Dammit, this sucks. I am on Day 10 of transcribing audio tapes of this guy I interviewed a month ago in New Mexico. I'll be writing a story about the guy, so while I was interviewing him I took notes and had my tape recorder running. I recorded the interview because sometimes the people I talk with will venture into very technical territory and I don't want to screw anything up as I write the story.
Usually there is a woman in my office who does my transcribing, but after I gave her these tapes she came back a day later to return them, complaining that she couldn't understand the guy.
The guy is originally from Texas and has lived most of his life in the southwest. He is incredibly likeable, and humble, and technically brilliant. But for the past 30 years, he and his wife have resided in New Mexico, so he's got that Texas twangy way of speaking. To me, he sounds like Deputy Festus (see photo) from the TV show "Gunsmoke" (if you are old enough to remember).
Festus might talk to Marshall Matt Dillon this way: "I don' aim to be butt'n in, Matth-you, it's just I ain't feelin' worth a hoot!"
This is the way the guy on the tape sounds. So for the past 1o work days, I've been transcribing what it is he is saying. Believe me, it hasn't been easy, and it's been a lot of boring work.
But I am near the end of my journey. Soon the transcribing will be complete, and I will be so thankful for it. As a result of my arduous journey, I am surly and tired and ready to snap, and it's the reason why there haven't been many of my posts lately on this blog site. I've just been too damned busy trying to make sense of the stuff that emanates from the tapes.
I just wish the guy had enunciated his words, had used proper English, and had clipped his many rambling statements. After all, there have been many good and effective communicators from Texas. Why couldn't he have been more like George W. Bush?
