My favorite TV show

I don't have a lot of time to watch TV, so when I have time, I like to watch something good. I am happy that we have satellite TV with SKY!

I like news programs and documentaries. I hate most reality shows. But my favorite show is Law and Order. It is a police drama that takes place in New York City. In the first part, it shows how the police investigate a homicide and find the killer. In the second part, we can see what the lawyers do in the trial ("processo"). I think it's really interesting because you can learn about the legal system in America. You can also learn about New York City!

A typical Sunday for me

I like Sundays because I am busy during the week with work, and I have time to relax and do other things that I like. This is a typical Sunday for me:

I usually wake up later. If I am very lucky, I can sleep until 9:00 am. On other days, I need to wake up at 6:30 am. I wish that I could sleep later, but we have three small children, and they can be noisy!

After breakfast, I usually spend some time with the kids, help clean the house and take a shower. My wife often goes to church, sometimes with the children. I frequently stay at home and make lunch and listen to music.

After lunch, we sometimes go somewhere together, (shopping, the park) but we might stay at home and relax. Sometimes the children watch TV, or we read something together or play a game.

If I have time, I like to make an interesting dinner. I like Sundays because I have time to try new recipes. Last Sunday I made a moroccan chicken tagine with chickpeas and apricots. The kids loved it! (If you are interested, here is the video for the recipe that I used.)

Something about me

A short introduction: I am an American English teacher here in Jesi, Italy. I work as a native-speaking assistant to Italian English teachers at three different high schools, and I have other part-time jobs too (Cambridge oral examiner, university instructor, private lessons, etc.).

Likes: People who say what they think without being rude. Good food, good "junk food".

Dislikes: Insincere people, biased TV news, going to the gym (I have never gone to the gym)

Hobbies: Cooking, playing guitar, playing congas, surfing the Internet

Favorite football team: San Francisco 49ers

Favorite food: Sushi, Spaghetti alla carbonara, tacos al pastor

Favorite music: Cuban, Brazilian, old country music, blues, the Beatles, Led Zeppelin

Failblog

One web site that I like is Failblog. Here, you can see lots of photos and videos of people who have done stupid things.

Here is an example of a picture that made me laugh. Here, the driver of the white car didn't stop soon enough when (s)he was trying to park.

I like Failblog because it is funny to see other people make mistakes sometimes.

Something that I would like to buy. (But I can't afford it)

I love many different types of music, and I like to listen to all of the instruments. If you have a cheap stereo, it is more difficult to hear everything well. That is why I would like to buy a new stereo. In the picture, you can see the Bose Music System II. It is small, but it sounds like a very big stereo.

But I can't afford it. The price? € 1.198.00 Maybe if I save my money I can buy it someday!

How much do you know about English?

My favorite subject at school is English. I like it because I am good at it and because I like studying languages. How much do YOU know about English? Take the quiz and find out!

1. What is the longest word in the English language?

2. How many words are there in the English language?

3. How much does a good pocket English-Italian dictionary cost (Collins, Oxford, etc.)

4. Read the following CORRECT sentence and translate it into Italian: "I know that that 'that' that that man wrote is correct."

5. Which language family is English a part of? (Romance? Germanic? Slavic? Semitic? Bantu?)

6. If you are a good student, how much time should you spend per week studying English?

7. "Careful" is an adjective. What is the adverb form?

8. The paradigm for the irregular verb "get" is different in British English and American English. How is it different?

9. How many people in the world speak English?

10. How many countries in the world have English as an OFFICIAL language? What are they?

TAKE THE QUIZ NOW! Write your answers as a comment and post it!

Music recommendations

One of my favorite types of music is Rumba. This is a type of music with percussion and voice and it comes from Cuba. Some of my favorite groups are Los Chinitos and Los Muñequitos de Matanzas. Here is one of my favorite videos:



This video is from a documentary about Cuban music. I like it because it shows real rumba music and it explains rumba dancing.