Before the Mike (1/3/16; WC 2215) Q

[summercircles]

Table of Contents (summercircles)

Table of Contents (Despina's Infamous Green Journal) (sumercircles)

Table of Contents (Despina's Infamous Green Journal) (travelsfar)

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Before the Mike

What most of us need is more horse power and less exhaust.
                                                                                         ~ Anonymous

Comments

[annieo]

You may not want this input anymore. But,I first read through this and picked my way through the Spanish passages. Then I had my son, who is a second year Spanish student, help me with what I didn't know. He said I had gotten the basic meaning out of the Spanish all though I was a little misguided here and there. Such as not reading a line where Despina is telling that she is the NEW teacher and reading it just as the teacher of the children on the reservation.
So the context clues helped alot. It took alot of effort, though, to pick through longer paragraphs. I think it is human nature to want to know what every word means or get discouraged, at least for me.

Input WANTED!

[pandemo]

That's exactly the type of input I want. Just out of curiosity, how did your son feel about being able to tell you what it said?

Re: Input WANTED!

[annieo]

He says he didn't feel one way or the other about it. He says he was just helping someone who had limited Spanish and who hadn't used that Spanish in a long time. I would think doing that would make him feel good about having knowlege that his parent didn't have.LOL

I will keep stopping in periodically to do a little---until THE TRIP, of course.

Critique Group's Comments from Where'sMeKilt

[summercircles]

Baby Blue Ram discussion seems to come out of the blue.

Why does Frank get angry?

Re: Critique Group's Comments from Where'sMeKilt

[pandemo]

At the start of the story, Despina is driving down the highway in Baby Blue Ram, her pickup truck. It is also referred to in the Prologue when it is brand new.

The listeners at this point are NOT supposed to understand what she's rambling on about in her oh, so sincere attempts to apologize for being late.

The other one also is later explained. We are caught off guard, even though the sheriff had warned her that people obviously carrying Indian blood would not like to be reminded of it, at least not in this area. She's used to evaluating conformation in her horse breeding, and theoretically, the principles are the same in humans, but, unlike the horses, the evaluated humans can voice their objections rather vociferously.

Re: Critique Group's Comments from Where'sMeKilt

[pandemo]

I guess I sort of missed the point. By the time you hit the end of the chapter, were the ? areas answered to your satisfaction?

Is my pace just too slow -- giving you the information way later than you want it?

[sydneydaile]

Being the new girl in town is never easy, is it? All the men in town curious about her already. :)

I read Kevin's comments and didn't have the same questions. Different readers have different readings sometimes, yes? I truly felt for Despina when she made the grievous error of calling someone of Mexican descent and Indian. I, too, would have been embarrassed!

My only suggestion here would be to perhaps refer to her ex-boyfriend by name or as that--her ex-boyfriend--instead of as the 'passed out drunk,' just to add a bit of continuity from the previous chapter. And to show that she's aware of him, just happy he's still passed out so she doesn't have to deal with him quite yet?

Great!

[pandemo]

I made that change, and you are quite right - it reads so much better! :-)

IF you are reading ABOUT Where'sMeKilt's questions, it's a pretty good sign that I've at least tried to clear them up. Now, that DOES NOT always mean I was successful...