PE 8/15 On Sale Already?

I’m going shopping at the department store. They just put out a whole lot of new stuff, so I want to get there early before the place is turned upside down.

* turn a place upside down: to make a place messy or disorderly while in the act of searching for something

ex> The police turned the factory upside down looking for drugs and other contraband.

Wow, that sounds like a horrible way to spend a day, but I’m sure you’ll be like a kid in a candy store.

* like a kid in a candy store: doing something with youthful glee

ex> When Jake got to the car show, he was like a kid in a candy store.

What can I say, it’s one of my few guilty pleasures. You should come with me and get a few sweaters. You might walk away with a few good deals.

* guilty pleasure: a bad habit that feels good

ex> Before he was president, Barack Obama’s guilty pleasure was smoking.

* walk away with/without: to get something through luck or good fortune

ex> After a meeting with his boss, Tanya walked away with a 20 percent raise.

Maybe, but at least your t-shirts will be on the sale rack today, just waiting for you to buy them for a song.

* for a song: very cheaply

ex> The store was letting their entire inventory go for a song.

PE 8/14 National Parks of North America: Banff

Here we are! The birthplace of Banff National Park. If memory serves me well, a couple of railroad workers stumbled upon these hot springs and two years later this whole area was made a national park.

* memory serves me (well)…: a way to precede a statement of fact with a personal disclaimer

ex> If memory serves me, we need to turn left at the next street and right at the stoplight.

That’s just how it was developed to make it nicer for tourists, but in the old days it was probably a lot more rustic.

* rustic: old fashioned; charmingly simple and plain

ex> The ski lodge was a bit rustic, although it had Internet and satellite television.

Note> This word also means “of or relating to the countryside.”

Don’t you know it! But I do miss walking along Lake Louise. At least that part of the hike was flat and easy.

* Don’t you know it!: to say yes or agree with someone emphatically

ex> Are you a fan of the movie “Les Miserables”? – Don’t you know it! I’ve seen it at least 10 times.

Yeah! And remember those three guys who were stripped down to their birthday suits and swimming in that glacial water!

* birthday suit: nakedness

ex> Sometimes my baby brother runs out into the yard in his birthday suit.

ex> At some beaches in France, you can walk around in your birthday suit.

Remind me to call for our bike rentals. Maybe we should take the bikes and go for a spin today to make sure they’re adjusted properly for us.

* go for a spin: to take a ride in a car or on a bike/motorcycle

ex> John wanted to go for a spin on his motorcycle even though it was midnight.

PE 8/13 A Budget Crisis

Why were we chosen to be furloughed? That isn’t fair.

* furloughed: 휴가를 보내진

Face it, Marcus, we aren't considered essential personnel, like the military or the park police. To them, we’re just faceless paper pushers.

* paper pusher: an office worker who deals with paperwork or accounting

ex> My dad, an accountant, worked as a lowly paper pusher in a small government office.

Well, we could go down to my parent’s beach house for a few days and figure out a game plan for the future.

* game plan: a set course of action

ex> The game plan is to drive until sunset, then check into a hotel for the night.

I don’t think this government job is as secure as I was made to believe it was. It might be time for Plan B. If your parent’s house has wi-fi, I’m in.

* be in: to be part of something

= count someone in; be game; be all for it

ex> I've been in several different bands since college.

Sounds great. Maybe being furloughed won’t be so bad after all.

* after all: the result after something has ended

ex> John’s professor told him he didn't have to retake the class after all.

I feel like I’m taking a leap of faith by even considering the private sector after so long in government, but I’m ready.

* leap of faith: a decision based on something uncertain instead of actual facts

ex> I took a leap of faith when I decided to start my own business and quit my job.

<Practice Makes Perfect>

1. After 20 years as a paper pusher, I started my own business after all.

2. The game plan was changed when rain prevented an outdoor concert.

3. I can’t skip this opportunity like this, I’m in.

4. Jane realized that getting a tooth pulled wasn’t so bad after all.

5. Getting married after only one date is a real leap of faith.

PE 8/12 Randy Pausch’s Speech: The Last Lecture –Part 2

And this icon in the user interface community walks up to me and just out of nowhere just gives me this huge bear hug and he says, that was from Andy. And that was when I thought, ok, maybe I can make it. Maybe I do belong.

* walk up to: to approach someone directly

ex> I’m not brave enough to just walk up to someone and start talking.

* out of nowhere: unexpected; appearingly as if by magic

ex> The money Tracey needed appeared out of nowhere in his bank account.

ex> Tommy’s mother appeared out of nowhere right when he was about to break the window.

* make it: to succeed:

ex> If you really want to make it, you have to sacrifice your free time.

And a similar story is that hits was just this unbelievable hit because, at the time, everybody needed a half a million [dollars] to do virtual reality. And everybody felt frustrated. And we literally hacked together a system for about five thousand dollars in parts and made a working VR system.

* hack together: to quickly piece something together

ex> We hacked together a shelter during our hike to protect us from the thunderstorm.

Note> If you “hack into” something, you gain unauthorized access to data or system in a computer.

And so I’m giving this talk and the room has just gone wild, and during the Q and A, a guy named Tom Furness, who was one of the big names in virtual reality at the time.

* big names: famous people

ex> The big names in business meet for an economics meeting in Switzerland every year.

PE 8/11 Giving up Your Seat

How am I supposed to text my friends standing up? Someone else can give up their seat.

* give up: to sacrifice something

ex> If you want to get rich, you will have to give up your free time.

That’s pretty cold! Your grandmother might be on a train right now after spending hours grocery shopping and there could be someone just like you not giving her their seat for the exact same reason. How would that make you feel?

* cold: without feeling, heartless

ex> The actress’s cold demeanor made her perfect for the role of the mean stepmother.

When you put it that way, it doesn't feel good at all. My grandmother is like a saint to me.

* when you put it that way: a subtle acknowledgement of being wrong

ex> When you put it that way, tea is definitely a more popular drink than coffee.

Wow, you really know how to give a guilt grip. If it will make you shut up about it, I’ll do it.

* guilt trip: an experience of feeling guilty about something, especially when such guilt is excessive and unfounded

= make me feel bad; make me feel guilty; pile on the guilt

ex> My wife used to give me a guilt trip until I would take her out to dinner.

Don’t drag your feet, we’re getting off in three stations. Do it now or I might just tell your grandmother!

* drag one’s feet: to avoid something or to do it slowly

ex> Joe would always drag his feet when a good opportunity appeared because of his fear of failure.

Note> Literally, if you drag your feet, you walk slowly and wearily or with difficulty.

PE 8/8 I Can’t Believe You Fall for Every Fashion Trend!

Forgive me for being out of touch, but that is, by far, the dumbest thing I have ever heard.

* out of touch: not familiar with something; out of sync

= not being up-to-date; being in the dark; uninformed

ex> My mother is so out of touch with today’s music that she thinks the Beatles are still touring.

Note> This also means to be no longer in contact or communication.

ex> I’m completely out of touch with most of my friends from high school.

* by far: unquestionably; without peer

ex> This is, by far, the longest vacation I have ever been on.

You just painted a really silly picture. What grown man would walk around looking like a schoolboy or a clown?

* paint a picture: to describe something in such detail, that the person listening can see it in their mind.

ex> The doctor painted a grim picture of the patient’s chances of survival.

I pity you, I really do. If you gave fashion a chance, your mind would be opened up to a whole new world.

* give something/someone a chance: to try something different; not make a judgment about something too quickly

ex> Don’t say you don’t like something before you try it. You have to give it a chance first.

Note> If you give someone a “second” chance, you give him another chance to earn your trust.

The lifespan of fashion trends is very short these days, which makes them a waste of money. I think I’ll stick to my classic blue jeans, t-shirts, and sneakers, thank you very much!

* stick to: to continue doing/using something that one has been habitually using/doing

ex> The tour guide insisted that everyone stick to the trail and not wander into the forest.

PE 8/7 National Parks of North America: Yellowstone

We’re almost there, Sam. And when we walk into the next clearing, you won’t believe your eyes. Just a few more meters…
* not believe one’s eyes: to find it hard to accept something despite its presence

ex> She couldn’t believe her eyes when her long lost brother walked through the door.

Through word of mouth among my hiker friends. John and Kate came to Yellowstone Park last summer and they sent me the GPS coordinates.

* word of mouth: the spread of information from person to person

ex> Through word of mouth, the band became the most popular group of the year.

Note> In the business world, “word-of-mouth marketing” is a highly esteemed way of advertising.

You don’t want to get too close to bison. They may look like shaggy cows, but they can be really aggressive if they feel threatened.

I’ll keep that in mind, but I think my telephoto lens will do the trick. But I might want to walk over to the opposite side of the pond just for better lighting.

* do the trick: to have a solution to a simple problem

ex> Just push the shift and command keys at the same time. That should do the trick.

Don’t push your luck, Sam. I don’t have cell phone coverage way out here, so we won’t be able to call in the Medivac helicopter to get you out when those buffaloes are done with you.

* push one’s luck: to take unnecessary chances; ask for too much

ex> I already said you could have a week off for vacation, so don’t push your luck asking for two weeks.

Point taken. I’ll just go up the hill behind us for a different perspective.

* point taken: an acknowledgement that someone has made a valid argument for something

ex> There are a lot of speed cameras in this area. - Point taken. I’ll slow down.