1. essay - done ( I made a mistake that I spend too much time writing this stupid essay, so that there's not any time left over for me to do other mission. drat! one more thing, the further intensive practise in interpretation must be done today.)
2. 政治经济类单词 - done
3. 周三翻译精进 \
4. 口语练习 - done
5. 听力输入单词 \
6. 阅读精进 \
a. the Aunt family is coming to visit
It's was a sunny day with gentl moderating wind making people feel good.
DingDong, the door bell rang, Jonson, aged 13, ran to the door, she pulled open the door, then the perfect suburban family was standing on the porch of Hill's dilapidated countryside home.
Aunt Tilly dressed in lavender suit, a white blouse, understated makeup and artfully tossed blonde hair.
uncle greg in shades, lightweight button-down shirt and khaki pants. and little cousin Steffie in a pink knit dress and white sandals. all three smiled with christian forgiveness at Jonson's oversized floral shirt, blue jeans and leather sandals.
Jonson felt a nervous breakdown coming, she forced a smile.
Hi, everybody, after waming greeting, Jonson help them unload their belonging, and invited them into the kitchen for a cold drink. Jonson casted a glance cautiously through the sink window into the backyard, gandpa George and his Russian lover Mikhail are down at the creek, they seemed conten with their fishing there. Jonson made a wishful incantation to keep them there as long as possible.
today is the memorial day family reunion, Jonson was aware that this would have been a catastrophe even without her grandpa and his lover, a defector.
Her mother, or Martha as she prefered, was working in downtown, as far as Jonson knew, Marthat had never held a real job, but currently she was a priestess at the urban witches' convenant revival center, the Exalted Mother Martha, has gone into religiuos trrance a few days ago.
b. I do talk with Aunt, about where is granpa, their trip, my school year and Steffie - my little cousin, and when granni Em and Martha, my mom, will arrive at.
"Mom, I hope you get out of trance" praied Jonson while she rescued a plate of cream puff from Steffie, and then Steffie poured four glasses of cold drink and brought them into the kithchen.
"how was your trip?" asked Jonson.
"just fine, honey, just fine" answered Tilly:" is was really the most lovely drive up here. flowers are in bloom everywhere. weren't they lovely, Greg?"
"sure, pretty good." answered uncle Greg while he stirred three spoons of sugar into the tea.
"so how's your school year been?" asked aunt Tile in a good aunt fashion.
"I've been doing well in all of my classes, particularly I have been doing well in social study, I had some trouble in math, but luckily Mikhail help me through that."
suddenly, aunt Tilly's pinned-up smile fell. uncle Greg coughed nervously.
Jonson mentally kicked myself for saying that taboo name, then she was immedately lost in a huge drink.
this famlily almost(nearly) split when grannie Em had moved out of this house thirteen years ago and Martha and her baby daughter Jonson had moved in, and then the defector Mikhail took up residence, the family entered chaos eventually. and never exited.
Jonson thought out a way to change the subject. "what've you been up to , Steffie?" asked Jonson politely.
"mostly I've been in the first grade, except when I poured glue on the teacher's chair, then I was in the principle's office for three days it seem like."
we all broke up laughing, grateful the relief from the tension.
then I got up to tend to dinner, aunt got up to help, uncle Greg found some crayons and colored with Steffie.
c. grannie Em is coming, I greeted her at the front door, Jonson talk to grannie and try to conntact Martha to ask her back home as soon as possible, and be nice, dress normal.
an hour later, the door bell rang again.
Jonson called "I'll get it" to aunt, who was busy with some kind of food process machine, appearantly she had brought with her, and ran to the door.
Jonson crossed her fingers to Martha, but was greeted by a dignified lady in her fifties, grannie Em, she was neatly, dressed in white blouse, black slacks, and morden-looking purse with silver clasps.
"Good aftenoon Jonson, is that Tilly? I hear back there. " said grannie Em while she was kicking her high heels down the hallway.
"yeah, grannie, she's here, and uncle greg and Steffie, hello , grannie." said Jonson while she followed grannie, and she coulndn't remember a time when it wasn't impossible to say even "hello" to grannie Em.
Jonson though of her motehr, Martha, she ran upstair, rushed into Martha's room to look for the address book, however, she didn't find what she was looking for, then she pulled the phone up onto the bed, and dial the operator. " thank you, I need a number for the urban witches' covenant revival center, 586748... thank you."
Jonson dialed the number and waited for six bell rings before a young and vague voice answered.
"Hello, I'm Exalted Mother Martha's daughter, I know we all are Exalted Mother's daugher, but I'm her real daughter, I'm wondering if she come out of trance, oh, thank goodness, can I talk to her?"
"Martha, listen up, everyone is now here, I know they are not blessed by the wisdom of goddess Gaia, and they are not blessed by any other wisdom at all, but please, come back for dinner, well , one more thing, please dress normal, don't wear that tie-dyed robes. all right, I love you mom. see you. bye."
Jonson set down the phone, "please goddess Gaia, you've already taught Martha wisdom, would you please teacher her some common sense."
just at that moment, Jonson started to figure on.
it's 5pm, roaster will be done half an hour later, Martha will reache home by a quater to six, if granpa and Mikhail can stay(be, keep) outside as long as possible, there will be only 45 minutes left for the all-out family warfare.
d. Jonson went to talk to Grandpa and his lover Mikhail down at the creek, and tried to keep them out of the house until Martha arrived, and there's no better way to keep everyone from breaking all of the dishes in house than by doing that.
Thought of this, Jonson ran downstair, out the front door, around the house to the backyard, then she caught her breath by the garden befor she went to the creek where garnpa and Mikhail were fishing.
"Hi, gandpa, hi Mikhail, catch many yet?
"Not big enough to keep, a lot of five inchers, though."
"how about you, Mikhail?"
Mikhail sighed dramaticlly. " I caught nothing, I think American fishes are prejudiced."
"Did you catch many in Russia?"
Mikhail fake a sob " no, never."
"Grandpa, dinner will be done by 6:00, we have one hour left, grandma Em and aunt Tilly family are in the house, mom will be reach home by 5:30, so , would you continue to fish here till Martha shows up.."
Mikhail interrupted, saying "trying to keep everyone from breaking all of the dishes in the house and the lamps"
"precisely."
"I think I can manage it." said grandpa while he looked up to Mikhail who was nodding in agreement.
mission accomplished. Jonson thought, Now all I've got to do is to put up with grandma Em and aunt Tilly, and Martha will arrive here in a half hour, and dinner will need looking after up till then... Jonson pullded open the door and walked into the kitchen.
e. Jonson came back to the house, and did cope with grannie Em, then Martha was back with a crunch of an old station wagon roling up the gravel driveway.
"fishing" garannie asked sarcastically.
Jonson didn't answered, just peeled potatoes silently while grannie and aunt Tilly gossiped.
"Jonson, I hear you took part in some kind of coming-of-age ceremony in Feburary, I'd like to know more detailes about it."
Jonson blushed. she didn't want grannie know anything about the urban witches's revival center's dancing ceremony for young girls who have had their first periods.
"It was at our church, just like the first communion." then Jonson went back to her potatoes, at six pm, a crunch of old station wagon rolling up the gravel driveway reached them, that was Martha.
Grandpa and Mikhail were greeting Martha at the bus.
uncle greg was watching Tv in the living room, Steffie was underfoot. and then Steffie want to play outside in the backyard, and she asked Jonson came with her.
Steffie build a lot of building with pine cone, dirt and twig, she carefully managed with those material, " I'm making a fort, see?" I noded enthusiastically.
f. then a storm is coming, first, it's low sound of quarreling, and then it rose to a volume of a hurricane.
after a while, the low quareeling sounds rose to a volumn of a hurricane. Jonson climbed up on the place where she sat, and help Steffie to her feet.
"we should take a look what's going on." then they rushed into the house, Jonson stood still, then she grabed a hold of Steffie and made her stand still.
Aunt Tilly critised Martha that she raised Jonson as a Heathen, so that Jonson looked like a atheist.
Grannie and Grandpa shouted at one another at the front door. grannie said, "it's absolutely sickening, keeping the diaster of a daughter in the house is bad enough, but this horrible boy kid, what do you think people will think?"
grandpa said:" we're in true love, I've been telling you for more than thirteen years. and that's more than I could have ever said for you and me."
the atmosphere in the house became more and more heated.
g. Jonson thought over and over, they have to stop for supper, and she find a cymbals left over from her brief band days to ring a crash that mentioned those growup that dinner time is up.
Jonson thought out a method, she beagan to rummage in the pantry. then she found a cymbals which she left over from her brief band days.
then a big crush sound make the house back silent. growups fill in the house one by one.
grannie marched in furiously, patting down her hair and striving remained dignity.
aunt tilly went into with suburban face only slightly flushed. and Martha followd last, a very picture of controlled holy rage.
everybody sat down at the table, "would you like to say gracy" suggested aunt Tilly timidly, Jonson glanced warmly across the table "Dear god, and wisdom of great goddess gaia, thank you for giving us family." said Jonson while she smiled around the table.
