Real English Estate - Stories

 The Abusive Mom (4) a rewarding role At the end of the day, I really just love taking care of my girls, whether that means loudly rebuff ing every man who approaches them, giv ing them unsolicited dieting tips, or buy ing the next round of mimosas at brunch and then—if she doesn’t return the favor —asking Elise why she’s such a goddamn selfish cunt. Even when times are tough, what matters most to me is that my girls know I have their backs and will never abandon them. Unless , of course, they let me down in some small way, in which case I may just lose it and start smacking the shit out of them . Being the abusive mom might not seem like the most fun role to play in a group of friends, but for me, it’s the most rewarding . Our friendship will last forever because my girls realize if they ever try to leave, I will make them regret it for the rest of their fucking lives. I love taking care of the girls = hrozně ráda se o ty holky starám rebuff

The Abusive Mom (3) there for you Sure, there are times when I'd rather  have a carefree night  on the town  without worrying  about whether my friends are squarely under my thumb. Sometimes when we're  out at  a club,  I'm not in the mood  to tell them they're  embarrassing  themselves, bark "Let's go!" and then pull them  off  the dance floor, making a scene in front of everyone. But I still do it, and you know why?  That's just what  unstable, borderline-psychotic moms do! Hey, if it weren't  for  me, who would bring Yasmin  way too many  tequila  shots  just  so  she'll appreciate how important I am  to  her a few hours later when I'm holding back her hair  as  she pukes? Though  I play the motherly role, that doesn't mean our friendships aren't  a two-way street . For every time I've reduced them to tears in the middle of a Victoria's Secret,  there's been an occasion  on which I've  stormed out  of a bir

 The Abusive Mom (2) besties again When they’re feeling down , I’m the only one they trust with their worries, because I’ve convinced them no one else will ever care . My girls tell me things they won’t even tell each other, thanks to my ongoing campaign of lies pitting one against the other. They know they can confide in me and that I’ll use their secrets to crush them if they ever cross me. On the other hand, I never sugarcoat things. If I think one of them needs to be told she’s a tedious fucking bitch with bad skin, I’ll tell her straight to her face. Day or night, I’m the one they can always turn to , whether for an offhand belittling remark , or an all-out unexplained silent treatment that lasts for days. I guess that’s just my abusive maternal instinct! Like every group of friends, we fight sometimes. But even when we have our differences, my girls understand I’ll always be ready to burst into tears and demand to know why they would make me suffer like thi

 The Abusive Mom (1) my friends and I By Payton Howard Ever since high school, my friends and I have had our own little roles to play within our group. Elise is the stylish one , Jen is the smart one , Yasmin is the party animal , and me? Well, my girl pals can always count on me for tough love, candid advice, my fiercely protective nature , and the cruel, calculated manipulation tactics I use to keep them all in check . Yup, I guess you could say I’m the emotionally abusive mom of my group of friends!   Every group has one : that nurturing, maternal person who offers a shoulder to cry on , is quick with a backhanded compliment, and, when necessary, doesn’t hesitate to tell a friend she’s a completely worthless person and always will be . While Elise keeps us up-to-date on spring fashion trends, and Yasmin has the scoop on the hottest new bars, I’m the one who repeatedly humiliates my friends in public after first lulling them into a false sense of secur

Time  to go to  Sleep do you ever...  - příslovce EVER se navzdory typické školní poučce o jeho užití v předpřítomném čase dá použít v jakémkoli čase, zde má tedy význam (vůbec) někdy v přítomnosti ridiculously early  - neskutečně brzo, hrozně brzo. Příd.jm. ridiculously může mít de facto pozitivní i negativní význam (the prices are ridiculously high X he was a ridiculously good student) you might be doing it wrong  - možná to děláte špatně (průběhový čas pro zdůraznění) by getting more sleep  - tím, že budete víc spát refreshed  - "čerstvý", odpočatý apparently  - zjevně, podle všeho a bit more complicated than that  - poslední dvě slova jsou víceméně idiomatická, v některých spojeních se používají, v některých ne, jde o ustálenost daného výrazu, zde se vztahují k tvrzení začínajícímu tím "by getting more hours of sleep". Časté je využití ve frázi "You'll have to do better  than that " (budeš se muset víc snažit) luckily for us  - na

Time  to go to  Sleep Adapted from dailymirror Do you  ever  go to bed  ridiculously  early because you need to wake up  on time for  work - then feel even more tired in the morning? Well, you might  be doing it wrong . Don't just think that  by getting  more hours of sleep, you'll be more  refreshed  in the office the next day.  Apparently  it's a bit more complicated  than that . But,  luckily for us , someone has created a 'sleep calculator',  being used  on blinds company site web-blinds.com, so we can  work out  when we need to  hit the sack in  the click of a button. Apparently  it has more to do  with sleep cycles  rather than getting  more hours of sleep. If you wake up  at  the wrong time during a sleep cycle, you'll find yourself more tired - even if you  were asleep  for longer. Need to make sure you're awake and getting out of bed at 7am? Then you need to go to bed  at either  9.46pm  or  11.16pm. If you're having a late nigh

Teaching  to  Learn  (7) happy ever after make up one's mind  - rozhodnout se (související fráze  change one's mind  - rozmyslet se, zvolit jinak) all across America - v celé Americe / po celé Americe (dosl. napříč celou Amerikou) I was on...  - byl jsem v (pořadu)... Stejně tak by bylo  on the radio ,  on TV ,  on the news it was uncomfortable for people to hear...  - lidem se nelíbilo, když slyšeli... (spojením FOR ... TO ... uvádíme na scénu předmět věty, tedy slovo "people" a sloveso, které se k němu vztahuje). Výraz  be uncomfortable  je dobré si asociovat s českým  necítit se dobře , nebýt ve své kůži (I am not very comfortable around these people = I am uncomfortable around these people - necítím se s těmihle lidmi dobře) I want people to know there is hope  - chci, aby lidi věděli, že existuje naděje. Jedna ze stěžejních vazeb, na kterou jsem zde poukazoval na mnohých místech -  want sb. to do sth. , tedy  chtít, aby někdo něco udělal without teach

Teaching  to  Learn  (7) happy ever after It wasn't easy but once I'd  made up my mind  I was going to tell the story. I told it all  across  America, I spoke to anybody that would listen. I guarded this secret for decades and then I blasted it to the world. I was  on  Larry King, I was on the ABC News magazine show 20/20, I was on Oprah. It was  uncomfortable for people to hear  the story of the teacher who couldn't read. Some people said it was impossible and that I was making the whole story up. But I  want people to know there is  hope, there is a solution. We are not "dumb", we can learn to read, it's never too late. Unfortunately we are still pushing children and teens through school  without teaching  them basic reading and writing skills. But we can break this cycle of failure if  instead of blaming  teachers we  make sure  they are properly trained. For 48 years I was in the dark. But I finally got the monkey off my back, I finally  buried  t

Teaching  to  Learn  (6) decision time at a desperate spot  - v zoufalé situaci grocery store  - obchod s ovocem a zeleninou line  - fronta there were two women talking  - gerundium zde zkracuje vztažnou větu "two women who were talking" a volunteer tutor  - dobrovolný "doučovatel", soukromý učitel love to do sth.  - neznamená jen "milovat", ale i "dělat něco hrozně rád", podobně jako  hate to do sth.  - hrozně nerad něco dělat one of the things she had me do  - jednou z věcí, kterou po mě chtěla  one of the things about poetry is...  - jedna z výhod poezie je / poezie má velkou výhodu, a to... (tohle je taková modelová vytýkací konstrukce, kterou zdůrazníte nadcházející předmět věty) write in complete sentences  - psát v celých větách (podobně např. write in pencil / pen - psát tužkou / propiskou) it took me about seven years  -  trvalo mi to sedm let (tento význam slovesa TAKE je čas od času dobré si připomenout, zapamatujte si tře

Teaching  to  Learn  (6) decision time I was  at this desperate spot  in my life. I wanted to tell somebody and I wanted to get help and one day in the  grocery store  I was standing in  line  and there were two women in front of me  talking  about their adult brother who was going to the library. He was learning to read and they were just full of joy and I couldn't believe it. So one Friday afternoon in my pinstriped suit I walked into the library and asked to see the director of the literacy programme and I sat down with her and I told her I couldn't read. That was the second person in my adult life that I had ever told. I had a  volunteer tutor  - she was 65 years old. She wasn't a teacher, she was just somebody who  loved to  read and didn't think anybody should go through life  without knowing how to . One of the things that she  had me do  in the early stages was to try to write because I had all these thoughts in my mind and I'd never written a sente