In an informal talk far more wide ranging than at previous holiday sessions — one year Mrs. Bush answered only two questions — she went well beyond why the red, white and blue theme was chosen for this year’s Christmas (patriotism), the elaborate menus that call for 300 pounds of cheesy grits and 22,000 cookies and how, in keeping with the economy, she and the president would carefully spend their Christmas money on a house in Dallas in January.
“It’s the people I will miss most,” she said nostalgically. The house, too. “It’s been a privilege to live here and to be steward of all the fabulous things that are in this house,” Mrs. Bush said. “I’ve loved having a chance to learn about everyone who’s lived here before through their effects, through the ways they decorated the house, or the furniture they left,” she said.
Transition “When both George and me walked through all of these rooms, we’re very aware of all the presidents before us.” And the ones to come shortly.
“There was something actually very nostalgic about having Mrs. Obama come,” Mrs. Bush said, “because I remembered so well taking the tour of the White House with Mrs. Clinton, what she said to me and then what that reminded me to tell Michelle Obama as we toured.” The information about a window in the first lady’s dressing room with views of the Rose Garden came from the president’s mother, Barbara Bush. Hillary Rodham Clinton passed it on to Laura Bush: “Your mother-in-law told me, when she gave me the tour, to be sure and look out this window, that she liked to look out over there and see what George was doing.” Laura Bush also mentioned the tour the president gave Presidentelect Barack Obama, dutifully showing him his closet and bathroom. Then she added that the bicycle-riding president and the basketball-playing presidentelect had “rushed upstairs to look at the gym.”
Along with the nostalgia, Mrs. Bush said she was “looking forward to another life, the afterlife, I’ve been calling it,” when things would be more normal. She added, “I might even be doing the cooking myself.”
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The New York Times
The White House Nostalgia
reminisce [remi‘nis] vzpomínat na
informal [in‘fo:ml] neformální, přátelský, nenucený
talk [to:k] povídání, hovor
wide ranging [waid ‘reindži?] rozsáhlý
previous [‘pri:vios] předchozí, dřívější
session [‘sešn] sezení, sedění; zasedání
theme [°i:m] téma, námět
patriotism [‘pntriotizm] vlastenectví
elaborate [i‘lnborot] důkladný, propracovaný
pound [paund] libra (cca 0, 454 kg)
cheesy (-ie-) [‘či:zi] sýrovitý, tvarohovitý
grits [grits] krupice, kaše
cookie [‘kuki] sušenka, keks
carefully [‘keofoli] opatrně, rozvážně
privilege [‘privolidž] právo, výsada, privilegium
steward [‘stju:od] hospodář, správce
fabulous [‘fnbjulos] báječný, fantastický
effect [i‘fekt] vliv, účinek
furniture [‘fo:ničo] nábytek
transition [trnn‘zišn] přechod
shortly [‘šo:tli] zakrátko, zanedlouho
tour [tuo] udělat prohlídku, prohlédnout si
view [vju:] výhled, pohled
pass on [pa:s on] předat dál, přenést
mother-in-law [‘ma¸orinlo:] tchyně
mention [‘menšn] zmínit, připomenout
dutifully [‘dju:tifli] svědomitě, oddaně
closet [‘klozit] kumbál, oblékárna; záchod
bicycle-riding [baisikl‘raidi?] jezdící na kole
rush [raš] spěchat
gym [džim] tělocvična, posilovna
along with [o‘lo? wi¸] spolu s
O autorovi| Marta pelechová, stránku připravila
