Thursday, June 14, 2018

Car Repairs

Our daughter called us the other day to let us know that she was having car trouble. Something was leaking. Hmmm. When your main job is teaching English and when you barely know how to change a tire, diagnosing car problems is like flying to the moon: beyond your skill. Fortunately, we were able to get the car to a mechanic. When you have such problems, I hope to find a good mechanic, but NOT like this one 

- http://www.esl-lab.com/repairs/repairsrd1.htm

Amazing Pets

When you think of lovable and intelligent pets, what animals come to mind? Well, watch this video. It might just change your mind about some things:

Monday, June 4, 2018

Growing Vegetables - esl-lab.com

Spending some relaxing moments in our garden. The lettuce, onions, peppers, sunflowers, and Japanese cucumbers are doing well. A peaceful feeling to see things grow and thrive.
Watch this video to practice your English and watch me work in our garden:

Sunday, June 3, 2018

New Garden Video - esl-lab.com

EXCITING NEWS! My daughter, Aubrey, has created her first video activity on my site. Of course, she has been a regular voice on my site for 20 years, but she wanted to share her own ideas with you. Please give it a try and share your comments about it here.
She is thinking about doing more. What do you think? What topics would you like to hear discuss? What questions do you have for her about school, work, daily life, and even things about me? Please share:

Looking Back at Old Videos

When I started my Web site 20 years ago (even before Facebook existed), I never thought I would still be developing new content and reintroducing old videos that I had created before.
As I was looking over one video on gardening from around 2000, I found this one that I originally had on my site, but I retired it because it was made in an older format, RealMedia. However, I decided to convert the file to MP4, and I have brought it back.
Yes, the video quality is poor based on today's standards, but it is a fun topic, and it is interesting to see how video has changed. Enjoy. It features my wife, Shirley, and my brother, Jeff.

Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Empathy and Understanding

What is often the case in life is that we are so unaware of how unaware we are about so many things, especially to the feelings and experiences of others. One typical example is when we might say to someone, "I know how you feel" when they are going through a difficult time of loss, sickness, betrayal, suffering, depression, or divorce.
Unfortunately, such a trite and shallow statement is often meant to spare our discomfort because we often don't know how to validate the struggles of others. The fact is that it is impossible to know how others feel; no situation is truly comparable to another. Rather than using competing sympathies such as these, it is much better to openly acknowledge that we are at a loss as to what to say. By recognizing our limitations, it can lead to more authentic and genuine conversations and relationships.
With this in mind, I created this conversation in which a husband (played by me) is completely unaware on how his poor communication style is affecting his relationship with his wife. What have been your experiences on this topic?

Monday, April 2, 2018

Why Run?

I am often asked why I "enjoy" doing long-distance running events, and the answer comes down to learning how to push through physical and emotional barriers and build greater resilience to difficult things. That said, I think we all desire to be a little stronger, even if it means just being able to get out of be in the morning and greet the new day. Every effort, no matter the distance, is a feat deeply worthy of respect and congratulations.
What is pretty amazing about such running events is the overwhelming feeling of support among runners, no matter if your first or last.
In thinking of mutual support and difficult experiences, I created this listening activity. Give it a try: