Otto's blog

Teragoya Marché

May

14

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I made a set of shelves for our school lobby. We will use it to display handicrafts, etc. for sale. If you enjoy making things such as jewelry, accessories, toys, stationery, or something like that, please let us know - we can arrange to display them here.

Vocabulary:
- 'marché' is actually not English - it`s French, for 'market'.

Nice Legs!

May

8

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My wife bought a 'Roomba' automatic vacuum cleaner. Unfortunately, it couldn`t get under the sofa, which was too low. So I took out the original legs (red circle) & made new, slightly longer legs (green circle).

When I put them in, I noticed that a couple are not perfectly straight, but never mind - you can`t really tell (= notice). Anyway, now the Roomba can clean under the sofa, so my wife`s happy. And I`m happy because I saved money by using wood & black spray paint that I already had, so I only had to buy bolts, which were about ¥50 each.

Vocabulary:
- put in = 入れる
- take out = 取り出す (*not 'put out')

On The Small Side

May

7

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One of these eggs is a bit on the small side. Can you tell which one? That`s right - it`s the one on the right side of the dish. I wonder which hen is responsible...

Vocabulary:
- "(a bit/little) on the + 形容詞 + side" = ちょっと / やや　形容詞　(*usually used in a negative or critical way)　
- "on the left/north/etc side = 左/北側に

F.C.Gifu v Ryukyu

May

6

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I went to see F.C.Gifu on Sunday. Because Sunday was Children`s Day, before the game they showed childhood photos of each F.C.Gifu team member on the big screen (the member above is the goalkeeper, Jan-Ole Sievers, who is from Germany.) It was kind of funny.

The final score was 2:1. Gifu won! Because of that, I went home in a good mood ...finally.

Grammar:
- "Because + 文節, 文節"
- "Because of + 名詞 / 名詞句, 文節"

Welcome Party

Apr

24

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On Saturday, we had a welcome party for new teacher Jade, & two new full-time staff, Misaki & Takako. Lots of students came & we had a lot of fun. We played bingo, ate sushi & pizza, drank beer, and chatted a lot. Please join us next time!

Vocabulary, Grammar:
- a lot of + 名詞 = lots of + 名詞
- talk/eat/drink/動詞 a lot. OK
- talk/eat/drink/動詞 a lot of. WRONG

Can You Tell I`m a Geek?

Apr

16

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Can you tell* what`s interesting in this photo?

Shall I tell** you?

Well, if you look carefully, you`ll notice that the shed is actually a converted train carriage. I can`t tell* what it`s used for now, but it has windows & curtains, so maybe someone uses it as a bedroom. Cool! (Actually, it`s made of metal, so in summer it probably gets pretty hot.)

Vocabulary:
- *tell... = notice, know, understand
- **tell (+誰かに)... = say, teach

F.C.Gifu v V-Varen Nagasaki

Apr

15

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I went to see F.C.Gifu on Sunday. If they`d won, they would`ve gone to #14 in the J2 League table. But they lost. They lost badly. They missed a PK. And one Gifu player got a red card. Now their league position is #21.

Oh, and it rained.

I should`ve stayed home.

Pronunciation:
- "Would`ve" と "should`ve" の発音は "would of" と "should of" と似ている。 書く時に、ネイティブもたまに間違える事があります！

Mokku Mokku

Apr

13

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I enjoy visiting this shop in Yanagase in Gifu City. They mostly sell used wooden furniture, but they also have interesting antique & retro items such as lampshades, bottles, picture frames, postcards, etc. The shop is called "mokku mokku." What does mokku mokku mean? It translates as 'wood wood' - an interesting name for an interesting shop!

Grammar:
- What does ___ mean? OK
- What means ___? WRONG
- What does mean _____? WRONG

Imaise Cherry Blossoms

Apr

12

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Have you been to see cherry blossoms yet? You`d better hurry - soon they`ll be gone! I took this photo in front of Iwato Shrine in Imaise, Ichinomiya. A festival is held there every spring. Have you ever been to it? This year it`s on the 21st of April. Please go! I`m going.

Grammar:
- "...been..." = 行って来ました
- "...gone..." = 行った (今はもうない)
- "Have you (ever) been...?" は "Have you gone...?" より普通です

(Non-Alcoholic) Cider

Apr

10

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One of my hobbies is to take care of the local park where my kids play. I cut the grass, pull out weeds (雑草), pick up trash etc. I like to keep it looking good.

Anyway, the other day an old lady (really old - she had a walking stick in BOTH hands) in a nearby garden called me over to thank me & give me a gift of five cans of Mitsuya Cider. How nice! Thanks, very old lady near the park.

Japanese English:
- In Japan, cider (サイダー) is a non-alcoholic drink, similar to lemonade, but in western countries, cider is an ALCOHOLIC drink made from apples - don`t buy it for your kids!