Part 3 Jiggling the Handle

唱完卡拉OK归来的Louis和McKenzie，玩得很痛快，还结识了很多新的朋友。这让他们意识到无论是对人或是对事，都不能以一成不变的眼光去看待，而且生活也应该不时地做些改变，注入新鲜有趣的东西。

Louis: ①Well, good morning, bright eyes! Glad you made it back to the office.

McKenzie: Oh, hush! I didn’t stay out THAT late.

Louis: Later than me.

McKenzie: Well, ②that’s not saying much!

Louis: Haha, no, I guess not. So, I guess the impossible was possible after all: you really did have a good time at karaoke!

McKenzie: I almost hate to admit it, but yeah, it was a total blast! Who would have thought? ③I’m glad you 1)badgered me into going.

Louis: Well, I didn’t know if it was gonna be worth it, either. But sometimes in life you just gotta make a change, right? Try something new. ④Jiggle the handle a little.

McKenzie: You’re right. Sure was more fun than working out.

Louis: Really? So you’re thinking of becoming a karaoke 2)junkie?

McKenzie: Whoa, 3)buster, ⑤don’t get ahead of yourself! I just meant that it felt good to put myself out there. I usually have a lot of stage fright, if you can believe that.

Louis: No kidding!

McKenzie: The honest truth! It’s been one of my personal 4)demons. I’m glad that I was able to sing in front of people I don’t know.

Louis: Well, they were a good 5)bunch, that’s for sure! Really welcoming, and a lot of fun.

McKenzie: To think I’d judged them before I’d even met them, just because of Ned! I won’t be so shallow again. They were loads of fun!

Louis: The take-home lesson for me is this: just because somebody talks too much doesn’t mean you should stop listening. Ned knew his stuff when he invited us out.

McKenzie: That’s true.

Louis: Anyway, I’m glad I went there instead of going to the bar. All I could have gotten out of the bar was a few new acquaintances. I got that and more at the karaoke bar.

McKenzie: Yeah, I guess going to bars can be kind of boring at times. Often, I think people go out to bars all the time just ’cause they don’t have anything better to do.

Louis: Right-o. A 6)barfly is the last thing I want to be!

McKenzie: Well, you don’t have much to worry about there…

Louis: Well, what’s that supposed to mean?

McKenzie: If you keep going out to karaoke bars like this, you’re more likely to end up a pop star!

Louis: Oh, no. McKenzie, I can’t take you anywhere…

Smart Sentences

① Well, good morning, bright eyes!嘿，早上好，精神不错嘛！

bright eyes: alert and eager（精神焕发）。例如：

Bright eyes! It doesn’t seem like you took a redeye flight.

精神不错！看不出你坐的是红眼航班（夜间航班）。

② That’s not saying much! 那说明不了什么！

that’s not saying much: used to invalidate what another person has just said（用以驳回对方刚才的话）。例如：

—Our salary is only 1,800 after all and that’s not much higher than the minimum wage.

我们的工资到头来才一千八，比最低工资高不了多少。

—That’s not saying much.

跟没说一样。

③ I’m glad you badgered me into going. 我很高兴你缠着要我去。

badger sb. into doing sth.: pester sb. into doing sth.（缠着某人让其做某事）。例如：My brother and I tried to badger our parents into taking us to New York.

我跟弟弟两人缠着父母，想让他们带我们去纽约。

④ Jiggle the handle a little. 做一些新的改变。

jiggle the handle a little: make a random change because you don’t like the situation, but don’t have a specific plan to solve it（实行随机变化，以观后效）。例如：

I want to jiggle the handle a little. I’ll bring in some fresh blood next week.

我想做一些改变，下周我会让一些新人加入。

⑤ Don’t get ahead of yourself! 别想太远了！

get ahead of oneself: try to do sth. too early（超前，走得太快）。例如：

Job hunting? We are only juniors. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

找工作？我们才大三，别想得太远了。