Another Diarrhea Night

♠
After only about an hour of sleep, at around twelve-thirty, Monk woke up pounding his mattress, suffering the painful torment of feeling as though razor blades were trying to pass through his intestines. Monk was in for another diarrheal nightmare struggling atop the porcelain maw. The chili! I am thinking that it is because of the serving size.

I recall Monk being surprised at himself for finishing the whole thing, but it was good and he was feeling cocky, not having had any kind of trouble in some time. I am also reminded of the wisdom of keeping chili as a lunch time dish, since it would seem more risky for this kind of trouble, and hence minimizing the risk to his night time sleep.

At least Monk then enjoyed a straight sleep until five-thirty, and thank god Bo did not need to go out on his rounds, which could have finished Monk off. As it is, Monk is feeling fairly restored, not that we are entirely out of the sewers yet. Monk had a minor diarrheal bout this morning, and there may be more minor epilogue to fill.

xXx

Another Diarrhea Night

♠
After only about an hour of sleep, at around twelve-thirty, Monk woke up pounding his mattress, suffering the painful torment of feeling as though razor blades were trying to pass through his intestines. Monk was in for another diarrheal nightmare struggling atop the porcelain maw. The chili! I am thinking that it is because of the serving size.

I recall Monk being surprised at himself for finishing the whole thing, but it was good and he was feeling cocky, not having had any kind of trouble in some time. I am also reminded of the wisdom of keeping chili as a lunch time dish, since it would seem more risky for this kind of trouble, and hence minimizing the risk to his night time sleep.

At least Monk then enjoyed a straight sleep until five-thirty, and thank god Bo did not need to go out on his rounds, which could have finished Monk off. As it is, Monk is feeling fairly restored, not that we are entirely out of the sewers yet. Monk had a minor diarrheal bout this morning, and there may be more minor epilogue to fill.

xXx

Deathbed Confessions

♠
As Machiavelli said (some attribute this to Voltaire), after thrice refusing the entreaties of a priest to repent his sins and renounce Satan, “At a time like this, Father, one tries not to make new enemies.”

-- Charles Krauthammer for The Washington Post

Heh, I cannot recall coming across this precious gem before.

Mr. Krauthammer is writing about the assassination of Litvinenko and the compelling power of Truth on the deathbed, as the poisoned spy accused Putin, which is all the easier to believe since terrible things have been happening to those who labor against the Putin government.

This is also the first time that I heard of this possible reason for Litvinenko's slaying:

Litvinenko claimed that the Russian government itself blew up apartment buildings in Moscow and elsewhere in 1999, killing hundreds of innocent civilians, in order to blame it on the Chechens and provoke the second Chechen war. Pretty damning stuff.

Of course, these are all only so many accusations, and it is unlikely we shall ever know the truth of these dark things, though we can surmise...

xXx

Deathbed Confessions

♠
As Machiavelli said (some attribute this to Voltaire), after thrice refusing the entreaties of a priest to repent his sins and renounce Satan, “At a time like this, Father, one tries not to make new enemies.”

-- Charles Krauthammer for The Washington Post

Heh, I cannot recall coming across this precious gem before.

Mr. Krauthammer is writing about the assassination of Litvinenko and the compelling power of Truth on the deathbed, as the poisoned spy accused Putin, which is all the easier to believe since terrible things have been happening to those who labor against the Putin government.

This is also the first time that I heard of this possible reason for Litvinenko's slaying:

Litvinenko claimed that the Russian government itself blew up apartment buildings in Moscow and elsewhere in 1999, killing hundreds of innocent civilians, in order to blame it on the Chechens and provoke the second Chechen war. Pretty damning stuff.

Of course, these are all only so many accusations, and it is unlikely we shall ever know the truth of these dark things, though we can surmise...

xXx

Women and Humor

♠
“Humor, if we are to be serious about it, arises from the ineluctable fact that we are all born into a losing struggle.”

-- Christopher Hitchens for Vanity Fair

That seemingly serious, philosophical bit comes from a wildly droll article about why women are not as funny as men, a theme which is saved from Political Correctness hell by being conjoined with the idea that women are also the boss. Humor is the coin into which we buy our way into their hearts, unless you are rich and you can buy your way less creatively.

xXx

Women and Humor

♠
“Humor, if we are to be serious about it, arises from the ineluctable fact that we are all born into a losing struggle.”

-- Christopher Hitchens for Vanity Fair

That seemingly serious, philosophical bit comes from a wildly droll article about why women are not as funny as men, a theme which is saved from Political Correctness hell by being conjoined with the idea that women are also the boss. Humor is the coin into which we buy our way into their hearts, unless you are rich and you can buy your way less creatively.

xXx

Hamburger Buns

♠
I really need to forget about counting on that hamburger lunch on Grocery Day, now that the Commissary no longer carries the hamburger buns and Monk must wait until the later HEB rounds to get them. That is too late a lunch.

xXx

Hamburger Buns

♠
I really need to forget about counting on that hamburger lunch on Grocery Day, now that the Commissary no longer carries the hamburger buns and Monk must wait until the later HEB rounds to get them. That is too late a lunch.

xXx

Lawrence Block on a Cold, Rainy Day

♠
Some of the Sharp edge came back to the air overnight, and the sun never made it out today, while the heater runs continuously in its stead. Now a gentle autumn rain falls.

Very peaceful and relaxing. A good day for a fun novel. About a third of the way into "The Girl with the Long Green Heart," I feel more confident of the idea that Lawrence Block is masterful with a plot, but his writing is a little more utilitarian, as was the case with "The Grifter's Game." As far as this one goes, I am still on the fence whether it will make a hit-and-run rereadable, whether, in the end, it will have that extra romanticky edge or not, but it is a pleasant and satisfying read.

xXx

Lawrence Block on a Cold, Rainy Day

♠
Some of the Sharp edge came back to the air overnight, and the sun never made it out today, while the heater runs continuously in its stead. Now a gentle autumn rain falls.

Very peaceful and relaxing. A good day for a fun novel. About a third of the way into "The Girl with the Long Green Heart," I feel more confident of the idea that Lawrence Block is masterful with a plot, but his writing is a little more utilitarian, as was the case with "The Grifter's Game." As far as this one goes, I am still on the fence whether it will make a hit-and-run rereadable, whether, in the end, it will have that extra romanticky edge or not, but it is a pleasant and satisfying read.

xXx

The Girl with the Long Green Heart

♠
She had a special beauty nude. Most women look better clothed. Bodies are imperfect. Clothes hide, and also promise, and the promise is too often better than the fulfillment of it. Not so with Evvie.

-- "The Girl with the Long Green Heart" by Lawrence Block

Purrr...

This is only looking more and more promising, approaching the half-way mark. We have the femme fatale, and all the makings of criminal love gone wrong. Of dandelion dreams being blown and scattered in the wind.

xXx

The Girl with the Long Green Heart

♠
She had a special beauty nude. Most women look better clothed. Bodies are imperfect. Clothes hide, and also promise, and the promise is too often better than the fulfillment of it. Not so with Evvie.

-- "The Girl with the Long Green Heart" by Lawrence Block

Purrr...

This is only looking more and more promising, approaching the half-way mark. We have the femme fatale, and all the makings of criminal love gone wrong. Of dandelion dreams being blown and scattered in the wind.

xXx

Steak Night

♠
Steak night. Monk ate the whole thing. Worse, Pop had bought another dozen of those icy delicious cinnamon rolls, and Monk had a couple of those. I hope that we are not in for some more midnight toilet adventures, though Monk might finally learn his lesson if he does have to suffer that.

xXx

Steak Night

♠
Steak night. Monk ate the whole thing. Worse, Pop had bought another dozen of those icy delicious cinnamon rolls, and Monk had a couple of those. I hope that we are not in for some more midnight toilet adventures, though Monk might finally learn his lesson if he does have to suffer that.

xXx

Hard-Boiled Smoking

♠
When I am writing, I sometimes wish that I kept my smoking habit. I imagine it might help with the affectation to maintain the hard-boiled voice of my noir protagonists. Like living that stereotype a little more closely might help. Something about drawing that sweetly foul taste in my mouth and expelling the grey clouds of smoke around me. Exercising that fatal habit would bring out the droll callousness.

But it does foul up the teeth and tastebuds. And stinks up the place. There is also no smoking in the house anymore. Even mother would complain about having to go outside in the cold to get her nic fix. No smoking. It's a good policy. Even if it's not very hard-boiled and dangerous.

I will just have to rely on the influence of my noir reading to put me in the mood.

xXx

Hard-Boiled Smoking

♠
When I am writing, I sometimes wish that I kept my smoking habit. I imagine it might help with the affectation to maintain the hard-boiled voice of my noir protagonists. Like living that stereotype a little more closely might help. Something about drawing that sweetly foul taste in my mouth and expelling the grey clouds of smoke around me. Exercising that fatal habit would bring out the droll callousness.

But it does foul up the teeth and tastebuds. And stinks up the place. There is also no smoking in the house anymore. Even mother would complain about having to go outside in the cold to get her nic fix. No smoking. It's a good policy. Even if it's not very hard-boiled and dangerous.

I will just have to rely on the influence of my noir reading to put me in the mood.

xXx