今年を振り返って、あなたは何に感謝しますか？

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？

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

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？

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

This week’s question is:

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

But first, this week’s VOCABULARY:

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

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

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

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

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

OK, now to my answer:

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

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

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

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

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

How about you? What gives you STRESS?

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

Keith//

子供の頃の自分の寝室について描写して下さい。

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

This week’s vocabulary:

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

My answer:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Keith//