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Do It Yourself

Do It Yourself

Date: Sep 21 2007

Themes: Hobbies, Work

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

We often pay people to do things for us that we could do ourselves. In fact, a lot of times people don’t even think of doing certain things themselves.

For instance, bands generally didn’t really go around pressing their own records and booking their own tours until the 1980s when bands like Black Flag and Minor Threat started their own tiny labels.

Their approach to music came to be known as DIY, which stands for do it yourself. Beren still associates the term DIY with the punk aesthetic of those bands, but Amanda, while not very punk, is totally DIY.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Amanda

Amanda

Beren

Beren

Amanda:  You know what’s a great acronym?

Beren:  What?

Amanda:  DIY!

Beren:  Do it yourself?

Amanda:  Yup.

Beren:  That is a great acronym. Would you consider yourself DIY?

Amanda:  Totally. My dream shopping spree would be Home Depot, or Lowe’s or any hardware store.

Beren:  Oh, see, like there’s so many different takes on DIY. Whenever I think of DIY, I think of that whole punk aesthetic. I don’t know, ride your bike, and make your own clothes, and go dumpster diving.

Amanda:  That’s true. There are different interpretations of DIY.

Beren:  It’s good, it fits everything. DIY.

Amanda:  Do it yourself. Do it yourself. That’s right. So, what was the last DIY thing you did?

Beren:  My last DIY attempt would have been…Eh, well maybe two weeks ago I jumped into a dumpster outside a pizza place to see if there was pizza. I don’t know if that’s DIY or if it just makes me cheap...

Amanda:  So, what exactly were you doing yourself there?

Beren:  I don’t know, like not paying for something that I could get for free or using something that was going to go to waste.

Amanda:  Alright. I changed a faucet the other day.

Beren:  That’s very do it yourself.

Amanda:  Yup. I saved $200 by not hiring a plumber. So that was worth it to me.

Beren:  That is DIY.

 

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Discussion

Amanda says that she considers herself DIY because her favorite place to have money to spend is the hardware store. This surprises Beren because when she thinks of DIY, she thinks of bike-riding punks who make their own clothes.

Beren says the last DIY thing she did was dumpster dive for pizza. Amanda questions if that’s really DIY. Beren says it is because she’s not paying for something she can get for free and using something that would otherwise go to waste.

But the last DIY thing that Amanda did, while not exactly punk, definitely fits the definition of “do it yourself.” She fixed a faucet in her house rather than paying a plumber $200 to do it.

Are you DIY? What’s something you’re proud of doing for yourself? Can you think of something that you pay someone to do that you could be doing yourself?

 

Comments

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La Princesse de la vie

Egypt

Yeah I think I’m kind of DIY, there are some things I can do them myself, like if my pencil case has been ruined, I can fix it, but surely not everything I can do it myself…


You know?.. My dad is a big DIY, I mostly get his help in most hassles… Dad can do many things himself, he can fix the faucets and he grows bushes and various plants himself in the small garden.. He always takes the hold of things breaking down at home.. He also can repair the car himself.. I’m trying to be like him.

11:21 PM Sep 05 2012 |

hnajel

hnajel

Germany

DIY is a good way to kown your heart relly is!

11:44 AM Jul 15 2012 |

vicmay_lo-flo@live.com.mx

Mexico

Yes… I am proud to paint my house. Electrical fixing things from my home.


 

10:02 PM Jul 10 2012 |

1 person likes this

Bruce_zhou

China

DIY,ya,do it youself,you know ,sometime my friend in IT market,DIY means upgrade you laptop by youself ,for instance,you wanna enlarge your RAM from 512M to 1024M for your laptop,you have two approachs ,one way is that take your laptop to IT shop,the other way is that buy RAM card from IT marked,and then demount your laptop by youself ,insert the RAM card which you bought from IT market,and mounting the laptop ,tight the screw by then if you have finish the card intalltion,actions of the period tha’t mean DIY

08:04 AM Sep 17 2011 |

Samejoy

China

I like DIY .


Today I just make a DIY dinner for myself ,though it is not so delious ,I ‘m still  proud of it


.DIY can save money and more healthy .I like it !

04:04 PM Sep 12 2011 |

MONY----

MONY----

Egypt

I think the creteria here is how to decide to do it yourself or delegate to someone else ,I mean if it will cost you more and more time and efforts doing yourself asking for help will be suitable here

07:33 AM Sep 11 2011 |

1 person likes this

weiniland

weiniland

China

I’m whole-hearted encouraging the idea of DIY.But i’m too lazy.I never put it into effect.It’s a pity.

04:36 AM Sep 10 2011 |

postaav

postaav

Egypt

yes,it is very nice to be a DIY.many people became too lazy to do alot of things by themselves.

08:51 AM Mar 05 2011 |

1 person likes this

MAYAMY

MAYAMY

Saudi Arabia

HI that is really nice lesson.actually There are a lot of stuff in my room I did it myself . Such as photo frames and panel observations

And I will change paint my room by  myself
. so i am DIY  lool

10:25 PM Feb 04 2011 |

foz12

foz12

Saudi Arabia

 I change the lamp by my self

and bring what ever the family need also : )

07:00 PM Aug 30 2010 |

aunglawkeeshein

Myanmar

Well, I am DIY of course. Like last year, I fixed my television and it become like working well before by not hiring someone who knows all about it. ha ha  ha I was then really proud of myself of course.

03:29 PM Mar 14 2010 |

施施小妆

施施小妆

China

Nice to meet you. I wish you a dream come true.do it yourself.

01:30 PM Feb 15 2009 |

sameer3

sameer3

Yemen

Actually, I like doing things by myself. I like fixing things to my mother if she asks my help. I can say that I am a good handyman. For example, when I bought my first computer if something goes wrong with it I had to take the computer far away to be fixed and also I had to wait at least four day to receive it after been fixed, and also pay a lot of money. But know I have learn to fix my computer by myself and help my friends also to fix their computers. I remember a beautiful saying “If you want things will done do it yourself.”

05:28 PM Nov 23 2007 |

jeff oppong

Ghana

good

08:12 AM Sep 28 2007 |

itmes

China

In my opinion , DIY is a very good idea. If you will buy a Personal Computer and you can buy some parts to build up a computer . I think it belong to DIY.

AS exlpoer143 said that do it yourselft which you cna do with yourselft .I think everybody DIY every day, am I right ?Money mouth

03:57 AM Sep 28 2007 |

Some of spring

Russian Federation

I like it! I use DIY – for instance, I don’t spend money for English teacher and learn English myself! :)

05:12 PM Sep 27 2007 |

1 person likes this

ajkevin

ajkevin

China

woo! DIY, that’s awesome! I mean, that can help you save money at the same time, sometimes you will become more creative.
Let’s do it yourself!
the reflection of your own wisdom!

03:31 PM Sep 27 2007 |

newmax

Congo

I have

12:47 PM Sep 27 2007 |

newmax

Congo

I really appreciated this DIY because doing so will help us both to save money and to learn many things:

12:46 PM Sep 27 2007 |

mary liu

China

i think if you can do just do it youself .you will have tasted more about youself and enjoyed it more.

09:47 AM Sep 27 2007 |

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