CORRECTED
My husband requested me to cut cabbage into strips as thin as those in restaurants.
As I wrote before, he eats salad almost every day. It is a lot of work to cut a lot of cabbage every day,
I have a slicer and a peeler, but both of them are too small for cabbage.
So I bought a big peeler which claims, "This is the best peeler for sliceing for cabbage!".
At first it worked very well, but then I found that the core and the outer leaf are not properly sliced. In any case I still have to use the knife so I gave up on it.
This is how I got many useless kitchen tools

as thin as those in restaurants. those = cabbege


ORIGINAL
My husband requested me to cut cabbage into strips as thin as restaurants.
As I wrote before, he eats salad almost every day. It is big task to cut a lot of cabbage every day,
I have a slicer and a peeler, but both of them are too small to cabbage.
So I bought a big peeler which was put a pop-ad, "This is the best to slice cabbage!".
At first it worked very well, but then I found that a core and outer leaf are still rested. Whatever I have to use the knife so I gave up on it.
This is the way I got many useless kitchen tools

----------------------------

The Alchemist / Paulo Coelho / 39,239 words Total 1,676,136 / ★★★☆☆

アルケミスト - The Alchemist 【講談社英語文庫】 (2005/09/08) パウロ・コエーリョ、Paulo Coelho 他 商品詳細を見る

CORRECTED
Many Izakayas, Japanese style bars, serve a small appetizer called Otoshi to every customer and we can't refuse them.
My husband and I went to an Izakaya near my house last weekend.
When I paid the bill I realised that the Otoshi was 500 yen per person! It was three meat balls and the cost would be less than 100 yen.
We are regulars of the Izakaya and I believe that the price used to be 300 yen.
Many prices have increased recently, but perhaps the owner of the Izakaya finds it difficult to raise prices. Every item's price is shown on the menu except that of the Otosi. He tries to raise the Otosi's price quietly. He was dishonest, wasn't he?


serve someone （toは不要）
serve something to someone

○finde it difficult
○finds that it is difficult
○finds difficulty
×finds it is difficult

rise
raise

ORIGINAL
Many Izakaya, Japanese style bar, serve small appetizer called Otoshi every customer and we can't refuse them.
My husband and I went to an Izakaya near my house last weekend.
When I paid the bill I realised that the Otoshi was 500 yen for per person! It was three ball of meat ball and the cost would be less than 100 yen.
We are the regular of the Izakaya and I believed that the price was 300 yen.
Many prices are getting increase recently, but the owner of the Izakaya difficult to rise the prices. He shows every meal's price on the menu except Otosi. So he tried to rise the Otosi's price inconspicuously. He was dishonest, wasn't he?

When I was a girl, I disliked my hair. I had strait hair, it was very hard and thick.
If I grow my hair long, it'll be outsized. So I kept my hair style in a bob.
But then, it become soft with age. I let it grow and now it's the longest ever.
I took the courage to change my hair style I haven't had. I got a perm at the first time in several years.
It's better than I imagined, but it wouldn't be managable next morning.

CORRECTED
I used to hear songs coming from the neighbor. He usually sang love songs loudly in the middle of the night.
One day I heard him speaking after his song and I realized that he was singing in an internet chat room.
However, I haven't heard his singing recently.
It is of course very good to stop singing in the middle of the night. But I wanted to find out who he was and which chat room he sang in.
It's a pity :D

in the middle of the night = 真夜中
at midnight = 12時前後

ORIGINAL
I used to hear songs came from neighbors. He usually sang love songs loudly at midnight.
One day I heard his speaking after his song and I realized that he sang in an internet chat room.
However, I haven't heard his songs recently.
To stop singing midnight is of course very good. But I wanted to discover who he was and which chat room he sang in.
It's a little pity :D

CORRECTED
Hi, good morning! It's nine o'clock, time to go to work but I'm still at home . Because of a problem with the toilet tank.
I called my real-estate company to fix it. They can't come in the morning but they are coming this evening. So I have to go to work as soon as I finish writing this diary. See you.


ORIGINAL
Hi, good morning! It's nine o'clock, time for working but I'm at home yet. Because of a flaw of the toilet tank.
I called my real-estate company for fixing it. I couldn't book it in the morning but they are coming this evening. So I have to go to work as soon as I finish writing this diary. See you.

CORRECTED
My husband's coworker is going to be transfered in two weeks.
My husband has to take over his work so it was a very hard week for him. He slept only three or four hours a day during the week. He went to a farewell party, and came home at three a.m. last night.
He didn't wake up this morning. We skipped breakfast. I waited for him to wake up for lunch but he didn't.
He sometimes oversleeps or takes a nap. However, he has never skipped lunch, but he hasn't woken up even for the bathroom! Should I have woken him up? But I let him sleep on.
At last he woke up at six p.m., 15 hours after he went to bed.
He wouldn't sleep tonight.


ORIGINAL
My husband's coworker is going to transfer in two weeks.
My husband has to take over his work so it was a very hard week for him. He slept only three or four hours a day during the week. He joined a farewell party, and came back home three a.m. last night.
He didn't wake up in the morning. We skipped breakfast, I was waiting him to wake up for lunch but he didn't.
He sometimes oversleeps or takes a nap, however he had never skip lunch. He didn't wake up even for the bathroom. Did I have to wake him up? But I kept him sleeping.
At last he woke up at six p.m. 15 hours later since he went to bed.
He wouldn't sleep tonight

-----------------------------

The Railway Children / Edith Nesbit / YL3.2 / 10,000words Total 1,636,897 / ★★★★★

.

The Railway Children: Stage 3: 1,000 Headwords (Oxford Bookworms) (2000/11/09) Edith Nesbit 商品詳細を見る

CORRECTED
Q: Where are you from?
I'm from Japan. I grew up in Kanto area near Tokyo. I've never lived in any other area.
My father is of course Japanese, but where he was born is not Japan now. He was born in Kalafuto Island, north of Hokaido. The Island has been occupied by Russia for over 60 years.

Q: Where were you born?
I was born in Saitama prefecture. .I'm the third child so we moved near my grandmother's house for counting on her support.
We lived there for a few years. I was still a baby, but I have some memory of the house and my grandmother.

I enjoy learning English except building up vocabulary. Text books for words make me sleep. I learn some words little by little though reading and talking. However, I rarely look back on the note for review.
I had decided that I won't buy any English textbook until I finish every textbooks that I already have.
However, I bought Information cards for memorise today. They are as small as business cards. I'll write one word on each card and try to memorise them.
I have to look over them as my routine work. Although the cards were not expensive I shouldn't waste money.

--------------------------

Jane Eyre / 4-89684-041-0 / 27,540words Total 1,626,897 / ★★★★☆

ジェーン・エア (洋販ラダーシリーズ) (2005/07) シャーロット ブロンテ 商品詳細を見る

It was many rain recently. We thought that every cherry blossoms have been fallen by the rain.
I found a path are in full bloom. The path probably was under shadow of buildings. So they would have endured the rain in the bud. Then now they please our eyes.
They are slow-growing but beautiful.

I take ballet lesson on Mondays after work. I have over one hour free time until the lesson. And I found it was difficult to spend time comfortablely.
There are some cafes around the station but they are always crowded so it's uncomfortable to stay long time. I also don't want to spend a lot of money for my dinner at restaurants, and the portions at restaurants are big just before sports.
Anyway, I browsed shops today and I had Udon in a food court. The taste and portions were OK, and the price was surprisingly cheap, 280yen. It was cheaper than fine coffee. Wow!
I was satisfied to spend time at the food court, I'll be there next week too.

------------------------------

The Last Sherlock Holmes story / Michael Dibdion / YL3.2 / 10,000words Total 1,599,357 / ★★★☆☆

The Last Sherlock Holmes Story (Oxford Bookworms Library) (2000/03/09) Michael Dibdin 商品詳細を見る

I received an envelope. There was a photo, taken at a wine party last weekend, in it.
Yeah, my husband and I joined a wine party. The reason why I didn't tell you was.. I was so drunk that I lost some memory.

It had happened for the second time in my life. When I was younger, I drunk very much, sometimes had bad hangover. Then I learned of my limits from those experiences. I thought that I knew the amount I drunk without any hangover.

I didn't think I drunk too much at the wine party. But we drunk only wine, contain alcohol in large amount.
I really enjoyed the party and the organizer who send us the photo asked us to join next sake party. However, I shamed my bad behavior and also afraid to do that again.

---------------------

A time to kill / John Grisham / YL5 / 24,000 words Total 1,589,357 / ★★★★☆

A Time to Kill (Penguin Readers: Level 5) (2000/03/28) John Grisham 商品詳細を見る

I'll be in my 40's in a few years.
The generation is called Fuwaku, it means unshaken.
When I was younger I used to believe that people around my age are enough old to be unshaken.
However, thinking about my self I don't have firm belief.
I don't think I can work for the same company until my retirement age. It would happen that my parents-in-law ask us to return to their home town.
I need to prepare for these things, but I can't make my decision. I can't describe my future
I'm still far away from my Fuwaku age.

My mother is funny. The way of thinking is unique and she always makes us fun or surprise.
The other day, she told me proudly that she'd changed miso. It was organic and additive-free. It would be better for their health.
She cooked miso soup with it. She boiled water, added vegetables then the additive-free miso and.. instant soup stock??
Oh Mom! It's the same as instant miso.
I call her Ten-nen. She is lovely.

Overall I like comedies.
But some young comedians do same gags again and again. That's enough!
Nabe Atsu is very popular among young people. He counts from one to 40. Every multiple of 3, he plays a fool. He stands loosly, shows his white of eyes and calls, "Three!" with hight voice. Every audience knows how and when he does that. Even that they can laugh.
Why does he count the number? Why does he become a fool? How is he funny?

On the other hands, Kouki Mitani is my favorite comedy movie director.
There is a pun which is told by many characters in many his movies.
"One day, I saw a man who puts a red wash bowl on his head. There were full of water in the bowl and he was walking very carefully. I asked him why he had the bowl. And he answered, 'Because....'"
Every time someone or something interrupt the story and it never told. Many Mitani fans want to know the end of the story but what funny the story is no ending. (I think so.)

This is another story of my name.

CORRECTED
I used to believe that my name was the commonest in my generation.
A few years ago I discovered it was not so. My name is very common but it isn't the commonest.
It isn't even in the top 10.

------------------------------------

The Scarlet Letter / Nathaniel Hawthorne / YL3.8 / 15,942words TOTAL 1,565,357/ ★★★★★

Oxford Bookworms Library Scarlet Letter: Oxford Bookworms Scarlet Letter (Oxford Bookworms) (2005/10/20) Nathaniel HawthorneJohn Escott 商品詳細を見る

I sometimes complain about irresponsible people. I'm troubling at work caused by such a person and she is the worst.

Her company and mine did a project together and we have to make the annual report. I asked her to fill some parts of the report and send me back. It was March 13th and the deadline was the 24th.
The amount of the work is not big, it would take only half a day. However, she hadn't made it by the deadline.
I had asked when I can receive the report during in the last week. She avoid every e-mail from me so I called her. At first I could reach her, she told me that she was just making the report so me to wait for a while. Then she started avoiding me again even telephone.

I called again, April 1st. A man answered the phone and said, "She moved."

What?!

Nobody had took over the task. I got really mad!
But on the other hands, it would bring a good result. I made her coworker to take over the task. I hope I can get the report soon.

-----------------------------

Rising Sun / Michael Crichton / 121,000words (31/3*38*388*0.8) Total 1,549,415 / ★★★★☆

Rising Sun (1993/06) Michael Crichton 商品詳細を見る

My husband lost three kilograms in ten days.
He ate a lot of salad and soup for avoiding high-calorie foods.
He usually doesn't follow my advice. I sometimes ask him of lose weight for his health but he doesn't.
However, if he decides things, he will make it. I admire for his will power.