Our Man In Havana

There on a book shelf had stood for years a slim volume of a book once read, then left waiting for it's turn of attention. Only for it to pass, then pass again. The pages yellow, it acquires a smell, the smell an old book gets, the smell given off from volumes of literature in an established library.  Musky like, dusty like and learned, waiting to be read.  So it was, I picked up this novel by Graham Greene, which has the category of "entertainment" and this week have been reading.

The funny thing about books is it is easy to read a book just once and then never pick it up again. To say to people oh yes I read that book, and describe parts of it or the storyline.  The truth though is one reading is never enough when the book you read is real literature and not the throw away kind, like a TV soap which will never fulfil the mind.  But after such a great gap I didn't realise how much I had forgotten of the story line, to the point I can hardly recognise any of the story at all. It is like picking the book up from new and starting all over again. Graham Greene however could never be described as an entertainer which belittles his great skill as a writer.  The book is entertaining however more than this it is funny.

A man in Havana eaks out a living and his business in vacuum cleaners seems to be hitting a declining trend.  His teenage daughter doesn't understand the value of money and starts to push him into financial ruin, however at this time an offer comes out of the blue.  To work as a secret agent for the British government and report on events which take place.  Except Havana is a boring location to live, it may be nice and hot, but nothing much happens in the way of Wormould's life.  He does what he does and gets by.  After an incident with a friend's apartment being ransacked he decides to feed a bucket load of lies to the secret service and claim all the expenses he needs.  The story line is wonderful and the writing is superb.  There are times of laughter, I can put it down easy and then pick it up and read it just as easily as well. 

Go out, buy it, read it and see for yourself.

Tuesday, it's an underrated day

It struck me this evening after, having two pints and feeling pissed.  The Guinness went down so easily, that a Tuesday is probably one of the most underrated days of the week. It is in fact a great day to get pissed if you are so inclined.  There would be no cuing up at the bar, the evening take-away shops are empty because everybody who wants to get pissed usually does a Friday or Saturday.  Tuesday is in many respects, a psychological non-entity. Unless you happen to have a birthday on a Tuesday. Which of course has a one in seven chance of happening. It's a day when you can go walking around the shops and not expect to be crushed by the crowds, it's a day when the majority of people are at work, children are at school and everyone is geared up to run from one place to another. All because the next day is a Wednesday. Yet another working day, however a Wednesday once completed, in the afternoon means everything else is downhill and an easy ride.  Whereas on a Tuesday you are still walking up hill against the floods.  Tuesday therefore has got to be the best day of the week to do special things. To get out and about, purchase those clothes, buy shoes, have a nice quite drink in a nice loud pub, because what would of been a busy pub is relatively serene. Tuesday is without doubt a totally underrated day of the week. So in this frame of mind I realise if I want to get out and about then Tuesday is the best time in which to do it. The problem is working and working on a Wednesday.

Well, I didn't say Tuesday was completely without it's problems, but certainly free of most of them.

Insomnia again

Well last night I was struck by insomnia again. Went to bed at 1:30 a.m. and still fully awake at 2:30 a.m. I could of gone to the kitchen made a cup of tea, made a cake, carved a spoon returned back to bed and it would of been like my eyes were glued open.  My head was in thinking mode and there was nothing to stop it. It kept on going and going.  It was a matter of persevering, so I just lay on the bed sometimes without my ear plugs in. At some point I got to sleep, but then didn't check the clock to see what time it was. It was morning time.  In consideration of poor sleep I got up early, 7:30 a.m. and was awake. Fully awake, now at 1:30 p.m. I find it difficult to keep my eyes open.  If I follow the temptation and rest my head for a short while the whole insomnia thing could return later tonight.  Again.  So it's catch 22, keep myself awake and not let the devilish insomnia take a grip.

So be it, for now.  Zzzzzzzzzz