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A different cup show art A different cup

Learn English by audiobook or video with Cullen at eattmag.com

Pablo was suddenly very tired. He was also feeling very thirsty. So he decided to go home and make himself a nice cup of coffee. It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day. And though he was feeling hungry, he decided first he needed to get himself a nice drink. Normally, he wouldn't drink coffee after about 2:00 PM as he felt somehow made it more difficult for him to sleep. He was thinking about his favorite coffee cup when he suddenly realized that he had a series of habits that some people might have found a bit strange. The first habit he had was that in the morning first thing he would have a...

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Pablo in the park show art Pablo in the park

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Pablo sat down on the stool in the kitchen and closed his eyes to think back for a moment. He remembered a few weeks ago being in the park near his apartment, sitting on a bench in the sun and noticing a small blackbird. “It can’t be the same one,” he thought.  Then he remembered that was the day it rained. He had gone for a walk, turned his phone on silent, and sat on a park bench. One of his teachers had told him years ago that he should improve his skills in observation. So, when it rained, he stayed on the bench with his rain hat and raincoat for a few minutes, observing the...

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Pablo and the black bird show art Pablo and the black bird

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Just as Pablo turned towards the kitchen window, he saw a bird.   A little Blackbird.   The little Blackbird sitting on the windowsill had small bright yellow eyes. The bird seemed to be looking almost curiously at Pablo for some reason.   As if he was wondering what Pablo was about to do. Pablo stood very still. He did not want to see the bird fly away. It was not every day that Pablo had a little black bird sitting on his kitchen windowsill, but then again. He wondered. Had he seen this bird before? Was this the little bird that had been sitting outside on the steps? The same...

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Sometimes new dreams wake up show art Sometimes new dreams wake up

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When Pablo woke up from his dream. He suddenly realized something. He had been writing his dreams down now for many years on a Google Doc on his phone. Just little things that he could remember. Stories. People. Places. Points in time. And he had begun to realize that there were certain themes. Almost. Storyboards. Sometimes it was if he was traveling along in a dream and he would drop into another dream. Sometimes you would wake up in a dream. That was fun. He would look out a window or move through a doorway just by thinking about it. Sometimes he could navigate through dreams. He could move...

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Chat show art Chat

Learn English by audiobook or video with Cullen at eattmag.com

The smell of rain. Pablo wondered what it was called. The smell of rain. It reminded him of his home country. Pablo decided to Google it. The name of the word was Petrichor The word Petrichor means The earthy smell when rain falls on dry soil. He suddenly felt very sleepy. He decided to lay down and have a nap before making his pizza.  Shortly after he lay down, there was another knock at the door. When Pablo got to the door, there was a young man with black curly hair. Standing on the unevenly, a hoverboard hovering above the ground. Coming for a ride? He asked. Pablo thought he...

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Pablo opened the door show art Pablo opened the door

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Pablo opened the door, and standing in front of him was Sylvia.   Sylvia held a small handful of things, including a small bunch of bright-green leaves.  I thought you could do with some of these? She winked.  I heard you were making a pizza.  What is it? Pablo asked.  Arugula, she said. Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrr ugula, she said again in her heavy accent and laughed.  But where I come from, boy, we call it Rocket, and it grows like a rocket it does too.  Very good for you, lad, packed with vitamin C and K, improves ye bones and keeps you healthy, boy  And what...

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Knock, knock, knock. Went the door show art Knock, knock, knock. Went the door

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Pablo looked up and looked around, catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror; ugh, he gasped  He was still in his pajamas  The kitchen was a total mess; he quickly ran and closed the bathroom door, where a wet towel was hanging and his shaving gear another disaster area, he thought to himself.  Running to his bedroom, he jumped out of his pajamas and into some track pants.    He grabbed a jumper, threw it over his pajama top, and quickly tucked it in  He leaped over a pile of washing, grabbed some books off the floor, placed them on the table, and put the...

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Kitchen hacks show art Kitchen hacks

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Pablo had a busy day and realized he was getting hungry when he was thinking about his pizza.  Um, he thought, what can he make quickly and easily?  Something crisp and crunchy  with some flavor.  He had some eggs in the fridge with a blue colored shell they were a mix, the women had told him at the market but he was in a rush and did not have time to ask what they were a mix of. They always laughed and had a wry sense of humor. But Pablo knew the shady ladies, as some people had called them, were always looking out for him and spoiled him in one way or another. And he was...

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Any room for Mushrooms show art Any room for Mushrooms

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Is there any room for mushrooms?  That night, Pablo had a funny dream.  He was sitting up on the magic carpet. Flying above and through the clouds    When he looked down, he realized the carpet was made of pizza, and he was sitting on top of a large slice of pepperoni.   Large leaves of green lettuce stuck to the pizza, blew with melted cheese. Blew up, up into the air    Giant wheels of fried onions and huge cloves of purple garlic bubbled away among the whole black peppercorns glistening in the sunlight.   He was driving the pizza high up through...

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Serendipity show art Serendipity

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Serendipity. Read the words while listening to the story of Pablo to improve your reading and listening in English   Pablo hoped Mary was ok?  when he got off the call He knew her family was very strict and did not want her to get the sickness. Many people had been sick this winter with a new kind of flu  A kind of winter cold that gave people the chills.  Just then, something serendipitous happened  Serendipity was a new word Pablo had learned  meaning - a good surprise.    Pablo had just got another text from his friend about the party. The text said...

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Pablo had a busy day and realized he was getting hungry when he was thinking about his pizza. 

Um, he thought, what can he make quickly and easily? 
Something crisp and crunchy 
with some flavor. 

He had some eggs in the fridge with a blue colored shell
they were a mix, the women had told him at the market
but he was in a rush and did not have time to ask what they were a mix of.

They always laughed and had a wry sense of humor.
But Pablo knew the shady ladies, as some people had called them, were always looking out for him and spoiled him in one way or another.

And he was sure it was just not because he sometimes took them some extra lemons to sell when he had been given too many.

Thinking of them, he opened the freezer and found a bag of hash browns. He took two out to defrost and then found the last remaining tomato in the fridge. 
"That must have cost a pretty penny." he heard one of the ladies say, but it had also been given to him.
So, he just winked at her, and she laughed as he moved on through the market. 
Pablo knew many of the stallholders now in the market at the old meat factory.
It smelt like garlic, coriander, and flowers, he had thought to himself that day.

He heated some oil in the pan and gently placed the hash browns in it when the oil was just below smoking hot to get them nice and crisp.
After a few minutes on each side, he placed them on the little hot plate to go into the griller.
Then sliced the tomato into four thick slices and tossed them in the pan for 2 minutes, a minute on each side.
Then added a knob of butter, freshly ground black pepper across the top, and a generous sprinkle of sea salt. 

Grated some tasty cheese for melting and sliced some super thin slices of Parmesan the deli guy at the market had given him wrapped in wax paper, with a wink when his wife was not looking.
He heated the grill and placed a large spoon of pesto on top of the hash brown, spreading it slowly along the crunchy top.

Adding the slices of tomato on top, he could smell the greenery of the pesto, then added the thin Parmesan, followed by the grated cheese for melting on top of the stack.
Placing it under the grill for three minutes, he carefully watched as the hash brown crisped around the edges, the cheese melted, running down the sides, and the pesto bubbled away slowly. He felt a gurgle just looking at it. 
Sliding them onto the plate, grabbing his tea, and waiting a few seconds for them to cool down, he cut the first one in half and lifted it to his lips, about to take his first bite. 

..... then suddenly, there was a knock at the door   

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