Koach_Bot

Hi Everyone ! The story is: Last Day of the Last Furlough by J.D. Salinger The storylink is: http://www.freeweb.hu/tchl/salinger/lastday.html Also, prior to selecting the story which is about 13 pages, I also read an interesting short called : Personal Notes of an Infantryman by Salinger. It is about 3 pages and I enjoyed it. If you like our story of the week you may also enjoy this one as well: http://www.freeweb.hu/tchl/salinger/infantryman.html

Hi Everyone ! Thank you to Koach for this recommendation ! The story is: Romance of an Ugly Policeman by P.G. Wodehouse The storylink is: http://www.classicreader.com/read.php/bookid.3411/sec./

Hi Everyone ! Thank you to Smiley for this fun recommendation ! The story is: Bernie the Faust The storylink is: http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/classics/classics_archive/tenn/tenn1.html

Hi Everyone ! Thank you to Nan for this recommendation ! The story is: The Things We Do for Love by Jonathan Kellerman The storylink is: http://www.mysterynet.com/love/romance/forlove/

Thanks to Spike, Star, Smiley, Stormy, B and Koach for the discussion of Angela by William Schwenk Gilbert. We learned a bit about Venice, Gondola's, Inverted Water Images, Olfactory sensitivities ... and had quite the spirited discussion about imagined vs. invented love and realists vs. romantics. The rankings were: Interest or Entertainment Value: 3, 3.8, 2.8, 3.5, 3, 2.6, 3 = 3.1 Artistic Value (Social/Emotional content) 3, 3.9, 3, 3.8, 3, 3.5, 4 = 3.5 Chat Discussion Itself: 4, 4, 3.5, 5, 4.3, 3.9 = 4.1 Log is attached. Have a good week and hope to see you Sunday for our next chat. g Rankings Key: Interest or Entertainment Value: 5--One of the most engrossing stories I have ever read 4--Very entertaining, I would recommend it to my friends 3--A good read, I might recommend it to people whom I know share my interests or tastes 2--I would not recommend this story to others 1--A really bad read, I am sorry I wasted my time with it Artistic Value (Social/Emotional content) 5--A work of art, pulitzer prize material. 4--A significant contribution to literature 3--Well written 2--Pretty Forgettable 1--Garbage Chat Discussion itself : 5--One of the most enjoyable times I have ever spent in chat. This is what chat is for ! 4--A really enjoyable chat, as good as warm chocolate chip cookies with milk. 3--A nice chat, time well spent. 2--Better than a sharp stick in the eye, but not by much 1--I may never chat again as a result of this experience.

We had nearly as much to say about the author of 'The Feather Pillow' (Horacio Quiroga) as the story itself in our chat Sunday Night. To say he had a life filled with tragedy around every turn is an understatement. There were some interesting story points we explored (What WERE those hallucinations?!) and curbed the 'Marriage draining the life out of a woman' rather mildly compared to where I thought we could have gone with that lol. There was certainly a lot of pillow plumping goin on ! It was wonderful to have Chanel joining us for the first time, and to see Crysta, Ladywolf and B back for the chat. As ever - what would a Sunday be without Star, Stormy, Smiley and Koach. Thanks all ! The rankings were: Interest or Entertainment Value: 4, 3.5, 3.5, 4, 3, 3, 3, 4, 3.5, 4 = AVG 3.5 Artistic Value (Social/Emotional content) 3, 1.8, 3, 2.5, 3, 3, 2, 3, 3, 3 = AVG 2.7 Chat Discussion Itself: 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4.5, 4, 4.2, 4 = AVG 4.1 The log is attached, and you'll have to read it to see why the following was said: Thanks to all for a great chat !

We had a wonderful chat about 'That Home-Town Feeling' by Edna Ferber. The usual suspects were there ... Koach, Stormy, Star, Smiley (although Smiley was joining us on travel from a hotel and had a few distractions). We missed Spike and Justin - but Wrestlemania tore them away from us. It was delightful to see B in a readers chat again, as well as Dodge. We also enjoyed the arrival very much of Saralaya - her first Readers Chat with us, but she sure 'fit like it was home'. There weren't any real points of contention or disagreement which often spur the discussion along, but we enjoyed exploring the structure, characters and style of the story. Ferber's writing style was cited and admired by several 'pastings' of passages - including the famed "she was too everything". Stormy interjected a few 'Giant' trivia questions to keep us on our toes as well. We all seemed to understand, if not relate to, Ferber's message of 'going home' and what 'home' is. The rankings were: Interest or Entertainment Value: 4, 4, 2.5, 2, 4, 3.8, 4, 3 = AVG 3.41 Artistic Value (Social/Emotional content) 4, 3.8, 3.5, 4, 2.8, 3.5, 4, 3.5 = AVG 3.63 Chat Discussion itself : 4, 4.8, 5, 4, 3.5, 4, 3.8 = AVG 4.15 The log is attached and you'll have to read it to see why the following was said: Thanks again to all for a great chat. Hope to see you next week ! g Rankings Key: Interest or Entertainment Value: 5--One of the most engrossing stories I have ever read 4--Very entertaining, I would recommend it to my friends 3--A good read, I might recommend it to people whom I know share my interests or tastes 2--I would not recommend this story to others 1--A really bad read, I am sorry I wasted my time with it Artistic Value (Social/Emotional content) 5--A work of art, pulitzer prize material. 4--A significant contribution to literature 3--Well written 2--Pretty Forgettable 1--Garbage Chat Discussion itself : 5--One of the most enjoyable times I have ever spent in chat. This is what chat is for ! 4--A really enjoyable chat, as good as warm chocolate chip cookies with milk. 3--A nice chat, time well spent. 2--Better than a sharp stick in the eye, but not by much 1--I may never chat again as a result of this experience.

Our Chat about Alpine Divorce by Robert Barr had a great turnout, including new participant Iniquity who 'Jumped' into the discussion like a pro. Our late arrivers (with hall passes in hand) were very welcome too. We examined Robert Barr's telling of this less than romantic tale from cradle to grave and had plenty of dissention regarding motives, good vs. evil, blame and he-isms and she-isms. As usual, and one of the things that makes this such a great chat, all opinions are welcome - even if we end up agreeing to disagree. I think one thing we all agreed on is that none of us are worse off for never having met either of the main characters in this story! Two key things to mention: 1) There is a great transcript from 'How to Write a Short Story' Symposium from 1897 and well worth a read : http://gaslight.mtroyal.ab.ca/howshort.htm Robert Barr was one of 4 contributors to this symposium. 2) Why was Stormy 'Stormy-Away' for the entire chat ? And why didn't any of us notice and nag him about it ?! The rankings were: Interest or Entertainment Value: 4, 3.5, 4, 4.3, 4, 4, 4, 3.5, 4, 4.5, 4 = AVG 3.98 Artistic Value (Social/Emotional content) 3.5, 4, 3.8, 3.5, 3.5, 4, 3, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4 = AVG 3.5 Chat Discussion itself : 4.5, 4, 4.5, 4, 4, 4, 4.5, 4, 4, 5, 4.75 = AVG 4.3 The log is attached and you'll have to read it to see why the following was said: Thanks again to all for a great chat. Hope to see you next week ! g Rankings Key: Interest or Entertainment Value: 5--One of the most engrossing stories I have ever read 4--Very entertaining, I would recommend it to my friends 3--A good read, I might recommend it to people whom I know share my interests or tastes 2--I would not recommend this story to others 1--A really bad read, I am sorry I wasted my time with it Artistic Value (Social/Emotional content) 5--A work of art, pulitzer prize material. 4--A significant contribution to literature 3--Well written 2--Pretty Forgettable 1--Garbage Chat Discussion itself : 5--One of the most enjoyable times I have ever spent in chat. This is what chat is for ! 4--A really enjoyable chat, as good as warm chocolate chip cookies with milk. 3--A nice chat, time well spent. 2--Better than a sharp stick in the eye, but not by much 1--I may never chat again as a result of this experience.

Well, between the time change and the night change, we still managed to get the core together to discuss The Magic Shop by H.G. Wells ... that is, except for Smiley who recommended the story. We missed him (he had a road trip pass though). I don't know if we would call it a Magical Chat, but we did pretty well explore the 'ins and outs' of Gip and his Pop with regard to the Shop. Neat theories discussed about the 'Right Sort of Boy' to gain entry. Had some fun with the rumness of 1900's British phrases and vocabulary. The rankings were: Interest or Entertainment Value: 3,3.5, 3.5, 3.5, 4, 3, 4 = AVG 3.5 Artistic Value (Social/Emotional content) 3, 3, 3.5, 3.5, 3, 3, 3 = AVG 3.1 Chat Discussion itself : 3.8, 3.8, 5, 4.3, 5, 3, 3 = AVG 3.9 The log is attached and you'll have to read it to see why the following was said: Thanks again to all for coming. It was fun. See you next week ! g Rankings Key: Interest or Entertainment Value: 5--One of the most engrossing stories I have ever read 4--Very entertaining, I would recommend it to my friends 3--A good read, I might recommend it to people whom I know share my interests or tastes 2--I would not recommend this story to others 1--A really bad read, I am sorry I wasted my time with it Artistic Value (Social/Emotional content) 5--A work of art, pulitzer prize material. 4--A significant contribution to literature 3--Well written 2--Pretty Forgettable 1--Garbage Chat Discussion itself : 5--One of the most enjoyable times I have ever spent in chat. This is what chat is for ! 4--A really enjoyable chat, as good as warm chocolate chip cookies with milk. 3--A nice chat, time well spent. 2--Better than a sharp stick in the eye, but not by much 1--I may never chat again as a result of this experience.

Our chat last Saturday about "The Case of Lady Sannox" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. After being unavailable for 2 weeks I was really looking forward to the chat. It was wonderful to have the core group of Smiley, Stormy, Koach and Star to talk about the delightful writing and questionable characters in this tale. We had quite a discussion about acceptable motives, justice and the suspended belief necessary for some toward the end of the story. We were all a little disappointed that some of the newer chatters who had expressed interest in joining us were evidently unable to make it. Hoping for more next week ! The rankings were: Entertainment Value: 4.5,4,3.5,3.5,4 = Avg 3.9 Artistic Value: 5,4,3.5,3.75,4 = Avg 4 Chat: 4,4,5,3,4 = Avg 4 The log is attached. g Ranking scales are: Interest or Entertainment Value: 5--One of the most engrossing stories I have ever read 4--Very entertaining, I would recommend it to my friends 3--A good read, I might recommend it to people whom I know share my interests or tastes 2--I would not recommend this story to others 1--A really bad read, I am sorry I wasted my time with it Artistic Value (Social/Emotional content) 5--A work of art, pulitzer prize material. 4--A significant contribution to literature 3--Well written 2--Pretty Forgettable 1--Garbage Chat Discussion Itself 5--One of the most enjoyable times I have ever spent in chat. This is what chat is for ! 4--A really enjoyable chat, as good as warm chocolate chip cookies with milk. 3--A nice chat, time well spent. 2--Better than a sharp stick in the eye, but not by much 1--I may never chat again as a result of this experience.

Our chat last Saturday about "A Life in the Day of..." by F. Robinson was very fun and very 'Retro' in many ways. We talked about the main character, his 'Looks', his Toga, his 'way' with women, trends, and how fickle society and popularity are. There were a few surprise confessions. It was wonderful to see Logos 'live' in chat and we welcomed Billy_the_Quid to his first chat with us - and certainly hope he will be back ! The rankings were: Entertainment Value: 4.5, 3.7, 3.2, 3.6, 4, 2.5, 3 = AVG 3.5 Artistic Value: 3.7, 3.8, 4, 2, 3, 4,3.9 = AVG 3.48 Chat: 4.3, 4.5, 4, 4, 5, 5 = AVG 4.46 The log is attached. Read it to see why these comments were made: Hope to see you next Saturday ! grip We rank our stories on 3 methods. Entertainment Value: 5--One of the most engrossing stories I have ever read 4--Very entertaining, I would recommend it to my friends 3--A good read, I might recommend it to people whom I know share my interests or tastes 2--I would not recommend this story to others 1--A really bad read, I am sorry I wasted my time with it Artistic Value (Social/Emotional content) 5 -A work of art, pulitzer prize material. 4 - A significant contribution to literature 3 -Well written 2-Pretty Forgettable 1-Garbage Chat discussion itself: 5--One of the most enjoyable times I have ever spent in chat. This is what chat is for ! 4--A really enjoyable chat, as good as warm chocolate chip cookies with milk. 3--A nice chat, time well spent. 2--Better than a sharp stick in the eye, but not by much 1--I may never chat again as a result of this experience.

This was an interesting discussion. There almost seemed to be a gender division in the interest and attentiveness to relationships within the story between the men and women. This is my opinion only, but it seemed to me the men were not as comfortable exploring the detailed elements of relationships within the story of Granny's life as the women were. There seemed to be a clouding oppression of 'it was a depressing story' by the guys and more of a willingness to 'accept' the progression and words at face level by the women. Very odd to me that the women seemed a little more detached emotionally from the depression than the guys. (Wouldn't you normally expect the reverse?) Yet - the rankings indicate all enjoyed the literary/artistic value and the overall chat itself had a very high ranking. Thanks to you all for participating - I am glad we did this story. Here are the rankings: Interest Value (5,2,3,5,3,2) : 3.33 Artistic Value (5,3.5,3,5,3,4.5) : 4 Chat Discussion (5,4,5,4,5,4) : 4.5 grip weathermost Ranking Scales: Interest or Entertainment Value: 5--One of the most engrossing stories I have ever read 4--Very entertaining, I would recommend it to my friends 3--A good read, I might recommend it to people whom I know share my interests or tastes 2--I would not recommend this story to others 1--A really bad read, I am sorry I wasted my time with it Artistic Value (Social/Emotional content) 5--A work of art, pulitzer prize material. 4--A significant contribution to literature 3--Well written 2--Pretty Forgettable 1--Garbage The chat discussion itself: 5--One of the most enjoyable times I have ever spent in chat. This is what chat is for ! 4--A really enjoyable chat, as good as warm chocolate chip cookies with milk. 3--A nice chat, time well spent. 2--Better than a sharp stick in the eye, but not by much 1--I may never chat again as a result of this experience.

What a GREAT turnout we had for last night's discussion of 'Who Was to Blame?'. It was raining cats & chatters ! It was delightful to welcome back Fredia, Logos, Alex, Justin, Nan and B. along with the tried and true Koach, Stormy, Smiley, Spike & Star. Also we had some observers who we would love to see come back and chat (or continue to observe if they choose). We had some WIDE ranges of opinion about the story which, as usual, were expressed and received in a spirit of open mutual respect. Probing each other for our opinions and asking 'Why' is such an enjoyable experience in the spirit of truly unearthing all views possible of the written word. Thank you all for making my Saturday night so much fun - and I think yours too ! A challenge was also issued regarding rewriting this story in today's common dialect -- who is going to rise to it ? The Rankings for the Discussion were: Entertainment value : 4,4,4,2,4,4.5,1,3,4,5,2 = AVG 3.40 Artistic merit : 3.5, 3.6, 1, 3.6, 3.1, 3, 3, 4, 3, 3.5, 5 = AVG 3.3 The Chat : 5, 5, 4, 5, 5, 5, 4, 3, 5, 4, 3 = AVG 4.36 The log is posted - and you have to read it if you want to see why Koach said: lol lets delete everything Justin said or if you want to see why Justin said: he really enjoys picking on me. I assure you. or why smiley said: "I felt much like the cat in latin class" See you ALL next week I hope ! g Rankings Code Key: Interest or Entertainment Value: 5--One of the most engrossing stories I have ever read 4--Very entertaining, I would recommend it to my friends 3--A good read, I might recommend it to people whom I know share my interests or tastes 2--I would not recommend this story to others 1--A really bad read, I am sorry I wasted my time with it Artistic Value (Social/Emotional content) 5--A work of art, pulitzer prize material. 4--A significant contribution to literature 3--Well written 2--Pretty Forgettable 1--Garbage The chat discussion itself 5--One of the most enjoyable times I have ever spent in chat. This is what chat is for ! 4--A really enjoyable chat, as good as warm chocolate chip cookies with milk. 3--A nice chat, time well spent. 2--Better than a sharp stick in the eye, but not by much 1--I may never chat again as a result of this experience.

The discussion about 'Kew Gardens' by Virginia Woolf really evolved to a larger discussion about what constitutes a short story. While I acquiesed the lack of plot or character development I tried to communicate my position that I loved this story because it was like a respite from thinking and just an immersion of my senses in the scene created. The guys simply did not agree, but I give them huge cudo's for reading it. I was the only female point of view until thankfully Logos and Star arrived - I felt sure my position would be bolstered. Read the log to find out (although the ranking summary below may give you a clue). The Rankings for the Discussion were: entertainment value : 2, 3.5, 2, 2, 2.5, 1.5 = 2.58 AVG artistic merit : 2, 2, 4, 2.5, 3, 2.5 = 2.6 AVG the chat : 3, 3.3, 3, 3, 4.5, 3 = 3.3 AVG See you next week. g

Tonight we had a hearty discussion about 'And the Rigour of the Game' by Robert Barr. The chat went by very quickly as we explored 3 major 'buildups' in the story and the result of each of those buildups and whether we expected the result and liked it or not. We definately did not all view this story the same way and those differing opinions certainly enhanced my chat experience, as well as the other participants. One of the nicest things about these kinds of chats are to 'see' a view other than mine and make me think. We also had some interesting speculative moments... ie 'Would the mother have been treated differently after the father and son got home?" We were treated with a first time participant - Fredia - and enjoyed her comments very much. Fredia is a natural for this chat ! The Rankings for the Discussion were: entertainment value : 3, 3, 4, 2.5, 4, 5, 3 = AVG 3.5 artistic merit : 3, 3, 3, 3.2, 3.5, 4.5, 3 = AVG 3.31 the chat : 5, 4.5, 4, 2.8, 4.9, 4, 3 = AVG 4.0

I apologize for the delay in posting this log. What a wonderful Christmas Holiday I had, unfortunately did not get to do this before I went away. Anyway - WAY back on Dec. 15 we discussed 'The Toll House'. From conspiracy theories to 'do you believe in ghosts and haunted houses' we turned the actions of the 4 protagonists inside out. We examined the ending and as usual, came up with a few scenarios we might have liked to see the author explore. Between speculation and spirits, I think you'll see from the rankings it was a fun discussion as always. The Rankings for the Discussion were: entertainment value : 3.5, 3.5, 3.7, 3, 4 = AVG 3.54 artistic merit : 3.3, 3, 3.5, 3.5, 3.3 = AVG 3.32 the chat : 3, 4, 4.5, 3.5, 3.8 = AVG 3.76 Log is attached. Entertainment Value Scale: 5--One of the most engrossing stories I have ever read 4--Very entertaining, I would recommend it to my friends 3--A good read, I might recommend it to people whom I know share my interests or tastes 2--I would not recommend this story to others 1--A really bad read, I am sorry I wasted my time with it Artistic Value Ranking Scale: 5--A work of art, pulitzer prize material. 4--A significant contribution to literature 3--Well written 2--Pretty Forgettable 1--Garbage Chat Ranking Scale: 5--One of the most enjoyable times I have ever spent in chat. This is what chat is for ! 4--A really enjoyable chat, as good as warm chocolate chip cookies with milk. 3--A nice chat, time well spent. 2--Better than a sharp stick in the eye, but not by much 1--I may never chat again as a result of this experience. Back to top The_Tenth_Mrs__Tulkington.zip

A fun spirited and muti-viewed discussion was held about marriage and the variety that longevity may required. We had young, old, married, single, divorced ... and we also occasionally discussed the Story ! A fun read for sure by a fairly straightforward prolific author. The Rankings for the Discussion were: entertainment value : 4, 3, 4, 3.8, 3, 4.16 = AVG 3.66 artistic merit : 4, 3, 3.5, 3.6, 3.8, 4, 3 = AVG 3.49 the chat : 2, 5, 4, 4, 4.2, 4 = AVG 3.86 Log is attached. Entertainment Value Scale: 5--One of the most engrossing stories I have ever read 4--Very entertaining, I would recommend it to my friends 3--A good read, I might recommend it to people whom I know share my interests or tastes 2--I would not recommend this story to others 1--A really bad read, I am sorry I wasted my time with it Artistic Value Ranking Scale: 5--A work of art, pulitzer prize material. 4--A significant contribution to literature 3--Well written 2--Pretty Forgettable 1--Garbage Chat Ranking Scale: 5--One of the most enjoyable times I have ever spent in chat. This is what chat is for ! 4--A really enjoyable chat, as good as warm chocolate chip cookies with milk. 3--A nice chat, time well spent. 2--Better than a sharp stick in the eye, but not by much 1--I may never chat again as a result of this experience.

What a lively discussion we had. Different viewpoints really give the chat dimension. The story was a little different than some of our classics (ok a lot different) but as I had hoped, our own personal histories drove a lot of the discussion regarding protests and the time flew by (for me). I also particularly enjoyed the fact that we had some age differences which enhance the difference in perspective. Log is attached and Here are the rankings: Interest Value : 4.5, 3.5, 2, 2, 4, 2, 3 = 3 Artistic Value : 2, 3, 3, 3.5, 4, 3.5, 3 = 3.1 Chat Discussion : 4, 4.2, 4, 4, 3.5, 4, 5 = 4.1 See you next Saturday - and BRING SOMEONE NEW ! grip Ranking Scales: Interest or Entertainment Value: 5--One of the most engrossing stories I have ever read 4--Very entertaining, I would recommend it to my friends 3--A good read, I might recommend it to people whom I know share my interests or tastes 2--I would not recommend this story to others 1--A really bad read, I am sorry I wasted my time with it Artistic Value (Social/Emotional content) 5--A work of art, pulitzer prize material. 4--A significant contribution to literature 3--Well written 2--Pretty Forgettable 1--Garbage The chat discussion itself: 5--One of the most enjoyable times I have ever spent in chat. This is what chat is for ! 4--A really enjoyable chat, as good as warm chocolate chip cookies with milk. 3--A nice chat, time well spent. 2--Better than a sharp stick in the eye, but not by much 1--I may never chat again as a result of this experience.

We had several new Readers Chatters join us for this chat of The Last Lesson ... and I hope it was not their last chat ! There was quite an interesting historical discussion of the territory Alcase and its occupation - and what it must have been like for the residents. We had some hypothesizing about 'what happened' to characters beyond the story, and of course discussed the story itself. Here are the rankings: Interest Value : 3.2, 2, 3, 4, 4, 3.5, 2 = 3.1 Artistic Value : 3, 3.5, 3, 3, 2, 3, 3 = 2.9 Chat Discussion : 4, 4, 4, 3, 4, 2.5, 3 = 3.5 grip Ranking Scales: Interest or Entertainment Value: 5--One of the most engrossing stories I have ever read 4--Very entertaining, I would recommend it to my friends 3--A good read, I might recommend it to people whom I know share my interests or tastes 2--I would not recommend this story to others 1--A really bad read, I am sorry I wasted my time with it Artistic Value (Social/Emotional content) 5--A work of art, pulitzer prize material. 4--A significant contribution to literature 3--Well written 2--Pretty Forgettable 1--Garbage The chat discussion itself: 5--One of the most enjoyable times I have ever spent in chat. This is what chat is for ! 4--A really enjoyable chat, as good as warm chocolate chip cookies with milk. 3--A nice chat, time well spent. 2--Better than a sharp stick in the eye, but not by much 1--I may never chat again as a result of this experience.

Well Well Weelllll - I don't think the rankings would say that this story knocked one out of the park, but we didn't have a rainout either ! Sorry for the delay in posting the log and the rankings, but I've been busy eating peanuts and cracker-jax at the Old Ball Game ! Here are the rankings: Interest Value : 4, 4.3, 2, 4, 4, 4.6 = 3.81 Artistic Value : 3, 4, 3.3, 2, 4.5, 3.2 = 3.33 Chat Discussion : 2.5, 4.7, 4.5, 3.5, 4, 3.5 = 3.78 grip Ranking Scales: Interest or Entertainment Value: 5--One of the most engrossing stories I have ever read 4--Very entertaining, I would recommend it to my friends 3--A good read, I might recommend it to people whom I know share my interests or tastes 2--I would not recommend this story to others 1--A really bad read, I am sorry I wasted my time with it Artistic Value (Social/Emotional content) 5--A work of art, pulitzer prize material. 4--A significant contribution to literature 3--Well written 2--Pretty Forgettable 1--Garbage The chat discussion itself: 5--One of the most enjoyable times I have ever spent in chat. This is what chat is for ! 4--A really enjoyable chat, as good as warm chocolate chip cookies with milk. 3--A nice chat, time well spent. 2--Better than a sharp stick in the eye, but not by much 1--I may never chat again as a result of this experience.

Our discussion of Ernest Hemmingway's 'Hills Like White Elephants' was in some ways similar to the story itself and in some ways very different. The story itself is comprised of dialogue and we certainly had PLENTY of it - often with multiple strings occuring simultaneously. While the story presents a lot of room for interpretation and differing views - so did our chat !! The story has a fair amount of imputed silence -- our chat did NOT lol. In fact, even during breaks we couldn't stop talking about the story. There was a lot of research done by several prior to the story and that certainly facilitated discussion points as well as providing a richer experience with respect to independent analysis of interpretation and origin. One of the open points we started having fun with at the end was deciding who we might cast as the lead characters (The American and the girl - Jig) if this were to be a play. Continuing that in the forum would be interesting I think and would probably demonstrate how we indvidually 'see' these characters (age, culture, etc). So - please do so ! Here is how the rankings stacked up: Interest/Entertainment Value: 5,4,5,5,4.5,4.5,3,2.5,3.5 = 4.11 Artistic/Social Value: 4.5,5,4.5,5,4.5,3.8,4.5,3,2.5 = 4.14 Discussion: 5,3,4,3,4,5,4.5,4.5,4.5 = 4.16 Thanks to ALL of our participants - lurkers are welcome anytime as well to get an idea of our chats. We did have one new member last night, however it was a very difficult story and discussion for them to follow. I do hope you give us another chance - come back again. grip Ranking Scales: Interest or Entertainment Value: 5--One of the most engrossing stories I have ever read 4--Very entertaining, I would recommend it to my friends 3--A good read, I might recommend it to people whom I know share my interests or tastes 2--I would not recommend this story to others 1--A really bad read, I am sorry I wasted my time with it Artistic Value (Social/Emotional content) 5--A work of art, pulitzer prize material. 4--A significant contribution to literature 3--Well written 2--Pretty Forgettable 1--Garbage The chat discussion itself: 5--One of the most enjoyable times I have ever spent in chat. This is what chat is for ! 4--A really enjoyable chat, as good as warm chocolate chip cookies with milk. 3--A nice chat, time well spent. 2--Better than a sharp stick in the eye, but not by much 1--I may never chat again as a result of this experience.

What a Respectable & FUN Chat about "A Respectable Woman"! In fact, the rankings will show it may have the highest all around average of any we've had. Our discussion had a (mostly) methodical examination of the relationship of Mrs. B, Mr. G and Mr. B. It became evident that there were different thinking machines at work here (Mars vs. Venus) - as opinions about the end of the story became so strong we took a vote. That additional vote is displayed below. Stormy battled a laptop in a hotel room to stay with us during this chat - and we want to thank him again for choosing this great story. In fact, the women agreed - this is our first real Chick Story ! Fredia deserted us for a brief while to enjoy some birthday cake and was excused, because leaving the chat for food is completely understandable. We missed Logos and don't have an excuse yet. The rankings were: Entertainment Value: 5, 4, 4, 4.4, 5, 4 = AVG 4.4 Artistic Value: 4, 4.5, 4, 4, 4, 4 = AVG 4.08 Chat: 5, 5, 5, 4, 5, 4 = AVG 4.66 Here is the vote we decided to take after much discussion and debate: Do Mrs. B & Mr. G have an affair on the second visit (after the end of the story?) No - Result: Fredia, grip Yes - Result: Star Yes and its with Mr. B's consent/knowledge - Result: Stormy, Smiley, Koach The log is attached. Read it to see why these comments were made: <Stormy> lol Smiley you got icky on the brain <Star> note to self: on 1-26, koach finally got it ... <Smiley> well they had spent the party season in mild dissipation, what is mild dissipation as opposed to complete debauchery <Koach> lol i never agree with the women, what was it you said anyway? lol See you next Saturday ! grip We rank our stories on 3 methods. Entertainment Value: 5--One of the most engrossing stories I have ever read 4--Very entertaining, I would recommend it to my friends 3--A good read, I might recommend it to people whom I know share my interests or tastes 2--I would not recommend this story to others 1--A really bad read, I am sorry I wasted my time with it Artistic Value (Social/Emotional content) 5 -A work of art, pulitzer prize material. 4 - A significant contribution to literature 3 -Well written 2-Pretty Forgettable 1-Garbage Chat discussion itself: 5--One of the most enjoyable times I have ever spent in chat. This is what chat is for ! 4--A really enjoyable chat, as good as warm chocolate chip cookies with milk. 3--A nice chat, time well spent. 2--Better than a sharp stick in the eye, but not by much 1--I may never chat again as a result of this experience.

Well I shared our chat of Two Thanksgiving Gentlemen with FOUR Thanksgiving Gentlemen on Nov 24. Thanks to Koach, Stormy, Smiley and Spike for waking up from their post-turkey stupors long enough for this chat We all enjoyed this O'Henry tale which, after reading, really is a classic. The Rankings for the Discussion were: entertainment value : 4, 3.14, 3.4, 4, 3 = 3.5 artistic merit : 3, 3.5, 3, 3.7, 4 = 3.44 the chat : 5, 4, 4, 4, 4 = 4.2 Log is attached and thanks, I really enjoyed my time with you Turkeys ... uhm ... Gentlemen ! Entertainment Value Scale: 5--One of the most engrossing stories I have ever read 4--Very entertaining, I would recommend it to my friends 3--A good read, I might recommend it to people whom I know share my interests or tastes 2--I would not recommend this story to others 1--A really bad read, I am sorry I wasted my time with it Artistic Value Ranking Scale: 5--A work of art, pulitzer prize material. 4--A significant contribution to literature 3--Well written 2--Pretty Forgettable 1--Garbage Chat Ranking Scale: 5--One of the most enjoyable times I have ever spent in chat. This is what chat is for ! 4--A really enjoyable chat, as good as warm chocolate chip cookies with milk. 3--A nice chat, time well spent. 2--Better than a sharp stick in the eye, but not by much 1--I may never chat again as a result of this experience.

We discussed (or tried to) The White Old Maid by Nathaniel Hawthorne. To say that we were confused and spent a lot of time trying to clarify things would be an understatement. Concluding that Hawthorne intended to confuse us - we still managed to pull our own plot assumptions out of the tale and have some fun laughs along the way. We had a first visit from KennyCamaro, and explained that this was a tough story to cut his teeth on. Hope to see him back next week ! Missing was Logos - who had recommended this story. I know I was hoping she would arrive and make it all suddenly clear. The rankings were: Entertainment Value: 3, 4.5, 3, 3, 2.75 = Avg 3.25 Artistic Value: 3, 4, 4, 3, 3.5 = Avg 3.5 Chat: 4, 1.5, 4, 4, 5 = Avg 3.7 The log is attached. Read it to see why these comments were made: Hope to see you next Saturday ! grip We rank our stories on 3 methods. Entertainment Value: 5--One of the most engrossing stories I have ever read 4--Very entertaining, I would recommend it to my friends 3--A good read, I might recommend it to people whom I know share my interests or tastes 2--I would not recommend this story to others 1--A really bad read, I am sorry I wasted my time with it Artistic Value (Social/Emotional content) 5 -A work of art, pulitzer prize material. 4 - A significant contribution to literature 3 -Well written 2-Pretty Forgettable 1-Garbage Chat discussion itself: 5--One of the most enjoyable times I have ever spent in chat. This is what chat is for ! 4--A really enjoyable chat, as good as warm chocolate chip cookies with milk. 3--A nice chat, time well spent. 2--Better than a sharp stick in the eye, but not by much 1--I may never chat again as a result of this experience.

Sorry I've been remiss in posting this log. Our chat of The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb was framed by the fact there were only 5 of us there and we all agree we want to attract more readers and that football was on. In any event - rankings for the evening were: Interest or Entertainment Value: 2,3,4,4.3,3 = 16.3 == 3.26 Artistic Value (Social/Emotional content): 3,3,4.1,2,3 = 15.1 == 3.02 Chat/Discussion itself: 3,2,3,3,3.14 == 2.82