conclude, she will get her black suit and join the rest of the little dragons, that's the name of her class. My only advice to her is not to practice on her brothers, at least, not yet.
Grammar notes.
Related vocabulary: energetic, to update, instead of, to conclude.
1. The old lady was feeling energetic, so she went for a long walk.
2. I updated my address book; I added many more names and addresses.
3. I don't feel like cooking tonight; let's get chinese food instead.
4. To conclude the concert, the trio played a piece by Bach.
One of the things that I had on the calendar this month was the bilingual night at my children's school. It is held a few times a year, to inform parents about progress being made with the school's dual language program. Tonight was the first meeting of the year, and there had been lots of preparation for it. My daughter, who is in kindergarten, had been practicing three songs. I had heard her singing around the house, but it took me a few days to ask her if there was something that she was practicing for. Sure enough, kindergarteners and first graders were going to perform on stage for the parents, to impress them with some bilingual songs. It was a rush to get there on time because Domini had just finished a gymnastics class, I had to drop of one of my sons at his basketball practice, and then get to the school lunch room on time, where seats had been put out in rows for all of us. Going to one of these is not a new thing for me. All four of my kids are going through the same elementary school, so I know all about the bilingual program. I'm thrilled that they can be exposed to Spanish, and, hopefully, each year pick up more and more. As I sat chatting to another parent, the students came out and lined up on the little stage. The music teacher played the guitar, and sang loudly, opening his mouth very wide, to get the children to follow him. The kids did a great job. They sang four songs, each a mix of Spanish and English. Every now and then, when they came to a difficult part, the singing trailed off and became quite quiet, and then in the easy parts, they got very loud and confident. You know what it's like with children: they fidgeted, looked at their shoes, at the ceiling, whispered to eachother, and some even picked their noses. It all added to the performance. When the singing was over, we actually sneaked out, and didn't stay for the talk about the importance of being bilingual. I've heard the talk many times, and, besides, I'm already a believer in language learning!
Grammar notes.
Related vocabulary: to be exposed to, to trail off, confident.
1. The miners were exposed to toxic gas; they need medical treatment.
2. He forgets what he's talking about, and his speech trails off.
3. She is confident, and speaks her mind with ease.
As we move into the middle of November, the countryside seems to be changing every day. The colorful leaves that decorate the whole valley are beginning to fall, and preparations are being made for the long, cold winter. I am trying to go for walks as often as I can because the days are so beautiful. As long as you wear warm enough clothes, you can be refreshed by a lovely walk. There is no reason to stay inside, really. On my walks, I take my camera, to capture anything that I can write about. Recently, I have been using alot of space on my camera's SD card for photos of the sun shining through the trees. It's become a bit of an obsession. Every part of every tree is different. Each hour that the light changes, everything looks different, and each day, of course, there are marked differences in what you can see. My camera is just a cheapo, digital one, but with a good editing software ( I use Picassa), you can get inspiring photos. So, on my walks, it's not unusual for me to quickly make my way into an orchard, or into a hedgerow, to get the shot that I want, before the light changes. I'm sure it looks a bit strange to people driving by. The photo on the blog today, was taken in my back garden one afternoon. From our kitchen, as you look out, there are several trees, one after another. The closest is a red japanese maple, behind which is an aspen. The change of season had made their colors quite dramatic, and contrasting with eachother's. So, I abandoned my cooking, grabbed my camera and got out of the door before the sun went down. My dogs didn't know what the excitement was all about. They brought me a ball to throw to them, and dropped it at my feet. But I was too busy focusing my camera. I climbed onto the patio table to get a good shot. So the dogs climbed up too. The three of us stood there on the table: me, totally engrossed in the trees, and the dogs probably wondering what we were doing on the table. But, when the light is right, you have to forget everything else and focus.
Grammar notes.
Related vocabulary: as long as, a marked difference, engrossed.
1. You can go to your friend's house, as long as you're back by eight.
2. There has been a marked difference in his reading; it is very much improved.
3. The film was so good that we were thoroughly engrossed.
We used to have a large pine tree in our front garden. It was a very tall, old one. It was planted about thirty years ago, but last year, we decided to cut it down. I wouldn't normally agree to chop down a tree, but this one was yucky. Half of one side of it had no branches, and it looked weak. My husband and I are really into trees, and really into planting them, so we had a plan of filling in the area with new pine trees. I found it hard to imagine what the front garden would look like once our shade giving old pine was gone. We need shade in this area, so I hesitated at first. However, I know how enthusiastic my husband is about getting a permit each year to go up into the mountains to dig up trees for our garden. I imagined that the area left by the old pine would soon be filled in with many more trees, and probably healthier ones as well. And I was right. The new trees are growing fast, creating shade, smelling and looking great, and givng the impression of a mini forest. So, what did we do with the old tree? The same thing that a lot of people do around here. You see, we need trees for the shade in summer, but we need wood to burn in the freezing winters. So, our need for winter wood has been met. With the help of a good friend who used to be a forest ranger, Tom cut up the old pine into large logs for our fireplace. Both of them used chain saws. It was a noisy process, but exciting at the same time. The front area of our garden smelt like pine and smoke for a while, as the tree was getting chopped up. Now we have an organized pile of wood, sitting next to our garage, ready for when winter comes. Our boys are big enough now, that we can ask them to run out and each get a log so that we can build a fire in the fireplace in the evenings. As we sit and watch the fire dance, and hear the wood crack, we can remember the old pine, and look forward to our new mini forest getting taller and thicker.
Grammar notes.
Related vocabulary: to hesitate, a permit, to give an impression, fireplace.
1. He hesitated before asking for help; for a moment he thought that he could handle the problem by himself.
2. You have to get a permit from the forest ranger before you dig up trees.
3. They gave me the impression that they are not from around here.
4. The hotel's fireplace was huge, made of rough stone, and with a massive mantlepiece.
My good friend Nataliya called me a few days ago, and invited me to a concert at a local church. "There is a very good Russian pianist, Oksana Ezhokina, you might have heard of her." I vaguely remembered the name. She has performed a few times in Wenatchee. At the moment, she lives in Leavenworth, and is the artistic co-director of the Icicle Creek Music Center, and a member of the Icicle Creek Piano Trio. Accompanying her were Daniel Schlosberg, an accomplished pianist, and Artist-in-Residence in the Music Department at the University of Notre Dame, and also Russel Rolen who is a professional cellist and teacher, and is studying for his doctorate at Northwestern University. I was excited to hear about this trio coming to town; it had been a while since I had been to a classical concert. Nataliya gave me directions, and I decided to get there a little early, just in case there were a lot of people, I could get some good seats. It's a good job that I did because the place was packed. I made sure that I got a couple of seats as close to the front as possible. Nataliya arrived, and we looked at the program. They were going to play some very interesting pieces, and quite a variety: Gershwin, Schumann, and Rachmaninoff. Oksana started off the concert with a piece, and a little talk at first about how the concert was to raise money to buy a grand piano for the town. Several private donations had been made already, but money still had to be raised to have enough for the purchase. The concert flew by quickly because the music was so good, and so well performed. It was a delight to see real musicians at work who had obviously dedicated years to becoming accomplished. Everybody was impressed, and gave the musicians a standing ovation at the end. I'm so glad that my friend had told me about this concert. I must keep my ear to the ground for other concerts in the area.
Grammar notes.
Related vocabulary: vague/ly, to accompany, just in case, donation.
1. He looked at me vaguely. I don't think that he remembered me at all.
2. I will accompany you to the train station. We can chat while we wait for the train.
3. Let's take the umbrella, just in case it rains.
4. The clinic received a huge anonymous donation last week.
For a while now, there has been a lot of construction going on at our local Walmart. I am a frequent shopper there, as it is only a couple of blocks from my house. Walmart is expanding. After a few years of doing tremendous business here, the owners have decided to turn it into a superstore. That means that it will soon sell fresh fruit, vegetables, and meat. It will become the 'one stop shop' for a lot of people, including myself. Instead of shopping at Walmart, and then needing to go to a regular supermarket for food items, everything will be in one place. That's a relief! The local shops and supermarkets won't be very happy about it, but that's competition I suppose. It will force a lot of merchants to lower prices and create more special offers. Walmart is quite a ferocious animal. There are more than 8,500 stores in 15 countries, and it's annual revenue is similar to that of a small country. Personally, I'm looking forward to the expansion. Because so many people shop at Walmart, their produce is quite fresh; they don't have goods hanging around on shelves for weeks. We call that a fast 'turn-over'. So, by Christmas, I think, it will be ready. For now, the machines of different kinds are digging, and banging, and lifting. One of the employees I spoke to told me that she had to hear a jack hammer for 8 hours one day. The workmen had to do a job close to her check-out till. By the time she went home, she said, her nerves were shattered. When you walk in the building, all of the aisles have changed position. The pet food is where the stationary used to be, and the stationary is where the diapers were. It's a little confusing. The parking arrangements have changed because work is taking place on a large area in the front of the building. These things take time; it's good to see the progress each time I go there. I expect that in true American style, there will be a grand opening with all sorts of freebies and special deals. But until then, there will be cranes, dump trucks, and jack hammers creating all sorts of noise and commotion.
Grammar notes.
Related vocabulary and expressions: one stop shop, a relief, ferocious, to hang around.
1. If I have time, I love to go to specialty shops: a bakery, a delicatessen, a wine shop. But most of the time I go to 'one stop shops' for convenience sake.
2. My headache has finally stopped. What a relief!
3. The new lion in the zoo was quite ferocious.
4. I wish those kids wouldn't hang around in the mall. It's as if they have nothing to do.
Do you use calendars very much? I do. Without them, I'm sure I would forget a lot of appointments. I have a calendar conveniently placed in my kitchen, just above where I do my podcasts. I have a collection of other important things on this 'mini-desk' of mine, so it keeps me organized while I do my little projects, check my E-mails, or pay the bills. My husband has one on his iPad that is much more sophisticated than mine. He relies on his to keep his business affairs straight. However you use a calendar, it can be a great tool for remembering important appointments or events. In English, we say that people have a busy 'social' calendar, when they have appointments with friends, or commitments that are fun. I have a few of those on my calendar, but most of the things I have written down are mundane: dentist appointments, volunteering dates, taking the dogs to the vets for shots etc etc. But as I look up now to my calendar, I see that I do have some fun, social things planned for this month. I have lunch with my siser-in-law next week. Then there is a walk with a friend of mine in the park. We go every fortnight (or two weeks) There is a school bingo night which is to raise money for school supplies. And then, of course, there is Thanksgiving on the 25th. My birthday is also somewhere on the calendar, but I won't tell you where. This one calendar has been so useful for the whole family, that I bought a dry-erase version that hangs in the children's mud room. It is reusable, and has all of their school, sports, and music dates. If other people stay organized, it certainly takes the pressure off of me.
Grammar notes.
Related vocabulary: convenient, to pay the bills, to keep your affairs straight, mundane.
1. A large supermarket is being built where we live, how convenient!
2. It's that time of the month again; I have to pay the bills.
3. This business is very complex. It takes a lot of time and effort to keep your affairs straight.
4. Household chores are so mundane; they can get downright boring.
The other day I went for a walk in the park with a friend of mine. We don't see eachother very much because she is busy taking a nursing degree, so it was a treat to spend some time together. The day couldn't have been any nicer. It was a cool but very bright Autumn morning, there was color all around, and still a little mist over the river. I had a feeling that it would be a good occasion to take my camera, just in case. There is all sorts of new development planned for the river front. There are already a few new buildings that are used for offices and a cafe. However, a developer has posted a big sign, showing the plan for a building complex of condominiums, shops, and restaurants to go in where older buildings now stand. The plan looks very attractive, nicely landscaped, and quite modern. Already, the roads and parking areas have been changed a little. Roundabouts have been put in to avoid the expense of traffic lights, and they have been beautified with statues and plants. I was amazed when I first saw them. Roundabouts are so common in England, and actually in the rest of Europe. They are a very logical, easy way to keep the traffic organized and flowing. You don't find roundabouts very much over here, at least you didn't until recently. Most roads are dead straight with traffic lights. I'm happy to see some European influence where we live. After looking at the new roads, we started our walk. Our aim was to walk to the bridge and back, and then to have a cup of coffee in the nearby cafe. On the way there we passed under some trees that had turned all sorts of colors. I couldn't miss my opportunity. I got out my camera, zoomed in, and clicked away until I got a picture that I was pleased with. You can't help but look up at this time of year because of the colors in the trees. When I got home, I put my SD card into my laptop and edited the photo. Actually, all I had to do was crop it and give it a touch of saturation. I liked it so much it has become my new screen saver. Check out my blog and see what you think.
Grammar notes.
Related vocabulary: to spend time with someone, to have a feeling, a building complex, to flow.
1. It was so nice to spend time with my relatives over the Summer.
2. I have a feeling the taxi will be late; let's ask our neighbor for a ride.
3. The building complex includes residences, shops, cinemas, and even a swimming pool.
4. The architects designed the city center well; the people and traffic flow well.
Well, Halloween came and went as it does every year, leaving a house full of sweets! We had a lot of fun yesterday. I told my children that I wasn't going to buy them costumes this year. They had to find bits and pieces around the house and make do. It worked out really well, actually. One of my sons used a simple sheet to be a non-scary ghost. He ended up getting too hot under it, and not wearing it at all. My daughter dressed as a gypsy, and my other sons dressed as a Swat man, and an ugly clown. So, Tiong, to answer your question about whether my oldest is still into scary, dark stuff, I think the answer is no. So we set off around the neighborhood, knocking on doors, ringing bells, and hoping for treats. Most people in our neighborhood weren't in, so we drove to a busy area, where the houses are closer together, and the general atmosphere is one of a close community. You should have seen some of the houses! Talk about decorated! One lady opened her front door to hand out candies, and as I looked inside her large family room, I could see that she had decorated the entire ceiling with fake spiders webs, and purple and black bats and bugs. Normally, those who make an effort to decorate, just do the outside of the house. But, as they say here, she had 'gone the whole nine yards' (which means that she had taken the idea of decorating very seriously, and almost overdone it). The streets were packed with people dressed up in all sorts of costumes. There was even a tall man (one of the dads) dressed up as a deer. One house that we went to had scary statues in several places, spooky music playing, and eery lights. As we approached the candy bucket, I touched one of the statues, "Hey, he feels almost real," I said to my kids. They squeezed his arm and poked him, and at that moment he turned his head towards me. Ahhh! He was real! "How can you stand so still?" I asked him. He just shrugged. Thankfully there were some very pretty houses to stop at as well. Pumpkin carving is quite an art form, you know. And some of these neighbors were excellent at it. All in all, it was a fun and successful evening. Then came the mathematics. As soon as my children got home, they spread out their candies, grouped them, counted them, traded them, and even noticed mathematical patterns with them. Of course, as the evening went on, the groups got smaller and smaller.
Grammar notes.
Related vocabulary: to make do, the whole nine yards, eery, to shrug.
1. We only have potatoes and green beans to eat. We'll just have to make do.
2. My mother went the whole nine yards for Halloween. She decorated, dressed up, and held a party.
3. That abandoned house in the field looks quite eery, especially at night.
4. He never answers a question; he just shrugs his shoulders and says nothing.