Funny Odds and Ends
#1
Last night at work, my more advanced students read an adapted version of the O. Henry story, "The Gift of the Magi." As you may recall, it's the story of a young, poor couple, Della and Jim, who each sell their most prized possession to buy a Christmas present for the other person. They discover in the end that their gifts are useless, as he sold his watch to buy combs for her hair and she sold her hair to buy a chain for his watch.
So, my students are reading along, and the tutor asked John (my forty-something Korean student) to read the characters' dialogue. John starts reading, and he used this very high, very dainty voice for Della and a very deep, manly voice for Jim. It was very, very funny to hear "Oh, Jim, you still like me, don't you? I'm still me, aren't I?" coming from a Korean man reading in a girly voice with a thick Korean accent. The other students were nearly rolling on the floor. I so wish I'd had a tape recorder.
#2
I'm trimming chicken Thursday morning, getting ready to stick it in the freezer, when Trea drags over a kitchen chair and climbs up to supervise. She observes me cutting chicken fat off the breasts with my shears for several moments, then comments, "Girl, you're fast!"
Why thank you.
#3
This actually happened a while back, but it was pretty funny. We've decided to start giving Trea a tiny allowance and teaching her about tithing. So, Sunday morning comes, and I give her ten dimes. Then I explain that we are going to take one dime and give it the bishop of our church so that he can help people. And she says, "Mommy, you can give all my dimes to the bishop to help people." I'm getting all misty-eyed and choked up over how adorable and generous she is, when John walks over and ruins it. "Trea," he says, "that's money. You can use it to buy stuff."
"Oh," Trea responds as she pulls back her dimes. "Well, I need it to buy a Barbie Dream Castle."
#4
Talked to the detective in charge of the Case of the Stolen Car the other day. He got a fingerprint and has a suspect he is looking for. The guy's name is Justice.
John has long had a theory that giving your child a "virtue" name - Hope, Charity, etc. - guarantees they will be the exact opposite. Which is why he won't ever let me name a baby Chastity. Or Justice.
#5
Adia is very funny, but it's not the type of thing that translates well into writing. We are endlessly amused by her attempts to sing, to boss Trea, and to generally make her wishes known. I often get the feeling that she is using language just to see if it works (if I say drink, they get me water! That's cool! Wonder if it will happen again. . . .it did! Wow. I'll have to remember that next time I'm actually thirsty).
I also get the feeling that she is certain she has been talking for months, and the tall idiots in the house have finally started to acquire language.
Last night at work, my more advanced students read an adapted version of the O. Henry story, "The Gift of the Magi." As you may recall, it's the story of a young, poor couple, Della and Jim, who each sell their most prized possession to buy a Christmas present for the other person. They discover in the end that their gifts are useless, as he sold his watch to buy combs for her hair and she sold her hair to buy a chain for his watch.
So, my students are reading along, and the tutor asked John (my forty-something Korean student) to read the characters' dialogue. John starts reading, and he used this very high, very dainty voice for Della and a very deep, manly voice for Jim. It was very, very funny to hear "Oh, Jim, you still like me, don't you? I'm still me, aren't I?" coming from a Korean man reading in a girly voice with a thick Korean accent. The other students were nearly rolling on the floor. I so wish I'd had a tape recorder.
#2
I'm trimming chicken Thursday morning, getting ready to stick it in the freezer, when Trea drags over a kitchen chair and climbs up to supervise. She observes me cutting chicken fat off the breasts with my shears for several moments, then comments, "Girl, you're fast!"
Why thank you.
#3
This actually happened a while back, but it was pretty funny. We've decided to start giving Trea a tiny allowance and teaching her about tithing. So, Sunday morning comes, and I give her ten dimes. Then I explain that we are going to take one dime and give it the bishop of our church so that he can help people. And she says, "Mommy, you can give all my dimes to the bishop to help people." I'm getting all misty-eyed and choked up over how adorable and generous she is, when John walks over and ruins it. "Trea," he says, "that's money. You can use it to buy stuff."
"Oh," Trea responds as she pulls back her dimes. "Well, I need it to buy a Barbie Dream Castle."
#4
Talked to the detective in charge of the Case of the Stolen Car the other day. He got a fingerprint and has a suspect he is looking for. The guy's name is Justice.
John has long had a theory that giving your child a "virtue" name - Hope, Charity, etc. - guarantees they will be the exact opposite. Which is why he won't ever let me name a baby Chastity. Or Justice.
#5
Adia is very funny, but it's not the type of thing that translates well into writing. We are endlessly amused by her attempts to sing, to boss Trea, and to generally make her wishes known. I often get the feeling that she is using language just to see if it works (if I say drink, they get me water! That's cool! Wonder if it will happen again. . . .it did! Wow. I'll have to remember that next time I'm actually thirsty).
I also get the feeling that she is certain she has been talking for months, and the tall idiots in the house have finally started to acquire language.
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