The Archive

cheats never prosper

I'm too lazy/bored/tired/busy fantasising about nubile Lithuanians and disrobed Germans to do a proper post today.

So instead, I'm going to pass on to you a passage from a book kindly loaned to me by Mads (A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon. Available in all good book stores now. Also WH Smith). It goes thus...

"...By midnight he had drunk himself into a stupor and was wondering why he had not done so earlier. He felt very relaxed and kept forgetting who he was. Which was good.

He went to the bathroom, relieved himself, staggered back to the bedroom and collapsed on to the eiderdown. His brain felt emptier than it had done at any other time in the past few months. The thought occurred to him that he could become an alcoholic. And at this precise moment it seemed a not unreasonable solution to his problems."

Can't think why, but I found this highly resonant.

Meanwhile, in other news. I went to Hamleys this evening, which is, I believe, either the fifth or sixth circle of hell, I forget which.

They have employed a range of South Africans, Italians and layabouts to wander around the store 'having fun'. With the kids. It's awful.

On the plus side, I now know how much of that stuffing from the 'make your own bear' section it takes to fill a backpacker. Quite a lot, it turns out.

But they look lovely with the little button eyes.

posted by Peter The Great @ 7:49 PM