Archive for September, 2008
After the party…
Sep 29th
Hello everyone!
Thanks for coming out to our party! This past Saturday was a great time at a bar in the heart of (in the middle of) the Plateau in Montreal. We wanted a cross-cultural party and we got one.
There were friends from Canada (English- and French-speaking), America, Japan, and various countries in Europe.
It was great for a first party and now we are looking to our Halloween Party. I love Halloween and dressing up (wearing a costume). We will post here when we have all the details for you. Harp and I will also be podcasting about Halloween, so stay tuned for that.
Slang: “Crazy” means exciting, wonderful, and fun
Sep 27th
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At Culips we always try to be a little crazy! This word has a literal meaning but also tons of slang ways to use it. In North America it is a very popular word. Other similar words include, “insane”, “bananas”, “nuts”. Check out this podcast to hear how we use them all.
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Harp:So, does that mean that it was mentally unstable?
Maura: No, it means that it was interesting, different, probably lots of energy.
Harp: OK, I understand, I understand. So, we use “crazy” in terms of something that is good, something fun, something exiting. For example, I went bungee jumping and it was crazy. Or I went skydiving, some adventure sport, something, you know?
Maura: Yeah, that’s a pretty crazy thing to do.
Podcast/ Lipservice: Culips ESL Podcast, Photo: Doug McNeall
PARTY TIME!
Sep 25th
It’s time to PARTY!!!!!!!!
Hello All,I hope you all are doing good out there. I’m doing fantastic, enjoying the fall weather and getting ready to party!
This upcoming weekend the Culips team is hosting a party and YOU all are invited. If you are anywhere near Montreal we hope that you can make it!!! I guarantee it will be a blast (very good time!). I have included the poster here so you all can see the details.I hope to meet some of you this weekend. Please bring your friends because the more the merrier (the more people there the more fun it will be!)
Harp
Hiking in the USA
Sep 21st
Hey everyone!
As summer is finishing, I am already starting to reminisce (think of the past) about my mini-vacations.
In August I went to the state of New Hampshire and hiked up Mount Washington. This mountain is only a 4-hour drive from Montreal, and what a beautiful drive it is. Lots of scenic (lots of things to see) roads and amazing views along the way.
Mount Washington is known for having the wickedest (crazy and unpredictable) weather. It holds the world record for the highest record wind speed of 372 kilometres per hour! It wasn’t that crazy when we were there, but it was quite cold. It is 6288 feet high, and the highest peak (top points of a mountain) in the Northeastern United States.
Here are some photos of our (my boyfriend and I) hike to the summit (the highest point of the mountain)!
Movie Review: The Dark Knight
Sep 20th
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The Dark Knight was the summer blockbuster! Is it playing in theatres where you are now? Maura gives her review in this episode and we talk about tons of movie vocabulary. Check out this episode and the film!
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Maura: Nope, not even.
Harp: Oh, that was a very good one.
Maura: Oh really?
Harp: Really good, it’s the only superhero that I’ve ever liked.
Maura: Well you’ll probably like this one because this one has received more buzz, you know?
Harp: Yup.
Maura: Everyone is talking about it. It’s crazy. It’s like if you haven’t seen it people are wondering why not, like you have to see it.
Podcast/ Lipservice: Culips ESL Podcast
Movie Trailor – The Dark Knight
Housewarming Party!
Sep 16th
Hello all,
I thought I would tell you all about my weekend. My friends moved into a new apartment about a month ago so they decided to have a housewarming party. People usually throw a housewarming party when they buy a new house or condominium but because I am still young and many of my friends are still renting we often have housewarming parties when we move to a new apartment.
At a housewarming party you often buy a present for your friends. I bought my friends some nice glasses for their new apartment. They spent the last month painting and arranging their new home and it looked very nice. The party was great; I had a very fun time!
Harp
Idiom: Get Under Someone's Skin
Sep 13th
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This episode our idiom is “to get under someone’s skin.” This means to bother or annoy someone. We give tons of examples of how you can use it and look at similar expressions, like “to rub someone the wrong way” and “to drive someone crazy”. To find out what drives Harp crazy, start listening to this episode!
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Harp: When people are late, maybe?
Maura: Yeah sometimes. Yeah, that’s true, if people are late it can get under my skin, if you’re waiting for them or if you have somewhere to go or if you made an effort to be on time and then they are late, it can bother me or it can get under my skin.
Harp: Sometimes people get bothered by other people’s physical actions. Like maybe they scratch at themselves and it really gets under people’s skin.
Podcast/ Lipservice: Culips ESL Podcast, Photo: e³°°°
Indian Summer?
Sep 11th
Every September, I hope for an Indian Summer. An Indian summer is when we have weather that stays warm into the fall season. So far this month it has been pretty warm in Montreal.
But today was a bit chilly (cool, not so cold) and windy, and I needed a coat. The sun is also setting (going down) earlier and that makes night come sooner!
I hope that the days of sunshine will continue in Montreal and the temperature will stay above 15! Cross your fingers for me. (this means that you wish me luck!)
If you want to know more about Indian Summer and its stange name, click here.
ATTACK OF THE SKUNK!
Sep 10th
Since I wrote my last blog about skunks, I have noticed that the skunk population has increased A LOT in Montreal. I see at least a skunk a week, if not more. I see them all around town. Each and every time that I see them I freak out (get very scared and make a lot of noise) but yesterday was the funniest experience so far.
So last night I was walking home after my night class and I was very close to my apartment building. My head was in the clouds (look for an explanation in the upcoming Out of It Catch Word podcast), thinking about school and life in general. I was about to walk up the path to my front door when something caught my attention.
There was some movement at the bush near the path. I instantly knew that there was a skunk, or maybe I just assumed it was a skunk. I got so scared that I turned in a bit hurry but instead of getting away from the skunk I crashed into a parked car. I was leaning against the car trying to think of my next move. In my head I knew that I needed to get away from the skunk (I could see the tail moving up, or so I thought) and I really didn’t want to get sprayed. Time seemed to slow down and it felt like in the movies when everything moves in slow motion.
Finally I made myself move, in what I now describe as a Matrix like twist, I squeezed between the car I crashed into and the one behind it until I was a safe distance from the skunk.
I then karate kick chopped my way past the skunk up the path and ran screaming into my apartment.
When I got into my apartment I finally realized what had happened. The skunk was not afraid of me at all. It was not going to spray me; it saw me and just went the other way. I completely over exaggerated the situation. I then proceeded to laugh for the next 10 minutes and I was not able to tell Craig what happened for about half an hour because I burst out laughing each time I started telling the story. Today I told my co-workers the story and everyone laughed at me and with me.
They look like cute animals when we forget about the bad smell but in reality I’m very afraid of skunks. I don’t want to be sprayed by them and if you remember my “Making a Scene” blog then you all know that I like to run when skunks are anywhere near by.
I guess I should be less afraid of skunks.
Ideas for Answering Machine Greetings
Sep 7th
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How do I leave a greeting in English on my answering machine at work? There are standard messages and there are more special, funny ones. Listen to this podcast to hear professional messages and Harp and Maura sing!
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Please leave a detailed message and I’ll call you back as soon as possible. Thanks.
Harp: Something like that sounds good. If you want to leave someone else to contact, you can say, “If you need immediate assistance dial zero”. Or “If you need assistance right away please call 514-1232-2323”.
Maura: That is not our real number so don’t try calling. And your average answering machine in a home is not that different. You can say the names of the people, the family name or the phone number. Here are some more examples.
Podcast/ Lipservice: Culips ESL Podcast, Photo:
Of all the podcasts with 'real world' English examples, I like yours the best. Maybe its the fun you put into the lessons. The students can here that in your voices. And they also feel your dedication to what you are doing - it's just not a job you do, but a gift you give to everyone who listens. And while the students like the Lipservice PDFs for all the information it contains, as a teacher I am impressed by the professional effort put into making them. I give the Culips podcast and the Culips crew my highest recommendation, both as a teacher, and a listener. 
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