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In case you’re wondering, “Animal” is one of the Muppets. My favorite Muppet, in fact. Frank Oz, his creator, said that Animal is about sex, sleep, food, drums and pain. Sometimes Animal eats his drums, so food is not all that important. Animal was cult when I was a teen, so I’ve decided to write him a valentine.
Dear Animal,
A few weeks ago, I was watching videos on how to be the perfect girlfriend and the perfect boyfriend with some of the trainees I teach. (See Videojug links below.) They had worked so hard on their business English skills that I felt they needed to have some good fun with those videos. The tips are mostly about trying to put yourself in your partner’s shoes. For the boys, that includes washing from time to time – something you’ve probably heard from your girlfriends too, right, Animal?!?
Anyway, that reminded me of that concert you did with Rita – you know, the singer whose song you messed up because she turned you on? (See Animal and Rita below.) Wow, talk about instant chemistry! But Rita just wasn’t right for you. She simply couldn’t deal with your drum solo.
Animal, you are just so 100% yourself. Nothing phony. Everything about you is true. That’s why you have so many fans. But, you know, Animal, it’s quite an art to combine being honestly and totally wild about each other with being sensitive and caring and making it work. Getting that together is love in a nutshell, and that’s what commits you and makes love = “4evR”. Love is the energy that is holding the universe together. And what you’ve got is the spark.
Anyway, Animal, stay the way you are. Keep on drumming. And I hope you’ll be my Valentine!
Love,
Anne
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- Videojug: How to be the perfect girlfriend
- Videojug: How to be the perfect boyfriend(Both scripts to print out!)
- Explore Valentine’s Day on a great selfstudy site: www.ego4u.de
Learning the Ropes – Mehr als nur Wortschatz
Where I come from, “valentines”, or cards written on Valentine’s Day, February 14th, are sent to friends and relatives – really anyone you care about. The traditional phrase to write on such a card is “Be my Valentine!” “Love” is the normal greeting between close friends and family at the end of any letter. But the classic gesture of romantic love is a dozen red roses.
to wonder – sich fragen, was das soll
teen – Jugendliche/r
trainee – Azubi
mostly – im wesentlichen
to put yourself in someone else’s shoes – sich in jemanden hineinversetzen
to include – beinhalten
to wash – sich waschen
anyway – jedenfalls (ein Verlegenheitswort)
to mess something up – etwas versauen
to turn someone on – jemanden anmachen (positiv), jemandem gefallen
instant – sofort
chemistry – Chemie
to deal with something – mit etwas klar kommen
she/he isn’t right for you – sie/er ist nicht die/der richtige für dich
phony – falsch
quite an art – eine echte Kunst
to be wild about someone – völlig verknallt in jemanden sein
sensitive – sensibel
caring – einfühlsam
to make it work – es so hinbekommen, dass es funktioniert
in a nutshell – auf den Punkt gebracht
to commit someone (to something) – jemanden dazu verpflichten, sich (für etwas) voll einzusetzen
4evR = forever – immer/ewig
spark – Funken
to perform – aufführen
fever – Fieber
gesture – GesteArtwork: Allison Lefcort
