Taking a break while on vacation!

Well, I've been on vacation this week with one more week to go, and the week has been really great. It's been nice STAYING UP late, SLEEPING IN, not waking up to an alarm clock, and basically just resting. However, it's not all lying down and sitting in front of the tv; I'm definitely getting some work done. Being PRODUCTIVE and getting things accomplished are part of my goals these two weeks.

Small boxes that add up
to quite a heavy load

Among the many things I want to check off my TO-DO LIST is to organize our storage space and eventually move to a smaller storage unit. I've been keeping old air conditioners and OUTDATED electronics and empty boxes because I wanted to DISPOSE OF them properly, and I just don't have the time to do it when I'm working. So I've been HAULING heavy stuff the past couple of days to Best Buy for recycling (btw, it's a great program they have, so I want to give them a SHOUTOUT), as well as to the curb in front of our building--about 13 blocks from our storage unit--to be picked up by the NYC Department of Sanitation (I want to give them a SHOUTOUT, as well). 


Well, doing all this in the cold can TAKE A TOLL on your body, and it has TAKEN a bit of A TOLL on mine. I'm SNIFFLING a bit, my muscles are a bit SORE, so I decided to take a day off. I still need to HAUL a lot of heavy and BULKY stuff from one storage room to a smaller one, but that can wait till next week. 

Not a pretty picture and
quite heavy TO BOOT
(in addition).

vocabulary: 
STAY UP - not sleep 
SLEEP IN - wake up late
PRODUCTIVE - accomplish a lot
TO-DO LIST - list of things to do
OUTDATED - old; old-fashioned; can't be used anymore
DISPOSE OF - throw away; get rid of
HAUL - move, usually something heavy
SHOUTOUT - a mention; a recognition
TAKE A TOLL - have a negative effect after a period of time
SNIFFLE - the sound you make when you smell something or when your nose is running
SORE - pain, hurting
BULKY - large; taking up a lot of space

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What I'm GRATEFUL for this year

It's beautiful, bright, and sunny here in Brooklyn this THANKSGIVING DAY, and I'm GRATEFUL that I was able to SLEEP IN, which I'll probably also do tomorrow. With my six-day workweek, sleeping in is truly a RARITY. I'm also grateful for my two weeks of vacation that starts on Monday. It's my first one since I took a three-month-long break early in 2011. I will be very busy getting projects done and getting things organized; I also hope to find a writing job or two. Still, it will be a nice rest from the classroom.

With many people in the area still DEALING WITH TREMENDOUS devastation and loss caused by hurricane Sandy, I'm so thankful for the HUMBLE roof over my head and the WHOLESOME food that I can put on our table. I'm thankful for my job, my projects, for health, family, and friends, for hardworking students, for you all, my increasing number of followers here at the small English blog, at the small guide site, on Facebook, and on Twitter, and for the chance to share and teach what I know so I can make a difference, whether big or small, in others. THANK YOU!

I wish you all a wonderful, awesome, fantastic THANKSGIVING DAY.

A window display at Macy's on Herald Square, 2012 holiday season.

vocabulary:
GRATEFUL - thankful
SLEEP IN - wake up late
A RARITY - something that is rare, not common
DEAL WITH - face, be challenged by 
TREMENDOUS - huge and amazing
HUMBLE - poor, simple
WHOLESOME - healthy, good for you

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President Obama's Victory Speech

POLITICS ASIDE, President Obama's victory speech Tuesday night was an INSPIRING reminder of what it means to rise above the ugliness of political campaigns, the CYNICISM of those who don't believe in what people can achieve, and the FIERCE, MESSY disagreements in a democracy in order to take part in the important work of building a nation that all Americans can be proud of.  I invite you to watch the speech, if you haven't seen it yet, whether you support the Democratic or Republican party and whether you are in the U.S. or abroad. I have a feeling you will also find it INSPIRING and MOVING.

This link from The New York Times also shows the speech together with a transcript, so you can read as you watch and listen.

vocabulary

POLITICS ASIDE - forget about politics; not mentioning politics
INSPIRING - something or someone that makes you want to do or be something
CYNICISM - not believing in the good intentions of others; negativity
FIERCE - strong; angry
MESSY - dirty
MOVING - emotional