Listening exercise
Chicago Public Radio: This American Life with Ira Glass
Case Two: Tell it to the Void (I)
(04.20.2007; originally aired 04.20.2001)

We hear a series of letters that originally appeared on the brief-lived,
little-known, but well-loved webzine Open Letters. They're written by a woman
who signs her name as "X" and are addressed to the father of her adolescent son.
X has no idea where to send the letters...but she keeps writing. Since the letters'
original publication on the Internet, X has decided to reveal her identity.
Her name is Miriam Toews, and her book is called Swing Low, A Life.
Her letters were read for us by Alexa Junge.

To listen, click on "Full episode" on the left hand side, under the photo, of this page.
For this assignment, start at the 27:48 point of this audio file
and listen to the 32:43. (The entire story starts at the 23:50 point and ends at
the 41:30 point.)
You may have to listen from the beginning of the whole show to be able to move the slider to the right spot.
This part includes questions on the first part of the story; Part II will be covered in next week's assignment.
If you are having problems playing the file, try this local (Ceiba) file of Part I.

Vocabulary:
whether
to keep track of s.o. through s.o.
Japan
Australia
"like you'd tell me"
before there's no kid left
"Keep a stiff upper lip."
million
you don't get to choose
signed,
The Usual Suspects (movie)
to recover from
Cobra
killer ride
carnival
downtown
to handle
rides
sweet
to lurch back
to clutch a bottle of coke
fake barfing sounds
"Anything for the kid!"
"barfing noise"
to fall on the grass
motionless
to giggle
best...in the world
the other day
"Porn Star"
kind of
to be upset about
"Man, would you just all relax?"
"I was kidding."
brand, band
Auntie Em (= Emma, Emily, Emmy)
fill your boots (Canadian)
to stalk off
dilemma
to take s.t. away
to let s.t. go
to suggest
the one with "Paddington the Bear" on it
to give s.o. money not to do something
to think about s.t.
the next thing I know...
to be beaming
to be $(amount) richer
"How pathetic is that?"
Uganda
Greenland
porn star
bumper sticker
"Go get 'em, Mom."
orange juice
champagne
mix tape
Randy Newman (great song!)
Paul Westerberg
Tom Waits

Neil Young
The Clash

he actually had to
a form of torture
it means a lot
Christmas Card lyrics
to put together
to stay up late
funny, intense, shy
to make compilation tapes
April-something
you get to stay...
black-faded levis
SNFU T-shirt
Converse sneakers
to smoke
Export 'A'
penny wieners
apartment kitchen
with The Cramps playing
furniture
to be old enough to be
on the street
to wonder
to go mini-golfing
to leave forever
but at the same time
to take up a lot of room for
a guy who's not here
Later,
mystery man

Listening comprehension questions:
1. Summarize "X's" family situation, and what these letters are mainly about.
2. What nice thing did the boy do for his younger sister, and what did he say was his motivation for doing it?
3. a. What did the boy do for his mother on her birthday? b. How old is "X" now? c. How old is the boy? d. How old was the boy when Mike left? e. Why does Mike "get to stay 23 forever"?
4. Explain the meaning of these expressions in the context of this report: a. killer ride; b. fake barfing noises; c. "like you'd tell me." d. "Keep a stiff upper lip"; e. bumper sticker; f. compilation tape (or "mix tape").
5. a.
What happened when the boy started wearing a hat with "Porn Star" written on it? b. How did the writer feel about how the situation was resolved? c. Why did the boy say, "Yeah, please get me the one with 'Paddington the Bear' on it"? d. Why did the boy say, "Go get 'em, Mom!"
6. What does this mean: "You take up a lot of room for a guy who's not here."

Part II

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