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//

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).