My Morning Routine (Conversation)

Update from 04/06/2022: The podcast is returning! Listen out for an official announcement on 14th June. Today's episode is voiced by John Rayment. You can find him on Twitter here. Transcript Welcome to Easy Stories in English, the podcast that will take your English from OK to Good, and from Good to Great. I am not Ariel Goodbody. I'm Ariel's friend, John. I'm recording this message for Ariel, because he's unable to speak at the moment. So here’s what Ariel has to say: ‘Hello, everyone. Some of you may know that I’m autistic. I talked about it earlier this year, when I did the pre-intermediate version of The Little Frog with the Big Mouth. ‘Basically, it means that my brain works a bit differently to most people’s. I am more sensitive to bright lights, loud sounds and strong smells. I don’t talk or act like most people do, so I often mask. Masking is when an autistic person “puts on a mask”, basically pretends to be like everyone else. ‘Because of these things, being autistic can be very tiring. It’s very hard for us to just exist in the world, because the world is full of bright lights, loud sounds and strong smells, and people want us to pretend we’re different to who we actually are. ‘So often, when things are too difficult for us, we shut down. This is when your body says, “No more!” Sometimes, it just means being alone in a room for a long time and resting. ‘But this year, I’ve been having more serious shutdowns. I’ve started going non-verbal—losing the ability to speak. As I’m writing this message, I’ve been non-verbal for 12 days. As well as this, I’ve also had movement difficulties, and I can’t easily do lots of things that I was able to do before, like travelling or shopping. ‘I’m telling you all this because, obviously, if I can’t talk, I can’t record Easy Stories in English. I really hate not being able to do the podcast, but right now, my body needs to rest. I don’t know how long it will be for, and to be honest, I don’t know how reliable my voice will be in the future. I’ve done some research into what’s happening to me, and I seem to have a health problem called autistic catatonia. There isn’t much research on it, and it’s difficult to treat, but I’m trying my best. ‘I want to thank you all for your support. I already talked about this on Patreon and in my email newsletter, and so many of you sent kind messages. I’m sorry I couldn’t respond to them all. I have found it very hard to keep up with emails. ‘So, for now, I will have to take a break from the podcast. Hopefully, I’ll be able to start again in the new year. I hope you all have wonderful holidays, if you do celebrate holidays around this time of year. ‘Thank you for listening, and hopefully I’ll see you soon.’ Support Easy Stories in English by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/easystoriesinenglish Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

21 Dec 20214min

Buy me a coffee to say thank you for the podcast! === Grella is a strange dragon: she'll eat everything except jewels, and what dragon doesn't eat jewels? So one day, her mother takes away all the other food in the house, and Grella is forced to try the dreaded jewels. Except she finds out she likes them, and in fact, she likes them a bit too much... Today's story is The Very Hungry Dragon. Go to EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/DragonL1 for the full transcript. You can listen to the intermediate level version of this story at EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Dragon. Level: Beginner. Genre: Children's. New Vocabulary: Jewel, Dragon, Taste of something, Spit out, Smell, Ignore, Cart, In one go, Reputation, Freezer, Hug, From now on. Setting: Fairytale. Word Count: 1290. Author: Ariel Goodbody. If you enjoy the podcast, please consider supporting me on Patreon. For just a few dollars a month you can get extra episodes, conversational podcasts, exercises, and much more. Support Easy Stories in English by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/easystoriesinenglish Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

14 Dec 202122min

Buy me a coffee to say thank you for the podcast! === Everyone gets their tattoo when they turn 18, but Gary doesn't want one. Finally, his parents make him get one. So he shaves off all his hair and gets an X-shaped tattoo on his head. Everyone hates it, and things only get worse... Today's story is The Tattoo. Go to EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Tattoo for the full transcript. Level: Beginner. Genre: Science Fiction. New Vocabulary: Tattoo, Months in advance, Lie, Shape, Anxious, Hidden, Bum, Treat someone like, Barber, Shave your hair off, Go bald, Original, Remove. Setting: Modern. Word Count: 2244. Author: Ariel Goodbody. If you enjoy the podcast, please consider supporting me on Patreon. For just a few dollars a month you can get extra episodes, conversational podcasts, exercises, and much more. Support Easy Stories in English by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/easystoriesinenglish Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

7 Dec 202129min

Buy me a coffee to say thank you for the podcast! === Hale's lover, Bulan, has died. He went off in hunt of the dragon they were supposed to kill together. With nothing left to live for, Hale wanders the streets alone, drunk and miserable. But then the dragon returns, and something is very different about it... Just a warning: today’s episode contains mentions of sex, bodily functions—specifically going to the toilet when you don’t want to, as well as throwing up—strong swearing and mild gore—that’s blood and violence and things like that. This episode will not be suitable for children. Today's story is The Flesh and Blood We Share. Go to EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Flesh for the full transcript. Level: Intermediate. Genre: Romance. New Vocabulary: Flesh and blood, Dragon, Slay, Prostitute, Armour, Bladder, Alley, Sorcerer, Beast, Disarm, Claw, Dignity, Tame, Choke on your own spit, Penance. Setting: Medieval. Word Count: 4436. Author: Ariel Goodbody. If you enjoy the podcast, please consider supporting me on Patreon. For just a few dollars a month you can get extra episodes, conversational podcasts, exercises, and much more. Support Easy Stories in English by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/easystoriesinenglish Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

30 Nov 202146min

Buy me a coffee to say thank you for the podcast! === Two-Eyed isn't beautiful and clever, and unlike her sisters, she only has two eyes. But when a man tries to marry her, her mother and sisters will do anything to ruin Two-Eyed's life. She will need the help of a magical deer to show that, in the end, love always wins. Today's story is One-Eyed, Two-Eyed, Three-Eyed. Go to EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/EyeL1 for the full transcript. You can listen to the pre-intermediate level version of this story at EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Eye. Level: Beginner. Genre: Children's. New Vocabulary: Work hard, Fringe, Marry, Skin, Goat, Asleep, Awake, Hoof, Horn, Dig a hole, Pick (fruit). Setting: Fairytale. Word Count: 2083. Author: Ariel Goodbody. If you enjoy the podcast, please consider supporting me on Patreon. For just a few dollars a month you can get extra episodes, conversational podcasts, exercises, and much more. Support Easy Stories in English by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/easystoriesinenglish Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

23 Nov 202128min

Buy me a coffee to say thank you for the podcast! === A strange girl goes to university, but she doesn't have many friends. One day, she disappears. Her friend tells us what he knows about her... Today's story is Have You Seen This Woman?. Go to EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Woman for the full transcript. Level: Beginner. Genre: Science Fiction. New Vocabulary: Lecture, Christian society, Doughnut, Embarrassed, Drunk, Hungover, I wish I had…, Surprised, Poetry. Setting: Modern. Word Count: 1345. Author: Ariel Goodbody. If you enjoy the podcast, please consider supporting me on Patreon. For just a few dollars a month you can get extra episodes, conversational podcasts, exercises, and much more. Support Easy Stories in English by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/easystoriesinenglish Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

16 Nov 202121min

Buy me a coffee to say thank you for the podcast! === In the Blue Castle, everything is soft and blue. In the Red Castle, everything is bright and strong. The two lands each have their princesses, and the two lands hate each other. But the princesses will have to work together to create peace... Today's story is Sleeping Beauty. Go to EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/SleepingAdv for the full transcript. You can listen to the beginner-level version of this story at EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Sleeping. Level: Advanced. Genre: Children's. New Vocabulary: Beloved, Compassion, Dye, Compliment, Gladiator, Throne, Cloak, Under a spell, Curse, Seafoam, Crack. Setting: Fairytale. Word Count: 2354. Author: Ariel Goodbody. If you enjoy the podcast, please consider supporting me on Patreon. For just a few dollars a month you can get extra episodes, conversational podcasts, exercises, and much more. Support Easy Stories in English by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/easystoriesinenglish Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

9 Nov 202129min

Buy me a coffee to say thank you for the podcast! === After World War III, nuclear weapons were banned. So in World War IV, America got creative. But in the end, they only end up hurting themselves... Today's story is It's a Small World. Go to EasyStoriesInEnglish.com/Small for the full transcript. Level: Pre-Intermediate. Genre: Science Fiction. New Vocabulary: Throne, Beehive, Sting, Gut instinct, Apocalypse, Seed, Shrink, Nuclear weapon, Cure, Squirrel. Setting: Future. Word Count: 1811. Author: Ariel Goodbody. If you enjoy the podcast, please consider supporting me on Patreon. For just a few dollars a month you can get extra episodes, conversational podcasts, exercises, and much more. Support Easy Stories in English by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/easystoriesinenglish Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2 Nov 202125min