ストレスを与えるものは何ですか？

Sorry for the delay in posting the “jumpoff question” this week—life has been hectic in the last few days! But we sure that things are sunny and happy wherever you are.

This week’s question is:

What gives you stress? And when you get stressed, how do you get rid of it?
（どのようなことがあなたにストレスを与えますか？そして、ストレスになるとき、どうやってそれを解消しますか？）

But first, this week’s VOCABULARY:

get rid of ...
…を脱する, 免れる, …を取り除く, 追い払う；｟英略式｠…を売り払う
EXAMPLE:
get rid of one's stress｜ストレスを解消する

routine:
お決まりの手順, 判で押したように同じ順序, 型にはまった手口, 型どおりの文句［演技］；月並み；日常茶飯事
EXAMPLE:
an affair of fixed ［set］ routine｜お決まりの事柄

interrupt:
〈仕事などを〉中断する, 中途でやめる
EXAMPLE:
He interrupted his studies to answer the telephone.｜電話に出るため勉強を中断した.
類語「中断する」という意で, interruptは継続中のことを途中で止める点に焦点のある語. 特にだれかの発言中にさえぎる, の意でよく用いる. discontinueは特にある程度期間にわたってなされてきたことを権限をもって止めるという意味合い. suspendは特に後の再開を想定して, あることを権限をもって止めさせるという意味合い.

high maintenance:（高いメンテナンスを要する人やものを指して）やっかいな

perhaps: 副詞｟ふつう文修飾｠たぶん, おそらく, ことによると. ▼話し手の「確信度」が高いときはprobablyを用いる；perhapsはmaybeと同じだが, maybeのほうがくだけた表現
EXAMPLES:
I studied for perhaps two hours.｜たぶん2時間ぐらい勉強した
Perhaps it will rain tomorrow.｜ひょっとするとあすは雨かもしれない

OK, now to my answer:

Changing my routine usually gives me stress. I love my routine and when unexpected things interrupt that routine, I am not a happy person : - (

For example last weekend, Hiroe and I visited her hometown for her grandmother’s second year remembrance ceremony さんかいき (三回忌).

I love Hiroe’s family and I love to visit Hiroe’s her hometown, but I do get stressed when I change where I sleep, where and what I eat, where and when I take a bath, when I go to bed, when I wake up and how I relax!!! I never really thought I was a high maintenance person but MAYBE I AM!!!

I have been this way since I was a child. I loved to visit my friends and relatives, but I also loved going back home at the end of the day. Perhaps this is strange but it is what gives me stress...

When I am stressed, I try to get rid of it by watching movies, listening to music, doing some graphic design work, talking to my dog, golfing (or practicing golf) and of course, talking with my wife (although she sometimes gives me a little stress too!).

How about you? What gives you STRESS?

Be well and take care of yourselves. I will look forward to hearing your answers this when we speak this week.

Keith//

子供の頃の自分の寝室について描写して下さい。

This week's discussion topic is:
Describe your bedroom when you were a child.（子供の頃の自分の寝室について描写して下さい）。

This week’s vocabulary:

emphasize: [動詞] 力説、強調する
派生語 力説する｜ put emphasis on; put stress on

description [名詞] 記述, 叙述, 説明, （言葉による）描写
give a detailed description of ...｜…を細かに描写する

bare: [形容詞] （家具装飾などの）ない, むき出しの｟of ..., まれにin ...｠
a bare cupboard ［floor］｜からの戸棚［敷物などのない床］
a room bare of furniture｜家具のないがらんとした部屋.
with bare hands｜素手で

mean: [動詞]（meant)〈…ということを〉意味している, 物語っている
What does this saying mean？｜このことわざはどういう意味ですか

bunk bed: [名詞]（特に子供用の）2段ベッド.
chest of drawers: [名詞]（寝室用）整理だんす.
wooden trim: [名詞]〘建築・建造・建築施工〙内部の木造部；（窓枠戸などの）木部.
in addition: さらに, そのうえ, （…に）加うるに｟to ...｠.

This week we are going to emphasize description in our lessons（今週のレッスンでは、「描写する」ということに焦点をあてて進めていきます）. For example, try to describe your bedroom when you were young. What color was it? How big was it? Did you share it with any brothers or sisters or was it all yours? Did you sleep on a bed or futon? Did you have anything on the walls or were they bare? Did you have a desk? Was it a place where you relaxed, studied, talked with friends or family or did you just sleep there? Try to describe not only what it looked like, but what it meant to you. Good luck and I will look forward to hearing about your explanations this week.


Again, the discussion topic is:
Describe your bedroom when you were a child.（子供の頃の自分の寝室について描写して下さい）。

My answer:

When I was a kid, I shared a bedroom with three of my brothers; Patrick, Jimmy and Kenny. We had 2 sets of bunk-beds. Sometimes, we switched beds—sometimes I slept in the bottom bed and sometimes I slept on the top bed. It really depended on what bed my oldest brother Patrick wanted, because whatever Patrick wanted, he got.

The floor was wooden and cold in the winter time. We had a closet that was FILLED with clothes, books, games, and old toys. Near the closet, we had two chest of drawers—each of us got three drawers for all our shirts, pants, underwear and socks. I remember my drawers were on the bottom since I was the youngest of the four brothers. There were three windows that faced the street in front of our house but they were old windows that let in cold air in the winter time and didn’t open very well in the summer. The walls of the bedroom were light blue and the wooden trim was white. Every year or so, my father would repaint the room and sometimes he would change the colors but mostly they were white and blue.

Since the bedroom was on the second floor, it was VERY hot in the summertime. It was so hot that sometimes in the summer, my parents let us sleep in the first floor living room near the one family fan that we had at that time.

We had one light in the middle of the room on the ceiling. This was not so convenient since that meant when someone wanted the light on, we all had the light on. So, when one brother got up in the morning and turned on the light, the other three brothers would yell, “TURN OFF THE LIGHT!”

Since 4 of us shared the room, there was never really any time for privacy. In fact, I don’t remember having any privacy as a kid since in addition to my three brothers, I have 4 sisters. So, 8 kids and 2 parents living in a 4 bedroom house with one bathroom, meant that we shared everything and also knew everything about each other.

On the walls, my brothers hung posters of their favorite music groups and singers. My sisters got to paint pictures on their walls, but my brothers and I couldn’t do that.

I shared a bedroom with my 3 brothers until I was 9 years old. After that, I shared a room with my brother Kenny until I finally got my own room when I was a junior in high school.

Sharing a room with my brothers is a great memory for me.

Be well and I will look forward to hearing about your memories when we speak this week.

Keith//

一番重要だと思われる革新、変化は?

This week's discussion question is:

In your lifetime, what do you think has been the biggest innovation or change in the world (or Japan)?
（あなたの生涯の中で、世界で（あるいは日本で）一番重要だと思われる革新、変化は何ですか？）

This Week’s Key Vocabulary:

lifetime 名詞｟ふつう単数形｠
一生, 生涯, 終生
the chance ［the experience］ of a lifetime｜またとない機会［経験］.

innovation 名詞
1) 新しく採り入れたもの（新考案, 機軸, 制度, 施設など）；改変［工夫］したもの
an unheard-of innovation｜前代未聞の新機軸.
2) Ｕ革新, 刷新
technological innovation｜技術革新.

undergraduate 名詞 • 形容詞
（大学院生に対して）学部の学生（の）
take an undergraduate course｜学部のコースをとる
He is an undergraduate at the University of Michigan.｜ミシガン大学の学部生です.

current 形容詞｟限定｠
1) 今の, 現時の, 新しい, 最新の；当世［現代］風の, はやりの
current English｜現代［時事］英語
the current fiscal year｜今会計年度
the current price｜時価
the current issue of a magazine｜雑誌の今号
the current style｜当世の流行型
2) 一般に知られて［行われて］いる；〈情報が〉流布している；〈慣行が〉通例となっている, 習慣的な；〈貨幣が〉流通している(circulating)
the current use of the word｜その語の慣用法
current funds｜流動資金（有価証券手形小切手など即時換金できるもの）.

static 形容詞　せいたい【静態】
派生語 静態の｜static; stationary

everyday 形容詞｟限定｠
平日の, ふだんの, 日常の；ありふれた；平凡な
an everyday thing｜日常茶飯事

My answer:

I think the biggest change or innovation in my lifetime has to be the Internet. I remember very clearly the first time I used the Internet. When I was an undergraduate student, I used a program called “gophernet” to look up some really basic information about the University of Minnesota. I was AMAZED to see current information on a computer because until that time, I had only used computer programs or other static information.

And now, just 17 years or so later, I use the Internet everyday to listen to music, watch movies, find all kinds of information, communicate with my friends, students and family, do shopping and get daily news. It is now an everyday thing in my life.

How about you? What do you think is the most important change or innovation in your lifetime?

I will look forward to hearing your answer.

Be well,

Keith//

どんな才能を持ってみたいですか？

Hello everyone. Last week's answers to the question, "have you ever stolen anything?" were very interesting. Almost everyone I spoke to had stolen something in their lives. Only two students said they hadn't stolen anything. However, to be fair, everyone who did steal something had done it when they were young. Perhaps it has something to do with our age.

Ok, let's move on to this week:

This Week’s Key Vocabulary:

Talent（生来の）才能, 素質；手腕, 力量, 腕前｟for ...｠
a writer of talent｜才能ある作家
a talent for the piano｜ピアノの才能
She has a ［no］ talent for painting.｜画才がある［ない］.

A musical instrument がっき【楽器】
弦［管 / 打］楽器｜a stringed [wind / percussion] instrument
⇒コラム「音楽」

This week's discussion question is:

What talent would love to have?
どんな才能を持ってみたいですか？

My answer:

I would love to be able to make music. I LISTEN to Internet radio on my computer every day and I always listen to CDs in my car but...

I would love to be able to sing. I sometimes sing in the shower or in the car, but I really would love to sing WELL in front of others. When I lived in Tokyo, I often went to karaoke with my friends and after a few beers, I THOUGHT I could sing well, but truthfully, I am not very good.

I also would love to play an instrument. My favorite instrument is the guitar but honestly, I would love to play ANY INSTRUMENT! I have always had a dream to sit around a campfire while playing the guitar and singing with my friends.

Now, how about you? What talent would you love to have?

I will look forward to hearing your answers.

Be well,

Keith//