In hospital I read two and a half out of four books of a "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" compilation. I was reading it right up to the point where I had to put on my dressing gown, grab a pillow and walk down to the operating theatre. Made me feel very Arthur Dent.
I did consider taking Ulysees, which is my favourite book ever - but I figured I would need something a bit less demanding and the decision was a good one. Haven't read these incredible books since I was half my current age and they have aged a lot better than I have. Except for the stuff about digital watches.
Coming round from the anaesthetic, I came up with the theory that "Hitchhiker's Guide" and "Ulysses" are fundamentally the same book:-
Arthur Dent = Leopold Bloom
Ford Prefect = Stephen Daedalus
Zaphod = Blazes Boyland
Trillian = Molly Bloom
The Universe = Dublin
Milliways = the brothel where Stephen and Leopold meet.
Plus, both books start with a shave.
Recovering at home, I'm working through the complete box-sets of "The Wire" that Mrs Stan gave me for Christmas.
Must - resist - temptation .... must - not - rave - incoherently - about - its brilliance.
You do lose yourself in the world of street-level Baltimore and it must be difficult to follow without a dictionary. I hope the following is useful:-
"The hopper's carrying a burner" - the frog has a barbecue
"re-up" - concerning up
"G packs" - what you keep g-strings in
"The civilian's carrying weight" - big fat non-soldier
"The Game" - cricket, I think
"He's not a fiend, he's slinging" - a morally good, but incompetent darts player
"The sh*& is tight" - I'm constipated
"McNulty" - A device for turning alcohol into outrage
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