[F2F Book Discussions] February 2014: What We Talk About When We Talk About Love: Stories by Raymond Carver [Genre: Short Stories] | Moderator: Monique

[Gwaxa]

Monique: Uhhhh, no. Definitely not. I'm not that curious and strangers make me wary. Mga Jehova's Witnesses nga di ko pinapapasok ehh, no offense sa kanila, pero I don't know them, so no pwede. Hehe.

How about you? Would you? ;)

[Monique]

GWAXA: I won't either. I have security issues because of my kid, haha. :)

But that's what I'm trying to say: siguro kaya sya pinapasok nung isang guy is because the latter was too distraught and emotionally out of it, not to mention feeling all alone in the world, kaya nya pinapasok si Photographer. Wala sya sa sarili, in other words. Haha. :D

[Angus]

Buddy: Yes, I insist that. If it's not a total fall out, the love is no longer 100% at the moment of cheating. Emotions are like the passage of time. They are so fleeting.

[Gay]

(1) Finish the sentence: When I hear the word "love," I think about the warm feeling it gives, and the kilig vibes it sends to your whole system. :))

(2) What is your love language?
6 Words of Affirmation
10 Quality Time
0 Receiving Gifts
8 Acts of Service
6 Physical Touch

[Meliza]

Monique: I would probably let him in but not for the same reasons (to see how he would hold a cup) as the house guy. :)

[Ingrid]

Cousin: Do you still have hard copies of the book? :> :>

Why Don't You Dance?
(view spoiler)[ Some books I don't plan on reading/ rereading. Aaannd other stuff na pwedeng ibenta at mukhang bibilhin, haha. (hide spoiler)]

Viewfinder
(view spoiler)[Yes, but I can't quite figure out what. I guess he can't get a grip? PUNNY. HAHAHA (hide spoiler)]

Mr Coffee and Mr Fixit
(view spoiler)[ The narrator. And every other guy who is like him, or he thinks is like him. (hide spoiler)]

Gazebo
(view spoiler)[ Maybe there's something about how you're hiding something from someone that's going to make you feel guilty. #DyanNagsisimulaYan
Can't relate, and I hope I won't. Hehe. (hide spoiler)]

[Veronica]

WEEK 1 QUESTIONS

Why Don't You Dance?
(view spoiler)[
I’d like to dispose of all the old mass market paperbacks my siblings and I have accumulated all these years. Some of them are falling apart and their pages have turned brown with age. They’ve become unreadable, really. I tried selling them years ago but with little success. Right now they’ve been relegated to boxes that are gathering dust in the bodega. (hide spoiler)]

Viewfinder
(view spoiler)[
I think, at the start, the narrator was just curious to see how the photographer would hold a cup with his hooked hands. But as they talked, he learns they have a failed marriage in common and the narrator begins to see the bleakness of things to come – that he will probably end up like the photographer, living an insignificant, inconsequential life. (hide spoiler)]

Mr Coffee and Mr Fixit
(view spoiler)[
I think Mr. Coffee is the term the narrator uses to depict people in authority. Like the executives in an office who order people around. “Fix this or that” or “Get me coffee.” The narrator thinks himself as a Mr. Coffee and so, believes he is superior to Ross. (hide spoiler)]

Gazebo
(view spoiler)[
I agree erasing messages is a start. My rule of thumb is, don’t do anything you don’t want your partner to do to you.

Thankfully, no on both counts to your second question. :) At my age, I’ve known a lot of friends who have been cheated on and some who are themselves the cheaters. I think it has to do with the mid-life crisis thing. One thing I’ve learned is not to judge either the guilty party or the afflicted party. There are a whole lot of other factors and extraneous variables that can complicate a relationship. Most of them known only to the parties involved. Infidelity is just a symptom of a bigger problem. It takes two to make a marriage and sadly, the problem usually stems from lack of respect and communication. I mean, really taking the time to talk things over and listening to each other without turning it into a fight. (hide spoiler)]

[Angus]

Miss Ronnie: Do you have a list of titles for the mass markets?

[Veronica]

Angus, the list is inside the box. My dumb idea. :D

[Louize]

Monique wrote: "MOMMY LOUIZE: At what point do you think any couple should be better off without their relationship, if one has admitted to cheating the other? :)"

I've always considered admitting to a mistake the first step to reconciliation. That is too general, I know. But like Ms. Ronnie said cheating stemmed from something deeper, uncommunicated problems in the relationship. I guess, if those underlying problems gets unresolved, then that is when you consider the next step.

Since we are talking about cheating, what do you think of this study. FOR ADULTS ONLY

[Monique]

GAY: Hi Gay! Thank you for your answers. And yay, another one whose primary love language is Quality Time. :)

LITTLE COUSIN: Ha! You're getting PUNNIER every day ha. :)) And it's better that you don't ever know the feeling, either way. Medyo bad trip lang. XD

MS. RONNIE: My follow-up question for you, re: your answer in Mr Coffee and Mr Fixit is related to one of my questions for the F2F, so I'll defer asking it for now. Hehe. :D

Same goes for you, Buddy and Meliza. ;)

MOMMY LOUIZE: Natawa ako sa study! Adik yung nakaisip gumawa nung tests, hahaha! XD

[Krizia Anna]

Week 1

1. Probably some of my books! They're taking over the house! Of course, I can't let go of my favorites.

2. Maybe it means that you can replace the ones you've lost but it will not be the same?

3. Mr. Coffee is the narrator? This one got me confused

4. Been there. After learning about the "incident" nandun pa din yung love eh. Mahirap ibalik yung trust. Super sakit, tagal mawala but time heals all wounds even ones that are too deep.

[Monique]

KRIZIA ANNA: I think I agree with your answer on question #2. That makes complete sense. :) Thank you for answering! Will you be able to attend the F2F? :)

[Bennard]

Week 1 Answers

Why Don't You Dance?
(view spoiler)[
I guess I would want to sell some of my books that I know I won't read? But I'm still quite hesitant on that one.:D
(hide spoiler)]

Viewfinder
(view spoiler)[
I think the hooks signify a terrible past. I mean imagine what would have to happen in order to have both of your hands cut off.

This simple detail adds depth to the story especially since, at the story's end, it's the homeowner who is acting more unstable. Imagine what the homeowner was going through that it made him a bit more unstable than the calm and collected man with hook for hands.
(hide spoiler)]

Mr Coffee and Mr Fixit
(view spoiler)[
I think Mr.Coffee is the narrator. I can't really explain why but there are certain details to the story that leads me to this conclusion. Hahaha.
(hide spoiler)]

Gazebo
(view spoiler)[
I guess erasing messages can be a precursor to cheating but I don't believe that it's the textbook definition of cheating already.

I don't think I've seriously been cheated on and I believe I haven't cheated on Rhena but there are some who would say that I did because I spent some of my time in the past with someone else. You guys, friends, know what I'm talking about.
(hide spoiler)]

[Ycel]

Oh, Monique.
(view spoiler)[
The Bath came out in Short Cuts as a more complete story (A Small Good Thing)and I am crying again.
(hide spoiler)]

[Ycel]

LATE POST:

Finish the sentence: When I hear the word "love," I think about ________.
(view spoiler)[When I hear the word “love”, I think about not giving up when things are difficult. And how you can laugh on hindsight when difficulties are overcome. (hide spoiler)]

My Love Language
(view spoiler)[Acts of Service (9), Quality Time (8), Physical Touch (8). I don’t really look for Words of Affirmation (3) or Receiving Gifts (2) because I don’t need words or gifts to know that I am loved :) But I do give a lot of Words of Affirmation to my kids because that’s their primary love language. And I give lavish gifts to my favorite people :) (hide spoiler)]

WEEK 1 ANSWERS
(view spoiler)[
Why Don't You Dance?
In the first story, the unnamed narrator appeared to be having a yard sale. If you were to have one, which items/things would you choose to let go and why?

>>>Except for vital documents, books, memorabilla and photos, anything that hasn’t seen use for at least a year.

Viewfinder
The photographer in the story had two hooks in place of his hands. Do you think there's any real significance to this detail? If yes, what is it and if there's none, why do you say so?

>>>Both the narrator and the photographer are lonely men, but between the two, it is the narrator who seems to be the lonelier. The photographer “takes a bus out, and after he has worked the neighborhoods, he goes to another downtown.” He moves on. The narrator is stuck, and his loneliness is pinned down in the photographer’s viewfinder. His loneliness is cruelly captured in pictures---by a man who has hooks for arms.

Mr Coffee and Mr Fixit
The narrator is telling about his wife's lover, Ross aka Mr Fixit. Who is Mr Coffee?

>>>It can only be the narrator.

Gazebo
Duane's infidelity is threatening to break his marriage apart. I read somewhere that if you're erasing phone messages so that your partner won't see them, you're getting there. Do you agree?

>>>It depends. On the one hand: are you receiving inappropriate messages from someone other than your significant other and are you responding to these messages, and deleting them afterwards? Receiving unsolicited and inappropriate messages is already a red flag, so how you respond to this potential threat will determine whether you are committing infidelity or not. On the other hand, you and your SO do not have any business snooping on each other’s phone. However, if you inadvertently catch a lewd message from your SO’s phone (because of those well-placed notification banner), you don’t have to jump into a horrid conclusion, either. You just have to calmly confront him and tell him upfront that it’s not OK. If he is not guilty and affirms that you are the most important thing to him, he won’t mind you using his phone to send a reply to the culprit. Then you can unleash your fury and send the biatch a well-crafted reply worthy of an acting award. True story, by the way.

Have you ever cheated or been cheated on?
>>>No and no.
(hide spoiler)]

[Angus]

Hahahahaha, Ycel! Is it the Gawad Urian that you snatched? XD

[Ycel]

ANGUS: Eeeeek! Disclaimer! Di ako yun. Lol!

[Gwaxa]

Ycel, lol!

[AennA]

WEEK 1 QUESTIONS

Why Don't You Dance?
(view spoiler)[
In this yard sale, I think it's not just about selling used items and earning from it, but it's also about letting go of significant things and move on from there. On that note, I would choose my old cellphones, which contain old messages from used-to-be significant people in my life (though in reality I can no longer open those gadgets, but the messages are still stuck there, so let's assume those are still functional).
(hide spoiler)]

Viewfinder
(view spoiler)[
I think those hooks are significant to the story, and I forced myself to think of one. I can't exactly say, but I think it has something to do with being "trapped, stuck, or a slave of the past."
(hide spoiler)]

Mr Coffee and Mr Fixit
(view spoiler)[
Is it the narrator himself?
Or someone in executive position in the office.
(hide spoiler)]

Gazebo
(view spoiler)[
It's not an absolute gauge to say that erasing phone messages to prevent your partner to see it is you're capable of infidelity, however it does question your level of trust with your partner. And anything you don't trust your partner with can be really questionable.

I don't have any previous relationship to refer on in terms of cheating, but I experience the feeling of being cheated on. Does it count? Or how about to be an object of possible cheating? (hide spoiler)]

[Maria Ella]

(view spoiler)[Okay naiinggit rin akong sumagot ng mga discussion questions~ (hide spoiler)]

(view spoiler)[
Discussion Questions:
Why Don't You Dance?
In the first story, the unnamed narrator appeared to be having a yard sale. If you were to have one, which items/things would you choose to let go and why?

Old dresses - those who were outgrown, used in multiple gatherings, picnics, and those who already worn out by my sister too. It's for me to have another reason for shopping~ hehe. Kidding aside, old clothes are those I am willing to let go easily. That, and my old Accounting books - with all sorts of notations and computations.

Viewfinder
The photographer in the story had two hooks in place of his hands. Do you think there's any real significance to this detail? If yes, what is it and if there's none, why do you say so?

This is more of my personal note, ha? I imagined the man that he purposely amputated those hands because he may have done something to ruin his own marriage and to be separated with his children. I also concurred to what Ycel said, both are lonely men, but the photographer moved on. He has the resolve to get on with his life, doing something for a living - or maybe escaping his bitter truth that he's alone, by being a photographer, picturing homes (I guess this is Carver's subtle take of the man wanting to have a perfect idea of a home "intact")

Mr Coffee and Mr Fixit
The narrator is telling about his wife's lover, Ross aka Mr Fixit. Who is Mr Coffee?

Narrator. Nagmistulan siyang staple item in meetings, just like coffee. His conversation with his wife is meeting-like. Stiff. And he was like coffee. Brewed. Bitter. Steaming with all the angst in life.

Gazebo
Duane's infidelity is threatening to break his marriage apart. I read somewhere that if you're erasing phone messages so that your partner won't see them, you're getting there. Do you agree?

WALA AKONG ALAM. (view spoiler)[I may spill my anecdotes on the coming f2f (hide spoiler)]
(hide spoiler)]

[Krizia Anna]

Gah I wish. Haha my baby is 3mos. Old and is EBF. Yoko naman siya ilabas pa dahil sa measles outbreak. So I'll participate online muna. Hehe

[Monique]

BENNY: I remember, in Viewfinder, that the photographer mentioned that he lost his hands because of his children. I have a follow-up question for you on the subject but WAIT! Hold that thought. I will ask sa F2F, haha!

And, I totally don't know a thing about your last answer. :P

YCEL: I must admit that The Bath is a very heartbreaking story - one of the most heartbreaking ones, in fact. (And because we can totally relate, being parents and all.) And oooh, true stories are interesting! :D

And okay, I completely missed out on the Gawad Urian thing. LOL.

ANNA: Yep, it counts. Do spill. :D

ELLA: I take it Viewfinder is your favorite from the collection? :) AHA! I-spill na yang stories na yan sa F2F! :))

KRIZIA ANNA: No sweat. There are other F2Fs! :)

[Alexa]

WEEK 1 QUESTIONS

Sorry for the soupy (sabaw) answers!

Why Don't You Dance?
(view spoiler)[My old high school textbooks! And my shirts, as I have a ton of them and I'm not really clingy when it comes to those things. Books too, I guess, but it would take me such a long time to decide since they're the most special out of everything I own! (hide spoiler)]

Viewfinder
(view spoiler)[Maybe it's to be ironic? How is a man with hooks for hands supposed to be meticulous with the play between light and dark, and capture the perfect moment? Why doesn't he have hands in the first place :o (hide spoiler)]

Mr Coffee and Mr Fixit
(view spoiler)[I automatically thought of the narrator. There's no one else! Unless this is supposed to be the woman, ooh. (hide spoiler)]

Gazebo
(view spoiler)[I'm guilty of having people copy from me huhu sorry. Pero yeah, I think if you're trying to hide something, you're already acting guilty and there must be something wrong with what you're doing for you to do that. If it's just a misunderstanding, your conscience should be clear and you shouldn't have problems coming clean with it. (hide spoiler)]

[Maria Ella]

Ang sabaw ng sagot ni alexa sa viewfinder. Though some are also have had the impression of "what the!?" And huhu i dunno. Ako lang nakaramdam ng feels rito. Haha. Iba talaga pag personal fave ang isang story.

[Monique]

ALEXA: I have very special follow-up questions for you sa F2F, hahaha! You, too, ELLA! I will reserve all my Viewfinder questions for you. :P

---------------------------------------

How is everyone coming along with their reading? I've been seeing people react in various ways as they go through the stories: may napapakamot ng ulo (hi, Tin! :D), may nae-erte-han kay Carver (hi, Lynai! :D), at sigurado ko na may napapa-EYNG?? pa, hindi lang nagsasalita. Hahaha. General reactions, violent or otherwise? Pwedeng mag-share. :D

Will post the next set of questions tomorrow for this week's reading. :)

[Bennard]

Monique: I'll share that story on the F2F then.:)

I like WWTAWWTAL so far. The stories end abruptly and some details are left out but I know it's for a reason. I am left to ruminate about the situations of the characters, and ask questions about why they are in that particular point in life.

[Krizia Anna]

Some stories are pretty good. Some stories parang bakit? Haha i just don't get the point of some stories. Some parang bitin!

[Alexa]

I like the stories! First, because they're quite short, so even if I leave it for days at a time to cram effectively (HAHA) I don't feel so lost when I come back. The style of the stories had me intrigued too. I didn't get a lot of them, but that's okay! I like that napapaisip ako (I know I said before that I'm trying to avoid books that make me think too much but this is fun so why not diba) :) and I like the writing style. I feel like there's always something new to learn and/or discover with each story :)

[Alexa]

Very special follow up questions? Pressure :))

[Gwaxa]

I liked the stories especially the latter ones. The first couple of stories (view spoiler)[especially Viewfinder (hide spoiler)] were too much for me. In short, di ko na-gets. Haha.
My most favorite was What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, followed by The Bath (view spoiler)[which was just heartbreaking (hide spoiler)].
As for the author's "dirty realism" style of writing, it took some getting used to but in the end, it made me think and feel and just appreciate.

[Meliza]

Chatting with some of my TFG friends in Facebook, reading this book was one of our topics. Hehe. At first, I was perplexed. It was night when I read the first story, then I thought I was just sleepy so I decided to reread it the next morning. Then after rereading, oh, that was really the ending? What happened? Eventually, I liked the stories. I got used to the style of writing. I finished reading it last January 31, when it should have been a February read.

[Monique]

From your reactions, I'm glad that this book won the offline poll. To be honest, my personal choice was really Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter of Maladies (view spoiler)[well, still is (hide spoiler)] but seeing how much interest and varied reactions this book has been generating, I'm now happy that we're discussing it soon. :)

And I can see that most of you are finished already! Hehe. Such an easy read, yes? But let's follow through with the reading plan, for the sake of OC-ness. :D

WEEK 2 QUESTIONS

I Could See The Smallest Things
Nancy, the narrator, was in bed when she heard the sound of the gate. She couldn't sleep after that and she just had to get up, go out, and fasten the gate. Have you ever had a similar experience, when you were bothered by something and you just couldn't sleep without you doing something about it? Please share.

Sacks
Les, the narrator, introduced himself as a book salesman. Would you take the job of a book salesman/salesperson? Why or why not?

The Bath
Scotty's mother ordered a cake for his 8th birthday party and asked for the spaceship design. Describe your favorite cake design from your childhood, if you have any. If not, what cake design would you have wanted and why?

Tell The Women We're Going
Jerry and Bill have been best friends since they were young, and every summer they would look for jobs to spend the time. Tell us about your most memorable/unforgettable summer.

---------------------------------

What We Talk About When We Talk About Love is Carver's most famous collection of short stories, but for everyone's information, there is an original and unedited manuscript called Beginners. Sharing this link with you for your reading pleasure, if you're interested.

BEGINNERS by Raymond Carver

[Maria Ella]

Before ako umuwi ng bahay... (view spoiler)[I read the first story in the Guide questions for week2, so heee. (hide spoiler)]

Some sabatera duties: An interesting article about Carver and his Editor Lish - http://zouchmagazine.com/editorial-li...

I read a blog somewhere that whatever Carver lacks in making his manuscripts bleak and dark, Lish fill them in. I remember Viewfinder, when Carver wrote and ending that is very much different from what was published, (view spoiler)[I'm totally sorry I forgot the link/site huhu (hide spoiler)] Carver ended it with a bit "softer" (view spoiler)[making the owner of the house slowly move on with life, unloading the stones from the roof (hide spoiler)]... however when Lish added some flavor to it, it became a little angst-y, fully filling the flavor of dark realism (view spoiler)[remember when the photographer said, "I don't do motion shots." (hide spoiler)]

Some sharing lang. Maybe this will help the readers in appreciating the novel. (view spoiler)[at talaga namang Viewfinder pa ang aking example heheh (hide spoiler)]

ito na:
(view spoiler)[I cannot remember any recent memory na may naiwanan akong gawin, like the story itself. I always commit to memory that whatever issue that is pending resolution, i make plans to fix it, maybe not in totality, but at least i have had a headstart. (view spoiler)[but if this is break-up stories, wala rin. hahaha. i mean, all i can say is, (view spoiler)[WALA AKONG ALAM LOL, I may share in f2f (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[Lynai]

I put off answering the questions because right now all I feel about Mr. Carver is that, yes, ang erte-erte lang nya. :D

I'm not in the right mood these days to be inquisitive and introspective, that's why I guess when I read the first 4 stories, I was smirking. As in, puhlease, Carver, not this time. (view spoiler)[I'm busy with work and school and I'm still nursing a heartbreak over A Storm of Swords, and the last time I want is magpaka-deep. (hide spoiler)] HAHA> I ranted about it when Meliza asked me what I thought about the book. :P

I guess, it was not love at first sight between me and Carver. But I'm beginning to learn to love the stories. Because, (view spoiler)[ Gazebo and The Bath (hide spoiler)].

Will post my answers to the questions later in the day/week. For now, work. :D (view spoiler)[My personal choice was Interpreter of Maladies, too. But Raymond Carver is a different experience altogether, albeit unexpected. (hide spoiler)]

[Angus]

Buddy: Same with me. My personal choice for July 2012 did not win, but it generated a wonderful discussion. September 2013 was a 50-50 for me (I had two personal choices). Anyway...

WEEK 2 ANSWERS

(view spoiler)[I Could See The Smallest Things

(view spoiler)[Of course! I am OC so these things happen all the time. Like when I need to check the bath every time my house mates get out. I just want to make sure that the toilet is not leaking or something, even if I'm already lying on the bed. I would make a pretense of getting up to drink water and then surreptitiously check the bath. This is a regular thing for me. As to something that wouldn't let me sleep, it's whenever I leave a list (any list) unfinished. I would have no choice. I need to get up to finish it. Puffy eyes the following day. (hide spoiler)]

Sacks

(view spoiler)[No because I don't have the certain charm that sales people possess. I know they're books, but selling books is different from buying or reading them. (hide spoiler)]

The Bath

(view spoiler)[Most cakes during my childhood and in our town were rectangular, with that kind of frosting that's sugar sweet and has a rough texture (and has those edible flowers on toothpicks). I didn't really have a dream cake because I didn't see fancy cakes when I was a kid. I only had one idea of a cake. (hide spoiler)]

Tell The Women We're Going

(view spoiler)[Cue music: (view spoiler)[Summer is over. (hide spoiler)] My favorite summer is my college graduation summer. The circle of friends with whom I spent that summer became the friends that I prefer (LOL!) to keep in touch with until now. I mean, I had other friends, but these are the people that I felt were going to be lifelong. We went to Bagac, Bataan and Baguio City before the graduation ceremonies. We didn't have money (no jobs, no more allowances for most of us) but we managed to do it. (hide spoiler)]

(hide spoiler)]

[Meliza]

WEEK 2 QUESTIONS

I Could See The Smallest Things
(view spoiler)[Sometimes I would already be lying in my bed to sleep when suddenly something would pop in my mind that I know I knew but can't remember at that moment, like a name of a character in a book, or a title of a song, or an important date... I won't be able to sleep until I remembered that something so sometimes I would get out of bed, turn on my laptop and google it. (hide spoiler)]

Sacks
(view spoiler)[I guess I won't take a job in sales, even Sales Engineer jobs. I believe I lack the skills. (hide spoiler)]

The Bath
(view spoiler)[I would want a cake design of piano/organ keys with G-clefs, sharps, eighth notes, quarter rests... stuff like that. Why? Uhmm, I'm kinda musically inclined, especially with the organ, even though I'm not good. (hide spoiler)]

Tell The Women We're Going
(view spoiler)[I can't think of one specific unforgettable summer. But I love my childhood summers because I could play outside with my cousins almost everyday. And we always have summer outings with my cousins on my mother's side. (hide spoiler)]

[Gwaxa]

WEEK 2

(view spoiler)[
I Could See The Smallest Things
(view spoiler)[
- Reading. I can't sleep without reading at least a few pages every night. Even if I'm so tired that even my eyeballs hurt, I still have to read or I just couldn't sleep.
Sometimes, it's also the food cravings. I would have these weird cravings (like for noodles or chips or just a simple Coke mismo) and since my body clock is inverted, you can imagine my parents' reaction whenever they hear the front door opening and closing at 3 in the morning. Hahahaha. (hide spoiler)]

Sacks
(view spoiler)[
- No. I'm not really good at convincing people to buy or do things. My patience is too short for me to be a any kind of salesman. (hide spoiler)]

The Bath
(view spoiler)[
- I didn't have cakes because I didn't have birthday parties. But if I would have one, I'd like it to be designed by the Cake Boss people. Anything they'd make for me would be perfect. I'm not good with designs so I'd leave it to the experts.
(hide spoiler)]

Tell The Women We're Going
(view spoiler)[
- My most memorable summer would be last year. I drowned (view spoiler)[this was during my white water rafting experience in CDO (hide spoiler)] and thought I'd die (view spoiler)[eh tapang-tapangan kase ako, kala mo marunong lumangoy. Buti na lang may poging foreigner na nag-rescue, hahaha. (hide spoiler)] so definitely memorable. :) (hide spoiler)]
(hide spoiler)]

[Meliza]

Gwaxa: (view spoiler)[Buti na lang someone rescued you. T_T (hide spoiler)]

[Gwaxa]

Meliza: (view spoiler)[IKR. Pogi pa. Lol. (hide spoiler)]

[Louize]

WEEK 2 Answers

(view spoiler)[
I Could See The Smallest Things
(view spoiler)[
I have my episodes of insomnia. Usually induced by an upcoming speaking engagement. I would play everything in my head how it should be done during the event. If I'm not satisfied, I'd play it all over again. When it happens, there's no fighting it.
(hide spoiler)]

Sacks
(view spoiler)[
No. I don't think I have the patience convincing people to buy.
(hide spoiler)]

The Bath
(view spoiler)[
I am not a cake person. I like fruit cake though. Most often I'll choose pie, with berries and crumbles on them.
(hide spoiler)]

Tell The Women We're Going
(view spoiler)[
Every summer with hubby and daughter is memorable, there are tons of photos to prove that.LOL My family loves going to the beach and some exotic place, wherein we have to ride small boats or walk kilometers just to get there. But it was always worth it.
(hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[Lynai]

WEEK 1

Why Don't You Dance?
In the first story, the unnamed narrator appeared to be having a yard sale. If you were to have one, which items/things would you choose to let go and why?

(view spoiler)[ Old clothes that won't fit me anymore. Books that I don't want to read/collect anymore. Accessories. Footwear. I may not even sell them; I'll just give them all away. (hide spoiler)]

Viewfinder
The photographer in the story had two hooks in place of his hands. Do you think there's any real significance to this detail? If yes, what is it and if there's none, why do you say so?

(view spoiler)[TBH? I haven't thought so much about this story or the other stories as well. I am content with reading the answers of the others. Hee. I'm not in the mood to be pa-deep these days. Sorry, Monique. :D (hide spoiler)]

Mr Coffee and Mr Fixit
The narrator is telling about his wife's lover, Ross aka Mr Fixit. Who is Mr Coffee?

(view spoiler)[Same answer with that in Viewfinder. Hihi. (hide spoiler)]

Gazebo
Duane's infidelity is threatening to break his marriage apart. I read somewhere that if you're erasing phone messages so that your partner won't see them, you're getting there. Do you agree? Have you ever cheated or been cheated on?

(view spoiler)[It depends on the phone messages. If they're merely random messages, then no. But if they're the kind that might arouse suspicion, then yes, you're definitely getting there. :D

Cheated on my partner?husband? No. And no. (hide spoiler)]

[Lynai]

WEEK 2

I Could See The Smallest Things
Nancy, the narrator, was in bed when she heard the sound of the gate. She couldn't sleep after that and she just had to get up, go out, and fasten the gate. Have you ever had a similar experience, when you were bothered by something and you just couldn't sleep without you doing something about it? Please share.

(view spoiler)[There wereseveral times when I finished reading a book in the wee hours of the morning and I just have to get up and write about it because I have to have to vent my feelings. (i.e. The Fault In Our Stars, The Knife of Never Letting Go, Never Let Me Go.) (hide spoiler)]

Sacks
Les, the narrator, introduced himself as a book salesman. Would you take the job of a book salesman/salesperson? Why or why not?

(view spoiler)[No. I don't possess the required patience in making sales and in doing sales talk. (hide spoiler)]

The Bath
Scotty's mother ordered a cake for his 8th birthday party and asked for the spaceship design. Describe your favorite cake design from your childhood, if you have any. If not, what cake design would you have wanted and why?

(view spoiler)[First off, this is my most favorite story in the book, so far.

I didn't have any birthday parties when I was a child because my family is not the "party" kind. But if I'm given a choice, I want to have a She-Ra birthday cake. Yes, I was a big She-Ra fan. :D (hide spoiler)]

Tell The Women We're Going
Jerry and Bill have been best friends since they were young, and every summer they would look for jobs to spend the time. Tell us about your most memorable/unforgettable summer.

(view spoiler)[First off, what kind of an ending was that?

My most memorable summer would be May 2012 because that was the summer that I got married. (hide spoiler)] Heh. (view spoiler)[Pagbigyan nyo na, we are talking about love naman eh. :P (hide spoiler)]

[Tricia]

WEEK 2 QUESTIONS

I Could See The Smallest Things
Nancy, the narrator, was in bed when she heard the sound of the gate. She couldn't sleep after that and she just had to get up, go out, and fasten the gate. Have you ever had a similar experience, when you were bothered by something and you just couldn't sleep without you doing something about it? Please share.

(view spoiler)[I have a confused body clock so there are a lot of times that I can't sleep and I keep on turning and turning on my bed. I have to get up, go to the kitchen, drink water. Sometimes, I look at my bookshelves. I rearrange them as quietly as I can. I am not that OC like Nancy but there are times I double-check the windows, doors when I have this bad feeling I can't explain. (hide spoiler)]

Sacks
Les, the narrator, introduced himself as a book salesman. Would you take the job of a book salesman/salesperson? Why or why not?

(view spoiler)[No, I suck at selling things to people. Even if they're books! (view spoiler)[Ayoko pa naman ng namimilit or something. Kung ayaw, e di wag haha! (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

The Bath
Scotty's mother ordered a cake for his 8th birthday party and asked for the spaceship design. Describe your favorite cake design from your childhood, if you have any. If not, what cake design would you have wanted and why?

Monique: I've read this story in Carver's Short Cuts. Bakit parang putol yung story? Or is the epub copy missing a part? In the book, the couple went back to the baker. It was heartbreaking.

(view spoiler)[Ohhh, as long as it is chocolate, I am fine (hide spoiler)]


Tell The Women We're Going
Jerry and Bill have been best friends since they were young, and every summer they would look for jobs to spend the time. Tell us about your most memorable/unforgettable summer.

(view spoiler)[Maybe during the time when my cousin and aunt from the US went home to the Philippines and we went to Tali Beach, Batangas. I am very close to my cousins and they're like my siblings. This was the time that we are complete! We had fun. Good times (hide spoiler)]

[Tin]

Week 2 Questions
(view spoiler)[

I Could See The Smallest Things
Yes I have had a similar experience. Not just a single one, even. Did I lock the door? Wait, I must have left the computer running? Did I unplug the toaster? Stuff like that. What’s annoying is if I get a thought like that, and I couldn't do anything about it because it’s not something I can get to, immediately, which means it’s not anything around the house. Like if it’s in the office, or my friend’s place, or my sister’s...and even if I know that thinking about it won’t do any good, that I’d just have to wait for the morning to come, I will still be bothered and most likely not sleep well. Haha.

Sacks
Nah. I don’t think I would take such a job because I don’t think I have the personality and the skills for it.

The Bath
Back in the days we did not have those character cakes. We just had the plain ones with icing and a simple happy birthday lettering and those hard sugar flowers (which I loved) and some Styrofoam fixtures on it. So they were pretty generic, nothing stood out in my memory. Hmm...It would have been cool if I had a Looney Tunes Cake. (Wabbit Season! Duck Season!) I would have loved that as a kid. I watched a massive amount of cartoons back then.

Tell The Women We're Going
Any summer when I was kid because a friend of mine almost always comes over my place and we’d play all day. Think up stories for our Barbie dolls’ fabulous lives, bahay-bahayan, doctor-doctoran, play Family Computer games. We made a pretty good 2 player team in Bubble Bobble, Contra Wars, Ice Climber...haha. Whenever I see that particular friend now, we almost always talk about these play date summers. (hide spoiler)]

[Monique]

ELLA: Go back and answer all the questions! Incomplete ang sagot mo! Haha. Thanks for the research. Yep, Gordon Lish, Carver's editor, pretty much interfered with most of the stories. That's why there are unedited, original manuscripts just like Beginners. :)

BUDDY: Haha, may preference sa friends to hang out with? But I can understand that. There are just friends who feel closer to more than the others. :) And yes, I totally get the OC part as well. (And it doesn't help that we pay much too much for utilities these days, ugh.)

MELIZA: Uuuuy, you can play the organ? You and Alexa can jam pala! ;)

GWAXA: The Cake Boss! Those guys are amazing, right? They made an astronaut cake once and I was so awed. Hehe. And whut, you didn't have a life vest on while whitewater rafting? Anong nangyare sa yo? Teka, feeling ko nakita mo lang na may cute foreigner kaya kunyari nagpalunod ka no?? Chooooos.

MOMMY LOUIZE: I used to be that way when I was still in litigation - I couldn't sleep the night before a hearing, practicing my case, and then I'd be bangag the next day for the hearing. Lels. :))

LYNAI: Hahaha! OK lang yun, hahaha. But I hope you were still able to appreciate those stories. :) I remember She-Ra from my childhood as well but I wasn't a huge fan. I liked Bioman, Shaider and Mask Rider Black more. :D

TRICIA: I think the version of The Bath in this book was wildly edited as well, just like What We Talk About When We Talk About Love the short story. So no, the epub isn't cut or missing a portion. It ends right there. And I think there's a perfectly good reason for the cut and why it was cut on that specific part. (view spoiler)[Something I will discuss sa F2F. ;) (hide spoiler)]

TIN: Your answer in Tell The Women We're Going might as well be my own answers. My childhood summers were memorable as well and omigod, we played exactly the same games on the Family Computer! Haha. All-time favorites are still the Contra (I still remember how I can get 30 lives! (view spoiler)[Up up down down left right left right... (hide spoiler)]), Ice Climber and good old Pacman. :D

---------------------------------

A lot of you are electing The Bath as your favorite story so far. Interesting. :D

[Maria]

WEEK 2 QUESTIONS

I Could See The Smallest Things
Nancy, the narrator, was in bed when she heard the sound of the gate. She couldn't sleep after that and she just had to get up, go out, and fasten the gate. Have you ever had a similar experience, when you were bothered by something and you just couldn't sleep without you doing something about it? Please share.
(view spoiler)[As OC as I am, this happens to me always. Like: Did I unplug the appliances before leaving home? I go back and check. Did I leave the car on hand brake in the parking lot? I go back and check. Did I lock the gate before going to sleep? I go back and check. In all these circumstances, they are all good, I can’t NOT let go of the feeling that I did not do them, so I always go back and check. (hide spoiler)]

Sacks
Les, the narrator, introduced himself as a book salesman. Would you take the job of a book salesman/salesperson? Why or why not?
(view spoiler)[Gosh, no. I will just get into a fight, if the customer insults my recommended books to buy, or I will scoff if the customer do buy a book that is so tasteless. Hahaha (hide spoiler)]

The Bath
Scotty's mother ordered a cake for his 8th birthday party and asked for the spaceship design. Describe your favorite cake design from your childhood, if you have any. If not, what cake design would you have wanted and why?
(view spoiler)[Well technically, it’s not from childhood, but from(view spoiler)[ my bridal shower! My girlfriends bought me a (view spoiler)[penis-inspired cake, and yes, it was brown, and yes, it looks like the real thing, and yes, it can be a substitute for the real thing (chos)! (hide spoiler)]. So much fun, now that I recall that. :D (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

Tell The Women We're Going
Jerry and Bill have been best friends since they were young, and every summer they would look for jobs to spend the time. Tell us about your most memorable/unforgettable summer.
(view spoiler)[I love summer time. So I usually go out more often that I should be, and they are all awesome, since family and friends ang kasama ko. But I remember the most, our Puerto Galera trip with college friends. 4D/3N, Finals are over, and (view spoiler)[I just snagged a boyfriend, 1 month fresh! (hide spoiler)] It is a great time, because we were carefree, and happy, and drunk every lunch and at night. Haha. How I miss those worry-free moments. Problema lang namin, pulutan. (hide spoiler)]

[Krizia Anna]

Week 2

1. That happens to me all the time. For example, i forgot to type up a report, i'll probably forgo sleeping and make at least a page of the report even if I'm already wearing pajamas.

2. Probably not. I'm not good at persuading people! Haha

3. Wala naman akong dream cake but when my son was baptized naenvision ko na yung cake niya at yun talaga papagawa ko eh si hubby gusto estrel's lang. Siya ang nanalo. Bawi na lang sa 1st birthday.

4. Never had a summer job. When I was younger summer classes lang sa speech ppwer, swimming, mga ganun.

[Gwaxa]

MONIQUE: I remember the Easter cake and the car cake. Ang galing talaga. :D
I had a life vest on. Kaso yung rapid super tindi nung paghila. Pero actually, nung nakasakay na kame sa raft ulet, narealize kong tapos na yung rapid nung ni-rescue ako nung foreigner, so mejo useless na yung pagsigaw ko ng, "HELP!". Para-paraan na lang. HAHAHAHA.

MARIA: Your cake! LOL.

[Mae]

WEEK 2

(view spoiler)[
I Could See The Smallest Things
(view spoiler)[This usually happens to me when I have to perform the next day. I can't sleep because my mind won't stop running lines and lyrics the entire night, making sure I don't forget anything. I call it preemptive stage fright. On the other hand, I suffer from horrible insomnia naman talaga so I'm pretty used to it. (hide spoiler)]

Sacks
(view spoiler)[I could probably do it but I don't want to. Nakaka-stress ang sales. :)) (hide spoiler)]

The Bath
(view spoiler)[I didn't have any particular favorite from my childhood because I never really cared much about the cake and just went with whatever my mom got for me. It would have been cool to have one of those 3D sculpture cakes, though. This Alice in Wonderland cake would have been perfect for me:

(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)]

Or this Wizard of Oz cake:
(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)]
(hide spoiler)]

Tell The Women We're Going
(view spoiler)[Summer of '02. Met some of my most cherished, lifelong friends that summer and we did nothing but sing and dance and frolic all day long, all summer long. It was also my last official summer break because I had already started working by the time the next summer rolled around. (hide spoiler)]
(hide spoiler)]