For the past five weeks, I've been working on a very exciting project. It is something that I've wanted to do for years and years, but have not got around to doing it.(1) I have written my first ebook. It's called 'The Golden Whisper', and is free for one month at Smashwords.com. The book is for older children or young adults, and is a silly, funny story about a substitute teacher who gets involved in an adventure when she goes to work at a certain school. The story actually came to me(2) when I was substitute teaching in a local elementary school here in Wenatchee. The language level is perfect for English language learners, as it is not too complicated. The process of writing the book, formatting it for online reading, and finding an artist for the front cover, was long and exhausting. However, I'm so happy that it's finished and available to anyone. My family was surprised when I told them about it. My husband said, "That explains why you haven't been doing much housework recently." Yes, the laundry has certainly been piling up.(3) Well, the laundry can wait. This was more important. I hope that if you find the time to download it and read it (it's quite short) that you can do me the favor of leaving a comment on Smashwords.com. I love hearing from my listeners, but it would also be great to hear from you as my reading audience.
1. 'To get around to doing something' means to eventually find the motivation or opportunity to do something.
a. I'll get around to paying the bills this afternoon.
b. I did get around to washing the car when everyone left.
2. 'The story came to me' we use the verb 'to come' + 'to' + a person, referring to an idea or inspiration of some kind being received, as if it had approached that person.
a. The idea of building a holiday cottage came to me when I was on the beach.
b. The story came to me while I was on the train.
3. 'To pile up' is to place layer after layer of items in one area. We often talk about unpleasant things piling up.
a. The bills are piling up; it's so depressing.
b. The dirty dishes have piled up; someone needs to do the washing up!
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Do you find waiting frustrating at times? I do, especially when I'm waiting for someone else to complete their work, so that a project can be finished. Waiting for emails, paperwork, for someone to make his or her(1) mind up, or waiting for a telephone call, can all be exasperating(2). When I think about it, I realize that I always have a project going on. It's either one thing or another. I love projects; I love having an idea, doing some work, and seeing that idea become a reality. In my garden, it's simple. It's all up to me. I get the idea, I plan, I work, and I finish. However, when other people are involved, it's not that simple. Immigration papers are a perfect example. When I was trying to get my mother's immigration papers for the U.S approved, it was as painful as pulling teeth out. We had to wait. We had to make phone calls. We had to fill out more papers. And we had to wait again, for months and months. I can't complain, because, in the end she got her green card. The project was worth the wait(3). Well, I've just been informed of another project that was worth the wait: my Android app is finally ready. I have been emailing my host company, asking for the release date. They have been patient with me, but it has been really hard to wait, especially considering that many of my listeners have Android devices. Well, it's out; it's here, and I'm relieved. There's no more waiting; just click and enjoy.
1. 'Someone ...his or her'. The objects that follow 'someone' can vary in English. Even though 'someone' is like saying 'a person' and is therefore singular, we do cheat and sometimes use the possessive object 'their' afterwards, especially in speech. In the second sentence of the podcast I say: '...especially when I'm waiting for someone to complete their work..' Later I say, 'waiting for someone to make up his or her mind' which shows the word 'someone' as singular. Of course, the second example is the correct one, but using 'their' after someone is very common and accepted.
a. Someone needs to move their car; it's blocking the exit.
b. Someone left their muddy shoes on the carpet!
2. 'Exasperating' is one of my favorite words. It means that something is annoying, frustrating, and exhausting. It even sounds like its meaning.
a. Waiting in line in Disney Land in the middle of summer can be exasperating.
b. The argument that I had with my neighbor was exasperating; we didn't agree at all, and she didn't make any sense.
3. 'Worth the wait' is the same as saying 'worth waiting for'.
a. The app for Android was worth the wait.
b. My mother's cooking is great, even if it takes a long time for a meal to be ready; it's worth the wait.
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If you can see the photo of the bee that I recently took in my garden, you will see that it is right in the middle of a big flower. It is sitting on its target(1), working to get the pollen and the nectar. Bees are determined(2) little creatures that always make me feel lazy when I compare myself to them. I assumed that there were a few different kinds of bees, but I had no idea that there are 20,000 different kinds. Some live in communities, and some live alone. Some produce honey by gathering nectar and pollen, and others spend their time stealing those two things, instead of getting their own. We get honey and beeswax from them, but, more importantly, they are the pollinators of the world. They actually have an electrostatic charge(3), which makes pollen stick to their furry bodies, so, as they go from flower to flower, they pollinate without even realising. As well as a furry body, they have a long proboscis which is like a tongue, and two pairs of wings. Not all bees sting. The honey bee will only do so if it is threatened, and the worker honey bee actually dies if it stings. Throughout history, the bee has been a symbol of industry and hard work. Some industrious(4) cities, such as Manchester in England, have adopted the bee as its city symbol. I have taught my children to never kill any bee; they are too valuable. Plus, for quite a few years they have been under threat due to loss of habitat, parasites, and pesticides. So, when we hear a "buzz, buzz", we shouldn't be scared, we should actually be pleased that a bee is near.
1. A 'target' is a point that is aimed at.
a. The hunter practiced shooting targets before he went hunting.
b. The advertisers of diapers target mothers.
2. 'Determined' is an adjective that describes a eprson as being focused and single minded.
a. That dog is determined to catch the cat; he won't give up until he does.
b. He was determined to win the marathon, so he trained for two years.
3. 'Electrostatic'. Here we can see 'electro' from 'electricity', and 'static'. We don't often use them together.
a. If you rub a balloon on your head, your hair will stick up with static electricity.
b. An electrostatic charge is an electric charge that doesn't move, or does so very slowly.
4. Industrious is a great word. You can see that it comes from the noun 'industry'. It can describe a person, and animal, a factory, a city, or even a country.
a. Manchester is known as being an industrious city because of its history of production and invention.
b. China is an industrious nation, determined and industrious.
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Have you ever seen a diamond made up of circles? Or a mosaic(1) made up(2) of straight lines? Art that is based on geometric shapes can be fascinating. In Seatac airport near Seattle, I discovered a picture that uses only geometric shapes. It actually wasn't a painting; it was a panel of lights, each one having a color and shape in front. The main shape was a diamond or a rhombus, made up of multiple lines. Each line was a different color, and made up of many circles. The combination of colors was very striking. But what I liked more than that was its imperfection. The lines were not perfectly straight. The circles had tiny shapes inside of them, sometimes triangles, sometimes stars, but these were irregular. The art work reminded me of a picture I have at home by an artist called Paul Klee. It's called Cityscape, and is made up of squares, rectangles, triangles, parallelograms(3), trapezoids(4), and one large circle, representing the sun. I don't know why I find the combination of shapes to be so beautiful; but it is. And again, the artist makes each shape irregular in color and form. They are more like shapes that you find in nature, soft, not so sharp. Well, waiting for my mother's plane to arrive was not boring at all, because I had this fascinating panel to stare at, and was very happy to do so.
1. A mosaic is a picture or pattern made by putting together tiny pieces of colored material.
a. The mosaic in the public spa is from the Roman era.
b. The students were making mosaics out of glass squares in their art class.
2. 'To be made up of' is the same as saying 'consists of', but the former is better to use when talking about something that has been fashioned like a piece of art.
a. The floor mosaic is made up of tile and glass.
b. Our reading club is made up of people from all over the world.
3. A parallelogram has four sides, with two sets of completely parallel lines.
a. A square is a kind of parallelogram.
b. If you think about it, a diamond is a rhombus, and a rhombus is a parallelogram.
4. A trapezoid has four sides, but only one pair of parallel lines.
a. I love that modern table design; it's a trapezoid which is unusual for a table.
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