<html><head></head><body><div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif;font-size:13px"><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509206579886_56174">I pledge to stick with it as far as following along, reading all of the posts, and finishing the novel. As already pointed out, most interpretations and allusions have already been covered on Wiki and the various guides. The members here are knowledgeable, and many have participated in previous reads. Anything I might have to contribute has already been covered. That is the reason I’m mostly a lurker.</div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509206579886_56174"> </div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509206579886_56175" dir="ltr">I was following and enjoying the last GR read. It was disappointing that it didn’t continue to the end. I can’t complain since I didn’t really participate. I made two lighthearted posts. I compared the Disgusting English Candy Drill to the Monty Python Crunchy Frog sketch. I’m sure that’s not an original observation on my part. One person let me know she appreciated that. I also shared that I incorporated the lyric “my darlin’ Lola, with a shape like a bottle of Coca-Cola†into a famous Kinks song. I am aware that those types of comments don’t really contribute anything meaningful. There seemed to be a lull in the discussions at the time. That’s why I went ahead and posted. I’ll try not to dilute the content of the read with many of those “entertaining myself†posts.</div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509206579886_56175"><br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509206579886_56138"></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509206579886_56176">I don’t know if any others have the same reservations about contributing and if that has any bearing on why the reads don’t last.</div><div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509206579886_56177"><br id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509206579886_56178"></div> <div class="qtdSeparateBR"><br><br></div><div class="yahoo_quoted" style="display: block;"> <div style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> <div style="font-family: HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> <div dir="ltr"><font size="2" face="Arial"> On Saturday, October 28, 2017 4:40 PM, Mark Kohut <mark.kohut@gmail.com> wrote:<br></font></div> <br><br> <div class="y_msg_container"><div id="yiv2520568130"><div><div dir="ltr">First tidbit of secret knowledge will drop when/if I get a critical majority mass of pledges. Before the Read even starts. (I'm not THAT mean). <div>Prime the pumps. Get you all wanting more and working for it. Pointsman-like combined with I.G Farben. </div></div><div class="yiv2520568130yqt1419557011" id="yiv2520568130yqt26916"><div class="yiv2520568130gmail_extra"><br clear="none"><div class="yiv2520568130gmail_quote">On Sat, Oct 28, 2017 at 4:22 PM, Gene DA <span dir="ltr"><<a rel="nofollow" shape="rect" ymailto="mailto:genevievej.da@gmail.com" target="_blank" href="mailto:genevievej.da@gmail.com">genevievej.da@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br clear="none"><blockquote class="yiv2520568130gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;"><div dir="ltr"><div class="yiv2520568130gmail_default" style="font-family:times new roman, serif;">That certainly piques my interest! And a little incentive does wonders. Since I've committed myself in writing already, I have no problem with making a pledge of some kind. </div><div class="yiv2520568130gmail_default" style="font-family:times new roman, serif;"><br clear="none"></div><div class="yiv2520568130gmail_default" style="font-family:times new roman, serif;">And I suppose as long as some element (2 or more?) of the group that starts does go to the end continuing to post, that counts, and the secret knowledge gets dropped?</div><div class="yiv2520568130gmail_default" style="font-family:times new roman, serif;"><br clear="none"></div><div class="yiv2520568130gmail_default" style="font-family:times new roman, serif;">Currently waiting to receive my copy in the mail. </div></div><div class="yiv2520568130gmail_extra"><br clear="none"><div class="yiv2520568130gmail_quote">On Sat, Oct 28, 2017 at 12:35 PM, Laura Kelber <span dir="ltr"><<a rel="nofollow" shape="rect" ymailto="mailto:laurakelber@gmail.com" target="_blank" href="mailto:laurakelber@gmail.com">laurakelber@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br clear="none"><blockquote class="yiv2520568130gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;"><div>I did my best to keep the last abortive M&D group read going - to no avail. But I'll do my best to jump in here and there, provided it starts in December. No time in November!<span class="yiv2520568130m_-2634715629345044868HOEnZb"><font color="#888888"></font></span><div><br clear="none"></div><div>Laura</div></div><div class="yiv2520568130m_-2634715629345044868HOEnZb"><div class="yiv2520568130m_-2634715629345044868h5"><div class="yiv2520568130gmail_extra"><br clear="none"><div class="yiv2520568130gmail_quote">On Oct 28, 2017 1:05 PM, "Mark Kohut" <<a rel="nofollow" shape="rect" ymailto="mailto:mark.kohut@gmail.com" target="_blank" href="mailto:mark.kohut@gmail.com">mark.kohut@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br clear="none"><blockquote class="yiv2520568130gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;"><div dir="ltr">You know how the Nudgers are always saying things like "if people pledge to do something, like vote" <div>many more will over those who do not pledge? </div><div><br clear="none"></div><div>Well, here's the deal. If I get ALL who have voted for the M & D Group Read to 'pledge' to keep on keeping on</div><div>with it, despite life's intrusions, stopping out of reading or posting but knowing you will--have to-- come back--</div><div>responding to some posts you don't make; confessing to laziness but promising self-overcoming and trying again,</div><div>and so on; a few to keep moving that chain to the end, THEN</div><div><br clear="none"></div><div>I will share something I know that is UNIQUE about the fact of the novel; something in no books or articles (yet); something the Golden Agers (and Silver Agers)</div><div>have already read in a post from me but might like to lodge in unforgettable memory again---and might like to comment on in some</div><div>meta M & D way. Something which might take a fair amount of lucky looking in the archives to find.</div><div><br clear="none"></div><div>If yu'all pledge, I will share it again. </div><div><br clear="none"></div><div>And, I will have something else IF we do complete the Read. </div></div>
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