A3 Scanner

Because I am a teacher, I have a large number of picture cards. I use these cards to teach English words to students. If they see a picture while saying the word, they can associate the image and the sound. I really like the cards, but there is a problem.

Most of my cards are very large: not as large as A3 paper, but bigger than B4 paper. They are hand-drawn on very, very thick paper. Some of them also have a plastic film glued over the pictures. I store all of them at home. They take up a lot of space in my closet.

Also, they are heavy. I have to carry the cards from school to school. My backpack gets very heavy and my neck gets very tired.

I think B5 paper is big enough for a normal classroom. I decided to scan the cards into my computer, so I can print them out on normal B5 paper. If I laminate them they will be strong, but still light, small, and easy to store. Also, it will be easy for other teachers to print out and use.

My scanner can scan A4 paper or smaller. Today I am using an A3 scanner at school. It is very nice. I scanned 76 cards into the computer.

Have you used a scanner? Why did you use it?

I Like Fish

One of my favorite foods is fish. When I was young we always wanted hamburgers or steak. As I got older I ate more chicken and pork. Now I live in Japan and I eat fish several times every week. Of course, when I was young I ate fish, but now I eat more fish.

Sometimes we would go fishing for rainbow trout. On special occasions we would eat salmon.

The town where I live now is near the water. We can get many different kinds of fish here. Today I ate mackerel. It was very good.

How often do you eat fish? Do you like it? What is your favorite fish?

Finding Food

I live in Japan. I grew up in America. I love Japanese food. I love American food.

When I go shopping at the grocery store, often I can’t find items that are common in America. Likewise, when I visit America, I can’t find items that are common in Japan.

Fortunately, in Seattle there is a Japanese grocery store. We can find many Japanese ingredients there.

Also, in Japan, I found some specialty shops. I can buy many things I like at those stores.

One food that I like a lot is cheddar cheese. I use it when making tacos or chili. Sometimes I just eat it on crackers.

Have you lived in a foreign country? Was there a food you craved? Could you find it someplace?

Waiting for the Storm

We are expecting a typhoon this weekend. Probably it will arrive in Kyushu on Friday. I guess it will arrive here on Saturday or Sunday.

When a typhoon arrives, there is a lot of rain and wind. Sometimes the trains stop running. Sometimes the roads are closed. Sometimes the river overflows.

I plan to stay inside all weekend. I have a lot of paperwork to finish. It will be a good chance to catch up. I really don’t like paperwork, but it must be done.

Do you like paperwork? Do you have a lot of paperwork to do?

What are you doing this weekend?

Avoiding a Cold

Recently I haven’t been sleeping enough because I am so busy. It is very dangerous to be short on sleep. When we are tired we make bad decisions. When we are tired it is hard to concentrate. If we are driving, we need to concentrate.

Also, when we are tired it is easy to get sick. Yesterday my throat was a little sore. This morning I drank some juice and it feels pretty good, but now I have a headache. I am going to bed soon. I don’t want to catch a cold.

How are you feeling today? Are you getting enough sleep?

Candy Corn

Do you have a favorite candy?

When I was young, we often ate a candy called candy corn. At Halloween and Thanksgiving candy corn was very popular.

Candy corn was made with honey, so it was very sweet. The shape looks kind of like Indian corn. Traditionally the candy was white, yellow, and orange. I would take one at a time. First I would bite off the little white part. Then I would bite off the yellow part. Finally I would eat the orange part. If I could perfectly bite off one color, I was happy.

Although I ate them slowly, I could not stop. I always ate a lot of them.

Now they are not made with honey. Now they use high fructose corn syrup instead. I think it is really bad for our health. I miss the old candy corn.

Homemade Dinner

Normally I have dinner with my wife about once a week. We both have very busy schedules. Usually she makes dinner for the children at work, so she is not home at dinnertime. Also, sometimes I have to work until nine or ten at night.

Tonight she took a break at dinnertime and came to our apartment. She made miso soup and hamburger steaks with demi-glace sauce. We also had ban-cha tea and rice. I really love her cooking.

Sometimes I eat dinner at her parents’ home. Her mother is also a very good cook.

Who cooks your dinner? Do you like their cooking? What is your favorite thing to cook? What is your favorite thing to eat?

Overslept

I haven’t been sleeping enough this year. For the past two weeks, I have been very short on sleep. This morning I was too tired and I overslept.

It felt very good to get a little more sleep, but I was panicked when I woke up. I like to be very relaxed in the morning, but when I am late I have to rush.

Tonight, I hope to get more sleep.

Normally I like to get seven or eight hours of sleep each night.

How much sleep do you need? Are you getting enough sleep?

Reading to Children

When I was a child, my mother often read books to me. She read picture books when I was very young. She read more serious books as I got older. There is a special feeling when you hear someone reading a book to you.

Scientists also say that it will stimulate the brain. Of course, reading a book by yourself will stimulate the brain, but hearing someone read activates other areas. It seems important to both read and be read to, for good brain development.

I always enjoyed hearing my mother read books. I think it encouraged me to read more. This is another benefit of reading to children.

As an adult, I really enjoy reading to children. Now I read to children in English and Japanese. It is so fun to watch the children enjoy the stories.

Someday I hope to have my own children. I plan to read to them even before they are born.

Do you have children? Do you read books to them? Do they enjoy reading?

Too Busy for Friends

Friends are very important. Keeping friends takes work. It is important to meet our friends often. We need to talk to them and do things with them. We need to share out time with them.

Many things in life require time. Our jobs require time. Our household chores require time. Filing taxes take time. So many things. If we aren’t careful, suddenly our time will disappear.

Recently, I have been very, very busy. Just meeting friends for a short time has been difficult. It makes me sad. I hope all of my chores are done soon, so I can spend time with friends.

How is your schedule? Are you making time for your friends?