Jump Drive / USB plug

A "jump drive" is a small memory chip in a plastic case.
It is used to store small amounts of computer data, for example, 2 GIG or 4 GIG (GigaBytes).

One character (A-Z) is a byte.

1,000 bytes = 1 kilobyte
1,000,000 bytes = 1 MegaByte (Meg)
1,000,000,000 bytes = 1 GigaByte (GIG)
1,000,000,000,000 bytes = 1 TeraByte

The plug on the left is called a USB plug (Universal Serial Bus).
Almost all computer peripheral devices today use a USB plug.

Leap Day

February 29 is Leap Day. There is only a Leap Day once every four years.
2012 is evenly divisible by 4, so this is a leap year.

TTC rant

Today I went to the TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) subway station to get a monthly pass. They are $126.
I went in the middle of the day to avoid a lineup but the ticket guy (who makes over $80,000/year) left the booth for half a hour to get a coffee while everyone in the line stood there glaring.

end of rant.

TTC THE BETTER WAY
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Hot and Sour Soup

Hot and Sour Soup is a Chinese dish. I'm not sure what the recipe is, but I think it contains sugar and some kind of hot pepper.

Self-Serve

'Self-Serve' means that you have to pump the gas yourself.

There are also self-serve restaurants. That means that you put the food onto your plate from a buffet.

KYOTO-EKI

This is a photo of Kyoto-Eki (Kyoto train station) from my vacation 8 years ago. This is the north entrance.

The roof in the foreground is for the bus station, which is in front of the train station.

GAZEBO

A 'gazebo' is a building with a roof and open walls.
It is usually used if you want to sit outdoors in the summer, or to take shelter if it starts to rain.

Full-Serve / Self-Serve

...
"Full-Serve" means that the gas station employees pump the gas into the cars.

"Self-Serve" means that you have to pump the gas yourself.

Most gas stations are self-serve. Gas stations usually have a sign that says 'SELF' or "FULL" (sometimes both). Sometimes the signs are small and hard to see. Sometimes the word is printed sideways (I don't know why) beside the price.

Zamboni

'Zamboni' is the name of the machine that cleans the ice at a hockey rink or skating rink. I think that 'Zamboni' is the name of the man that invented the machine. There is a driver who drives the Zamboni around the ice.

pita

I ate a pita for lunch today at a Lebanese restaurant.
There are a number of Lebanese immigrants in Canada because of civil wars in Lebanon.

'pita' is a Lebanese word for a flat piece of unleavened bread.
It is similar to 'naan' in Indian cuisine.

'unleaved' is an adjective meaning: bread that does not contain yeast (bread that does not rise when it is baked).

I think that Italians put tomato paste on pita and called it 'pizza'.

Lebanon is on the other side of the Mediterranean Sea, and boats used to go across from North Africa to Europe in the olden days.

Monday is Family Day

Family Day is a new statutory holiday in Ontario, Canada.
Most stores and offices are closed.

In the U.S., it is Presidents' Day. That is a statutory holiday, too.

'statute' is a formal word for 'law' (noun).
'statutory' is the adjective.
'statuory holiday' is the expression for a day where there is a law that businesses should be closed.

affect / effect

'affect' is usually used as a verb, for example: Europe's debt crisis affects the world.

'effect' is usually used as a noun, for example: Europe's debt crisis has an effect on the world.

'effect' is sometimes used as a verb, but this is formal British-style English, for example: Margaret Thatcher effected a change in attitudes towards the government.

English Expression of the Day: Give me a break

This expression can mean:

1) Please don't be strict with me.
For example, if a policeman stops you for speeding, you might say "Give me a break! I'm going to see my mother in the hospital!"

2) or it can mean: I don't believe you. I'm not that stupid.
For example, if the TV news says that the economy is getting better, you might say "Give me a break! All the stores are bankrupt!"

2-car garage

Expression of the Day: A "two-car garage" can hold 2 cars. Expensive houses have a "2-car garage". Medium-price houses have a one-car garage. Lower-priced houses have no garage.

There is not much snow this winter. It is a record for the smallest amount of snow so far.

I saw my aunt today at the mall.

February 14 -- Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is not a statutory holiday; people still have to go to work.
... but it is a day when traditionally people give Valentine's cards and/or candy to girls.

There was light snow most of today.

cowboy

'cowboy' - the original meaning of this word is: a person who works taking care of cattle (cows)

but the slang meaning is: someone who is too aggressive, someone who talks without thinking, someone who acts without thinking (like in a cowboy movie)

I wish I could post a picture today but my PC is too slow :(

my bad

...

Expression of the day: "my bad"

means: I did something wrong. ... but it has a feeling of: I don't care very much.

for example: I forgot the appointment. My bad.

has a feeling of: So what? (another expression meaning: I don't care.)

-13C

... It was -13 degrees Celsius today which is about 8 degrees Fahrenheit.
and there was a lot of snow.

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Expression of the Day: to eke - is a verb meaning: to get a very close win

For example:
PORTLAND, MAINE — Mitt Romney eked out a narrow win in Maine's Republican caucuses, state party officials announced Saturday, providing his campaign for the party's presidential nomination a much-needed boost after three straight losses earlier this week.

mosaic

'mosaic' is a word meaning: a picture made of small pieces of coloured glass (or tile).

'mosaic' is also an expression meaning: a society of people from different countries or different colours.

The roads were like a skating rink.

The roads were like a skating rink.

... is a common expression meaning: The roads were icy or slippery.

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This is the skating rink at City Hall.

gym / gymnasium / gymnasia

...

'gym' is short for 'gymnasium'.

'gymnasium' is a place in a school where students do sports. It is usually a big room.
'gym' is the casual abbreviation for 'gymnasium'.

'jungle gym' is slang for a place where little kids climb on things - like in this photo. This slang comes from the idea that monkeys climb trees in the jungle.

'gym' is the same sound, but a different spelling from 'Jim'. "Jim" is slang for the name "James" in English.

'gymnasium' in North American English has a different meaning from Europe. In Europe, "gymnasium" means a school of higher learning, like a high school or college.

"gymnasium" is a Latin word, so for the plural, you can say "gymnasia", but most Americans would say "gymnasiums".

pre-war

"pre" is Latin for "before".
"pre-war" means "before the war".

Most pre-war buildings were made of brick like in this photo.
Most post-war buildings are made of glass and steel.

"post" is Latin for "after".

veggies

'veggies' is slang for 'vegetables'.

A 'veggie-burger' is a burger made with vegetables instead of meat.

kinder

...

'kinder' is a German word meaning 'children'.
We get the word 'kindergarten' (children-garden --- school before Grade 1) from the German.

There is also a German candy called Kinder Surprise.
It is sold in Canada but not in the U.S.
It is a chocolate egg with a small toy inside.

Latin nouns

A lot of words in English come from the Latin language.
In Latin, singular nouns end in "-us" and plural nouns end in "-i".

For example:

1 octopus, 2 octopi
1 cactus, 2 cacti

... but a lot of people say "octopuses" and "cactuses".

chocoholic

An 'alcoholic' is a person who is addicted to alcohol.

From this come the slang words:

- chocoholic - a person addicted to chocolate.
- workoholic - a person addicted to work.
- and so on ...

leap year

... February is the only month that has 28 days, except in leap years when it has 29 days. A leap year is every four years, in years which are evenly divisible by four, for example, 2004, 2008, 2012... . However, even centuries are only leap years if they are divisible by 400, for example, 1600, 2000, 2400 ... .

February 2 - Groundhog Day

February 2 is Groundhog Day in Canada and the U.S.
Groundhog Day is not a holiday, but there is an old saying that if a groundhog comes out of its burrow and sees its shadow, there will be six (6) more weeks of winter.
A groundhog is a small wild animal like a badger.
It lives in a burrow (a hole in the ground that it digs).
Some cities have a ceremony where they bring out a groundhog and ask it if there will be 6 more weeks of winter.

vanity plate

'vanity' is a word that means: when someone thinks that they themselves are very important.

'vanity plate' is an expression for a license plate where someone has a special word or words on it. You have to pay extra to get a vanity plate on your car.