Big Apple Baby
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Kevin
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Todd
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Kevin: Hi! How you doing?
Todd: I'm doing pretty good.
Kevin: Good.
Todd: What's your name?
Kevin: My name is Kevin.
Todd: Kevin. Where are you from?
Kevin: I'm from Pheonix, Arizona.
Todd: OK. Nice.
Kevin: In the United States.
Todd: Wow, were you born in Phoenix?
Kevin: Actually, no. I was actually born in New York because my parents happened to be living in New York at that time . My father was a Major League baseball player and the year I was born, 1971, he was playing with the Mets in New York City. My birthday is in May, May 25th to be precise, and so my mother happened to be with my father in New York because it was baseball season. So I was actually born in New York but I grew up in Phoenix. Phoenix is what I consider to be my home town.
Todd: Wow! That's amazing. Do you remember anything about New York?
Kevin: Yes. Actually, I do have a few memories because we spent probably three years there from the time I was born. Obviously, until I was about two and a half or three years, we spent the summers or the baseball season in New York. We rented a condominium on the second floor and I remember it was right across the street from La Guardia Airport. Of course, when I was a little kid, one and two years old, I used to love sitting by the kitchen windows. I even remember it was a bay window, the kind where you can roll the window open. I used to roll the window open and just watch the airplanes take off and land all day.
Todd: Wow! That's cool.
Kevin: Another memory I have is the people, the couple that lived below us was an elderly couple and they acted pretty much like our grandparents. I actually called them Grandma and Grandpa. Grandma Stevenson used to give me a bath in her kitchen sink because I was so small.
Todd: Wow!
Kevin: That she would actually give me a bath in her kitchen sink and I remember that as well.
Todd: Wow, those are good memories.
doing pretty good
[How are you doing?] I'm doing pretty good.
The phrase 'doing pretty good' is a common answer to questions about how we feel. Notice the following:
- She's doing pretty good for just having surgery.
- He's doing pretty good in school now.
happened to (be)
My parents happened to be living in New York at that time.
We use the phrase 'happened to be' a coincidence or things that are suprising. Notice the following:
- I happened to be sitting at a coffee shop when the
accident
happened.
- She happened to see Britney Spears crossing the street.
to be precise
My birthday is in May, May 25th to be precise.
We use the phrase 'to be precise' when we want to give exact information about something. Notice the following:
- It must be at least 90 degrees. The thermometer
says 92 to
be precise.
- He's in his 50's, fifty-four to be precise.
sit by
I used to love sitting by the kitchen windows.
If you 'sit by' something you sit near to it. Notice the following:
- She prefers to sit next to the door in class.
- It's nice to sit next to the fire in the winter.
roll (the
window) open
I used to roll the window open and just watch the airplanes
take off
and land.
To 'roll a window open' is to use a hand crank to open it. Notice the following:
- You have to roll the car window open because it's not
electric.
- It is cold. Please roll up the window.
take off and land
The airplanes
take off
and land all day.
When a plane takes off, it leaves the airport and when it lands, it returns to an airport. Notice the following:
- You can't use a phone when a plane takes off or lands.
- What time did the plane land?
Vocabulary Quiz
sit by • rolled open • takes off
