Daily Archives: 26 September 2009

Having fun with my computer

General, In the Computer Room, Listening, , ,

‘Cause this is what it is for me… fun!!!!
If you have read my previous post ,Becoming a housewife, you’ll by now know that I was left in the lurch … yes ,because this is how I felt , by my darling Carmen. And now that we are on that subject I have to confess that although I have been happily married for 17 years , it’s now that I understand that what makes me really happy is having Carmen by my side…(I hope my husband never reads this post). By the way, Carmen has returned home …it finally dawned on her that her place is by my side taking care of me and my family. God bless her!!!

Anyway, ‘cause I feel I might be boring you to death with my domestic problems let’s get to the point. What I wanted to share with you is that , apart from spending the summer cooking and cleaning, I also had some fun exploring a new programme (new for me , at least) which I think has lots of potential for my classes. I am just beginning to produce some videos and they have been a lot of effort but I also think it’s been worth the while.

First and taking as a sample a video from YouTube I had already used in my classes ,I produced a listening comprehension and uploaded it to YouTube. In fact, there were two videos and so you had to watch one and then see the answers and then the other one and see the answers too, which was quite an achievement but now I have managed to create a menu where you can choose what you want to see.
The first ,uploaded to you tube, is just below. The other one with the menu is here.I know it needs a lot of polishing but it is the first one  … I am still learning.

Becoming a housewife

Funny Stuff, Listening

Now dear reader , you might be wondering why I haven’t dedicated a single minute to this blog of mine. The truth be told , I felt I needed a break from the computer and from teaching , never from English… I’m addicted!!!
But …One important event has happened in my life… my maid has resigned after 11 years working at home. Yes, I know what you are thinking… !!! Just save it, …I’m not interested in the irony!! The thing is that after so many years I had forgotten the basic things a person has to do to be able to survive.. and although it’s true that I was an expert at baking desserts, the sad thing was that I didn’t know how to cook ordinary lentils, among other things.
So, after a few burns from ironing, salty dishes hardly edible, plus mixing bleach with ammonia and almost …etc… I’m sure you are not interested in my misfortune… but there are some positive things about me having to become a housewife.. now I’m more independent!!
If you have never ironed a fitted sheet you might encounter , as I certainly did, some problems ironing and folding it properly …quite a difficult chore if you think about it! The solution to my domestic problems….. the Mighty You Tube. Have a look at these videos and learn what I am now an expert at.

How to fold a fitted sheet

My children also had to learn how to fold their T shirts neatly. Interesting video and also great fun for children

Speed-peel potatoes … when in a hurry

and so on and so forth….. but…. I don’t like being a housewife , I like being a teacher…and just that!!! Carmen, please come back!!!! I miss uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!!

Pixie Lott … fit as a fiddle and other music related idioms

Music, Word of the Day, , ,

Although I can’t say I’m a music junkie I spend a lot of my time listening to music. The kind of music I listen to largely depends on my mood.N ormally, on my way to work I’m full of energy and anticipation so the songs I like listening to are of that kind … but when I am coming back home I need something a bit more relaxing, so I go for classical music, ballads, chill out … and all that jazz. And sometimes if my day’s been crap and I have to think about the best way to face the music, then I appreciate the silence.

Anyway, what I want to say is that I like this chick. I think she’s got a very nice voice, powerful but sweet at the same time .. When I first listened to her, her voice kind of struck a chord; she is somewhere between Amy Winehouse and Kate Perry with a touch of Dufy. Her first album has just been released and I anticipate it’s going to sell like hot cakes.
Her debut single ‘Mama Do (Uh Oh Uh Oh)‘ was a success but, in my humble opinion, there are other very good tracks. By the way, her album is called Turn it Up.


Want to see what these idioms mean ?
http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/cat/23.html

Word of the Day: to smell a rat .. and the tool to use when I smell..

freeware, Resources, ,

I don’t like this idiom, the only reason being the rodent in it… yes, I am that girlie!!

Now and then, and as part of the continuous asssessment, I ask my students to write something at home to be marked later and very often and mainly when it is writing about a celebrity, a book or a film they nick from the Internet. Setting this task when I know pretty well they won’t be able to resist the temptation of copy-pasting from the Internet is a bit of a wicked of me ,to put it midly, but life is hard, isn’t it?
To smell a rat= you know instinctively that something is wrong or that someone is lying to you.
So when I start reading essays and some words trigger all my sirens, then this is the tool I use to catch you red-handed.
It’s called Plagium

Football and football!

General

I sometimes wonder how I can get so involved in something I’ve never liked. And I’m talking about football. I’ve gone a long way from not knowing how many players you needed to play a match to watching , if nothing else appeals to me on TV, the match between South Africa and USA national teams ,to name just one.
It must be love! This is what I’ve done to celebrate the promotion of Villa de Pravia football team ,where my son plays, to the second division . I hope you like it !!