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The school rents out the gym on weekends, too. And the reason I know that is because my church has been using the space while the pews are getting replaced. But it doesn't seem right to have religious services in a place where we have Phys Ed during the week. Because the whole time, all I can think about is everything ELSE that's happened in that gym.

学校周末也会把体育馆对外出租。 我知道这事，是因为我们教堂更换长椅时，一直借用这块场地。 但在我们平日上体育课的地方办宗教仪式，总感觉不太对劲。 因为自始至终，我满脑子想的都是这座体育馆之前发生过的各种其他事。

Saturday Every year the parents in the PTA put on an auction to raise money for the school, but this year they wanted to make it bigger than ever to earn as much as possible. They asked students to volunteer to help at the event. And since my mom is the secretary of the PTA, I got roped into going. The PTA auction is a pretty fancy affair, so I had to dress up for it. And my job was to walk around with a tray stacked with miniature pigs in a blanket all night.

每年周六，家长教师协会的家长都会办拍卖会给学校筹钱，不过今年他们想把规模办得比往年更大，尽可能多筹钱。 他们邀请学生来活动当志愿者帮忙。 因为我妈妈是家长教师协会的秘书，我就被硬拉过去了。 这场拍卖会排场很讲究，所以我得穿得正式一点。 我的工作就是一整晚端着堆满迷你香肠卷的托盘到处走。

To be honest, it was a little awkward being around my parents when they were having fun with their friends. But I guess people my mom and dad's age don't get a lot of chances to go out, so they were probably just happy for the opportunity to cut loose. There were two parts to the night. The first part was the silent auction, where there are different prizes and gift baskets you can win by being the highest bidder. And the way you do that is by writing down how much money you're willing to pay.

说实话，待在爸妈身边看他们和朋友玩乐，我有点浑身不自在。 不过我想，我爸妈这个年纪的人没多少机会出门，所以他们应该挺开心能有机会放松。 当晚的活动分成两个部分。 第一部分是无声拍卖，有各式各样的奖品和礼品篮，出价最高的人就能拿走。 竞拍的方式就是写下你愿意支付的价钱。

I was hoping my parents would bid on something cool, like a week at a ski condo during winter vacation, or a pair of Jet Skis. But the only item my mom put her name on was a wellness basket, and since she was the only bidder, she won.

我本来盼着我爸妈能拍点好东西，比如寒假住一周滑雪公寓，或是一艘水上摩托。 可我妈妈只给一个健康养生篮报了价，而且只有她一个出价人，所以她拿到了这个奖品。

A bunch of local companies donated some quality items for the silent auction. East Bay Barbeque supplied a brand-new outdoor grill, and the Scouts kicked in a smores kit with a half dozen mugs for hot chocolate. But a few companies seemed to be just trying to unload stuff they couldn't use. I'm pretty sure some companies donate every year because Crawford Studios offered a family portrait, which is what they did for the last PTA auction. And the reason I know that is because last year my family actually WON it.

很多本地商家都给无声拍卖捐赠了不错的东西。 东湾烧烤店捐了一台全新的户外烤架，童子军捐了烤棉花糖套装，还有六个装热可可的马克杯。 不过有些公司看起来只是想清理掉他们用不上的旧货。 我敢肯定有些公司每年都捐东西应付事，克劳福德照相馆就捐了家庭肖像，上次拍卖会他们捐的就是这个。 我知道这事，是因为去年我们家真的拍到了它。

When Mom told us we were doing a family portrait, I was a little annoyed because it meant I had to dress up on a Saturday. But it was actually a lot worse than that. I thought we were gonna take a quick picture and I could enjoy the rest of my weekend. But it was a PAINTING, which meant we had to go back five times. Halfway through the first session, Manny wouldn't sit still anymore, and the artist kept having to start that part of the painting over. But Rodrick was even worse, because he didn't go back for the rest of the sessions.

妈妈说我们要去拍家庭肖像的时候，我有点烦躁，因为这意味着我周六还得穿得规规矩矩。 可实际情况比我预想的还要糟糕得多。 我本来以为我们只需要快速拍张照，我就能好好享受剩下的周末了。 结果那居然是一幅手绘油画，害得我们前前后后跑了五趟。 第一趟才到一半，曼尼就坐不住了，画家不得不把那部分重画。 罗德里克更过分，剩下的几趟他根本就没去。