The Cold, Hard Facts. I once overheard a group of people exchanging science-based trivia questions.
冰冷的艰难的事实。有一次,我无意中听到一群人在谈论科学冷知识问题。
Chiming in with one of my own, I asked, "At what temperature are Fahrenheit and Celsius equivalent?"
我带着自己的问题加入了谈话,我问道,“在什么温度下华氏温度和摄氏温度相等?”
One guy said, "Minus 40 degrees." Not expecting him to know this off the top of his head, I said, "Impressive.
有个家伙说,“负四十度。”没有期待他能凭自己的脑子知道这个事情,我说,“真厉害。
How did you know that?" His reply: "I've been to Minnesota."
你是怎么知道的?”他回答说:“我去过明尼苏达州。”
The Snow Job. My son-in-law Chuck snow-blows and shovels driveways for several clients in the winter.
除雪工作。我的女婿查克在冬天为几个客户除雪和铲车道。
Once while he was shoveling, a little old lady came by and asked if he could do her driveway too.
有一次他在铲雪,一位老太太过来问他能不能帮他铲雪。
Chuck agreed. When he finished, she asked him how much she owed him. Chuck told her "Twenty-five."
查克同意了。他完成后,老太太问他多少钱。查克告诉她“25”。
She went into the house, came back out, and gave him a quarter.
她走进屋子,出来给了查克25美分。
She then asked if he was sure that was enough. Chuck just smiled and said, "Yeah, I guess that is good."
然后她问他这些钱够不够。查克笑了笑说道,“够了,我觉得够了。”
He kept clearing the snow from her driveway for "twenty-five" until she passed away.
后来查克一直以25美分的价格为她铲雪,直到她去世。
When the Frog Croaks. One of my young son's friends called us on FaceTime.
青蛙呱叫时。我小儿子的一个朋友在FaceTime上给我打电话。
"I got some really bad news," the friend said in a solemn tone. Concerned, I listened closely.
这个朋友用严肃的声调说,“我有一些很坏的消息。”我有点担心,仔细地听着。
My son asked, "What happened?" His friend said, "Jeff died."
我儿子问道,“发生什么事了?”他的朋友说,“杰夫死了。”
My wife, also concerned, asked, "Who's Jeff?" "He's my frog," the friend replied.
我的妻子也担心地问道,“杰夫是谁?”“他是我的青蛙。”这个朋友回复道。
He then said a sweet prayer about the frog, thankful for their time on earth together and the joy he brought to their lives.
然后,他为青蛙做了一个甜蜜的祈祷,感谢他们在地球上一起度过的时光,以及他给他们的生活带来的欢乐。
It was a pretty mature eulogy for a kid. He ended it with "Amen." Before I could raise my bowed head, the toilet flushed.
那对孩子来说是很成熟的悼词。最后他说了“阿门”。在我抬起头之前,就传来了冲马桶的声音。