ザリッチジャパン blog

あなたは迷信を信じますか？

2010-10-12T19:23:00.000+09:00

Are you superstitious?

The reason I ask is because as most of you probably know, last Sunday was October 10, 2010 or 10/10/10 and for many people, they saw yesterday as a very special day and one that would bring them luck.

Similar to August 8, 2008 (08/08/08) and July 7, 2007 (07/07/07), there was a rush on for many people to get married, buy lottery tickets, and to just generally feel lucky.

I’m not someone who believes such things but there are many people who do. For example, there are many who believe the interpretation of the ancient Mayan calendar that the world will end on December 21, 2012. Some see it as a sign of positive transformation and others believe it is the “end of days” as told in the Bible.

I have heard these kinds of beliefs for many years and each time they come and go, the same people who predicted the end was near, seem to look for the new date they can begin to look forward to as the “new” end. For example, does anyone remember the Y2K bug? This was the date that many predicted was going to be the end of the world or at least the end to the Internet and the rest of our technological infrastructure. However, December 31st quietly turned into January 1st with very little commotion beyond the usual champagne and fireworks.

Some people believe in lucky numbers like 7 and 11 and others believe that the number 13 is equally unlucky. Some hotels and office buildings don’t have a 13th floor because some superstitious people may not feel comfortable living or working there. Incredible!

But there are more than just numerological superstitions. Some people always put their pants on right leg first, or vice versa. Some people can only sleep on the left side of the bed (or vice versa). Some people believe if they see a black cat, they will have bad luck. Again, incredible!

There are other common bad luck superstitions in the US, for example:

Broken mirrors
Ladders
Owls
Salt
Sparrows

And there are some good luck superstitions:
Horseshoes
Four leaf clovers
A rabbit's foot
An itchy palm
Wishbones

So, you probably already know my feelings about this so how about you? Are you superstitious? What kind of superstitions are there in Japanese culture? What kind of superstitions do you have in your life?

I will look forward to hearing your answers when we speak this week.

Be well,

This week's vocabularies:

superstitious
迷信を信じる

there was a rush on
あわてて行動を起こす

lottery
宝くじ

interpretation
解釈

ancient Mayan
古代マヤ人

positive transformation
ポジティブな変容

end of days
この世の終わり

bible
聖書

beliefs
信じられていること

come and go
出たり、消えたり

predict
予言する

Y2K bug
2000年問題

technological infrastructure
テクノロジーの基盤

commotion
動揺

equally unlucky
同じくらいアンラッキーな

Incredible!
信じられない！

numerological
数秘術的な

vice versa
逆の場合も同じ

broken mirrors
壊れた鏡

ladders
はしご

owl
ふくろう

sparrow
すずめ

horseshoe
馬蹄（ばてい）

four leaf clover
４つ葉のクローバー

a rabbit's foot
ウサギの後ろ足

itchy palm
かゆい手の平

wishbone
暢思（ちょうし）

pastedGraphic

後悔していることはありますか？

2010-10-05T21:54:00.000+09:00

Do you have any regrets in life? Are there any times when you wonder what your life would have been like if you had made some different decisions or chosen a different path? Are there times when you have felt regret over a decision that you made? Or perhaps, do you regret not making a particular decision in your life?

Almost everyone I know (including myself, of course!) has made some poor choices or have made a regrettable decision. I think this is somewhat natural and I also believe that poor decisions or regrets are a great chance to learn life’s most valuable lessons. I have made many mistakes and have regretted some of them however, I know that all of my errors and missteps have brought me to where I am today.

The Irish poet, Oscar Wilde once said, “One's real life is often the life that one does not lead”(自らの意志で創りあげる人生よりも、ほとんどの場合、そうしてこなかったことの方が現実の人生となる）.

Do you think this is true for you?

And if you could go back in time, what, if anything, would you do differently?

I will look forward to your answers when we speak this week.

Take care,

Keith//

regret
後悔する／残念に思う

wonder
不思議に思う

choose a different path
違う道を選択する

particular
独自の

make a poor decision
（今となっては）良いと思えない決断をする

make a regrettable decision
後悔する決断をする

somewhat
いくぶんか

life’s most valuable lessons
人生で一番価値のある学び

error
間違い

missteps
誤り

あなたは太り過ぎだと思いますか？

2010-09-27T20:59:00.000+09:00

Last week, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) released new statistics for the most overweight countries in the world. The most obese countries are as follows:

Mexico (69.5% of people are overweight)
America (68% of people are overweight)
New Zealand (62.6 of people are overweight)
Australia (61.4% of people are overweight)
United Kingdom (61.4% of people are overweight)
Ireland (61% of people are overweight)
Iceland (60.2% of people are overweight)
Canada (60% of people are overweight)
Chile (59.7% of people are overweight)
Greece (58.9% of people are overweight)
Slovenia (55.1% of people are overweight)
Luxembourg (54.8% of people are overweight)
Spain (54.8% of people are overweight)

(Japan and Korea tied for last with about 2% to 3% of people described as obese.)

This information was released just after another study that was done in America by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that said that only 23% of meals include a vegetable. The number of dinners prepared at home that included a salad was 17% (in 1994, it was 22%). And at restaurants, salads ordered as a main course at either lunch or dinner was only 5%.

Of course, eating vegetables alone cannot make someone slim, however, I believe that a variety of food is the key to a healthy diet. Of course, there are many other factors that contribute to weight gain for example exercise or stress, but the fact remains that many people around the world are gaining weight like never before. Are you one of them? You can look at the chart on the left to calculate your ideal weight.

That brings me to this week’s question(s):

Do you think you are overweight? More importantly, do you believe you are healthy? How has your lifestyle and diet changed since you were younger? For example, do you eat the same kinds of food as when you were a kid? Do you exercise more or less than when you were younger? What are some of your bad habits regarding your diet?

I will look forward to hearing your answers when we speak this week.

Be well,

This week’s vocabulary:

released
公表された

statistics
統計

overweight
太り過ぎ

obese
過度の肥満

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
米国疾病対策センター

prepared
用意される

main course
メインコース

slim
ほっそりした

variety
多様な

key
手がかり

healthy diet
健康的なダイエット

factors
要因

contribute
寄与する

the fact remains
その事実は相変わらずである

like never before
かつてないほどの

calculate
計算する

lifestyle
ライフスタイル

bad habits
悪い習慣

お金がいくらあれば幸せですか？

2010-09-15T07:26:00.000+09:00

Please Note: I know that money and salary are slightly taboo topics so before we speak, I want you to know that during our classes this week, I do not want to know how much money you make, I simply want to talk about how much money would make you happy. OK, on to the question.　

注釈：お金や収入について話題にあげることは、わずかながらタブーであることは理解していますので、このトピックについて話す前にわかっておいて頂きたいのは、レッスンで話すとき、あなたが今どれくらいの収入があるかを聞きたいのでなく、「どれくらいあればあなたは幸せだと感じるか？」について話し合えたらと思っています。よろしいでしょうか？それでは、本題に入ります。

How much money do you need to be happy? For most of us, there is a real connection between our happiness and the amount of money we make. But this week’s question is, how much money is enough—how much money do we really need to be happy?

Of course, if people don’t have enough money to eat or properly care for themselves or their families, they will not be happy. But the results of a new study that was conducted at Princeton University in the US concluded that for Americans, $75,000 dollars per year ( 6,316,365 Japanese Yen ) seems to be just enough to make someone happy.

The study showed that the lower someone’s annual income was below $75,000, the unhappier they felt. This seems quite obvious, however, the study also showed that when someone’s annual income was more than $75,000 they didn’t have a higher degree of happiness. In other words, even if someone makes for example $150,000 a year, they aren’t any happier on any given day than compared with someone who makes $75,000.

Now this is the tricky part. The authors of the study identified two kinds of happiness, 1) someone’s daily mood and general outlook in life and 2) someone’s true level of satisfaction with their life and their career. This study concluded that someone’s overall mood and general life outlook does not appear to change even though they make more than $75,000 per year.

So how about you? How much money can buy you happiness? Is there some amount that would make you happy? I will look forward to hearing your answers when we speak this week.

Be well and make lots of money!

Keith//

This week’s vocabulary:

connection
関係、つながり

properly
きちんと

results
結果

study
研究

conducted
実施した

concluded
結果を出した

seems
〜のようである

just enough
丁度十分な

annual income
年収

felt
感じた

obvious
明らか

degree
度合い

in other words
他の言葉で言うと、

on any given day
与えられた日

tricky
ややこしい

authors
筆者たち

identified
認識する

outlook in life
人生の展望

true level of satisfaction
真の満足レベル

「尻に敷く」人は誰？

2010-09-07T17:03:00.000+09:00

Title：「尻に敷く」人は誰？

There is an English expression to describe the dominant member of a family or the dominant person in a relationship. We say that person, “wears the pants.”

The phrase came from a time when men typically were the leaders of a house and when women usually wore dresses, not pants.

In my family when I was younger, my father “wore the pants.” Whenever a big decision needed to be made, my father was the one who made it. My mother made many everyday decisions but in the end, it was always my father who made final decisions and the person in charge of discipline.

I think it is safe to say that regarding discipline, all of my brothers and sisters feared my father. At times, my mother was strict but she usually was softhearted and understanding. However, my father was quite the opposite: when I did something wrong, I knew that my father would discipline me.

Now that I am married, I try to have a marriage that is equal—where both my wife and I make decisions based on our best interests. It sometimes works and sometimes fails but we do the best we can!

So, who wears that pants in your family or in your relationship? And when you were younger, who wore that pants in your family?

I will look forward to speaking to you about your answers this week.

Keith//

This week’s vocabulary:

expression
言い回し

describe
表現する

dominant
権力を持つ

wears the pants
「尻に敷く」

a time when...
...の時代

typically
通常は

in the end
最後は

in charge of
〜を任されている（管理している）

discipline
躾

it is safe to say...
...と言ったほう無難である

fear (someone or something)
恐れる

strict
厳しい

softhearted
やさしい

understanding
理解ある

quite the opposite
全く正反対

based on our best interests
お互いにとって一番利になることを基本にして

we do the best we can
お互いにベストを尽くす

人生で一番大切なものは？そして、足りないと感じているものは？

2010-08-24T20:44:00.000+09:00

This week, let’s discuss two main questions: 1) What are the things that are most important in your life and 2) what, if anything, is missing in your life?

I was thinking about this question after I read a news story about a family that just returned to the US after a 7-year journey around the world on their 43 foot (13 meter) sailboat.

In 2001, Tom and Kathy Crafton were a successful couple living in Alaska with their three children. They both had good jobs but they said they felt like something was missing in their lives. So after taking sailing lessons, they sold their home in Alaska and and most of their belongings and left on a journey with no timeline and no destination. They didn’t know how long they would be gone and they didn’t really care. They said they did it because they wanted to be closer as a family and they wanted to find happiness and adventure.

All in all, they traveled to 23 different countries and sailed over 48,000 kilometers. And now that they are back in the US, they said they feel like life has a different meaning. They said they now appreciate life and their family more and that their journey gave them the opportunity to slow down. They said they miss the adventure but they are forever changed by their journey.

If you want to see a video of their story, please click this video link. （最初の１５秒はコマーシャルが流れます。）

So how about you? What is important to you? Is there anything missing in your life? And if there is something missing, how can you get it? I will look forward to hearing your answers when we speak this week.

Keith//

This week’s vocabulary:

What is missing in your life
人生で何か足りないか？

journey
旅

sailboat
ヨット

belongings
所有物

timeline
タイムライン

destination
行く先/目的地

life has a different meaning
人生が（今までとは）違う意味を持つ

appreciate
感謝する

opportunity
機会

slow down
スピードダウンする

they are forever changed by their journey
彼らは、その旅によって、永遠に変わってしまった。

お盆をどのように過しますか？

2010-08-17T20:08:00.000+09:00

I took a little break from the weekly question last week because so many students took an O-Bon holiday. But now I am back to work and ready for the dog days of summer.

So let’s start our conversations this week with a few simple questions about O-Bon.

What did you do for the O-Bon holiday?
Do you do the same thing every year?
Do you or does your family follow some traditions for O-Bon?
Do you or does your family eat, drink or do anything special for O-Bon?

Last Saturday, my wife and I went to her hometown and paid our respects to her ancestors. We went to different cemeteries and prayed at the graves of her mother’s side of the family as well as her father’s. In addition to praying at the ancestor’s graves, we also visited the graves of various friends and acquaintances that played important parts in the lives of my wife’s family.

For my wife’s family, like most Japanese families, it is an annual custom to visit the cemetery and pray to and for our ancestors. And in my wife’s family, it is also part of their custom to visit other relatives’ houses in order to pray at their family altars, especially if someone in that family has died in the last year.

After we return from the cemetery, it is customary to eat my mother-in-law’s home-made breakfast, talk and share some laughs. This year, my mother-in-law made black rockfish, rice, pickles, grilled abalone, salad and fresh sliced peaches.

How about you? I will look forward to hearing about your O-bon holiday when we speak next.

This week’s vocabularies:

take a break
休みを取る

O-bon
お盆

dog days of summer
夏中で一番暑い時期

tradition
伝統、慣習

pay respects
敬意を払う

ancestors
先祖

cemetery
墓地

pray
祈る

mother’s side of the family
母方の家族

father’s side of the family
父方の家族

grave
お墓

acquaintances
知り合い

custom
習慣

family altar
仏壇

black rockfish
めばる（魚）

pickles
漬け物

abalone
あわび

”ジャパニーズ・ドリーム”は何？

2010-08-03T13:05:00.000+09:00

This week, let’s talk about something called the “American Dream”, the stereotypical ideal life and lifestyle in America. Then, let’s talk about what is the “Japanese Dream” for most Japanese (if there is one)?

The phrase "American Dream" was coined in 1931 by an American writer named James Adams in his book, The Epic of America. Part of what Adams wrote was that the “American Dream” was, "a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement...It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position." （アメリカンドリームとは、誰にでも、成功への機会は、均等に与えられており、人種や性別、社会的地位に関係なく、勤勉と努力によって、成功を勝ち取ることが出来るものとされている、アメリカ合衆国における成功の概念。最近では、アメリカン・ドリームと言うと、物質的所有を成功の象徴としているが、元々は、社会平等である理想の国づくりを目指したところにあった概念であった。）

When America was founded, this was the American Dream but certainly after World War II, during the baby boom, I believe the American Dream changed to mean something much different, something that has been more about material goods rather than wanting to live in a country where all people are treated equally.

Since the end of WWII, the most common stereotypical image of the American Dream has been:

A big house with a white picket fence
A beautiful wife (for a man) or a handsome husband with a good paying job (for a woman)
Two kids (a boy and a girl)
Two cars
A dog
And enough money to keep up with the Joneses.

Now of course, this is a stereotypical image of America and Americans but this stereotype has been the norm for the last 60 years or so. That popular view is changing with the next generation and as is often the case, when there is a fundamental change in society, there is usually tension, disagreement and often anger. This is where America is today—fighting over the direction of the future of America.

So my question is; Is there a Japanese equivalent of the American Dream in Japanese society? What is the typical dream for families in Japan? What was it for your parent’s generation? How about the next generation? Would you fight to keep the dream the way it is? And what is your “Japanese Dream”?

I will look forward to hearing your thoughts and opinions when we speak next.

Keith//

Vocabularies:

American Dream
アメリカンドリーム
（米国建国の理想）

stereotypical
ステレオタイプの

ideal
理想

coin
（語句を）新しくつくる

founded
建国された

baby boom
ベピーブーム

material goods
物質的な所有物

white picket fence
白い杭のフェンス

keep up with the Joneses
隣人たちと張り合う
（例えば、誰かが新しい車を買ったら、それに後れを取らないように自分達も新しい車を買うといった行為に関して使う表現）

fundamental
根底となる

tension
緊張感

disagreement
意見の相違

equivalent
同等のもの

他国の文化からあなたが学んだことは？

2010-08-01T13:04:00.000+09:00

In this week’s question, I wonder what (if anything) you have learned from others, specifically, other cultures.

As for me...

Since I first traveled to Japan, I feel very fortunate about my personal perspective: I have been able to see America from the outside looking in and I have been able to be an outsider on the inside of Japan. And the one part about living in Japan that has been the most fascinating to me is the subtlety of the culture and the people. Of course not always, but more often than not, the methodical and reserved disposition is the norm in Japan and perhaps that is why I feel a little more comfortable living here in Ise City than I ever have in the US.

Being an American and especially in my house, since I grew up with 7 brothers and sisters, I learned from a very young age that usually the person who is loudest, usually gets what he or she wants. That idea seems to be quite opposite of life in Japan. And even though here are many things that American boldness and daring has brought the world, for me, when there is too much of it, it makes me feel a little uneasy. Living in Japan gives me a sense of calmness that I cannot always find when living in America.

So how about you? What are some things (if anything) that you have learned from other cultures you have been exposed to?

I will look forward to hearing your answers when we speak next.

Keith//

specifically
特に

fortunate
運が良い（恵まれている）

personal perspective
個人的な視点

from the outside looking in
外側から覗く

an outsider on the inside of Japan
日本の中の部外者

fascinating
惹き付けられる

subtlety
繊細さ

methodical
几帳面さ

reserved disposition is the norm
控えめな姿勢が平均的である

the person who is loudest, usually gets what he or she wants
声を一番上げる人が、通常ほしいものを得る

boldness
図太さ

daring
大胆さ

uneasy
落ち着かない

公の場での愛情表現について

2010-07-20T22:49:00.000+09:00

Do you ever engage in any kind of a PDA?
What kind of PDAs, if any, are acceptable to you?
What kind of PDAs are acceptable in Japan?
How about when you were younger—were any kind of PDAs acceptable in Japan?
How does it make you feel when you see a PDA at a park or in the train?

A PDA, or public display of affection, is a physical expression of love or affection for someone while in public. Some simple examples that you might see in Japan are holding hands, kissing, cuddling, hugging or declarations of love (saying, “I love you”, etc.).

In general, I feel that in America, people are more tolerant of PDAs than in Japan. Although most people aren’t comfortable being around people engaging in a PDA, I feel I see it more often while I am in America.

I, like most people, am not comfortable around someone passionately kissing or groping but I have no problem with a couple holding hands, hugging or even when they are expressing their love in words. With all of the anger and violence in this world, it is sometimes nice to see two people happy and in love.

There are times when my wife and I engage in a PDA—for example, we sometimes hold hands when we are at a park or on a walk along the river but we also feel there is a time, place and occasion (TPO) for everything.

We normally wouldn’t hug or kiss in public, but if we were leaving each other at a train station or airport, for example, we might give each other a short hug or even a peck on the cheek, but never more than that. We understand that a small hug or kiss on the cheek might make others feel a little uncomfortable, but our desire to express our feelings sometimes outweigh our concern for others.

How about you? What are your feelings about PDAs for yourself, your family or Japanese society?

I will look forward to hearing your thoughts when we speak this week.

Be well,

This week’s vocabularies:

engage in
関わる

PDA
公の場での愛情表現

acceptable
受け入れられる

physical expression of love
愛情の身体表現

affection
愛情

public
公

holding hands
手をつなぐ

cuddling
抱擁する

declaration of love
愛の告白

in general
一般的に

tolerant
寛大に

passionately kissing
情熱的なキス

groping
身体をまさぐる

TPO
ティーピーオー（Time, Place, Occasion)

a peck on the cheek
頬に軽くキス

outweigh
．．．に勝る

人生で一番のケガや病気は？

2010-07-13T21:48:00.000+09:00

I was in the doctor’s office last week and I was thinking about the different injuries and illnesses I have had in my life and was a little bit surprised after I made a list. There are some people who have never had any injuries or illnesses but I am not one of them! I have had a handful of different illnesses and injuries but I actually consider myself pretty lucky—I am pretty healthy compared to some people I know!

So that brings us to this week’s question:

What are some injuries or medical problems you have had in your lifetime? And what is the worst injury or sickness you’ve had?

My answer:
I have had several broken bones but none since moving to Ise (knock on wood!). For example, I broke my arm, my ankle, my wrist, a few fingers, my thumb and I broke my back a few years ago. I have had stitches on my head, face, hands, and legs. I’ve had a concussion and I got knocked out once when I was a kid. If you want to know how I got these injuries, ask me during class!

As for other medical problems, I used to have high blood pressure when I was a kid. I used to have really serious food allergies, even though most of them have subsided in recent years. I also have a bunion on my right foot and I have flat feet!

Probably the most serious injury I've ever had was when I got knocked out while playing baseball when I was an elementary school student. I got hit in the mouth with a bat one day in gym class and got my front tooth knocked out and stitches in my lip. As my dentist can tell you, I am still suffering from that injury almost 30 years later!!!

So how about you? Have you had any injuries or medical problems in your lifetime? If yes, let’s discuss them when we speak to each other next.

Have a great week and be careful—don’t get injured before class!

Keith//

This week’s vocabularies:

injury
けが

illness
病気

handful
手に余るほど

knock on wood
そうなりませんように．．．（木をたたくと悪を払い除くことができる、という迷信から来ている言葉）

concussion
脳しんとう

knock out
意識を失う

high blood pressure
高血圧

food allergies
食アレルギー

subside
治まる

in recent years
近年では

bunion
足の親指の付け根の部分の骨（腱膜瘤-けんまくりゅう）

flat feet
扁平足

suffer
病む／苦しむ

自分に影響を与えた先生は誰ですか？

2010-06-27T13:16:00.000+09:00

Please check the vocabulary below.

This week’s question:

Whether it was in pre-school, elementary school, junior high school, senior high school or university, who was your favorite teacher? What subject did they teach and what impact did they have on your life?

My answer:

I have had many good teachers in my life but there are a few that really stand out. The first was Ms. Woog, my kindergarten teacher. She was always cheerful and exciting and she always made me feel safe. I will always remember one day when my dog “Noche” followed me to school. When I told Noche to go home, he didn’t listen to me, he only wagged his tail. So when Ms. Woog saw me, she let me take Noche inside to play with the students. Then she called my mother and asked her to pick Noche up. So, my class got to play with my dog until my mother picked him up. I thought that was really cool when I was 5 and a half years old.

When I was in 4th grade elementary student, Mrs. Doreau taught me about weather, geography and physical science. She always made her classes fun and exciting. I didn’t know I was learning—I thought I was just having fun—what a great teacher! To this day, I still can look up at the the sky and identify what kind of clouds I am looking at, all thanks to her.

Next, is my Mr. Callanan, one of my high school English literature teachers. He taught me about Shakespeare, Greek tragedies, and the power of the English language. He was always passionate about English and even more passionate about his students.

And finally, when I was 20 years old and somewhat directionless in university, spending more time partying and having fun with my friends, I met Professor Keen. And soon after I met Professor Keen, my life changed. After looking at my grades and hearing my story, he frankly told me that I had to stop having so much fun and start working harder. He taught me to focus on what was beyond the textbooks and to focus on what I was passionate about. He taught me more about life than science and for that I will be eternally grateful.

How about you? Who were some of your favorite teachers and what did they teach you?

I will look forward to hearing from you.

Be well,

Keith//

This week's vocabularies:

subject
（教科の）科目

impact
影響を与える

stand out
目立つ/印象に強く残る

kindergarten
幼稚園

wag his tail
しっぽを振る

weather
天気

geography
地理学

physical science
自然科学

identify
見分ける

clouds
雲

all thanks to her
全ては彼女のおかげ

Shakespeare
シェークスピア

Greek tragedies
ギリシャ悲劇

directionless
目標がない

partying
パーティに行く

grades
成績

frankly
率直に

beyond the textbooks
教科書に書いてある内容を越えて

eternally grateful
永遠に感謝する

「黄金律」に従って生きていますか？

2010-06-07T22:41:00.000+09:00

*太字の単語やフレーズは、今週のボキャブラリーです。この記事の最後に詳しい説明を載せています。

Growing up in my house, there were many rules. My parents always told me that I should be honest, share when I had enough, always ask before taking, and I should always be polite, especially to my elders. But the number one rule was always the “golden rule”. I remember my mother often telling me that I should always treat people with kindness and respect, even when they were unkind or disrespectful to me. My mother would ask me, “do you want people to be nice to you?” and of course I would answer, “Yes.” She would then say, “then you should always be kind and respectful to others.”

I remember it wasn’t always easy as a kid to follow the golden rule but as I got a little older, the golden rule was—and still is—the most important rule in my life. Whether it is a stranger I meet, my friends, my family or my wife, I always do my best to treat people with respect and kindness since that is how I want others to treat me.

How about you? Do you live by the golden rule? Also, what were some rules in your house when you were growing up?

I look forward to hearing your answers when we speak this week.

Be well.

Keith//

growing up
大人になる

...share when I had enough
充分に持っているときは、まわりにシェアする

always ask before taking...
自分の所有物でないものを借りたり、頂くときは、必ずその人に聞く

elders
先輩、年配の人や年上の人

golden rule
黄金律

treat people
（人を）扱う

unkind
不親切

disrespectful
無礼な

stranger
知らない人

今までに「ずる休み」をしたことはありますか？もししたことがあるなら、そのことについて教えて下さい。

2010-06-01T20:07:00.000+09:00

This week, I'm going to take it easy and play hooky from the weekly question!

今までに「ずる休み」をしたことはありますか？

Have you ever played hooky from something? If you have any comments or questions or would like to answer ANY of the questions from the past, please comment below. Thanks and I will see you all next week with a new question!

もししたことがあるなら、そのことについて教えて下さい。

Keith//

This week's vocabularies:

take it easy:
のんびりする. ▼take things easyともいう.

hooky:｟米略式｠学校のずる休み
play hooky｜ずる休みをする. ⇒TRUANT

今の仕事に就いた理由は何ですか？

2010-05-25T21:51:00.000+09:00

*太字の単語やフレーズは、今週のボキャブラリーです。この記事の最後に詳しい説明を載せています。

This week's question focuses on how and why you decided on your job.

My answer:

I decided to work as an independent English teacher because before working for myself, I worked in and around Tokyo for two different language schools, AEON and a smaller language school near Chiba City. And all the while I worked for someone else, I always wanted to do things my way. I wanted to teach what I thought was important. And I always wanted to have time to focus on individual students’ needs.

When I worked at other schools, I couldn’t do that because there were just too many students. At one point when I worked at AEON Ikebukuro in Tokyo, the school had over 1,200 students! I didn’t teach all of the students but I knew or taught most of them. And when I worked in Chiba, it was pretty much the same—there were many students but I couldn’t give them a lot of individual time because I was just too busy! On the bright side however, I got to meet MANY different kind of people. And that was VERY fun.

Some of the positives of being an independent English teacher are:

I can give students more personal attention
I can personalize lessons for students
I can teach face to face or I can teach via the Internet and SKYPE
I can get to know my students better than before.

Some of the negatives of being an English teacher...

NONE! (that is a diplomatic answer!)

How about you?

How and why did you decide to be a __________ ?
What are some positives of your work?
What are some negatives of your work?

I will look forward to speaking to you about them when we speak this week.

Be well and healthy,

Keith//

This week’s vocabulary:

decide
決める

independent
独立した

all the while
その間ずっと

pretty much the same
ほとんど同じ

on the bright side
良い点は、

personal attention
より個人的な配慮

via
経由、〜によって

diplomatic answer
そつのない答え

類似語を使いこなす

2010-05-18T20:53:00.000+09:00

This week’s question focuses on using words with similar meanings. Hiroe and I were doing some work last week when we came across the word, “revere.” There are many words that are similar, but of course, each has a different nuance and are therefore, NOT THE SAME! Here are some of the words that are similar to “revere”:

admire someone (or something)
adore someone (or something)
idolize someone
respect someone (or something)
look up to someone (or something)

So that made me think. Who do I revere? Who do I admire, Who do I adore? Who do I idolize? Who do I respect and who do I look up to?

So in order to practice some similar English vocabulary, this week’s question is WHO or WHAT do you:

revere
admire
adore
idolize
respect
look up to

Let me see if I can explain more by giving you my answers.

I revere Martin Luther King, Jr. because of his courage and his commitment to nonviolent resistance even when he was faced with incredible hatred and violence.

I admire humility and selflessness. Only some people can have a world impact. However, I think that everyone can impact their part of the world by respecting others and helping people whenever we can.

I adore my wife Hiroe because of her inner and outer beauty, her sense of humor and her perpetual energy.

I idolize Elvis Presley because he was a one of a kind. And the greatest performer ever!

I respect Hiroe’s family’s work ethic. They are principled and always have their priorities in order.

I look up to my older brother Patrick because of his sense of honor and duty and his attitude about life. He never backs down from a challenge or hurdle in life.

So, how about you. Who or what are some things you revere, admire, adore, idolize, respect or look up to? I will look forward to hearing your thoughts when we speak this week.

Be well,

Keith//

This week’s vocabularies:

similar
類似した
came across
（偶然に）目にする、見つける
revere
崇敬する（崇めるという意味で、尊敬の最上位）
nuance
ニュアンス、微妙な意味合い
admire
立派であり、すばらしいと思う／感心するという意味の尊敬
adore
敬愛する／大好きである
idolize
熱中/心酔する
respect
敬意を払う（一般的に使われることが一番多い）
look up to
尊敬する（「見上げる」という意味から、年齢や立場が明らかに目上の人に対して使われることが多い）
nonviolent resistance
非暴力抵抗運動
faced with
面と向き合う
humility
謙虚さ
selflessness
無我の心
perpetual energy
絶えることのないエネルギー
one of a kind
この世に１つしかない
work ethic
仕事に対する倫理観
principled
主義に基づいた生き方
priorities in order.
優先順位にかなってやっている
duty
義務/責任
backs down
折れる/降参する
hurdle
ハードル/障害

英語で「手順」を説明する。

2010-05-09T14:49:00.000+09:00

*太字の単語やフレーズは、今週のボキャブラリーです。この記事の最後に詳しい説明を載せています。

I hope everyone had a safe and relaxing golden week. I will look forward to hearing about what you did when we speak this week.

And in addition to that, this week, let’s focus on giving directions.

Directions are VERY useful. We must use directions when someone asks for advice or when you are teaching someone how to do something. These could be directions on how to buy a train ticket, directions on how to grow a tomato plant, directions on how to drive to your house, or directions on explaining how to cook something. Directions are sometimes simple and sometimes difficult but they are ALWAYS good to know.

Some examples we can practice this week are:

How do I buy a house in Japan?
How do I get a driver’s license in Japan?
How can I become a personal coach?
How do I make curry rice?
How do I buy a bullet train ticket?
How do I get into Tokyo University?
How do I get to your house from the nearest station?
How do I grow a garden?

We can practice directions more when we speak this week and as an example, I will give directions on how to make a pot of brown tea.

First, you need the following ingredients before you begin.

water
milk
honey
loose brown tea

Directions

First, fill your tea kettle with water. Then, put the kettle on the stove and heat until the water boils.

Next, put about 1 tablespoon of loose brown tea leaves into your teapot.

After that, fill your teapot with hot water.

Then, wait between 3 and 4 minutes while the tea steeps.

Next, pour the tea into a cup while filtering out the loose tea.

After that, add about 1 teaspoon of honey and stir well.

Then, add about 20cc of milk and stir once more.

And finally, enjoy your tea.

Now how about you? What kind of directions can you give me?

I look forward to hearing your directions when we speak this week.

Be well,

Keith//

*This week’s vocabularies:

directions
手順、方法

useful
役に立つ

advice
アドバイス

explain
説明する

good to know
知っておくと良いこと

driver’s license
自動車運転免許

bullet train
新幹線

grow a garden
野菜（花）を育てる

ingredients
材料

loose brown tea
（ティーバックに入っていない）バラの紅茶の葉

fill
〜でいっぱいにする

heat
温める

boil
沸かす

steep
ふやける

filter
こす（濾過する）

stir
かき回す

once more
もう一度

あなたの大切な人との関係について

2010-04-19T22:40:00.000+09:00

*太字の単語やフレーズは、今週のボキャブラリーです。この記事の最後に詳しい説明を載せています。

My wife and I had a good row last week (as we sometimes do) and that got me thinking about this week’s question! I love my wife with all my heart but even though that is true, she and I sometimes drive each other crazy! I think that having an honest discussion is always helpful but sometimes, we let our anger take over and that is never a good idea. The American humorist, Robert Quillen famously once said that “discussion is an exchange of knowledge; argument is an exchange of ignorance” and as much as I agree with that idea, I do occasionally act ignorantly...

So, this week’s question focuses on your closest relationship in your life, whether that is a spouse, significant other, a best friend, a brother or sister or a parent. What are some positive and negatives within the relationship. For example, what do they do that makes you happy and what, if anything, do they do that drives you crazy?

I look forward to speaking to you this week and hearing what drives you crazy.

Be well,

Keith//

row
けんか

that got me thinking
そのことで考えさせられた

with all my heart
心の底から

drive someone crazy
誰かをいらいらさせる

honest discussion
本音の話し合い

we let our anger take over
怒りの感情を優先させる

humorist
ユーモア作家

exchange of knowledge
互いの知識をやりとりする

argument
そうぞうしい口論

exchange of ignorance
互いの無知さをやりとりする

act ignorantly
無知な態度を取る

significant other
大切な相手（恋人など）

今現在の住まいの近隣について、何が好き、嫌い？

2010-04-12T22:32:00.000+09:00

Hello everyone—sorry for the delay!

This week’s question focuses on what you like and dislike about your neighborhood.

I have a friend who is unhappy that her company recently decided to relocate her. She said she likes her apartment and her neighborhood and she is really happy where she currently lives and she would rather not start over again in a new city. She said she likes the people, the parks, the restaurants, the stores, the nightlife, and the safety of her current neighborhood but she will try to get used to her new neighborhood as soon as she can. She said she is looking forward to the challenge but she will be sad to leave.

So, that brings us to this week’s questions:
What are some favorable or some unfavorable things about your neighborhood? And, is there anyplace else you would like to live?

I will look forward to hearing your thoughts when we speak this week.

Be well,

Keith//

This week’s vocabularies:

focus(es)
焦点をあてる

recently
最近

relocate
転勤

rather not
むしろ〜でない

start over again
最初からやり直し

nightlife
夜に楽しむこと

safety
安全

current
現在の

get used to
慣れる

favorable
好ましい

unfavorable
好ましくない

anyplace else
他のどこか

「描写する」ことをもっと練習してみましょう。

2010-04-05T12:17:00.000+09:00

*太字の単語やフレーズは、今週のボキャブラリーです。この記事の最後に詳しい説明を載せています。

For this week’s question, I want to focus on describing something familiar to you. In English, Japanese or any language, the ability to describe something is very important. Last week, I asked students to recommend a good place in Japan to visit and I got a lot of wonderful answers, for example, Sapporo snow festival, Tokyo Tower, Himeji Castle, Kyoto, Yakushima, etc., but when I asked the questions, “why should I go there?” or “what can I see there?”, it was very difficult for students to explain why I should go or to describe where it is, why it is famous, what I could do there, etc.

So this week, let’s try talking about something familiar to you and see how much you can describe it. Most people have a favorite place they like to eat or get a cup of coffee or piece of cake so this week, let’s describe your favorite restaurant, cafe, pub, etc. And when you describe that place, remember to include things like:

Where is it?
Why do you like it?
What does it look like?
What is the capacity?
How expensive is it?
What kind of food does it serve?
What is your favorite dish or what are your favorite dishes?
What are the ingredients?
Is it popular?
Is it famous?
Is it new?
What is their specialty?
What is the staff like?

My answer:
My favorite restaurant is a small authentic mexican restaurant in my hometown called, La Cucaracha. It is kind of small and the staff isn’t ALWAYS friendly, but that doesn’t matter because their food is REALLY good. I love Mexican food and I like simple meals and that is one of the reasons I like La Cucaracha. They have great home-made tortilla chips and salsas, margaritas, a large variety of beer and tequila and their main dishes are full of flavor and usually too big to finish. I think their prices are cheap, in fact, when Hiroe and I visit, we usually have an appetizer, a few beers or margaritas and dinner for about $50 (¥4,500).

My favorite meal at La Cucaracha is called, “Los Cabos Tacos” which are fish tacos served with black beans, rice, red cabbage and a chile yogurt sauce. Wow, I am hungry!

I will look forward to hearing about your favorite restaurant, cafe, pub, etc., when we speak this week.

Be well,

Keith//

This week's vocabularies:

describe
詳しく説明する／描写する

familiar
親しみのある

recommend
推薦する

pub
パブ

capacity
容量／大きさ

serve
提供する

ingredients
材料

popular
人気がある

famous
有名な

specialty
そこでしか提供されない特別なもの

authentic
本物／本場の

hometown
故郷

simple meals
飾り気のないシンプルな食事

home-made
手作り

tortilla
トルティーヤ

margarita
マルガリータ

tequila
テキーラ

full of flavor
豊富な風味

appetizer
前菜

cheap
安い

一番好きな季節は？

2010-03-21T20:02:00.000+09:00

*太字の単語やフレーズは、今週のボキャブラリーです。この記事の最後に詳しい説明を載せています。

Happy first day of spring—日本の祝祭日.

Growing up in the northern part of America's midwest, I am used to much different weather than what I find in southeast Mie Prefecture. The seasons in my home state of Minnesota are very distinct and each one is particularly beautiful. Summer days are long, hot and humid. Autumn is cool and the trees are filled with fall colors—reds, yellows, oranges all mixed with the dark green of the evergreen trees. Winter is unbelievably cold and on most days, everything seems gray and lifeless. But as depressing and cold as every winter usually is, everything comes alive again in Spring. Now in Minnesota, the snow is melting and the frozen lakes and rivers are becoming liquid again. The plants and flowers and wildlife are awakening and the temperatures have become bearable again. And with the start of professional baseball in the next few weeks, spring is officially here and the winter blues are over! I also love spring in Japan and if you ask me this week, I will tell you why...

The question this week is: What is your favorite season and why?

I will look forward to hearing your answers and questions this week when we speak.

Be well,

Keith//

This week’s vocabularies:

grow up
成長する（大人になる）
use to (used to)
慣れる
season
季節
distinct
はっきりと違う
particularly
特別に
humid
湿気のある
evergreen tree
常緑樹
gray and lifeless
暗く、活気がない
depressing
気がめいる
come alive
生き生きとする.
melt
溶ける
liquid
溶けた状態（液体）
wildlife
野生生物
awaken
目覚める
bearable
がまんできる
officially
本格的に
winter blues
ウィンターブルー／冬季うつ病（冬であることが気を滅入らせる）

長寿の秘訣は？

2010-03-15T07:11:00.000+09:00

After I talked to students last week about their birthdays, I was a little surprised to hear that almost everyone said they didn’t enjoy their birthdays and of course, they were not very happy about getting older. However, we can't stop our birthdays from coming, so what is the best way to deal with getting older?

So this week’s question is:
What are some things you can do to live a longer, healthier and happier life?

I have read many news stories and websites that focus on ways to help people live longer. Of course many health experts disagree on what is the best solution for everyone, so I have listed some of the most common advice from different doctors, hospitals, dietitians and research centers.

When we speak this week, let’s discuss if you agree with some of the things on the list and some of the other ways you can think of to live happier and healthier lives. Here is the list:

Reduce the amount of food you eat everyday.

Change your diet. For example:

The Mediterranean diet.
A diet that with a lot of oils, fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, and fish. Also, eat a moderate amount of dairy products and a low amount of meat.

Switch to a Paleolithic diet:
A diet like that is like what cavemen ate, for example, non-fatty meat, fish, vegetables, fruit and nuts. And try to avoid cereals, dairy products, salt or processed foods.

A vegetarian diet
There are three kinds of vegetarian diets, semi-vegetarians (plants, dairy products, eggs and fish), lacto-ovo vegetarians (plant food, dairy products and eggs) and vegans (plant food only).

Get enough sleep!
Many experts agree that at least 8 hours of sleep every night is best.

Be more positive because a positive attitude reduces your stress levels.

Don’t smoke

Wear sunblock

Socialize.
Make new friends or get together with your friends as much as you can

Drink red wine and or eat red grapes

Go to church
Over 1,000 research studies say that people usually go to church, synagogue or mosque live about 7 years longer than people who don’t.

Eat what many health experts call, SUPER FOODS:
Almonds
Apples
Blueberries
Broccoli
Red beans
Salmon
Spinach
Sweet potatoes
Vegetable juice
Wheat germ

Meditate and or do Yoga

Exercise regularly

What else can you add to the list? I will look forward to talking about long life when we speak this week.

Be well and happy.

Keith//

This week’s vocabularies:

deal with
（その事実）とどうつき合うか

health experts
健康に関する専門家（エキスパート）

disagree
反対意見を持つ

advice
アドバイス

dietitians
栄養士

research center
研究所

reduce
減らす

diet
食事

moderate

極点でなく、緩やかな

dairy products
乳製品

paleolithic
旧石器

caveman
（石器時代の）穴居人

processed foods
加工食品

experts
（ある分野の）専門家

positive attitude
ポジティブな考え方

stress levels
ストレス度

sunblock
日焼け止め(sunscreen).

church
教会

synagogue
ユダヤ教の礼拝堂.

mosque
モスク, イスラム教寺院.

wheat germ
麦芽

meditate
瞑想する

regularly
定期的に, 規則正しく

誕生日にまつわる質問

2010-03-08T19:15:00.000+09:00

*太字の単語やフレーズは、今週のボキャブラリーです。この記事の最後に詳しい説明を載せています。

My birthday was a few weeks ago and around that time, someone asked me how it felt to become 41 years old. I said it didn’t feel any different than when I became 40 years old. And for that matter, it didn’t feel any different than when I was 39 or 38 or 37 years old.

I DON'T care about my age, I ONLY care whether I am happy or not. I am indifferent about birthday cakes, birthday cards, birthday presents and the “birthday song” (Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you...). I don’t have a negative feeling about these things and I know they are important to many people, they just aren’t very important to me. How about you?

So this week’s questions are:
Is your birthday a happy or unhappy occasion?
What do you usually do on your birthday?
What do you like about your birthday?
What do you dislike about your birthday?
When you were younger, what did you do for your birthday?
In Japan, what do people usually do for their birthdays?
What is a typical gift for kids on their birthdays?
What was the best birthday gift you ever got?

Have a good week and I will look forward to hearing from you.

Keith//

This week’s vocabularies:

around that time...
その辺の時期に

for that matter
その件については、

indifferent
無関心な、どっちでも構わない

occasion
時、機会

typical
典型的な、代表的な

CO2の排出量を減らすために、あなたがしていることは？

2010-02-28T22:15:00.000+09:00

*太字の単語やフレーズは、今週のボキャブラリーです。この記事の最後に詳しい説明を載せています。

Last week’s answers surprised me a little bit. EVERY PERSON I spoke to said they felt UNVAVORABLE about North Korea. There were other countries they felt unfavorable about too, for example, China, Myanmar, Iraq and America, but the most unfavorable country was North Korea. Everyone said they feared North Korea and their nuclear ambitions (核兵器への野心). I wish there would have been more time to discuss that question but maybe another time. Or you could always leave your thoughts in the comments section below. I will respond and would love to continue the conversation.

Ok, on to this week’s topic. This week, I read a United Nations webpage called, “12 little things” that focuses on fighting climate change. Basically, it says how each of us, in our own little way, can reduce climate change in our own lives and houses. In other words, we can reduce our carbon footprint. You can read the “12 little things” below. After reading, think about the following questions:

Q. How many of the “12 little things” do you do in your daily life?

and...

Q. What, if anything, do you do to decrease your carbon footprint?

Here are the “12 little things” you can do according to the UN:

TURN IT OFF
Turn off your lights, televisions, DVD players, stereos and computers when you are not using them because they can use between 10% to 40% of the power even when they are on standby. Also, unplug battery chargers (i.e., portable telephone chargers) as soon as they have finished charging.

BE EXACT
When making tea or coffee, fill your kettle with only as much water as you need.

CLOSE IT ASAP
Don't leave fridge doors open for longer than necessary.

CHECK YOUR CAR TIRES
Inflate your tires to the correct pressure to improve your car’s fuel efficiency.

DON’T USE PLASTIC
Use cloth or reusable bags when shopping and avoid buying products that use unnecessary wrapping.

USE A FAN
Instead of using air conditioners in the summer, wear cool clothes, and use a fan.

DRIVE LESS
Do your weekly errands in a single trip and pay your bills online. Walk, bike, ride the bus or carpool as much as you can.

SLOW DOWN
If you drive slower than 90 kph, you will consume up to 25% less fuel.

DRIVE A HYBRID CAR
A hybrid or other fuel-efficient car emits less carbon dioxide.

REPLACE
Replace your regular light bulbs with a compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL). CFLs cost more but use about one third less power.

WATCH WHAT YOU EAT
Choose as much local food as you can—food which was grown or made near you.

RECYCLE
Consume less, and re-use old products.

There isn’t a Japanese website for “12 simple things” but if you wish to view the site in English, click this here.

Have a good week and I will look forward to hearing from you.

Keith//

This week’s vocabularies:

United Nations
国連

focus
集中する

fighting
食い止める

reduce
…（の程度数量など）を減らす

carbon footprint　
人間の活動が地球温暖化に及ぼす影響を、CO2の排出量に数字で換算した数値

standby
スタンバイ.

unplug
（プラグを抜いて）電源を切る

fridge
冷蔵庫(refrigerator).

necessary
必要な

inflate
（空気ガスで）膨張させる, 拡張する

correct
正しい

pressure (tire pressure)
気圧

fuel efficiency
燃費効率がよい, 低燃費の

unnecessary
不必要な,

instead
それよりむしろ, その代わりに,

errand
雑用

carpool
（通勤買い物で）自動車の相乗り

consume
消費する

hybrid car
ハイブリッドカー

replace
替える

compact
コンパクトな

fluorescent light bulb
螢光灯

あなたが好意的に思う、又は思わない国は？

2010-02-21T15:30:00.003+09:00

*太字の単語やフレーズは、今週のボキャブラリーです。この記事の最後に詳しい説明を載せています。

After speaking with students last week, I realized that talking about family is difficult for many people. Using adjectives to describe someone’s body or personality was very DIFFICULT for many of you!

We will talk about family again at a later date but for this week, let’s turn our attention to another question: What is your opinion of other countries or other places around the world?

I read a new story this week about how Americans feel about other countries or places around the world and I wondered if people in Japan had similar or different feelings. The basic question was:

Do you feel favorable or unfavorable about XXX (XXX=place name)?
（どこかの国）について、あなたは好意的に思っていますか？それとも、好意的に思っていませんか？
For example:
Do you feel favorable or unfavorable about Japan?

The results for 20 countries or places are below. The dark green represents “favorable” feelings and the light green represent “unfavorable” feelings.

アメリカ人が好意的に思う国のランキング濃緑色：「好意的である」％, 薄緑色：「好意的でない」％

As you can see, Americans have the highest “favorable” feelings for Canada and the highest “unfavorable” feelings about Iran. Japan is ranked #4 with a 77% favorability rating. This basically means that about 77% of people in America have positive feelings about Japan and about 23% of Americans have negative feelings about Japan.

Now the question is, how do you feel about these countries?
さて、それでは質問ですが、これらの国についてあなたはどのように思っていますか？

Some other questions to think about are:
その他、考えてほしい質問は：

Have you ever visited these places?
これらの中で、訪れたことのある国はありますか？

Have you ever met someone from these places?
これらの国出身の人と会ったことはありますか？

What are some of the stereotypes about these places in Japan?
日本では、これらの国について、どのような固定観念を持っていますか？

What language do they speak in these places?
これらの国では、どのような言語が話されていますか？

What are these places famous for?
これらの国で、有名なものは何ですか？

Of course, there are many other questions too so let’s be prepared to discuss these questions and more when we speak to each other next.

I will look forward to hearing your opinions and questions when we speak this week.

Be well,

Keith//

This week’s vocabulary:

adjective:
形容詞の；形容詞的な, 形容詞の役目をする(adjectival)

describe:
(動詞•他動詞)［III名　詞（副　詞）/wh-節/wh- to do］（人に）…を（文字言葉で）述べる, 記述する, 表現する｟to ...｠
describe an event｜事件を描写する
describe ... to a person ［＝describe to a person ...］｜人に…を説明する

personality:
(名詞)（複-ties)（他人の目に映じる）性格, 性質, 人格, 人柄, 人となり（⇒CHARACTER[類語]）；人間的魅力

at an early ［a later］ date:
近いうちに［あとで, また日を改めて］

turn one's attention to ... :
…に注意を向ける

opinion:
(名詞) 1 意見, 見解, 考え；｟主に～s｠所信, 自説, 持論
(類語opinionある問題について考えた末の個人的な見解；誤りや異議の余地がある. view個人の立場視点偏見などを反映する意見；複数形の場合もある：in my view私の考えでは)

wonder:
［III wh- ［if］節/wh- to do］〈…を〉不思議に思う, 〈…〉かしら；〈…かどうか〉と思う. ▼ふつう自問で用いるか, 相手に間接的に尋ねることになる
I wonder who that woman is.｜あの女の人はだれかしら
I am wondering how to solve the problem.｜どうやってその問題を解くのだろう

similar:
(形容詞)
1 （…と）似ている, 類似した；（…と）同種の, 同類の｟to ...｠. ⇒LIKE1[類語]

feel favorable:
( 形容詞) 利益［便宜］を与える, （人事にとって）有利な｟to ...｠；（ある目的に）都合のよい, 適した｟for ...｠；〈状況見通しなどが〉幸先（さいさき）のよい, 有望な；〈気候が〉良好な

feel unfavorable:
好意的だと思わない

result：
(名詞) 結果, 結末, 成り行き. ⇒EFFECT[類語]
the final result｜最終結果

rank:
［III名　詞•副　詞］〈人物を〉（特定の階級地位身分などに）位置づける, 分類する, 段階をつける｟among, with ...｠；［V名　詞as名　詞］…を（…の）部類に入れる
She is ranked 6th in the world.｜彼女は世界第6位である.

positive:
ポジティブな

negative:
ネガティブな

stereotype/stériətàip/
(名詞) 固定観念, ステレオタイプ, 決まり文句, 定型［紋切型の］表現
an ethnic stereotype｜民族的な固定観念
hold stereotypes about women｜女性に関して固定観念をもつ.

あなたの兄弟／姉妹について教えて下さい。

2010-02-16T23:12:00.000+09:00

*太字の単語やフレーズは、今週のボキャブラリーです。この記事の最後に詳しい説明を載せています。

It was interesting to hear about different people’s “phobias” last week. It seems that MOST EVERYONE has a cockroach phobia! I thought I was the only one, but there were many people who said they shared my intense fear. There were also many other phobias, worries and fears that people shared with me. I wish we all didn’t have so much to fear but c'est la vie.

This week, let’s turn our attention to talking about your family, specifically your siblings. What kinds of things do you have in common with your siblings or how are you different? Or, if you don’t have any brothers or sisters, what is it like to not have any—would you like to have a brother or sister or are you happy without?Let’s also talk about what it was like to grow up in your family. I know there is a lot to talk about so let’s keep it simple. Let’s practice speaking about the basics!

For me, I will give you a little bit of information about my brothers and sisters and then, if you want, you can ask me any questions you might have when we speak this week. This is great English practice so think of some questions to ask me!

About me and my family—in brief:

I am the youngest of 8 children. I have four sisters and three brothers and they all live in my home state of Minnesota (America). We are in some ways COMPLETELY different but on the other hand, in some ways, we are EXTREMELY similar. Everyone in my family is married, which means I have four brothers-in-law, three sisters-in-law and so many nieces and nephews that I sometimes lose count. Because there were always so many people around my house, I never really remember having any space or time for myself. I sometimes remember thinking that I would like to have my own space but honestly, couldn’t imagine what life would have been like without my brothers or sisters. I have a feeling it would have been very lonely but I don’t know. There is SO much more to share, but I will stop here and let you ask any questions you might have when we speak next.

I will look forward to hearing about your family situation when we speak this week.

Be well and healthy,

Keith//

This week’s vocabulary:

intense
極度の, 猛烈な, 強烈な, 激しい
intense pain｜激痛

c'est la vie
それが人生.

turn one's attention to ...
…に注意を向ける

sibling
｟形式的｠（男女の別なく）きょうだい.

in common
共同（使用）の；共通の［に］
have much ［nothing］ in common｜共通点が多い［ない］.

in brief
手短に, 要約して；要するに.

extremely
極端［極度］に；非常に, 大いに(exceedingly)；｟略式｠とても(very, very much).

similar
（…と）似ている, 類似した；（…と）同種の, 同類の｟to ...｠. ⇒LIKE1[類語]
two similar paintings｜類似した2枚の絵

brother-in-law
義理の兄弟.

sister-in-law
義理の姉［妹］.

niece
姪（めい）（⇔nephew）
Mary, niece to Mr. James｜ジェームズ氏の姪に当たるメアリー.

nephew
甥（おい）（⇔niece）
John, nephew to Mr. James｜ジェームズ氏の甥に当たるジョン.

lose count (of ...)
（…が）数えきれなくなる, （数えているうちに）数がわからなくなる

lonely
〈人が〉ひとり（ぼっち）の；寂しい, 心細い
feel lonely｜心細く思う.

あなたは何恐怖症？

2010-02-07T19:27:00.000+09:00

*太字の単語やフレーズは、今週のボキャブラリーです。この記事の最後に詳しい説明を載せています。

In last week, I wrote about “life’s little pleasures” or the little things in life that make you smile. This week, I am going to ask you something very different and that is: What phobias, if any, do you have? Phobias are things that give you GREAT FEAR. I ask this question since last weekend, I read a news story about some uncommon phobias that people have been diagnosed with. Some are things I had heard of but many others phobias were very surprising to me. For example if someone has “lutraphobia”, they have a fear of other people. While some people suffer from “alektorophobia”, which is a fear of chickens. And there are even some people who suffer from “pentheraphobia”, which is a fear of mother-in-laws.

The story estimates that perhaps more than 10 million people in England suffer from at least one kind of phobia. Here are just a FEW of phobias that people have been diagnosed with.

Agyrophobia - streets or crossing the street

Anuptaphobia - staying single

Blennophobia - slime

Bogyphobia - the bogeyman (monsters)

Caligynephobia - beautiful women

Cometophobia - comets

Decidophobia - making decisions

Ephebiphobia - teenagers

Epistemophobia - knowledge

Euphobia - hearing good news

Hellenologophobia - difficult scientific words

Hypegiaphobia - responsibility

Linonophobia - string

Melanophobia - the color black

Nephophobia - clouds

Octophobia - the figure 8

Ouranophobia - heaven

Philosophobia - philosophy

Phronemophobia - thinking

Pupaphobia - puppets

Sciaphobia - shadows

Scriptophobia - writing in public

Symbolophobia - symbology

Tremophobia - trembling or shaking

Zoophobia - animals

I have a type of “entomophobia” which is a fear of insects. But my fear is not of ALL insects, just one. I have a serious fear of COCKROACHES. I never saw my first cockroach until I was 27. I was living in Tokyo and one day, I went to the kitchen to get a fork and when I opened the kitchen drawer, there was a VERY large and ugly cockroach looking back at me. I remember being SO afraid I didn’t know what to do. I actually went outside to think. I ultimately went back inside wearing a pair of gloves and a can of bug spray. After spraying EVERYTHING in my kitchen, I threw away all of my food in my cupboard and CLEANED EVERYTHING with hot soapy water and bleach. I didn’t sleep very well for a long time after that...I don’t know exactly why I am so afraid of cockroaches, but without a doubt, I AM!

How about you? Do you have any great fears and if so, how do you deal with them?

I will look forward to speaking to you about them when we speak this week.

Be well and healthy,

Keith//

This week’s vocabulary:

phobia: 名詞病的恐怖［嫌悪］；Ｕ恐怖症

diagnose: 動詞•他動詞〈病気を〉（…であると）診断する｟as ...｠；〈人を〉（…と）診断する｟as, with ...｠

mother-in-law: 義母, しゅうとめ.

estimate: 動詞他動詞［III名　詞］…を見積もる；［III名　詞•副　詞/that節/wh-節/V名　詞to be名　詞］…を（…であると）見積もる｟at ...｠；〈…であると〉概算する. ▼thatは省略可

suffer: 動詞•自動詞［I（副　詞）］（…に）苦しむ, 悩む｟from, for, under ...｠

slime: 名詞•Ｕ　1 ねば土, 軟泥；ヘドロ.

bogymen: 名詞（複-men）ブーギーマン（怪奇な人）：悪い子供をさらっていく小鬼.

comets: 名詞〘天文・星〙彗星（すいせい）, ほうき星.

scientific words: 形容詞（▼比較変化なし）｟限定｠科学（上）の；自然科学（上）の；理科の

responsibility: 名詞（複 -ties）（…に対する）責任, 責務, 義務｟for, to, of ..., of doing｠

puppet: 名詞操り人形.

symbology: 名詞•Ｕ 1 象徴［表象］学；記号論. 2 象徴［記号, 符号］の使用.

without a doubt: ｟形式的｠疑いもなく, 確かに.

人生の小さな喜びは何ですか？

2010-01-31T20:48:00.000+09:00

*太字の単語やフレーズは、今週のボキャブラリーです。この記事の最後に詳しい説明を載せています。

Hello everyone. This week’s question focuses on what gives you pleasure in your daily life. I recently read an interesting news article about a survey that was conducted in England that asked people what gave them pleasure, or more clearly, what were their greatest LITTLE PLEASURES in life.

Life’s little pleasures are the simple things that make you feel good or put a smile on your face. These things don't usually cost money but rather, are things you either don’t anticipate or sometimes overlook in your daily life. They are sometimes called life gifts. If you don’t understand, I will give you an example. Almost everyone likes to travel, so we don’t consider taking a trip a little pleasure. However, getting through the airport quickly or having your plane leave on time or a few minutes early is something that could be considered one of life’s little pleasures.

There are many little pleasures in my life. For example, I love to make Hiroe laugh. I love to turn on the television and find a great movie has just begun. I love to wake up in the morning and smell coffee. I love getting into bed 30 minutes after turning on my electric blanket. I love when my dog sits next to me. I love a glass of lemonade on a hot day. I love freshly washed sheets on my bed. I love putting on hot clothes directly from the dryer. I love watching Hiroe and Lily (my dog) sleep next to each other. I love getting dressed up for a nice dinner. I love completing a task. And I love to “eskimo kiss” Hiroe. Of course, there are MANY more...

How about you. What are some of the little pleasures in life for you? I will REALLY look forward to hearing what makes you smile when we speak this week.

Be well,

Keith//

This week's vocabularies:

focus
自動詞〈光レンズなどが〉焦点に集まる［合う］；（…に）焦点を合わせる, 注意［考え］を集中する｟on ...｠.

pleasure
Ｕ喜び, （…する）楽しさ, 愉快, 満足｟in ..., in doing, of doing｠；Ｃ（1つの）楽しみ, 喜びを与えるもの
show pleasure｜うれしそうな表情をする
express one's heart-felt pleasure｜心からの喜びを表す
have the pleasure of ...｜｟形式的｠…の喜びに浴する；｟おどけて｠…の憂き目にあう
find pleasure in ...｜…に喜びを見つける

conduct
〈クラスなどを〉指導する, 〈会合などを〉運営する, 〈業務などを〉管理する, 処理する, 実施する
conduct a business｜業務を遂行する
conduct a study of ...｜…の研究を行う.

life’s little pleasures
人生の小さな喜び

anticipate
［III名　詞/doing/that節/wh-節］…を予想［予期, 予知］する；…を心配［楽しみに］して待つ, 待ち望む, 当てにする；…を確信する（▼expectとは異なりto doは用いない）. ⇒EXPECT[類語]
anticipate a favorable change｜望ましい変化を期待する
We anticipate much pleasure from our trip to London.｜ロンドン旅行をたいへん楽しみにしている
I anticipated getting a letter from my aunt.｜おばから今に手紙が来るぞと待っていた

electric blanket
電気毛布

dryer
乾燥させる人［物］；乾燥器, ドライヤー. ⇒SPIN-DRIER

task
（一定期間内にやるべき）仕事, 課業, 学業；自発的に請け負った作業；職務. ⇒DUTY[類語]
be at one's task｜仕事をしている
set a person (to) a task［＝assign a task to a person］｜人に仕事を課す
take a task upon oneself｜仕事を引き受ける.

Eskimo kiss
エスキモーキス
（鼻と鼻を、突き合わせるキス）

Also, for your information, I will include the top 50 “greatest little pleasures in life” for Britons according the the survey. See how many of them you can understand!

1. A good night's sleep
2. Finding a forgotten money in your pocket
3. Cuddling up with a partner in bed
4. Crying with laughter
5. Having a lie-in
6. Sleeping in newly laundered bedding
7. Getting a bargain
8. Making someone smile
9. Catching up with an old friend
10. Laughing at things that have happened in the past
11. Eating Sunday dinner with your family
12. Someone saying you look nice
13. Curling up on the sofa with a good book and a hot drink or soup
14. Discovering you've lost a few kilograms
15. Breakfast in bed
16. Waking up thinking it's a work day and then realizing it's the weekend
17. A random person (stranger) smiling at you in the street
18. Looking through old photo albums
19. Eating takeaway food
20. The first snow fall of the year
21. Singing loudly to your favorite song in car
22. Having lunch with friends
23. Listening to a baby laughing
24. Having a massage
25. Reading a book or listening to your iPod on holiday by the pool
26. Playing in the snow
27. Finding a pair of jeans that fit perfectly
28. Being chatted up (flirting with someone)
29. A girly-night in
30. A pampering session at home
31. The smell of freshly cut grass
32. Sitting in the pub with your friends
33. Looking at a sleeping baby
34. Waking up in a room with an amazing view
35. Clothes shopping
36. Receiving a letter from a friend
37. Fitting into an old pair of jeans again after losing some weight
38. Staying up all night getting to know someone special
39. Your mom's cooking
40. Getting dressed up for a night out
41. Watching a live band
42. Drinking a cold beer after work
43. Browsing in a secondhand book shop
44. Going out to a movie
45. Getting a new hairstyle
46. Your queue being the quickest in the supermarket
47. The cold side of the pillow
48. Watching a DVD
49. Getting tipsy
50. Popping bubble wrap

もし人生にこんなシナリオを与えられたら、あなたはどれを選びますか？

2010-01-24T16:50:00.000+09:00

*太字の単語やフレーズは、今週のボキャブラリーです。この記事の最後に詳しい説明を載せています。

This week’s question requires us to think about our own well-being versus the well-being of others.

Image you have been given the following 3 scenarios and you must choose ONLY ONE of them to come true.

Your choices are:

To end world famine;
To win ¥100,000,000;
To add 10 years to your life.

Which would you choose and why?

My answer:

Of course, if I won ¥100,000,000, my life would probably be a little more relaxed than it is now. I am sure I would play a little more golf, I would buy an old house in the countryside and spend my time fixing it up and I would certainly do a lot more gardening. Besides that, I could help any friends or family that needed any assistance.

None of us know just how long we will live. However, my assumption is that I have at least another 30 or 40 years left of my life here on earth. And quite honestly, that is plenty for me. For that reason, living until I am 70 or 80 seems like enough time to do what I want to do. However, if I knew that I would die anytime soon, then adding another 10 years might be a good idea since dying young would only hurt the people around me. However, I don’t want to add another 10 years onto my life so that I live until 90 or perhaps even longer.

However, if I am honest with myself and if I really had to choose between the three scenarios, there is no internal debate. As much as I would like some extra money or extra time in my life, those things don’t compare to helping others.

How about you? Which would you choose and why?

I will look forward to hearing your answers this week when we speak.

Be well,

Keith//

This week's vocabulary:

well-being 名詞
幸福, 安寧, 福利
the well-being of the nation｜国家の安寧
material well-being｜物質的幸福.

versus 前置詞｟形式的｠
（比較や二者択一において）…に対して, 対比して, 対照して

scenario 名詞
（複〜s）
1 （映画の）シナリオ, 脚本
a scenario writer｜シナリオライター.
2 （劇などの）台本, 筋書
under this scenario｜このような筋書で.

famine 名詞
1 飢きん；Ｕ飢え, 空腹, 飢餓(starvation)
a region ravaged by famine｜飢きんに見舞われている地方
famine prices｜飢きん相場.
2 大変な不足, 大欠乏.
［中フランス語←俗ラテン語famīna（famēs飢え＋īna -INE2＝飢えの状態）］

fix (something) up
自動詞｟米略式｠修理する、改善する

assumption 名詞
1 仮定, 想定, 前提, （…と）仮定すること｟that節｠；了解事項；〘論理学〙（三段論法の）小前提
on the assumption that ...｜…という仮定のもとに
It's a mere assumption.｜単なる仮定の話だ.

plenty 名詞
1｟ふつう肯定文｠十分, たくさん, 多数, 多量（の…）｟of ...｠
There was plenty of money.｜たくさん金があった
There were plenty of apples on the tree.｜木にはリンゴがたくさんなっていた

internal debate
（心の）内なる討論

新年の抱負は何ですか？

2010-01-12T16:54:00.000+09:00

Happy New Year everyone.

During this time of year, many people, including myself, make some new year resolutions. Resolutions are decisions we make to DO something or STOP doing something in our lives. Most people in the US have similar resolutions each year. In fact, the US government recently posted this year’s top ten new year resolutions—which are pretty much the same EVERY year.

The 10 most common American new year resolutions are:

To drink less alcohol
To get a better job
To get a better education or go back to school for more training
To lose weight and become physically healthier
To manage finances or manage debt more
To quit smoking
To reduce stress at work and at home
To save money
To take a trip
To volunteer to help others

Are any of these similar to your new year’s resolutions? Do you know anyone who made these resolutions for their new year? Are most people’s resolutions similar in Japan?

So the question this week is, what is your new year resolution?

I have made a few resolutions this week. One resolution is to become better at Japanese. Each day, my Japanese ability gets worse and worse and that is not right. So, I am going to make a change! Another decision is to travel more in Japan. I have wanted to visit western Japan for a long time but have never taken the time to go there. So, this year, I am going to visit as many places as I can and I will also visit Hiroshima and fill a life-long desire.

I will look forward to hearing about your resolutions or your plans for the new year when we speak next.

Be well,

Keith//

This week's vocabularies:

resolution：（名詞）決意、決心
a New Year resolution｜新年の抱負
similar: 似ている
post: (動詞）公表する
lose weight: 減量する
debt: （名詞）借金、負債
volunteer:　奉仕する（ボランティアをする）
life-long desire: 生涯の願望

今年を振り返って、あなたは何に感謝しますか？

2009-12-21T15:06:00.000+09:00

We are nearing the end of the year and that is, for most people, a time to reflect on life and especially the last year. I am no exception and have been spending the last few weeks thinking about where I am, what I have, what I want, what I need, what is important to me and most importantly, what I am thankful for in my life.

So I will share some of my answers with you and then I would like you to start this week’s lesson by answering some of the same questions about your own life.

If you have any questions about vocabulary, please look below. So, this week’s question is:

At the end of 2009, what are you thankful for? （今年を振り返って、あなたは何に感謝しますか？）

My answer:

First and foremost, I am thankful for my health and the health of my wife, Hiroe. We have an occasional cold or headache, but for the most part, we are healthy. And there is nothing more important than you health in my opinion.

I am thankful for my mom, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins, and
all my in laws.

I am also thankful for my dog—it’s true that dogs are man’s best friend.

I am thankful for my friends. I have added some new ones this year and that is always a wonderful thing.

This December, I am thankful for my electric blanket since my bedroom and house are so cold.

And finally, I am thankful for all of my students. They are kind, motivated (usually!), funny and generous. I hope that we can continue our fun into the next year.

Happy new year everyone. I will look forward to speaking to you soon.

Stay safe and warm,

Keith//

This week's vocabularies:

reflect: 自動詞
1 〈光が〉反射する；〈鏡などが〉光［熱］を反射［反照］する, 〈音が〉反響する.
2［I （副　詞）］（…を）熟考する, 再考する, 思案する｟on, upon, over ...｠
reflect on the problem｜その問題を熟考［再考］する

exception/iksépʃən/ 名詞•Ｕ•Ｃ
1 例外, 除外(exclusion)
with the exception of ...｜…を除いて
without exception｜例外なく.

thankful/θǽŋkfəl/
形容詞｟通例叙述｠〈人が〉（人に；…を）感謝している｟to ...；for ...｠；（…ということを）ありがたく思っている｟to do, that節｠；〈言動が〉感謝を表している. ⇒GRATEFUL[類語]
I am extremely thankful to him for his help.｜彼の援助に深く感謝している
I was thankful to breathe the fresh air.｜新鮮な空気を吸えてうれしかった
I am thankful that he came.｜彼が来てくれたことをありがたく思っている.

first and foremost
まっ先に, 何よりもまず.

occasional/əkéiʒənəl/
形容詞｟通例限定｠
1 時折の, 時々の, 折々の
an occasional mistake｜たまたま犯した誤り
an occasional thunderstorm｜時々来る雷雨
We ran into occasional difficulties.｜時々困難な問題にぶつかった.

man’s best friend: 人間のベストフレンド

an electric blanket｜電気毛布

thankful/θǽŋkfəl/
形容詞｟通例叙述｠〈人が〉（人に；…を）感謝している｟to ...；for ...｠；（…ということを）ありがたく思っている｟to do, that節｠；〈言動が〉感謝を表している. ⇒GRATEFUL[類語]
I am extremely thankful to him for his help.｜彼の援助に深く感謝している
I was thankful to breathe the fresh air.｜新鮮な空気を吸えてうれしかった
I am thankful that he came.｜彼が来てくれたことをありがたく思っている.

あなたの仕事のベストな部分とワーストな部分は何ですか？

2009-12-13T21:07:00.000+09:00

Hello again everyone. I hope you had a good week. It’s getting colder so please stay warm and healthy as the winter season bears down on us.

And thanks to everyone who answered last weeks question about their 死ぬまでにしたいこと list. It seems many people want to travel around the world, see the Aurora, and live in the countryside—the top three answers. Very interesting answers.

OK, let’s move to this week’s vocabulary and question:

First, Vocabulary:

bear down on: …によりかかる, のしかかる, を圧迫する；〈人を〉しかる
bear down on a cane｜つえにすがる.

click:｟略式｠（物事が）わかってくる.

polished:〈文章物腰人などが〉洗練された, 教養のある, 優雅な
a polished sentence｜洗練された文章.

witness: …を目撃する, （まのあたりに）見る, 目にする
witness a car accident｜交通事故を目撃する.

cryptic: 隠れた, 秘密の；不可解な；わけのわからない；あいまいな
a cryptic remark｜なぞめいた言葉.

puzzled: 動　詞•他動詞
1｟しばしば受身｠〈人を〉途方に暮れさせる, 当惑［困惑］させる, 困らせる
That crime puzzled the police.｜その犯罪は警察をてこずらせた.
2［III名　詞（副　詞）］〈人頭心を〉（…で）煩わす, 悩ます｟over, about, as to ...｠
puzzle oneself ［one's brains］ over a problem｜ある問題で頭を悩ます
I was puzzled as to where to go.｜どこへ行こうか悩んだ.

nútshèll
名　詞堅果の果皮［殻］.
in a nutshell
きわめて簡単に（言えば）, ほんの一言で.

And this week’s question:

What are the best and worst parts of your job?（あなたの仕事のベストな部分とワーストな部分は何ですか？）

The best part of my job is watching a student study hard for months (or more) and then witness when their English finally starts to click. I love when they really start to put their thoughts and ideas into English and really become better and more polished English speakers. It is fun for me because I get to see their hard work pay off.

I also love to meet people and talk to them about what’s important in their lives.

The worst part of my job is when I can’t explain something in English because there is no Japanese translation. Or, sometimes, American slang is so cryptic that even when you DO understand the English words, the meaning is still unclear.

Or, people ask me how to translate “おつかれ‐さま“ or “おさきに” or “おねがいします” into English and when I tell them that there really is no English translation, they look at me with a puzzled face and really don’t believe me!

So, that, in a nutshell is what I like and dislike about my job. Now, it’s your turn to think about what you like and dislike about your job.

I will look forward to hearing your thoughts and answers when we speak to each other this week. Have a great start to your week and be well.

Keith//

死ぬまでにしたいことリスト

2009-12-07T19:19:00.000+09:00

Hello again everyone. Thanks you for the responses last week. It was interesting to hear about your travel stories.

OK, on to this week's topic. But first, here is this week’s vocabulary:

・instead: それよりむしろ, その代わりに, そうしないで, それどころか（▼(1)ふつう文頭か文末にくるが, 文中にくることもある. 　(2)結びつける2文は対比または二者択一の内容を表し, butでつなぐことが多い）
Last night I went out, but tonight I'm staying home instead.｜昨夜は外出したが, 今夜は反対に家にいるつもりだ
If you cannot go, let him go instead.｜君が行けないなら代わりに彼を行かせなさい.

・unrealístic: 非現実的な.

・realistic: 現実主義の, 現実的な｟about ...｠；実際的な

・target: 目標、達成

・screenplay：映画［又はテレビ］のシナリオ［台本, 脚本］

・direct: 監督する

・stage: （発達成長などの）段階, 一歩；局面, 時期, 位置
at this stage｜目下のところ

Sometimes, people make a list of things they want to do at some time in their lives. In American English, we often say that these are “things I want to do before I die” lists. These aren’t just unrealistic dreams like, “I want to have a billion yen” but more realistic—things you REALLY want to target to do in your lifetime. So this week's question is:

（今週の質問は、「死ぬまでにしたいことリストを挙げて下さい。」です。）

My answer:

At this stage in my life, these are on my “things I want to do before I die” list.

I want to swim with a whale. Don't ask me how, I just want to do it.
I want to feed (maybe peanuts) and then play with and elephant.
I want to travel to the following places:
Ireland
Portugal
Greece
Turkey
Sweden
South Africa
I want to build a house for Hiroe and me.
I want to grow MOST of my own vegetables and catch most of my own fish. And have my own cow, donkey, sheep and chickens (maybe I want to be a farmer).
I want to write a screenplay and then direct the movie.
I want to speak Japanese better!

I am sure there will be more things on my list in the coming days, months and years, but that's it for now.

So, what are some things that you want to do before you die?

I will look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Have a great week and be well.

Keith//

ストレスを与えるものは何ですか？

2009-11-24T22:11:00.000+09:00

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。

2009-11-15T23:15:00.000+09:00

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?

2009-11-08T11:25:00.000+09:00

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？

2009-11-01T20:17:00.000+09:00

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//

今までに何かを盗んだことはありますか？

2009-10-25T20:51:00.000+09:00

From now on (これから), I am going to change the order of this blog and give you the important vocabulary first（まず大切な用語から先に紹介して、ブログの内容に入ります）. Therefore, please check the vocabulary and then read the question and my answer.　

This Week’s Key Vocabulary:

THERAPEUTIC
形容詞治療（法）の；治療力のある、セラピーとなる

STEAL（stole /stóul/, stolen /stóulən/, ～ing）他動詞
1［III名　詞（副　詞）］〈物を〉（場所人から）（こっそり）盗む；〈アイデア作品などを〉盗用する；…をこっそり奪う｟away/from ...｠. ⇒ROB
stolen goods｜盗品
steal away all the money from the safe｜金庫から金を残らず盗む
A thief stole his wallet.｜どろぼうが彼の財布を盗んだ
He had his wallet stolen. ［＝His wallet was stolen from him. ］｜財布を盗まれた.

OOH
間投詞•名　詞｟驚き喜びなど｠おおっ, わあっ；おおっ［わあ］という叫び声.
━━動　詞•自動詞•他動詞（おおっ［わあ］と）叫ぶ.
ooh and aah
驚き［喜び］の声をあげる.

SEX EDUCATION
性教育

OK. This week's question is on that you MIGHT not want to answer but may be fun (or, maybe therapeutic...) to do so.
（今週の質問は、答えたくない人もいるかもしれませんが、楽しいと思ってくれる人もいるかもしれないな（ある人にとってセラピーとなるかも．．．）、というものです。

The question is, Have you ever stolen anything?
（その質問とは：今までに何かを盗んだことはありますか？）
My answer:

YES!

When I was about 14 years old, I stole a nude magazine (ヌード雑誌) from one of my friend's house! Thinking back, I can't believe I did it but I did! I remember oohing and aahing with my best friend, Jeffrey, since we had never seen such things before. It was a kind of sex education for teenage boys!

Of course, our fun ended one day when my mother FOUND my magazines hidden under my bed and WOW, was she ANGRY!!! She never asked me where I got the magazines, but she told me that I was too young to have such things. I didn’t think so, but I didn’t argue with her—she was my mom. I felt embarrassed about it when I was a kid but looking back, I find it very funny now.

And, earlier this week, I asked Hiroe the same question—has she ever stolen anything? She quickly answered, YES! She said she once, when she was 19, stole a hair dryer from a hotel in Nagoya. I can’t believe she did that! Maybe we are not as honest as I thought we were.

Now how about you? BE HONEST: Have you EVER stolen ANYTHING?

I will look forward to hearing your answers.

Be well,

Keith//

一番最初にお金を得た仕事は？

2009-10-18T11:55:00.000+09:00

What was your first job?

（一番最初にお金を得たお仕事は何でしたか？パートタイムでも、フルタイムでも、お金を得た経験のある最初のお仕事について教えて下さい。）

Whether it was a part time job, a summer job or a full-time job, most people clearly remember their first job and their first payday. I certainly do and I will look forward to your story about your first job when we speak next.

MY first job:
I got my first job when I was 13 years old. I worked in the summer of 1982 for a company called, P.A.W., a landscaping, lawn care and snow removal company.

I got paid (US) $5.00 an hour (about ) and worked between Monday to Friday, from 7:00 AM to about 5:00. My main job was to cut grass at different businesses and apartment complexes with a riding lawnmower. I also did some landscaping, drove a tractor, a sometimes got to drive a dump truck! It was a great job for a kid because I got to be outside all day, listen to music, and use all kinds of equipment. It was a boy's dream!

My first payday was a day to remember. My boss paid me $500. He paid by cash and gave me four $100 dollar bills and five $20 dollar bills. I felt like a king! That summer, my mother helped me open a bank account and my brother helped me take care of my money. I worked at P.A.W. for three long Minnesota summers. It was a great learning experience for me and something I will never forget.

Some Key Vocabulary:

landscaping:
ぞうえん【造園】
landscape gardening; the art of landscaping

lawn care:
lawn 名　詞芝地；（庭園公園などの）芝生
mow the lawn｜芝生を刈る.

riding lawnmower
芝刈り機｜a lawn mower

snow removal:
じょせつ【除雪】
派生語除雪する｜clear ｟a street｠ of snow
合成語
除雪機［車］｜a snowplow; ｟英国用法｠ a snowplough
除雪作業｜snow-removal work

bill:
｟米国用法｠紙幣, 札（さつ）（｟英国用法｠note）；｟米俗｠100ドル札
a dollar bill｜1ドル紙幣.

apartment building:
｟米国用法｠共同住宅；アパート (｟英国用法｠a block of flats).

日本の典型的なものについて

2009-10-12T16:01:00.000+09:00

I’m not an expert about Japanese culture—you are much more qualified than I could ever be. So, this week’s questions are going to require some thinking about Japan and Japanese culture. However, first, there is a vocabulary word you need to know:

quintessential/kwintəsénʃəl/—クィイントエッセンシャル—
形容詞｟形式的｠真髄の, 典型的な
(example: the quintessential Japanese movie｜典型的な日本映画.)

So, the questions this week are:

What is the quintessential Japanese meal?
典型的な日本食は何ですか？
What is the quintessential Japanese clothing?
典型的な日本の服装は何ですか？
What is the quintessential Japanese pastime?
典型的な日本の娯楽は何ですか？
What is the quintessential Japanese drink?
典型的な日本の飲み物は何ですか？
Is your hometown or home prefecture different? In your hometown (or home prefecture), what is the quintessential food? clothing? music? pastime?
あなたの生まれ故郷、あるいは出身の都道府県で、典型的な食べ物、服装、音楽、娯楽は何ですか？

Since I want you to answer about Japan, I will answer the same questions for America.

I think the quintessential American meal has to be a cheeseburger, french fries (フライドポテト) and a Coca Cola. I used to eat this a lot when I was younger.

I think the quintessential American clothing is blue jeans and a T-shirt. I still wear jeans and a T-shirt almost everyday...

I think the quintessential American pastime is baseball. The greatest sport ever invented.

And the quintessential American drink is beer (or perhaps, “Coca Cola”). And I love them both!

My hometown is Saint Paul, Minnesota. Like most places in America, each city or area has different characteristics. Because of that, my answers about Minnesota are different from the answers for America. For example:

I think the quintessential Minnesota meal has to be “hot dish” a kind of casserole that can have many different kind of ingredients. If you are interested to know more, ask me when we speak next.

I think the quintessential Minnesota clothing is a flannel shirt. In the fall and winter time in minnesota, most men (and women) wear these warm and soft shirts.

I think the quintessential Minnesota pastime is fishing. If you are from Minnesota and you don’t like fishing, people think you are a little strange.

And the quintessential Minnesota drink is milk. Minnesota has a lot of dairy farms so there is a lot of good milk, cheese, and other dairy products from local farms. DELICIOUS!

I will look forward to hearing your answers or questions when we speak next.

Be well,

Keith//

Some important vocabulary

pastime (pǽstàim | pάːs-/ 名)　詞娯楽, 気晴らし, レクリエーション. ⇒PLAY[類語])
Golf is my favorite pastime.｜いちばんの気晴らしはゴルフだ.

dairy farming らくのう【酪農】彼は酪農に従事している｜He runs a dairy farm. 合成語
酪農家｜a dairy farmer
酪農産物｜dairy products
酪農場｜a dairy; a dairy farm

casserole (kǽsəròul/ 名　詞)
蒸し焼きなべ, キャセロール；｟主に英｠シチューなべ.

flannel (flǽnl/ 名　詞)
Ｕフランネル, ネル, フラノ；（綿）ネル；｟主に米｠綿布.

誰と友達になりたいか？

2009-10-04T18:29:00.000+09:00

This week's question focuses on best friends. So, here's the question: If you could be friends with anyone (living or dead), who would it be?
もし誰かと友達になれるなら（生きている人、亡くなった人問わず）、誰を選びますか？

My answer:

If possible, I would love to be friends with Benjamin Franklin, American newspaperman, scientist, inventor, philosopher, politician, and diplomat. Considered to be the greatest public servant in American history, it seems everything he did, he did with focus, purpose and a sense of duty for others. Of course, I would have to travel back in time since Franklin was one of the key people to help create the country of America—over 230 years ago. Franklin was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on January 17, 1706 and died on April 17, 1790.

Franklin lived his life (as best he could) based on what he called the Thirteen Virtues (フランクリンの十三徳 [編集]). He developed these “rules” when he was 20 years old and tried to live by them until he died. It is written that he focused on one rule each week and leaving the others to chance.

His Thirteen Virtues in English are:

"TEMPERANCE. Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation."
"SILENCE. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation."
"ORDER. Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time."
"RESOLUTION. Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve."
"FRUGALITY. Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing."
"INDUSTRY. Lose no time; be always employ'd in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions."
"SINCERITY. Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly."
"JUSTICE. Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty."
"MODERATION. Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve."
"CLEANLINESS. Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, cloaths, or habitation."
"TRANQUILLITY. Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable."
"CHASTITY. Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another's peace or reputation."
"HUMILITY. Imitate Jesus and Socrates."

His Thirteen Virtues in Japanese are:

節制　飽くほど食うなかれ。酔うまで飲むなかれ。
沈黙　自他に益なきことを語るなかれ。駄弁を弄するなかれ。
規律　物はすべて所を定めて置くべし。仕事はすべて時を定めてなすべし。
決断　なすべきをなさんと決心すべし。決心したることは必ず実行すべし。
節約　自他に益なきことに金銭を費やすなかれ。すなわち、浪費するなかれ。
勤勉　時間を空費するなかれ。つねに何か益あることに従うべし。無用の行いはすべて断つべし。
誠実　詐りを用いて人を害するなかれ。心事は無邪気に公正に保つべし。口に出ですこともまた然るべし。
正義　他人の利益を傷つけ、あるいは与うべきを与えずして人に損害を及ぼすべからず。
中庸　極端を避くべし。たとえ不法を受け、憤りに値すと思うとも、激怒を慎むべし。
清潔　身体、衣服、住居に不潔を黙認すべからず。
平静　小事、日常茶飯事、または避けがたき出来事に平静を失うなかれ。
純潔　性交はもっぱら健康ないし子孫のためにのみ行い、これに耽（ふけ）りて頭脳を鈍らせ、身体を弱め、または自他の平安ないし信用を傷つけるがごときことあるべからず。
謙譲　イエスおよびソクラテスに見習うべし。

I think Franklin would have made an incredibly interesting, exciting, deep, enlightening and loyal friend. Besides that, he could be a great teacher.

To learn more about Benjamin Franklin in Japanese, do a simple search on Google for ベンジャミン・フランクリン here.

So, how about you? Who would you like to be friends with?

I will look forward to hearing your answers this week.

Be well,

Keith//

３つの願い

2009-09-06T22:20:00.000+09:00

This week’s question is...

A genie has just granted you three wishes. You can wish for ANYTHING, except more wishes. What three wishes would you ask for? (you can look at the end of the blog to see important definitions (定義) to help you understand.)
ランプの魔人ジーニーがあなたに３つの願い事を叶えてあげようと言いました。あなたはどんな願い事をしても構いません。ただし、３つ以上の願いことをお願いすることはできません。あなたの３つの願いごとは何ですか？

First off, I would wish for good health for my mother. For the last few years, my mother has been having health problems and spends a lot of her time in pain or trying to deal with her aging body. I would wish for her health so she could spend her senior years ONLY having fun with her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Next, I would wish that my wife (Hiroe) would be a GREAT singer. When she was young, her dream was to become a singer and to sing in front of many people. She did sing and she was mildly successful but she never fulfilled her dream of one day becoming a FAMOUS singer. I would make that dream come true with my second wish.

And last, I would wish that all my English students all had the ability to speak English fluently. Of course, I would have to find another job, but it would be worth it to watch so many people achieve their goals.

What would you wish for?

I will look forward to hearing about your wishes when we speak next.
Be well,
Keith//

Key words:
GENIE/dʒíːni/名　詞〘イスラム神話〙魔神, 霊魔(jinn)；（ランプ瓶の中から出てくる）魔人.
GRANT ɡrǽnt | ɡrάːnt/ (動　詞•他動詞)
〈人の願いなどを〉かなえる；［grant A B/grant B to A］〈A（人）のB（要求嘆願など）に〉応ずる, 同意する, 〈AのBを〉聞き入れる；［III that節］〈…ということを〉承諾する
(Example: grant a request｜願いを聞き入れる)
(Example: grant a child his wish｜子供の望みをかなえてやる)
WORTH /wə́ːrθ/ 形容詞｟叙述｠｟動作を表す名詞などを伴って｠（…する）価値のある, （…に）値する｟doing｠
(Example: be worth the time｜時間をかける価値がある)
(Example: Learning a foreign language is very difficult, but it's worth it.｜外国語を学ぶのはたいへんむずかしいが学ぶだけのことはある)
(Example: What is worth doing at all is worth doing well.｜｟ことわざ｠やる価値が少しでもある仕事はりっぱにしとげる価値がある.)

パーフェクトな１日

2009-08-30T09:31:00.000+09:00

We have a simple (maybe) question this week.

Describe a perfect day.
パーフェクトな一日を説明して下さい。

My day:

It would start at dawn. I would wake up in my tent in northern Minnesota. I would be in my sleeping bag and hiroe would be next to me in her sleeping bag. And of course, near our feet Lily would be waiting to go outside. I would open the tent flap (door) to reveal the dawn—the time before the sunrise. I would then start a small fire and get some water boiling for coffee. After waking Hiroe, she and I would have a chat around the fire while watching Lily run around chasing birds and squirrels.

After coffee, I would get in our canoe and paddle to one of the nice fishing spots near our campsite. I would be able to see Lily and Hiroe from my there and I would spend the next hour or so catching (or not catching) fish. If I did catch any fish, I would quickly release them, taking only a quick moment to thank them for the few moments of excitement before sending them on their way.

After fishing, I would paddle back to our campsite, all the while smelling the blueberry pancakes that Hiroe is cooking.

After a warm “welcome back” greeting from Lily and Hiroe, the three of us would have breakfast and talk.

During the day, we would spend the day chatting, canoeing, swimming, reading, napping and hiking.

The day would end with a simple dinner, a campfire and a star-filled sky and of course, a s'more (名　詞｟米略式｠スモアズ：キャンプファイヤーでとろとろに焼いたマシュマロをグラハムクラッカーに載せ, 板チョコと重ねて, もう1枚のグラハムクラッカーを載せたもの.［I want to eat some more. ］.

What would you do, see, eat, watch, or where would you go on your perfect day?

I will look forward to hearing about it when we speak next.

Be well,

Keith//

これなしでは生きていけないものは？

2009-08-23T22:56:00.000+09:00

We have another 2-part question this week.

The first question is:

What is something in your life that you could NOT live without?
これなしでは生きていけないと思うものは何ですか？

And the second question is:

What is something in your life you would LIKE TO LIVE WITHOUT?
これなしで生きていけたらいいなと思うものは何ですか？

As I think about this answer, my answer becomes incredibly clear. I COULD NOT LIVE WITHOUT MY COMPUTER—my Apple MacBook Pro. Because I live in Japan, my computer is my connection to the world outside of Ise. My computer gives me news, music, movies, the ability to create web design, the ability to teach and speak to my family via SKYPE and a way to keep in touch with my family and friends via email.

Now, the one thing I would like to live without...

Interestingly, it is the same answer, my computer. As much as I love it, I feel sometimes that I am chained to my computer! I think there are times when I am so “plugged in” that I don’t pay enough attention to what is around me—life away from my computer!

So, starting today, I am going to try to “unplug” my life a little more. I will try to be less computer-generated and focus more on my life away from my computer! I just have to remember that balance is the key.

Good luck thinking about your answers and I will look forward to hearing about them.

Be well,

Keith//

一番幸せだと感じるとき

2009-08-17T20:05:00.000+09:00

This week's questions:
When ARE you the happiest? And: When WERE you the happiest?

あなたが一番幸せだと感じるときはいつですか？And:

あなたが一番幸せだと感じたときはいつでしたか？

*My answer:

I am happiest when I travel. Although I don't do it as much as I would like to, traveling makes me really happy—almost giddy. I especially love the preparation before a trip; the packing, the planning, making reservations, the excited and sleepless night before departure and the moment when I lock to door before leaving my house. I usually travel to Minnesota (my home state in the US) each year but for a handful of reasons, Hiroe and I won't be making the trip this year. That fact makes me sad since that means another year (maybe) without seeing my family and another year (maybe) without seeing my favorite place on earth—Minnesota.

And...

When WAS I happiest? This question seemed easy when I first thought of it but is actually difficult to choose just one particular time or event. Although there are many times that I could choose as being my happiest, I will choose this one.

In July of 2005, on a camping trip to Minnesota's BWCAW (Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness), I witnessed a great moment between Hiroe and our dog, Lily. One of the days was beautiful and hot and in the middle of the afternoon, Hiroe decided to take a swim. Of course, Lily would never let Hiroe swim without her so the both of them swam together. Hiroe's smile was big and bright and Lily looked as happy as I have ever seen her.

That's it. I know it is simple, but it was a few moments that I had everything I could have wanted. I was watching my favorite person and my favorite dog having fun together.

Good luck thinking about your happiest moments and I will look forward to hearing about them.

Keith//