*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）

*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.

It's been COLD lately.

Growing up in Minnesota, I am supposed to be accustomed to cold weather since the winter season there has daily average temperatures between -5 and -15 degrees centigrade. Without a doubt, winter is cold in Minnesota but I remember dealing with it rather well mostly because I had no choice. I was also active in the winter when I was younger, playing ice hockey, building snow forts, having snowball fights with my friends and sledding.

However, living in Japan, I feel that I have become a little wimpy. Even though average daily temperatures are much warmer in Ise than Minnesota, I feel colder. Maybe that part of me is changing as I get older, I’m not sure. But the fact remains, I’M COLD this winter! And that brings me to this week’s question:

What are some ways that you stay warm in the cold winter months?
（寒い冬の時期をどんな方法で暖かくして過ごしていますか？）

Some of the ways that I fight the cold temperatures are:

Hiroe and I sleep with an electric blanket under our sheets!
I wear long wool underwear and wool socks almost every day!
I always wear a winter hat when I sleep.
We usually eat hearty winter foods like thick soups, oden, chazuke, yudofu, stews, potatoes and pumpkin.
And whenever I am in my house, I wear Hiroe’s home-made wool slippers—my FAVORITE!

How about you? How do you deal with the cold? I will look forward to your answers when we speak this week.

Be well,


This week’s vocabularies:

accustomed to
｟叙述｠（…に）慣れている, （…が）習慣になった, いつも（…）している｟to ...｠
I am accustomed to such treatment.｜そのような扱いに慣れている［慣れた］
In those days I was accustomed to taking a short walk before breakfast.｜当時朝食前にちょっと散歩するのが日課だった（▼to take ...とするのは｟非標準｠）.

centigrade
形容詞〈目盛りが〉百分度の, 百度目盛りに分けた；｟略式｠〈温度計が〉摂氏の（▼科学用語ではCelsiusが用いられる）（記号：C）
20℃｜摂氏20度（▼twenty degrees centigradeと読む）
▼英米では日常, 華氏(Fahrenheit)を用いるので, Cと断りがなければカ氏の温度.

deal with
〈人が〉（…に対して）処置［手段, 方策］をとる, 処理［対処］する｟with ...｠
deal with a matter ［an emergency］｜問題［緊急事態］に対処する.

snow fort
名詞：雪のとりで

sledding
名　詞：そり滑り

wimpy
名　詞｟略式｠弱虫, 意気地なし.

hearty
〈食事の量が〉豊富な, たっぷりある；〈食物などが〉栄養のある

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.

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//

Hello again, everyone. I hope you had a good week and a good start to December.

Please take a look at this week's vocabulary list first since they might be a little difficult.

This week's vocabulary:

shore: 河岸、海岸

bologna: ボローニャソーセージ.

a haze: ぼんやり
例：そのことをぼんやりとしか覚えていない｜I have but a faint [hazy] recollection of it.

silly: ばかばかしい, ばかげた. ⇒FOOLISH[類語]
a silly person｜良識のない人
Don't be silly.｜ばかなこと言わないで
It was a silly thing to do.｜ばかなことをしたものだ

rabbit ears: うさぎの耳（ここで使われている意味は、ピースサインをした片手を人の頭の後ろにつけて、正面から見ると頭から耳が出ているようにすること）

teacher’s nightmare：先生たちにとっての悪夢

decent：〈ふるまい言葉などが〉慎み深い, 上品な, 礼儀にかなった（⇔indecent）；〈顔などが〉魅力的な, 風さいのよい, きれいな
decent language｜品のよい言葉
be decent in conduct｜ふるまいが上品である

heavenly: 天国のような；喜びに満ちた；美しい；｟略式｠すばらしい, 魅力的な.

on a sugar high：シュガーハイ（砂糖の過剰摂取で、異常に行動が激しくなる状態になること）

OK, this week's question is:

Domestic or international—what was the first overnight trip you ever took?
（国内か海外どちらでもーあなたが初めてした旅行は何でしたか？）

The first overnight trip I remember taking was when I was I was in 5th grade or about 11 years old. It was a school trip from my hometown of Saint Paul, to Duluth, a northern Minnesota city on the shores of Lake Superior.

I remember very clearly that I couldn’t sleep the night before the trip because not only was it my first overnight trip without my parents, but it was also the first time for me to ride a train. At that time, the only way I ever traveled was by car or school bus. Another reason I couldn’t sleep was because my mother had packed a special lunch for me—a bologna, cheese, lettuce and mayonnaise sandwich (my favorite back then), potato chips, a can of soda (I can’t remember but probably Nehi grape), apple slices and two chocolate cupcakes. This was not a healthy meal but trust me, it was heavenly for a 11 year old boy. it was a spectacularly delicious lunch!

The train ride was mostly a haze, kids yelling and running around and acting silly—like any young boy’s dream so I don’t remember too many specifics. However, I do have a picture somewhere in one of my old boxes in Minnesota that was taken that day. I don’t know who took the picture but it is of one of my good friends at that time, Timmy McIntyre and me. And I of course was looking particularly silly because I was wearing a pair of GIANT SUNGLASSES (they were called, “funglasses” back then) and I was making rabbit ears behind Timmy’s head. I am sure I was a teacher’s nightmare—a relatively decent kid but completely out of control, on a sugar high and overly excited to be traveling on a train for the first time!

I don’t really remember many details about Duluth since soon after we got there, it seemed we were back on the train heading back to Saint Paul. Little did I know the next time I would ride a train would be when I lived in Tokyo—nearly 15 years later.

How about you? Can you remember anything about your first trip?

I will look forward to hearing your thoughts and memories.

Be well,

Keith//

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//

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//

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//

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//

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//

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).

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.