Category Archives: Life in the United States

Call Me JFF

Posted on Tuesday - January 29, 2019 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

A.E.I.O.U. You know these are the vowels in the English language, but you may not know that they are under assault (being attacked). OK, it’s not quite that dramatic (serious), but if you look at popular culture today, vowels are … Continue reading →

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Who Says It Never Snows in L.A.?

Posted on Tuesday - January 22, 2019 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

When I moved to Los Angeles from Minnesota, I thought I was saying good-bye to snow for good (forever) because it never snows in L.A., right? Well, not quite. Although it’s true that it hasn’t snowed since I moved here … Continue reading →

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Smokey & Me

Posted on Tuesday - January 15, 2019 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

We had a lot of deadly (killing someone) forest fires in California in the past few months, so it’s a good time to talk about Smokey the Bear. “Smokey Bear,” often called “Smokey the Bear,” is a mascot (a cartoon … Continue reading →

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Bringing L.A. Traffic to a Standstill

Posted on Tuesday - January 8, 2019 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Nothing brings Los Angeles to a standstill like rain. A standstill is a situation where all movement or action has stopped. You can bring a basketball game to a standstill by losing the ball. Or you can bring conversation to … Continue reading →

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Happy Holidays from ESLPod.com!

Posted on Tuesday - December 25, 2018 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Lucy, the ESLPod Team, and I want to wish all of you happy holidays! If you celebrate Christmas, Merry Christmas! If you celebrated Hanukah, Happy Hanukah! If you celebrate nothing this time of year . . . um, well, Happy … Continue reading →

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Letters to Santa Claus

Posted on Tuesday - December 18, 2018 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Do you want a new ball? Write to Santa. A new doll? Drop Santa a line (write him a message). Before Christmas each year, there’s a tradition here in the U.S., where young children to write to Santa asking for … Continue reading →

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What Not To Do When Watching Your Holiday Movies

Posted on Tuesday - December 11, 2018 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Most Americans get a vacation over the holidays (Christmas and Hanukah), anywhere from a few days to two weeks. So with extra time on their hands (extra time with nothing to do), many of us go to the movie theaters … Continue reading →

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Goat Yoga Is a Thing

Posted on Tuesday - November 6, 2018 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

There are a lot of crazy, hilariously bad (so terrible they are funny) ideas that have their origin (begin) in California. I’m not sure if goat yoga (see photo) actually began here (this article says it started in Michigan), but … Continue reading →

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You, Too, Can Sound Like Shakespeare (Part 1)

Posted on Wednesday - October 17, 2018 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

If you speak English, you know Shakespeare. That’s because many of the most well-known sayings in English come from Shakespeare’s plays. Here are a few very common phrases Americans use: 1. Good riddance – From Troilus and Cressida, Act II, … Continue reading →

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Columbus Day Controversies

Posted on Tuesday - October 9, 2018 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Want to comment on this blog post? You can now do that on our Facebook page – click here to comment on this post! The United States celebrates (recognizes and honors) Christopher Columbus’ arrival to the Americas on October 12, … Continue reading →

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