Overstretched?

As a general surgical registrar I was once helping my consultant remove a giant spleen when the patient began 'hosing' from an invisible source. After a frenzy of clamping, cutting and ligating, things stabilised and we were able to proceed at a more leisurely pace. 'It's good to see the boss sweat, isn't it?' he said, and I had to agree.

Seeing someone we admire really struggling can actually be a great encouragement, especially if the struggle has occurred because of their willingness to accept a difficult challenge. In my consultant's case it would have been far easier to avoid the giant spleen altogether, but his readiness to take it on – and sweat in the process – meant both a life saved and a trainee inspired.

As Christian doctors, most of us struggle to juggle the many demands of work, church and family successfully. Sometimes this is because we say 'yes' to extra responsibility when we should really have said 'no'. But often the struggle comes simply because we have responded in good conscience to do the right thing: choosing not to compromise, going the extra mile, being willing to help someone shoulder a burden, rising to the challenge.

The great biblical heroes of faith are inspiring because they teach us that God uses ordinary men and women who struggle in the same way that we do. Moses led his people out of slavery, performed miracles, talked face to face with God [1] and was the humblest man on earth.[2] And yet he once felt so desperately overwhelmed by the responsibility of looking after his people that he felt God was punishing him and asked to be put to death. God's response was to appoint 70 men to help him 'carry the burden of the people' so that he would 'not have to carry it alone'.[3]

Elijah felt so fearful after his heroics on Mt Carmel that he 'ran for his life' and 'prayed that he might die'. God's prescription was food, drink, a good night's sleep and a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit. God then assured him that he wasn't alone and led him to anoint a successor who would never leave his side.[4]

Esther was afraid that standing up for her threatened countrymen might lead to her own death, but she was persuaded that despite the risk, she should do the right thing and asked for her fellow Jews to fast and pray for her.[5] And God came through with the goods.

The Apostle Paul was the greatest church planter the world has ever seen, but he talked of himself, and Timothy, being 'under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life'. [6] Through it he was able to know God's comfort in these trials, pass that comfort on to others [7] and learn that God's 'power is made perfect in weakness' [8].

Perhaps most striking are the words of the Servant of Isaiah, Christ himself, who could say 'I have laboured to no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing' but then went on to declare that 'what is due to me is in the Lord's hand, and my reward is with my God' [9].

Are you feeling weighed down by bulging in-trays and looming deadlines, anxious that some of the many plates you are spinning will crash to the ground, worn down by the demands of managers or colleagues or just wondering how you are going to get through the next day? Be encouraged by the fact that even these greatest of saints at times were overcome with anxiety, fell exhausted, looked back and wondered if they had achieved anything of value, and even begged God to end their lives. And look to God as they did for the reinforcements, prayer supporters, courage, rest, fresh strength and words of hope to help sustain you. Most of all know that the God who calls you to walk in his footsteps has himself walked this earth, knows what it is like to be tempted [10] and lives in you by his Spirit. [11]

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18)

References

1. Numbers 12:8
2. Numbers 12:3
3. Numbers 11:10-17
4. 1 Kings 19:3-21
5. Esther 4:6-17
6. 2 Corinthians 1:8
7. 2 Corinthians 1:3,4
8. 2 Corinthians 12:9
9. Isaiah 49:4
10. Hebrews 4:15
11. 2 Corinthians 4:7

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Instantaneous

L-R from top to bottom: my hair styled by Ponytails + Horseshoes, outfit options for Fashion Week

delicious vegetarian chilli I made, my new ring from The Bay by Material Girl

special delivery (Kitty!), my friend Sandra's baby in a snowbank ; ) Can't stop laughing at this pic!

$10 dress I bought at H & M, Tim Horton's donuts from a vendor at work

It's official. I am addicted to instagram! You can follow me at @mariealamode. These are some pics from the past week. Have a GREAT weekend!

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Random Friday Roundup

Yet more Johnny on the GLAAD red carpet. Because too much Johnny is never enough.
Please be sure to click twice
for full-size version.

Yeah, this is just a mish-mash of all kinds of random odds and ends left over from whatever and thrown on here with an enormous Cinderella-esque sigh, a slapdash scrapbook with which we can disconsolately comfort ourselves in a vain attempt to distract us from

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Lenny Kravitz: His favorites and The Hunger Games

 Grammy Award winner for "Best Male Rock Vocal Performance" four years in a row from 1999 to 2002 LENNY KRAVITZ has been cast in the blockbuster movie ‘THE HUNGER GAMES’! Check out this interview... 

Lenny Kravitz

Question 1: Do you have a favorite movie, director, and actor?  Or do you have some favorites?

Lenny Kravitz Answer 1: I have favorites.  My favorite movie, if I had to pick one: Manhattan.  I’m a Woody Allen fanatic. My favorite director: Fellini, I’d have to say.  And my favorite actor… That’s a hard one, but I have to say De Niro.

Robert Di Nero

Question 2: You don’t do a lot of movies.  What was it about the material and this character that you’re like, “I want to be a part of this.” (this = The Hunger Games)

Lenny Kravitz 2: I didn’t know what it was.  So I read the book and fell in love with the book.  I thought it was great storytelling. 

Language Style

This interview has lots of great casual spoken English from the interviewer and Lenny Kravitz: Let’s break it up for practice purposes.  I have also edited some portions from the original interview.

Part One

Question 1: Do you have a favorite movie, director, and actor?  Or do you have some favorites?

Lenny Kravitz:  Answer 1: I have favorites.  My favorite movie, if I had to pick one: Manhattan.  I’m a Woody Allen fanatic. My favorite director: Fellini, I’d have to say.  And my favorite actor… That’s a hard one, but I have to say De Niro.

‘Question 1’ is a common question with a twist.  What is the ‘twist’?  The first part is in the singular form and the second part of the question takes on the plural form.  The second portion also drops some words for a conversational style.  This is possible because the ideas have already been mentioned in the first part of the question.

Here is what I mean:

1^st Part singular form

Question 1: Do you have a favorite movie, director, and actor? 

2^nd Part plural form and drops 3 words

Or do you have some favorites?

Long style: Or do you have some favorite movies, directors, and actors?

Movies, directors, and actors is canceled and an ‘s’ is added to ‘favorites’ to signal to the listener that the speaker is using a short conversation style.  Pretty Cool!  This isn’t something you will find in a textbook!

Lenny’s answer style also reflects the plural question form dropping 4 words:

I have favorites. 

Long style I have some favorite movies, directors, and actors.

Once again, the missing words are dropped because the speaker has already introduced the idea and style.  Most language teachers would correct the student if they said ‘I have favorites.’  But to the outside world, and me it is natural and chill (chill = cool, relaxed).

And if any one gives you grief (= frustrates your language usage or tries to correct you) ,just remember, award winning singer and writer  ‘Lenny Kravitz’ said it!

Lenny also has a great style for when you feel you have to pick only one answer.

Lenny uses 3 great phrases that you can use too!

…if I had to pick one:

… I’d have to say.  

… That’s a hard one, but I have to say…

These 3 phrases emphasize and signal the speaker’s difficulty in selecting only one movie, director, and actor.  Most likely Lenny has many movies, directors, and actors he likes.  Moreover his style reveals that he is very impressed with: Woody Allen, Fellini, De Niro.  And of course Lenny’s use of the word ‘fanatic’ shows his affinity toward Woody Allen. 

fanatic = enthusiast

Hockey fanatics!

Italian football (soccer) fanatic!

Using these 3 phrases is a great way to expand your English Language repertoire (repertoire = range of skills).  Native speakers in any language are able to express the same ideas in various ways.  That is what keeps language communication interesting! Or people smiling!

Part Two

Question 2: You don’t do a lot of movies.  What was it about the material and this character that you’re like, “I want to be a part of this.” (this = The Hunger Games)

Lenny Kravitz 2: I didn’t know what it was.  So I read the book and fell in love with the book.  I thought it was great storytelling. 

Lenny uses a great line to describe his feelings for the book/movie “The Hunger Games”:

…I fell in love with the book.

to fall in love with a book

 to fall in love with something = to really really like/love something

Exs. To fall in love with a movie, to fall in love with a screenplay, etc.

This expression is nice to add to your list of phrases to express ‘likes’ and ‘dislikes’.

Speaking Practice Style-Adapted for Daily Conversation

You probably got it but here a few practice examples to get you started in your conversation styles.  I adapted the second idea to fit everyday life since we are not rock stars yet.  But if you are you don’t have to change anything!

Question 1: Do you have a favorite movie, director, and actor?  Or do you have some favorites?

Lenny Kravitz Answer 1: I have favorites.  My favorite movie, if I had to pick one: Manhattan.  I’m a Woody Allen fanatic. My favorite director: Fellini, I’d have to say.  And my favorite actor… That’s a hard one, but I have to say De Niro.

Ex. Idea 1

Answer 1: I have favorites.  My favorite movie, if I had to pick one: Titanic.  I’m a Leonardo Di Caprio fanatic. My favorite director: James Cameron, I’d have to say.  And my favorite actor… That’s a hard one, but I have to say Denzel Washington.

Ex. Idea 2

Question 2: What was it about the material and this character that you liked?

Lenny Kravitz 2: I didn’t know what it was.  So I read the book and fell in love with the book.  I thought it was great storytelling. 

Question 2: What was it about the video that you liked?

I didn’t know what it was.  So I listened to and watched the video and fell in love with the video.  I thought it was great music. 

Alex

Celebrity English

http://celebrityenglish-alex.blogspot.com/

http://www.myspace.com/browse/people#!/573390781

http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100002654569713

https://twitter.com/CelebEnglish

http://www.youtube.com/user/blogalexg

http://www.linkedin.com/profile/edit?trk=hb_tab_pro_top

http://www.squidoo.com/lensmasters/blogalexg

 Lenny Kravitz- Movie Video

 Lenny Kravitz-Music Videos

 

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Refinery

dress and bow ring- RW & Co, shoes - Spring, bracelet and purse- H & M, 

hair: Cristina at Ponytails + Horseshoes

photos taken by Vickie

Last Saturday I was thrilled to be invited to attend the Refinery Late Night Art Party at the Art Gallery of Alberta, one of the hottest parties of the year in one of the most beautiful venues in Canada. These Refinery parties are becoming extremely popular in Edmonton, with tickets selling out in less than a day! The theme this time was Sewing the Heartland which was inspired by the exhibition Alberta Mistresses of the Modern: 1935-1975. Here are some pictures from that night:

L-R: My friends Harvey, Caroline and Kassandra (who was instagramming!)

Sewing the Heartland honored all the women that came before us including our Grandmothers so it was fitting perogies were served that night. My Grandma used to make blueberry and strawberry-filled perogies and we'd top them off with sugar and whipped cream. They were so good! I also have to mention there was a cotton candy machine on the 3rd floor and I took full advantage of it ; ).

Guests were able to design their own squares for a large-scale quilting project 

 Me, Kassandra and Vickie. photo by Harvey Miedreich for FASHION magazine

Grandmothers : )

Four very talented design teams competed in a Live Fashion Challenge which had them creating an outfit in 3 hours with the material and inspiration given to them. Guests could actually watch them construct their designs through glass rooms! Salgado Fenwick (on the left) took home first place and The D.I.Y. Doll's were the runners-up.

Janis Galloway, marketing coordinator at the AGA (and the lovely lady behind Dress Me Dearly) and Jessica Kennedy, creative director of Sewing the Heartland. Congrats to the both of them for putting on such a fantastic and successful event!

Inside the party

The Alberta Art Gallery. These last two photos were taken by my friend Harvey via instagram. I just had to include them!

News! I wanted to thank FASHION magazine for featuring me as one of Albert'a Top 10 Fashion Bloggers! You can click here to read the post and check out all the other fabulous bloggers that are featured from Alberta. Also, I added a commercial styling post to mariezydek.com yesterday, you can click here to see the pics!

I hope you're having a good week! I've come down with a tnasty cold and am trying to get lots of rest before Western Canada Fashion Week starts tomorrow!

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Training Update! Plus Random Russia Pics!

Johnny in Russia, December 2011. Exclusive photo 
© Tatiana Edrenkina.

So you may be wondering why we're suddenly in Russia after rolling around for days in all the GLAAD Media Awards coverage from NYC, and in fact there is an actual train of thought that got us here but it's maybe not an express train cuz the stops along the way were slightly random, but here goes: First I started seeing this

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CNK welcomes MPs endorsement of palliative care and rejection of attempt to change assisted suicide law

Care Not Killing has welcomed MPs’ decision to encourage further development of specialist palliative care and hospice provision and their endorsement of the current law on assisted suicide.

The House of Commons debate saw MPs welcoming the DPP’s policy for prosecutors in respect of cases of encouraging or assisting suicide published in 2010 and also unanimously backing an amendment encouraging palliative care services.

Care Not Killing Director Dr Peter Saunders said,

‘MPs have today given a ringing endorsement to the need for the further development of specialist palliative care and hospice provision in which Britain is already a world leader. We welcome this move to strengthen existing services and to make the highest quality care more accessible and available.’

‘They have also today, as expected, given endorsement to the DPP policy on assisted suicide, which enables the DPP to exercise discretion in bringing prosecutions on a case by case basis, whilst upholding a blanket prohibition on all assistance or encouragement with suicide.’

‘The law in Britain thereby is seen to have both a stern face to deter exploitation and abuse, and a kind heart to temper justice with mercy in hard cases. This is the right balance. The clear evidence that it is working well is seen in the very small number of cases occurring (20 per year) and the low number of prosecutions.'

'Any attempt to decriminalise assisted suicide or euthanasia would result in a huge escalation of cases as seen in jurisdictions like Oregon and the Netherlands. As determined by a previous House of Lords enquiry, with an Oregon or Netherlands type law in Britain we would have 1,000 and 13,000 cases respectively annually.’

‘We were particularly pleased to see the Solicitor General and many MPs stressing the importance of parliament allowing the DPP to exercise independent judgement on a case by case basis and the rejection of an attempt to micromanage and fetter him through a call for a parliamentary consultation aimed at placing his guidance on a statutory footing. This resulted in an amendment to this effect by pro-euthanasia MPs being unanimously voted down.'

‘We will continue to emphasise the importance of investigating all cases of alleged assistance with suicide and appropriate application of the guidelines to ensure that the law is properly upheld and that vulnerable people are protected from being placed under pressure to end their lives.’

Assisted suicide has been repeatedly debated in British Parliaments in recent years and the DPP guidance was the subject of an adjournment debate led by Patricia Hewitt in 2010. Attempts to legalise assisted suicide by means of the Joffe Bill (2006) and Falconer amendment (2009) in the House of Lords and the Macdonald Bill (2010) in the Scottish Parliament were all defeated by large majorities and this is the third debate in the House of Commons on Assisted Suicide in as many years.

The law remains unchanged and looks likely to stay that way for the foreseeable future.

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Shroud of Secrecy surrounds Assisted Suicide in Oregon

I was doing an interview on BBC Radio Wales this am on the Ottaway debate when a spokesman for Dignity in Dying (formerly the Voluntary Euthanasia Society) was again singing the praises of the law allowing assisted suicide in the US state of Oregon. The ‘Death with Dignity Act’ was passed there in 1997.

Back in 2006 the House of Lords calculated that with an Oregon-type law we would have about 650 cases of assisted suicide a year in Britain, whereas as currently we see only 15-20 going to Dignitas in Switzerland to die currently. But given the increase of numbers in Oregon the UK equivalent would now be well over 1,000.

Life Site News has just published a piece by Jonathan Imbody, which draws attention to the recent critique of the Public Health Department of the Oregon Health Authority’s report for physician-assisted suicides for the 2011 year by the Physicians for Compassionate Care Education.

They note the following:

•There were more prescriptions and deaths than in any previous year; the number of prescriptions written for lethal doses of barbiturates increased from 97 in 2010 to 114 in 2011, and the reported deaths from assisted suicide increased from 65 to 71. This is indicative of an increase in hopelessness and despair among a vulnerable population with serious illness.

•62 doctors wrote 114 prescriptions, with some writing up to 14 prescriptions each. Some doctors knew the patient for only one week before writing the prescriptions. It is known that some doctors are prominent prescribers of lethal barbiturates for assisted suicide.

•As has occurred in prior years, not all who attempt to take the drugs will die. Two patients ingested the medication but failed to die. Each regained consciousness and died more than a day later, 30 hours and 38 hours respectively, of their underlying illness; they were not considered to have died from the ingested drugs. These are not easy drugs to take, they are bitter and foul-tasting, and vomiting does occur despite anti-emetics.

•As in previous years, there was virtually no formal evaluation for underlying depression, anxiety or other serious mental health issue. Only one of the 71 patients was referred for psychiatric evaluation. OHSU researchers in 2008 reported that 25% of patients requesting assisted suicide were considered to be depressed.

•As in previous years, pain has not been a major concern; only one third of patients had inadequate pain control or concern about it. The most commonly expressed concerns of those dying from physician-assisted suicide were unchanged from previous reports: less able to engage in activities making life enjoyable, losing autonomy, and loss of dignity.

•In only six cases was the prescribing physician present at the time of ingestion, in 3 other cases another provider was present. Thus, very little is known or reported regarding events at the time of ingestion of the medications. For 62 patients there was either no provider present or the information regarding presence of a provider was unknown. Physicians appear to be disengaged with patients at the end.

•In essence then, complications were unknown for 59 patients, and any information regarding minutes between ingestion and unconsciousness and death was unknown for 63 patients.

•The shroud of secrecy surrounding assisted suicide is heavier than ever. With each passing year, Oregonians know less and less about what is really happening with assisted suicides in the state.

Ironic then that DID and Margo Macdonald MSP continue to pursue a law change based on the Oregon model.

Let’s learn from Oregon and not go in that direction.

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Pro-euthanasia lobby faces difficult battle in DPP debate

On Tuesday 27 March MPs in the House of Commons will debate a motion by Richard Ottaway (pictured) which 'invites the Government to consult as to whether to put (the DPP’s guidance on prosecutions for assisted suicide) on a statutory basis’.

The aim is to secure immunity from prosecution for some cases of assisted suicide ahead of the event.

However the government has already made it very clear in a House of Lords debate in February this year that it is the job of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to set prosecution policy and that it intends to let the DPP get on with his job without interfering. It is not for parliament to decide on a case by case basis who should be prosecuted or to usurp his role.

Assisting or encouraging a suicide remains illegal - and only parliament can change that - but it is the DPP’s job to decide in any given case whether there is enough evidence to bring a prosecution and whether to do so would be in the public interest.

The very small number of cases that crosses his desk, less than 20 per year on average, is evidence that the law is having a strong deterrent effect and working as it is intended to. A law allowing assisted suicide, such as that in the state of Oregon, would increase this number 50-fold to over 1,000 deaths per year.

If the pro-euthanasia lobby wants a change in the law they will have to argue for a change in the law itself and not try to interfere with the DPP's prosecution policy which is his responsibility, and not parliament's, to set and administer.

But they face a very difficult battle.

Assisted suicide, contrary to the claims of the pro-euthanasia lobby, has been repeatedly debated in British Parliaments in recent years, with two debates in the House of Commons alone since 2010 (brought by Patricia Hewitt in 2010 and David Burrowes in January this year).

The last bill in the House of Commons attempting to legalise assisted suicide, brought by Joe Ashton in 1997, was defeated by 234 votes to 89 and four attempts to change the law via the House of Lords since 2003 – three by Lord Joffe – have also all failed. The last bill in the Scottish parliament was also defeated resoundingly by 85 votes to 16 in 2010.

Richard Ottaway is a member of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Choice at the End of Life, which acts as the parliamentary wing of Dignity in Dying, formerly the Voluntary Euthanasia Society. This latest move to change the law on this this issue needs to be seen for what it is – yet another attempt by a small heavily funded lobby to foist its views on parliament, when they have already been consistently rejected on grounds of the threat such a law change would pose for public safety.

The Suicide Act 1961 currently protects vulnerable people from exploitation and abuse by those who might an interest, financial or otherwise, in their deaths. Any further removal of legal protection by creating more exceptions for bringing prosecutions would encourage unscrupulous people to take liberties and would place more vulnerable people – those who are elderly, disabled, sick or depressed – under pressure to end their lives so as not impose a burden on family, carers or society. These pressures can be particularly acute at a time of economic recession.

The current law is clear and right and does not need fixing or further weakening. On the one hand the penalties it holds in reserve act as a powerful deterrent to exploitation and abuse. On the other hand it gives the DPP and judges some discretion to temper justice with mercy in hard cases. It should not be meddled with.

Cases of assisted suicide (and euthanasia) are extremely rare and hard cases make bad law. The overwhelming majority of people with severe disability or terminal illness do not wish to die but rather want support to live. Our priority must therefore be the provision of excellent support and palliative care.

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Fashion From the Floor Up: WCFW Launch Party

coat - Zara, blouse - Winners, pants + rings - H & M, bag - Co-Lab,
 pendant - Aldo, shoes - Spring, cuff - Banana Republic

photos by the boyfriend

As you can see we are experiencing what I like to call "sprinter," which is spring disguised as winter. Even though it's the end of March, we still have snow on the ground and it's just. Not. Fair. I was freezing in this light orange coat! But anyways, instead of complaining more about the weather I'm going to talk about Fashion From the Floor Up, an evening of style and design put on by Western Canada Fashion Week and Absolute Hardwood Flooring to launch Fashion Week which starts on Thursday! The party was held Friday night at Phabrik Art & Design Center - the perfect venue for an event like this. The stylish crowd sipped cocktails, ate delicious hors d'oeuvres and watched a unique design competition while a DJ spun beats in the background.

Kassandra from Kastles and Vickie from Adventures In Fashion pose on the red carpet

FASHION magazine's Caroline Gault, Janis from Dress Me Dearly 

and Andrew from High Gloss White

Alyssa and Kurtis from The Ordinary Peoples, whom I met for the first time that night.

You HAVE to check out their blog! It's one of my favorites!

From left to right - first, second and third place designs by Ravi Gill who made his McQueen-esque dress out of paper,  Derek Jagodzinsky, who designed his elegant dress with garbage bags and Rebecka Pichoch who used shelf lining and redwood for her creation. They were all so unique!

WCFW's Rowena Manansala, Caroline Gault, Kendall Barber from City and Dale, 

Andrew and Kassandra

Sandy Joe from The Pretty Secrets and her friend Dave

I am so excited for another season of Western Canada Fashion Week and can't wait to see what this season has in store! To see the full calendar and which designers will be showing this season click here. Hope you had a great weekend!

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GLAAD Awards: Fierce. Fun. And So. Many. Photos.

Johnny on the red carpet  at the 23rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards in NYC. Photo via DayLife.

UPDATE: GLAAD has now uploaded Johnny and Victor's presentation! 


Yes! We watched the GLAAD red carpet livestream! Which was full of surprises, the main ones being: (a) The livestream was running a bit late, actually. They had a countdown going, and then the magic moment of 4:30 pm EDT hit, aaaaand....

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Nerd

 

blouse - Old Navy, jacket - Banana Republic, shorts and belt - Zara, tights - Hue, from The Bay, 
shoes - Dolce Vita, clutch - thrifted from Value Village, rings - H & M, glasses - Urban Outfitters

photos by  Harvey Miedreich who so graciously photoshopped the HUGE zit I had on my forehead. (Thanks Harv!)

These photos were taken after a shoot I styled. At the time I didn't think I had worn the combo of 'leopard print blouse with red jacket' and Harvey said I had and I was like "no, I don't think so" but as I was posting these photos I remembered I wore the same top half here! Harvey was right! Oh well. I'm not rich, so I do wear the same clothes and combo's more than once! And I will get out of bed for less than $10,000.00 a day, unlike Linda Evangelista ; ). If you understood that reference then you were probably born before 1990.

Thank GOD the weekend is just around the corner! I've had one of those weeks where I can't wait for it to be over. It's just been a blah week for me. The huge dump of snow we got yesterday doesn't help. I'm very much looking forward to the weekend.  Anyone have any exciting plans? Tonight I'm attending Fashion From the Floor Up, Western Canada Fashion Week's launch party (WCFW starts next Thursday!) and Saturday I'm going to the Alberta Art Gallery's Refinery Late Night Art Party. I'm really looking forward to seeing my blogger friends that I haven't seen in forever and catching up on everyone's lives ; ).

Have a great weekend!

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Get Ready for the GLAAD Awards!

Johnny at the GLAAD Media Awards two years ago in Los Angeles. Somehow I missed this pic until now, but I loooove it. (Note bonus Tara over his left shoulder.) Please, please click here, and then click again, to seethe full-size original from Wikipedia, because it's HUGE. Like, LIFE-SIZE. So go ahead. I'll see you back here in an hour or five...

Kayso we all know that Johnny is attending the

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Random Thursday Is Random and OMG THEY HAVE A PUPPY

Artwork tweeted by lovely @ayukovon shortly after the "dual birth announcements" posted by Victor and Johnny yesterday about their adorable new puppy. ♥

Today's random list of random Johnny-related action items that you can do randomly:

(1) Die from the cute. 

Here are the puppy photos tweeted by Johnny and Victor:

Photo tweeted by Victor with the caption,"Introducing the newest member of the

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What is your job like at Glee?

Glee is currently a Top Hit TV show in North America.  It is a musical comedy-drama that celebrates human diversity in a high school setting.  Glee has become an award winning TV series in a very short time.  The music from the show has sold over 36 million copies of single releases and more that 11 million albums worldwide.  Glee is also quite popular with big celebrities.  Guest appearances on the Glee show include Ricky Martin and Britney Spears; Tom Hanks is known to enjoy watching the show with his family.  Let’s check out how some of the cast members feel about their work!

What is your job/work like?

Amber Riley (Mercedes):

I love my work.  It is exciting.  I get to dance, I get to act and I get to sing.

  

Jenna Ushkowitz (Tina):

 

During a typical day, we are juggling shooting scenes, learning dances and recording songs.

Mark Salling (Puck):

The busy days are long like 14 to 16 hour days.  But my work keeps me on my toes.

Natural Speaking Styles

A common style in North American culture is to ask people about their job.  This week I wanted to take a look at the answers from some of the cast of the hit TV show ‘Glee’.  The question ‘What is your job/work like?’ is great for finding out more information about a person’s employment. It is casual and usually asked if you already know what the person’s job is.  If you don’t know then this would be the second question.  For example

Question: What do you do?

Answer: I am an actor.

Question: Really, how interesting.  What is your job like?

Answer: Well… I love my work.  It is exciting.  I get to dance, I get to act and I get to sing.

Celebrity Answer styles:

 With Amber Riley’s case, she tells us she ‘loves’ her job and it is ‘exciting’.   Amber tells us 3 activities that she can do at her job.  Amber uses the informal verb ‘get to’ to emphasize why she loves her job and why it is exciting.  She loves her job because she can dance at her job.  She is allowed to sing and act.  Amber uses repetition of  ‘get to’ to really emphasize the great things her job entails.

Jenna Ushkowitz gives the listener an idea of her ‘typical’ workday.   Jenna also tells us 3 activities to explain her job:  shooting scenes, learning dances and recording songs.  She uses the verb ‘juggling’ (to juggle) to help provide more imagery for the listener and emphasize the idea that her typical day is quite busy.

Mark Salling explains to the listener what his job is like on a busy workday.  Mark says that his long workdays are ‘like’ (=for example) 14 to 16 hours in one day.  Mark also explains that his job ‘Keeps him on his toes’. 

To keep someone on one’s toes = to keep someone active/alert/busy/focused/no time to be relaxed. This is a common expression and conveys a positive idea. 

Practice Styles

So please try out these styles the next time someone asks you “What is your job like?”

Here are some practice ideas.

Question:  What is your job like?

Amber ’s style

I love my work.  It is exciting.  I get to dance, I get to act and I get to sing.

Ex1. I love my work.  It is exciting.  I get to take pictures, I get to travel and I get to meet new people from different backgrounds.

Jenna’s style

During a typical day, we are juggling shooting scenes, learning dances and recording songs.

Ex2. During a typical day, we are juggling customer calls, sales and marketing.

Mark’s style

The busy days are long like 14 to 16 hour days.  But my work keeps me on my toes.

Ex3. The busy days are long like 12 to 14 hour days.  But my work keeps me on my toes.

Have a good week! See you next week!

Alex

Celebrity English

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GLEE VIDEOS

You have read this article Alex / Amber Riley / Britney Spears / Celebrity English / Conversation / ESL / Glee / Interview / Jenna Ushkowitz / Mark Salling / Mercedes / Puck / speaking / style / TESL / Tina / TV Show with the title March 2012. You can bookmark this page URL https://celebrityunitedking.blogspot.com/2012/03/what-is-your-job-like-at-glee.html. Thanks!

Feature: 15 Reasons to Love...

Hey guys! Just wanted to let you know that I'm featured on the beautiful (and hilarious) Lauren Lanza Osia's blog today. You can check it out here. Thanks Lauren for the very kind feature!

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