New Address for english.michaelsaffle.com

So Google made everyone like me who used FTP to download new content to their websites move to a new system. If I was better at HTML programing I think I would have been able to do that without any problems. Well, it took me over 5 hours to complete and when it was all said and done I ended up changing the address to english.michaelsaffle.com to make it a little easier to find.

Sorry for the confusion and I will work on getting the former link directed to this address.

Thank you.

Michael

A Cup of Juan Valdez's Best

I love coffee. I drink coffee everyday and I like to try different kinds from different countries.  I also like iced coffee but only in the summer when it's too hot to drink regular coffee.

Recently I have been drinking a lot of Colombian coffee. Most people know that Juan Valdez is the national brand of Colombia, but traveling to the country a couple of times a year to visit my wife's family, I have been able to buy a few different types. They were all fantastic.

When I went to the UK to visit my friend Richard I was introduced to Caffe Nero. (Normally you would spell this word "cafe" but this is a proper noun) This was a popular coffee shop in London, almost as popular as Starbucks. It's been a while since I have been to London but the next time I go I am sure one of my first cups of Joe will be at Caffe Nero.

Some people would call me a "coffee snob" because I don't mind paying as much as $5 a cup. And it's true, I tend to thumb my nose to cheaper coffee that you can buy at McDonalds or in a vending machine.

Do you like to drink coffee? If you do, what brands do you like? What do you like to put into your coffee? I like a little raw sugar or panela (a South American sugar) but not milk. My wife like to have half coffee and half milk. She calls that a cafe.

If you don't drink coffee, what do you drink?

Wedding Idioms

I recently got married (check out my blog at www.michaelsaffle.com for details and pictures) and I thought about all the wedding idioms there are. I picked a few I like the best and thought I would share them with you all.

get hitched - to get married. "Did you hear that Mark and Lisa got hitched last week?"

shotgun wedding - is a wedding that is rushed because the bride-to-be is pregnant. It's a forced wedding. "Mark and Mary had a shotgun wedding in Las Vegas. They had a baby girl 6 months later."

cold feet - when one feels nervous about the wedding. Having second thoughts about getting married. "His friends asked him if he was getting cold feet, but John was happy to get married and wasn't nervous at all."

tie the knot - to get married. "At 25 I was not ready to tie the knot. At 34 I felt it was time."

Today's proverb: In like a lion out like a lamb

In like a lion, out like a lamb. This is proverb is used sometimes to describe the change of seasons from winter to spring. In like a lion means that at the start of March winter is still very strong. Cold weather and snow! Out like a lamb means that the change to spring at the end of the month results in calmer weather. I found this cartoon which explains the origin of this proverb. Enjoy!

Michael

Snow Day!

It's snowing in Downtown Washington D.C. and I thought I would introduce some snow themed English expressions.

What is a snow day? A snow day is when the school or office is closed because of dangerous wintry conditions. "I was so happy when I was a kid when we had a snow day."

What does it mean to be snowed in? This one may seem obvious to most of you, but if you hear about someone being snowed in that means they are trapped where they are because of the snow. This usually does not mean it's impossible to move but more that it would be unsafe to drive or take a lot of effort to walk. "I couldn't get to the store because we were snowed in all weekend."

The most fun I had as a kid during a snow day was going outside to sled. I also liked to drink hot chocolate when I got back inside to warm up. Memories like that make me all warm inside!

Michael

Week 2 Day 2

I'm on week 2 of my 100 push up challenge. I have not given up yet!

Part 1:



And Part 2:

Week 1, Day 2 part TWO

This was the last set and BOY was I tired.

100 Push Ups Week 1 Day 2 Part ONE

My second day of push ups. Part One. I have part two which I will post tomorrow.


Michael

100 Push Ups Week 1 Day 1

Oh my gosh! I am killing myself and it's only the first day!

Michael

100 Push Up Challenge!

OK, I started my march to 100 push ups and I did a little better than I thought with the initial test.

I was hoping to do more than 10 and I finished with 16. Yes! I will start my week one tomorrow and hope to be able to crank out

100 push ups by March.

The World Celebrates President-Elect Obama

How are people reacting to the Obama victory? Check it out here!

Michael

Voting By Absentee Ballot

I voted this week! You might be thinking, "Wait one second? Isn't the election next week?" You are right, but in some states you can vote early. In every state you can vote by "absentee ballot" which is what I have done. If you will not be able to go out to vote in your local polling place you can request a mail in ballot. I am going to be on business next week so I knew I could not vote in person. I requested my absentee ballot two weeks ago and got it in the mail on Tuesday. I was so eager to vote I mailed it in the very next day. I even put two stamps on the envelope so I knew it would get there.

This election should see a record number of voters come out to the polls. I am proud to be one of them. In my family, we all vote. This is my fourth presidential election I have been old enough to vote in. You have to be 18 years old to vote in America. I voted for Clinton in '96, Gore in 2000 and Kerry in'04. I bet you can guess who I voted for this year!

Have a great weekend! I'm going trick-or-treating with my Godsons tonight. Happy Halloween!

Michael

My Sister's Wedding

My sister got married last month in Aburn, Maine. Maine is on the top East side of the United States. Only Alaska is farther north. My sister and her new husband both live in Portland, which is the biggest city in Maine. I love visiting them a couple of times a year. In America, it is traditional to give the happy couple a wedding gift. Traditionally these gifts are items that will help a new couple when they move into their house. Gifts like glassware, plates, silverware are all traditional gifts. I decided that I would be un-traditional. I gave my sister and her husband a Nintendo Wii game machine! They can use it in their new house and it is a lot of fun. I had so much fun playing Wii bowling that I want to buy my own now!



Michael

What a crazy fountain!

I found this on YouTube and had to share it with everyone. I think this is a fountain in Japan somewhere. How amazing is that? Wow! I want to see this at my local mall. Very entertaining.

Michael

Political Satirist is a fun job during an election!

Send a JibJab Sendables® eCard Today!

The 2008 election is getting closer (thank God!) and the political satirist are out in force. A satirist is a humorist who uses ridicule, irony and sarcasm. A popular satirist in America is a website called Jib Jab. They create a lot of funny videos like the one above. At some point I think you should see my head!

I'm having a heck of time trying to get my new laptop to record audio. Once I get that fixed I should be able to podcast again. Enjoy the video and the weekend.

Michael

Summer Fashion for men

Does this look like fashion men in your town would wear? Not me! Check out the article on Los Angeles Times. I hear a lot more clothes when I am on the beach, but I don't have as good of body either!

I am busy as heck here in Washington D.C. and getting ready for the 4th of July weekend. I will try to make a new podcast this weekend.

Talk to you soon!

Michael

Summer Vacation Starts Tomorrow!

Hello from Washington D.C. I am getting ready for my summer vacation and will leave for Colombia tomorrow. I have never been to South America before so this is very exciting for me. I will try to post pictures to this website while I am there.

I have a few new expressions that I would like to share.

Preaching to the choir: When making an argument to someone that already agrees with you. "I was telling Frank why I think Obama should be the next president when he told me I was preaching to the choir. He was going to vote for Obama as well."

Pretty [adjective]: When you add pretty in front of an adjective it means "very." For example. "The tornado was pretty scary", means the same as "The tornado was very scary."

Tunred the page: To go from one stage of life to the next. "Sarah looked like she has finally turned the page and gotten on with her life after the divorce."

Saffle Says Podcast #001

Long time no radio show! Man, has it been a long time since I was on the air. I have no excuse, I have simply been too busy. I am happy to start 2008 with a new podcast. I am picking out some of my most recent idioms, vocabulary words and expressions that I have taught my Manabi students.

I'm looking for people to send me email to my new address: michael.saffle@gmail.com and ask me your tough English questions.

hang over: after a night of drinking the next day you can have headache, nausea, sensitivity to light and noise.

make or break: when you are are some point where what you do will either end in success or failure. "The right draft pick can make or break a good baseball team."

ducks in a row: where you have to be organized and do a series of things before you can achieve your goal. "Before I can buy my first house, I will need to get all my ducks in a row and talk to an agent."

up and comer: someone who is doing well and rising to the top of their field. It could be music, business or any other type of occupation.
Example, "I remember cheering for Asashyoryu back in 2001 when he was an up and commer in the Juro division."

welcome wagon: is a committee of neighbors who bring over a gift to families who move into the area. This is something that is very rare these days and I don't think it has ever happened to my family!

RV - recreational vehicle - A vehicle, such as a camper or motor home, used for traveling and recreational activities.
"The annual Burning Man Concert is a week long affair that most people drive to in their RVs."

prognosticate: to forecast or predict(something in the future) from present indications or signs. Example sentence: "Mark was renowned in the business community for his prognosticating skills when it comes to the market trends."

renaissance man: is a cultured man of the Renaissance who was knowledgeable, educated, or proficient in a wide range of fields. I fancy myself as a renaissance man but I need to do more studying!

Nice Weather We're Having.

What is one of the first things you learn how to say in English? I bet it's "How is the weather today?" Well, let's expand on that and give you some more helpful idioms and expressions that Americans use when talking about the weather.
This is also a good form of small talk which you can use with friends or people you meet for the first time. Try them out the next time you go to an English class or talk to a English speaking person you know.






Indian summer: A warm and pleasant autumn.
"I was really not expecting an Indian summer in the middle of November. I might get my shorts out of the closet!"


Raining cats and dogs: I think most Japanese know this idiom, but it means when it is raining very hard.
"Hey Frank, you better go roll up you car windows, it's raining cats and dogs!"

Brass Monkey Weather: In the UK you might here this expression. It means very cold weather.
"It's brass monkey weather isn't it?"

Now here are a couple of idioms that sound like they might have something to do with the weather but in actuality they mean something entirely different.

Feeling under the weather: When you are feeling sick, or not very good.
"Hey Chuck, are you going to the party tonight? No man, I'm feeling under the weather."
"I think I'm going to call it a night and go straight home after work."

Fair-weather friend: In this case fair-weather means a friend who is only there for you when things are going well. That's the fair-weather, good times. When things are going bad and you need a real friend, a fair-weather friend is no where to be found.
"I am sick of fair-weather friends who are never around when I need help."

A snowball's chance in Hell: I think this is my favorite one. If you say someone doesn't have a snowball's chance in Hell then you are saying there is no chance. 0% Not going to happen! The expression is a combination of snow which is cold and Hell which is thought to be very hot. How long can a snowball last in Hell? Not very long!
"The peace talk in Annapolis have a snowball's chance in Hell of brining lasting peace to the Middle East."