What if Grace made a lopsided crochet Rocky and cuddled it every night.

What if Rocky couldn’t stop making xenonite puppets of his alien friend.

Today's phrase is "自分の脚下を見る（jibun no ashimoto wo miru）".

【Vocabulary & Grammar】

１．自分（じぶん, jibun） It means “oneself.” A noun referring to the self.

２．の (no) Possessive particle meaning “of” or “one’s.” It links 自分 and 脚下.

３．脚下（あしもと, ashimoto） Literally means “under one’s feet,” “one’s footing,” “one’s immediate surroundings.” In idiomatic usage, it refers to: ・one’s current situation ・one’s position ・one’s circumstances ・the basics one should check first

４．を (wo) Direct object marker. It indicates that 脚下 is what is being “seen.”

５．見る（みる, miru） Verb meaning “to see,” “to look at,” “to examine.” In this idiom, it means “to examine carefully,” “to look at your own situation,” “to reflect on yourself.”

Put together, 「自分の脚下を見る」 means to examine your own situation or behavior before criticizing or acting. It’s a reminder to stay grounded, humble, and aware of your own footing. When you take a moment to reflect on yourself, you may find that it helps you take a better step forward.

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Part 4 of the commonly used structure with some examples:

数不上 - shǔ bu shàng - can't be counted among; doesn't qualify 在这些专家当中，他还数不上 - Among these experts, he doesn’t qualify (count as an expert). 在世界强队中，我们还数不上 - Among the world’s top teams, we don’t qualify [as the top team]

犯不上 - fàn bu shàng - not worth it; unnecessary 他受不了批评，其实也犯不上-He can’t take criticism, but honestly, it’s not worth being upset about. 为这点小事生气，犯不上-It’s not worth getting angry over such a small thing.

挨不上 - āi bu shàng - not connected to; not related 这件事跟我挨不上- This matter has nothing to do with me/it's not related to me. 这两个观点完全挨不上 - These two viewpoints aren’t connected at all.

赶不上 - gǎn bu shàng - can't catch up; fall behind. It has the meaning of physically unable to catch up, time issues making it diffiuclt or impossible to do, or can be used in some comparison contexts (in this case it's used like 比不上) 他跑得太快，我赶不上他 - He runs too fast, I can’t catch up with him. 快点，不然赶不上公交车了 - Hurry up, or we’ll miss the bus. 他的水平赶不上你 - His level isn’t as good as yours. (比不上)

配不上 - pèi bu shàng - not worthy of; not a match for 这种价格配不上这个质量 - That price doesn’t match this quality. 他条件太好了，我配不上他 - He’s too accomplished, I’m not on his level.

担不是 - dān bu shì - to take the blame 别担不是，这也不全是你的错 - Don’t take all the blame, it’s not entirely your fault.

数不着 - shǔ bu zháo - 1. Idiom meaning: unable to calculate something because the amount is too large 2.not important in comparison (doesn't meet the compairison standard), not worth mentioning 天上的星星多得数不着 - There are so many stars in the sky they can’t be counted

３１ 台 MACHINE

Readings: だい、たい 台所 だいどころ kitchen 台風 たいふう typhoon

３２ 合 SUIT、JOIN

Readings: あ、あい、ごう、がっ 都合 つごう convenience 合う あう fit/match 具合 ぐあい condition/health state

３３ 同 SAME

Readings: おな、どう、 同じ おなじ same/identical 同時 どうじ simultaneous

３４ 味 FLAVOR

Readings: あじ、み 意味 いみ meaning 味噌 みそ miso 美味しい おいしい tasty 不味い まずい bad taste

３５ 品 GOODS

Readings: しな、ひん 品川 しながわ Shinagawa 作品 さくひん work (of art)

畑で拾ったお金を磨いてみた / “Polishing money I found in a crop field”

これみて、「この人ひまだなー」とか思うけどこれ見てる自分もよっぽどひま。

I apologize for the sudden disappearance, but I'm back with a new word. Today's word is ごっこ (gokko)

Meaning: ごっこ (gokko) is a suffix that means playing at (suffixed word), game of make-believe

Lyric: トモダチごっこは始めましょう (tomodachi gokko wa hajimemashou) 'let's start the pretense of being friends'

Translation note: can it also be 'let's start playing at being friends'? That's more of an English language question

Spanish Phrase Guide - Vivir Por Debajo De Sus Posibilidades

Here are some useful financial phrases to use when discussing financial matters:

• Vivir Por Debajo De Sus Posibilidades = To Live Below One’s Means

• Vivir Dentro De Sus Posibilidades = To Live Within One’s Means

• Vivir Por Encima De Sus Posibilidades = To Live Above One’s Means

Let’s see how the phrases are used:

• One way to save money is to live below your means.

• Una forma de ahorrar dinero es vivir por debajo de tus posibilidades.

• Many celebrities actually live above their means.

• De hecho, muchas celebridades viven por encima de sus posibilidades.