Good Feedback

I had a lovely little email from my Fantastic Literature professor this morning, regarding the segment of my story that I had sent him earlier. I was a little worried that he'd respond with something like, "Alaina, I'm a bit concerned that you learned nothing in this class. Your story won't work unless you completely rewrite it. Sorry". Happily, this wasn't the case. Here's what he wrote, translated back into English of course:

Good evening, Alaina,

I'll rapidly give you my opinion about your story:

- It's a very good idea to start the story with a direct entry by the intermediary of a session with a psychiatrist. The idea that this begins your tale is equally an element that gives some credibility and also some dramatic intensity.
- You then present an element that merits a response: the ecstasy pills. Then a strange event intervenes that perterbs the readers: this very personal dream of which Marc does not want to speak. Then the reader questions himself. Finally, the story tells us, later, that the ecstacy was in reality no more than aspirin. It is very good since the formulated hypothesis by the reader since the beginning doesn't work any longer. And all of a sudden, other questions present themselves ... many questions ... about the personality of Max, about his friend Marc, about Max's father, etc.
- The dream, that you will explain or not, complexifies and complicates the story. And this as well is a welcome element that the reader doesn't understand, for most of the story, what has happened, or what could have happened, and ... that what is to come. From this point of view, the structure of your story succeeds perfectly.

You don't need to add any additional events or elements. Your story is sufficiently rich.

In conclusion, go ahead, you have in your hands the means to write an excellent fantastical story.

See you tomorrow, (prof).

I could turn it in today, but I'd rather wait until next week so I have some time to revise some of the poor grammar.


Uck, uck, it's been raining like crazy for two days now. I was stuck immobile on the tram today for fifteen minutes since the rails aren't used to this kind of floodage.



My umbrella that I bought for a euro was holding up pretty well, but gradually got worse and worse throughout the day until it looked like this midday yesterday.



I've seen bag people with better umbrellas with this. I decided to brave the rain rather than carry this lame, cheap piece of crap umbrella. Into the garbage can!


Mmm! I cut up exactly enough zucchini slices to create a flower arrangement in the pan.






Mmm x2! I got these on a whim at ED and am happy to report that they are delicious. I had them with a veritable cornucopia of condiments, from ketchup to salad dressing to mustard to horseradish.


Nude models.










I saw that the UM1 Law School's door was open yesterday so I took a peek inside. Look! They have cloisters! Why is their campus so much better than ours? The best thing at Paul-Valery is the automatic coffee machines.


Hello! This kitty (one of the first alley kitties I found) I had taken for dead until I saw her last evening. She was pleased to see me, I think.








... until Other Alley Kitty showed up! These two were not friends. However, nothing really happened. They didn't even growl. OAK just kept on his way.