Listening 40 – Listen for specific words

One thing I’d say I’m good at is sports. I’ve been in some type of sport pretty much ever since I was six. I played soccer for about ten years, and I was of my high school team. My parents wouldn’t let me play in any of the really competitive soccer leagues, though, because they wanted me to focus on my . When I went to college, I played terribly during tryouts and didn’t make the team – so that’s when I started getting more into volleyball instead.

There was a group of students and that would play twice a day – at lunchtime, and again in the evenings. It started out as a pickup game, but we played so much that all the regulars ended up getting really good. We even organized a tournament, and my team got all the way to the – which we lost by just a couple of points. But I really loved those volleyball games and I looked forward to them every day.

I’ve also been into martial arts for many years, and I’ve gotten to train with some of the best in the world. Two sports I’ve only tried a few times but would love to do more of are skiing and rock climbing. The first time I went climbing, I thought I was already in pretty good , but boy, did I feel it the next day! It must have worked muscles I don’t use.

As for what I’m not good at, the first thing that to mind is cooking. I mean, I’m not terrible at it, I can make things that are edible – but I’m not a . I guess I’ve just never taken the time to learn. But it’s always felt like a hassle to me, and I get especially when I have to cook for other people.

One time I was gonna make for a group of friends, and I decided to make brisket, which is beef that’s slow-cooked with lots of onions and garlic. My mom told me it’s virtually to mess up, the only thing I had to remember was to always keep the pot and never remove the lid.

Well, I decided to test the recipe a before the dinner, and I followed my mother’s instructions religiously. However, the pot I was using had a lid that didn’t properly, and all the water inside evaporated, so the meat ended up to the bottom and burning. I couldn’t bring myself to eat it, and I think I ended up giving it to the dog.

Nowadays I can make a brisket, but chicken and fish have been sorta hit-or-miss. I think some of the recipes I find on the internet are duds, because sometimes even when I them perfectly, it still doesn’t turn out right. Luckily I married a man who knows his way around the ; he’s a much better cook than me. But I’ve been experimenting with baking , and I made two successful batches of cookies – so maybe there’s hope for me yet!