Or so they sayeth. Anyhoo...about that Fifty Grand giveaway competition I promised in the last post. First some background: In 2007 I went for a vacation to Cuba, primarily to visit Ernest Hemingway's house (right), a trip I have talked about in some length here. However I soon found that Havana was a very amenable place to get some writing done and without having a subject in mind or really with any clear idea where the book was going I ended up writing the first five chapters of Fifty Grand in long hand at the piano bar of the Ambos Mundos hotel. The reason I picked the bar of the Ambos Mundos was because legend had that it that that's where Hemingway wrote For Whom the Bell Tolls and I was kind of hoping that some of the magic would rub off. It didn't. Not really. 50 G is nothing like a book Hemingway would have written, however the geography did get me started and those 5 chapters are largely unchanged in the final book...
Anyway as I was writing I was making notes in my journal and along the margins I noted what drinks I had ordered and how
much they cost. That gave me the idea for this book give away. The competition my friends is this: How many drinks did I have in the composition of the first five chapters of 50G? The four people closest to the correct answer (and there is one distinct double figure answer that has been checked by my good lady wife) will be airmailed one of these incredibly rare signed ARCs of Fifty Grand....
Coupla clues: 1) the Ambos Mundos is an expensive place and I had to make the drinks last a while. 2) I drank four different things: coffee, beer, mojitos and cuba libres - I 'm after the total of all the drinks I had in the writing of those five chapters...Is all that clear? Hope so. The closing date for this competition will be Monday 9th March 8pm Melbourne time, which is 9am in the UK and 4 am on the Eastern Seaboard of North America. Good luck and don't forget your email address or click the email follow on if you have a google ID.
...
The final word: what do I get out of this? Well I'd appreciate it if the winners of the book would review me on Amazon or Goodreads or Amazon UK or your own blog. Doesn't have to be a good review, just a review would really help. Thanks a million.
149 comments:
That's a tough one A, especially since you don't reveal the length of the vacation. . . so I'll just throw a wild guess out there. Let's say you spent two weeks in Cuba and had eight drinks per day. But maybe you took weekends off and only had four drinks on saturday and sundays. . . but then again, you could have taken saturday and sunday off and had 15 drinks on those days. . . ah hell I'm going to guess a total of 92 drinks. And by the way, if I don't win, I'm still going to buy the book and post a review and tell all my pals, unless it sucks! ha ha.
Sixty-six, cuz that's the year I was born.
I'm going to say 50 for obvious reasons.
This is like a high school math question. Too many variables though. I'm gonna go with 37 for no reason whatsoever.
My guess is 50 grand...yup, that's it...50,000 drinks in completing the first 5 of Fifty Grand. That's actually where the title comes from. Little known fact about Adrian McKinty folks.
Just kidding.
I'll say 42 because an obsessive nerd like you would have stopped at Life,the Universe and Everything.
Depends on how fast you write, and which of the four you drank the most, but seeing as the chapters were largely unchanged, I'll keep it low: 22.
Hmm Five chapters - My guess is 74 drinks
This is a trick question. Adrian is a teetotaler.
==============
Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
I'm guessing 50,000 drinks, because I'm thinking 'longhand' and because, well, one drink leads to another. Have the rest of you actually been reading this blog, with your lowballing? Come on. Adrian is a drinking legend on three continents.
I'm not actually trying to win here, because I've got a galley and though it would be nice to have a signed copy, the more reviews that go out, the better. Also, geez--it looks like I might win by default.
Oops, it looks like Liam beat me to the punch. Liam is a close reader. Unlike me.
Okay, I'm going to say 51,000.
I doubt lightning will strike twice for me and I'm fairly certain I've used up all my good karma points for the month(went all the way to England with everything working out perfectly until the actual game I went to see in which my team lost. i guess I didn't have enough saved and overdrafted so much i had to bum change for the bus from away supporters)
Anyways my guess? Let's go with 33. I'm fairly certain that was the same number i guessed for the last competition.
Its worth pointing out that because of a legal complication which I may (but probably wont) blog about later, these galleys will be a little longer than the actual book, so they're gonna be even rarer!
I am going with 31.
Legal complication? Interesting...
I'll say it's a trick question and the answer is zero. But I'm really saying that because, like Seana, I already have a copy and I want somebody else to win and do a review.
Brian
I've had to rewrite some of the book to make sure that it doesnt fall foul of British libel law. I better not say anymore about that.
Its worth pointing out that because of a legal complication which I may (but probably wont) blog about later, these galleys will be a little longer than the actual book, so they're gonna be even rarer!
I've had to rewrite some of the book to make sure that it doesnt fall foul of British libel law. I better not say anymore about that.
Is this also true for my galley?
What a devilish, nefarious plan- I would have been sued for the translation while you would have denied any responsability -thankfully you let it slip too soon.
Marco
If it ever gets that far I'll tell you about the cuts for the British edition, though you can probably guess what they are.
Given the pace of the bloody thing, I'd say most of those drinks were coffees. I'm saying 73. Going out on a limb, I'm guessing that 70 of them were coffees, and that someone else bought you the mojito, beer and cuba libre.
If I win, I'll run my prize as another comp on Crime Always Pays. And let you win, so you can run it as a comp here. Etc, etc.
Dec
I like your thinking. To generate publicity we should also instigate a rap war between Belfast and Dublin like the East-West coast rivalry of the 90's.
Now that my hair has grown to monstrous proportions I can be Notorious WIG.
Wonderful idea.
Adrian, if I win could I run a new competition through your blog -a last chance copy?
On second thought the first of the excluded in this competition would probably curse me for eternity-just scratch my name if I win.
Let's see. Five chapters. An Irish writer. Deduct several to counterbalance "Irish writer" stereotype. Minimize alcohol consumption further as handwriting must remian legible. Add time to account for how easily Adrian's prose reads, per the formula "easy reading is hard writing." Coffee refills are probably cheap, maybe even free. Carry the three.
34.
This is where my 157,000 ranked book on statistics in Amazon comes in to help me, surely?
It's a simple matter of probability theory:
If McKinty likes a drink or three then probability of drinking while writing since he is both Irish - a tippler - and has been influenced by US coffee drinking culture = 0.55.
If he writes mainly in the morning or evening (which blogging evidence seems to support) then probability = 0.70
Cost of beverages, given the pay for writers who also teach, reduces this probability to 0.15
If we do a few more simple calculations like: X=25*Bi/3!(13*12)+ 12|0.09
Then:
X equals 183 drinks
This was easy. I await my galley.
Alan
15
Bugger. Obvious error. I forgot to minus the constant of 84. That makes 99 drinks.
Alan
Hang on, I now realise after Dana's post that a key assumption in my model - the Irish drinker stereotype - is a mistake. This changes things enormously.
Straw in the wind suggests: 52 drinks.
My final attempt.
Alan
Ah, but this particular Irish drinker claims to have had at least a pint of beer in 36 different pubs in a single day...
Alan
I'll go with 52 then. Also you want to provide a link to the book? Your impressive statistical skill will only drum up readers. Especially if there are sexy "normal distrubtion" graphs in there.
marco
Are you crazy? Half a pint over two days and some of those were mere sips in my intense anxiety to get out of there. Thats a nice idea for a post someday, a recounting of that adventure or even an attempt to replicate it in Saint Kilda if my 40 year old liver would stand it.
There's a nice pic of the Ambos piano barhere
You know what would make good filler for those missing pages, though. Zombies. I know it's sort of already been done, but it's a growth niche in the publishing industry right now.
The great thing about the walking dead is that they are not really in much of a position to sue anyone, even in England.
Twenty-three!
I'm going to buy this when comes out anyway, but I'll throw my toupee in and say 51 and 3/4 drinks, because you were probably too hammered to finish that last of those mujitos
Adrian -
Very interesting indeed.
And I like Seana's idea. Zombies might just be the last class of "people" you can make fun of and not get into trouble. But even that safe harbor probably won't last much longer. This reminds me of that bit at the end of Shaun of the Dead, where Chris Martin is on a talk show to support the captured zombies.
48
Seana
I imagine you know the scene I'm talking about, so its going to have be to stoned zombies which will corner two markets at once: the stoner flick and the zombie flick.
Dana
If only there were a prize for anti stereotyping...
Alan
Ah but you're still counting in base 10.
LeatherDyke
You win the coolest profile award thats for sure.
It's too late. You can't make fun of them anymore.
==============
Zombies Beyond Borders
"Because Gibbering Corpses Are People Too"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Over TWO days?
Barned
Even if it sucks you can still review it. I've a pretty thick skin. I even tolerate the misinformed eejits who've complained about DIWMB on audible saying it "had too much swearing and violence" - what did you expect from a noir?
Christina
Who was your team? I hope you werent rooting against Liverpool. It could have been you than tipped them over the edge.
Mike
Thanks for the link, man, I appreciate it. 66 eh? I may be mistaken but wasnt that a good year for English football or something? I may have vaguely heard something about that growing up.
Peter
11 am - 2 am so yes technically. Also the sip only count was pretty high near the end.
I must blog about my disastrous attempt to drink in every college bar in Oxford at some point. 35 colleges I think. It didnt end well.
Brian
I did see that bit in Shaun of the Dead, and in the DVD extra dont they show a clip of the zombies playing in Coldplay?
Incidentaly I suppose you saw that Mayor Bloomberg has named a street in New York after U2. I guess that's one tax dodger helping out another.
Sorry about the misapprehension on my part. I'd heard that it was a half-pint guzzled all the way to the bottom at each of 32 licensed establishments. But maybe I'd heard that from Clive James.
==============
Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Keith
I did try one daiquiri in floridita which I didnt finish so that could count as 3/4/ although it wasnt during the writing of the book so I'll have to round you up. Floridita BTW is an enormous tourist trap full of cruise ship passengers.
Peter
Doubtless when my buddy George tells the story we finished every half, but I have a different recollection. I especially recall the 1 nervy sip I took in The Railway Tavern which back then was filled with Stormfront types carrying pool sticks
Did you catch that Alan Moore IV in the Observer yesterday BTW? I lnked to it in the previous post.
Will guess 25. Studying Cheltenham form these days and was just saying at lunchtime that a mate of mine always has 25-1 winners or bigger by making blind picks so will go with 25. And no doubt will be a mile off.
Conor
I went to the C Gold Cup once. Lost thirty quid on the races, got soaked and pickpocketed and almost murdered on the hitch-hike home.
Happy Days...
Well, we all know that Christina is some sort of power, even if she does not know it herself.
U2 Way? This is getting ridiculous.
Adrian, there are so many potentially libelous moments in that book that it would be helpful if you could give me some sort of page number.
Peter, you're wrong. It's always safe to make fun of zombies. Right up to the point where they mindlessly batter down your door. At which point, it would still be safe, except that your time would be better used running for your life.
Alan, I know that you think a nonfiction book would be wasted on this crowd, but believe me, you are wrong. Post the link.
Marco, are you far enough along that I can post a spoiler thread?
I'm changing my guess. Now I think it's 52,000. That's a lot of drinks, but I have faith.
Also, what is that leopard skin in the picture all about?
Adrian,
Have never actually been but sounds like you had quite a day out at it. I used to just take 3 days off work and go to the pub and the bookies which was nice.
A few of my mates used to go though and a lot had similarly bad things to say about it (minus the attempted murder bit). They got quite an eye opener when they came to the Melbourne Cup with us last year and saw that there were actually women at the races
Fook, I don't know your buddy, George, except that he apologized for staring at some guy's girlfriend, and that as a result you both lived. Or at least that's how it happened in your version.
Peter
Yes, I suppose he did save our lives so I take back any slur on his powers of recollection.
Did you read the Moore story?
Seana
The leopard skin, or as I contend, a CHEETAH skin, is all explained in the link next to the pic.
Chapter 5 is the bad bit. And a bit of Chapter 15 I think.
Conor
And not just women. Attractive women in high heels and dresses and fancy hats.
I am not contesting the cheetah skin. But I don't see any link next to the pic. My guess is that this is some animal Hemingway shot. I'm also guessing that he didn't shoot it in Cuba. But I may be wrong.
Thank you for the chapters. That will definitely give me a clue. I mean, I already have my suspicions, but really would rather not say.
I'll say 12.
Seana
click on "some length here" in the original post above and I believe I explain the whole leopard/cheetah thing.
Yeah dont say here. I'm not sure where the google blog server is hosted. Its probably Florida in which case we have 1st Amendment protection, but if its England, it could be actionable.
I was emailing Dec about this and he thinks I should blog the whole story but actually I dont think I will until the book is safely out.
I think you're wise. Sell the book, squirrel away your millions in some offshore account (although that appears to be problematic these days), then bring everything down. I'd try to sell it as an article first, though, rather than just telling simple minions like us. Though you could let us know when it happens.
Adrian, here is my favorite part of the Moore profile:
"Moore has the flashing eyes and floating hair of the malign presence in Coleridge's Kubla Khan."
==============
Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Seana
Minions eh? I've always wanted minions. I suppose thats a youth spent watching Goldfinger.
Peter
His domestic situation was quite intriguing.
Whose domestic situation was quite intriguing? Moore's or Coleridge's?
Yes, you have minions, but we're an unruly lot. It's kind of like Upstairs, Downstairs, but without Hudson.
(I'm just waiting for that last to sail right on by...)
19
Except that without without Hudson, Upstairs, Downstairs was nothing.
All these years later and I still miss Gordon Jackson...
Seana
Alan Moore's.
I remember Gordon Jackson blowing the gaffe on The Great Escape.
Gestapo: Ach sie sind Deutsch.
Richard Attenborough: Ya, ya.
Gestapo: (to GJ) Good luck.
GJ: Och, thanks very much...shit.
No. They did not have Gordon Jackson saying 'shit' in nineteen sixty whatever the hell year it was. Unless it was in German. I'm really going to have to consult Clive James about that. Clive? Care to chime in?
Seana
No you're right he didnt say shit, it was more a kind of an "oh shit" look. Esp from Richard Attenborough who was furious.
The screenwriters of course built in dramatic irony, because earlier in the film GJ did the same trick to someone practising their German.
Adrian,
your book has arrived, at last. My statement will come, but it takes a short while.
BTW, Do you know Leonardo Padura's Adios Hemingway ? Padura's detective is investigating a murder that toke place in Hemingway's days in the Finca Vigia.
Bernd
Thanks for that. I just ordered it from the SKPL
Seana
I've finished it.Sent a few comments already.
So the problems were in chapter 5 (and 15) would've thought chapter 21 ;) did you cut the scenes completely?
If the problem is only with the Brits, could I theoretically still use the galley for the translation?
Ok, 36 pints in a day is a tall order even for a tall tale.
What would your beer-only consumption record in a day (or night) be ?
People aren't taking this seriously!
I say 66, although I know I'm not the only one to say so.
Btw, do you know there is some large cat animal in front of you? Is it dead?
Marco
The galley is the uncorrected proof and even without the cuts to chapter five there are dozens of corrections and changes that I've made so I wouldnt work off that except for an initial guess. The cuts are only to 5 and only a few lines and you can probably guess what those are and yes its only in the British edition. (Actually maybe the audio too?) The changes to chapter 15 are a bit more interesting that we should discuss in camera.
I did drink 15 bottles of Newcastle Brown Ale once. Thats my record. BTW a lot of people know that story of Dylan Thomas at The White Horse in NYC, but the truth is that he didnt drink himself to death. He was killed by an incompetent doctor who gave him an overdose of morphine.
Miss Witch
Two sixty sixes is fine.
I believe its a cheetah though George Plimpton says its a leopard.
We may never know for sure.
Adrian,
no, It was Reading down in the Championship. We lost to Nottingham Forest who are trying to crawl their way free of the relegation zone while we're (now) three points off of first place.
Seana,
Well i am one of those people who walk by street lights and they turn off. Perhaps I emit bad luck with my psychic vibes. I should go to Vegas and become a cooler.
Were they .33 .50 or .66 bottles?
My personal best would probably date back to an Oktoberfest some 15 years ago - possibly 4-5 lt.
It's definitely a cheetah.
Spots are round and not frayed at the edges.
You look funny in the photo.
34 - no idea why
Marco
There's no way its a leopard. Which implies a mistake, a lie or a cover up.
You think I look funny? Must be the goofy golf shirt or the weird disembodied feeling to be behind H's desk when Lonely Planet assured me that it was impossible even to get inside the house.
"but the truth is that he didnt drink himself to death. He was killed by an incompetent doctor who gave him an overdose of morphine."
Are you sure about the overdose ? It seems a fact that Thomas didn't die because of alcohol consume. Thomas got a pneumonia in New York and had a predisposing emphysema (Thomas was a heavy smoker). A dose of morphine would round up the deadly package (even if it wasn't an overdose (!)), because it reduces breathing frequency and intensity.
Christina,
Do you have William H Macy's ears? Prerequisite in a cooler.
Reading? Jesus I thought it was weird supporting Coventry City, but Reading...
Incidentally I scored a goal once at Villa Park, A header, I must tell blog about it sometime.
Bernd
The story they tell in The White Horse is that Dylan Thomas drinks 16 whiskies and says "I believe that's the record!" and keels over and dies the next day. In some quotation dictionaries that is even quoted as his last words.
And yes you're right about him being very sick even before New York and the deadly cocktail of neglect and poor medication but he was given 30mg of morphine which is three times the safe dose. So it could have been any number of factors. My point is only that it wasnt the booze that killed him and those definitely were NOT his last words.
Love that bit with Attenborough and Jackson in The Great Escape. One of many, many great parts in that movie. Thank you, James Clavell.
I'll guess 78, just a random number.
I hear Bristol Rovers are good. Yes?
a HEADER?
Now that's definitely pushing it.
The obvious answer is 69.
Sorry to get off topic a bit, but does anyone know how to stretch out margins on blogger? Adrian, you have virtually none, and it looks great. My posts are showing up in a narrow column down the center of the field, and I can't seem to figure out how to widen them. Perhaps I must change the entire template. Hope not. I like the black one.
Anyway, I'm going to stick with 92 drinks.
Seana, have you (or Adrian) read The Walking Dead? I know you just casually mentioned the zombie zeitgeist, but that comic book is tough to put down, if you're even slightly interested in the zombie cannon, if you could call it that, which I was actually introduced to late via the Evil Dead trilogy and Sean of the Dead. I just finished Max Brooks' Zombie Survival Guide as well. My wife is getting tired of my constant remarks on "when the zombie apocalypse comes. . . "
I don't think you look funny--I think you look pleased.
I don't unfortunately, mine are little and round, so i guess there goes that plan.
And i must say that every single person has had that same reaction to my team. I really didn't think it was that odd. There's an American goalkeeper on the team, Marcus hahnemann, and we used to also have Bobby Convey (whom i adore) and I love the way they play. Sort of scrappy but hard working and without a lot of ego.
First game i saw they held Man U to a nil-nil tie on opening day at Old Trafford. dave Kitson came on and thirty seconds later was sent off for tackling Rooney (taking him out for a month i think) and my dislike of Man U is, let's just say, not a secret.
(okay and to be absolutely honest, like half the team are really cute Irish boys so that sort of helps.)
Reading? Jesus I thought it was weird supporting Coventry City, but Reading...
As a writer, you too should support Reading.
Ahem.
I remember the FA Cup final in which Coventry defeated Tottenham against all odds.
I was strolling in La Spezia and stopped in a bar to see the last minutes of overtime.
There was a guy who went progressively pale, feverishly muttering "it's not possible,it's not possible"; he had probably lost house and children on the match.
my dislike of Man U is, let's just say, not a secret.
Why all the hate on ManU?
There's Chelsea which is owned by the Russian mafia, and Liverpool was never exactly known as team sympathy either.
And what's the story with the Irish connection in Reading?
HB
Its all about the template. I'm afraid you'll have to change it.
I did read the Max Brooks. It was pretty funny. I hear his father's quite amusing too.
Christina
Thats a good a reason as any to be honset.
With normal ears your cooler days are numbered.
Marco
Nice punning
Was that 87 for Cov? I went to every FA Cup game that year except the final because I couldnt get tickets.
Man U are ok if you're from London.
"Why all the hate on ManU?
There's Chelsea which is owned by the Russian mafia, and Liverpool was never exactly known as team sympathy either."
I've got a colleague who swears he liked Chelsea even before its current ownership and a friend who likes Everton.
==============
Detectives Beyond Borders
“Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home”
http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Peter
Everton - Liverpool like Rangers - Celtic is a Protestant Catholic thing.
Man U - Man City is more interesting. City is the Manchester team United is the bandwagon team. I'd be harder on United if people didnt call them the Yankees of England which sticks in the craw. Also Noel and Liam Gallagher support City.
There was a documentary on RTE a few years ago about Man United fans, which pretty much summed up why fans of any other team have a deep dislike of them.In particular there was one Irish guy who was a bartender in the U.S. somewhere who kept going on about United being not just a football club, but a way of life and a religion and all sorts of rubbish like that.
Most people who were born in Ireland from the 90s onwards became United fans because they were winning, same with the sudden burst of kids running around in Chelsea jerseys a few years ago.And in Wexford there are quite a few kids in Reading jerseys because of Kevin Doyle which is strange and kind of funny.
Everton - Liverpool like Rangers - Celtic is a Protestant Catholic thing.
Maybe in origin, but frankly I've never heard of it and I doubt it has any relevance now.
City is the Manchester team United is the bandwagon team.
Oh, the snobbish argument of the "real" team, supported by the pureblood denizens who can claim citizenship unto at least fifth generation vs the team supported by immigrants and inhabitants of the suburbs and the greater region?
the Yankees of England which sticks in the craw.
Only the very small subset of those who give a damn about baseball, I would imagine. And aren't the Yankees universally hated too?
ManU shares with the team I support a tragic plane crash in his past.
And Declan Burke once played at Croke Park.
Adrian, I was wondering when the discussion turned to Manchester United how you'd handle the inevitable Yankee comparisons.
==============
Detectives Beyond Borders
“Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home”
http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Peter
I dont mind Man U at all. It used have 5 Irish players in the late 70's. There was a great cup final v Arsenal in which almost half the players on the pitch were Irish and of course how I could I deeply hate a team that hosted George Best.
Like Yankees bashing its easy to bash United especially since they have so much money. My gut tells me that if Liam Gallagher believes it it must be wrong, so I'm not convinced that true Mankies support City.
Saying that though my teams are Cov and Liverpool and perverse as it seems I've always rooted against Man U when they made it to Europe.
Marco
You may be right about Liverpool - Everton's sectarian past being a dead issue these days but I'm afraid that isnt the case in Glasgow at all. Also Hibs - Hearts in Edinburgh.
You may not have realised that my mentioning of the Gallagher brothers was not an attempt to bolster the pro City cause.
Of course I know it's still an issue in the Glasgow derby.
"Everton - Liverpool like Rangers - Celtic is a Protestant Catholic thing."
Everton calls Liverpool "red shite," I'm told.
==============
Detectives Beyond Borders
“Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home”
http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Adrian:
Is this like the lottery? Can I buy as many tickets as I like? You were not clear about the rules here. Anyway, I said 23 before, but now I think you may have been in about the same self-generous state I was when I visited Harry's Bar in Venice in search of the ghost of Hemingway in multiple Seagrams Martinis. In that case, the figure would probably be more like:
41.
PKL
That's what I've always thought. People like to be associated with winners. Boosts their own confidence or something cuz they can't do it on their own.
Having grown up in Minnesota with the Twins, I've developed a love for any team who doesn't have a lot of money but still has a fair go of it anyways. Nowadays the Twins are always hovering around the top even though we have mostly young inexperienced players and nearly folded at the turn of the millenia.
basically my beef with United is really this:
I look at someone like Cristiano Ronaldo and I don't see passion in him. Sure he might be the best, but all he ever does is whine about how refs are unfair to him and when he scores he doesn't look overjoyed, he looks smug. There isn't the kid-ish love of playing, there's just the I'm-better-than-you! superiority complex.
Out of the big four, I'd cheer for Liverpool. Though right now, I'm pulling for Villa, again because of the American goalkeeper situation. I was happy the UEFA cup bouts were on Setanta ireland so i could see Brad Guzan again as he was one of my favorite keeps back in the MLS. (which on that note, i'm stoked to see Kasey keller with the Sounders. He's my favorite Goalkeeper of all time).
So yes. That's my spiel.
38 drinks.
Can't wait for the book either way. I'm going to try to support a local bookstore and buy it there, but I'll still review on Amazon for you either way. I need to review all of your other books there too while I'm at it.
I'm reading Dead I Well May Be for the third time right now (headed to Florida to see my mother -- great beach read).
Take care,
Josh
Patrick
Thats a little cheeky, but I suppose I should make it like the old Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and if you want to change before the deadline thats ok with me. Once the deadline pops though, thats it!
Christina
I think my thing with United is more visceral. I've just never really clicked with them. And I feel happy rooting against them.
I've got a soft spot for Brummie teams too (maybe because of the Cov thing).
Josh
Well the kids do go to the beach at one point dont they in Cancun? Also there's a scene I think where M. goes to Rockaway Beach to watch the surfers. Actually I think I cut that, but it was originally in there. One of the sufers he was watching was supposed to me in real life or something and I felt it was too friggin meta so I cut it.
Christina,
Since I really can't hope to participate in the sports discussion here ('can't hope' actually means 'don't hope') I will just say that making street lights turn off as you walk past them is a gift, despite what might seem like a negative outcome. Work with it. It's possible that you could turn them on again as well, but have never really tried.
Hardbarned,
I must admit that I am not so much interested in zombies as I'm interested in the revived interest in them, if you see what I mean. Haven't really read any zombie stories myself, though I did see Shaun of the Dead and thought it was great. Also, David Sedaris came to town and by far the funniest part of the evening was his description of arguing with some 'rational' person about what she would be like as a zombie. So yeah, I do think they have some mileage. Though, being zombies, hopefully not too much.
I was kind of startled to listen to the Lehrer newshour and hear this very serious financial guy talk about one of the big worries being zombie banks. Of course, my ears perked right up, but though I thought I understood what he was saying at the time, of course I didn't. Except that it was really, really scary. The horror genre doesn't really stand much of a chance against the daily news these days, I'm afraid.
You zombie-lovers out there might like this book.
==============
Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Adrian,
I'm a bit chagrined to say that 50G is currently buried in the stacks here somewhere, due to this really rather hasty tidying up I had to do late one evening when it was announced that the fire marshall was going to be paying a visit to our building the next morning, and, what with the new property managers, I had to make it look like some sort of responsible human being lived here. It will rise to the surface soon, but in the meantime, I really can't check Chapter 5 of 15. I will, though.
Here is what I'm unclear on though. Do English libel laws affect the American edition? I know you've said in the past that the British version of DIWMB has variations from the American one, so I don't see why that wouldn't hold true here as well. It seems kind of ironic, as and this may be a spoiler to some, none of the book actually takes place in England.
Peter,
Oh,zombie lovers are going to freak out when they see that one.
Oh, and I think Hardbarned may have missed this post.
Seana
One of my memories of NYC was the group of girls on a batchelorette pub crawl wolf whistling and verbally stripping a NYC fire marshall. He give me a "this happens a lot" look, but try as I might I could not find sympathy for him in my heart.
Peter
Hadnt seen that one. Of course in Night of the Living Dead the zombies arent the real criminals.
I dont mind Man U at all.
I think my thing with United is more visceral. I've just never really clicked with them. And I feel happy rooting against them.
Marco
whats that supposed to be? damning evidence?
Was it Oscar Wilde who said the mark of a civilized mind was holding within it two contradictory ideas at the same time. And wasnt it Emerson who said foolish consistency, the hobgoblin of little minds.
Saw Watchmen today. 2/4. The Comedian stole the show. They ruined the ending and picked the sort of cliched soundtrack your little brother might pick on a bad day. But I thought Nite Owl was perfect, the real emotional centre of the film. And the first twenty minutes were pretty well done.
Yeah, but I didn't even get to see the fire marshall, though. Just clean up for him.
When I was in college here I rented a house with a couple of other girls and one night we heard this funny sound in our walls. We immediately convinced ourselves that it was fire burning up the wires and called the fire department. We ended up with three strapping big firemen in full regalia tromping around in our tiny house, where we soon learned much to our embarrassment that it was something like the water meter ticking wildly away, something ridiculously not like fire in the wall, anyway. They were very gallant about it all, though, told us it was better to be safe than sorry, and though we were embarrassed, we were also thrilled by all that manly presence.
I can understand how you wouldn't have sympathy for him in your heart, but what he was really trying to say to you was the male equivalent of the 'don't hate me because I'm beautiful' plea.
A,
Hate to bother you with this bollocks all the time but do you know if Bob's in town? I emailed last Friday for a follow-up and have heard nothing, and he's usually pretty fast at responding. I'm started to feel blacklisted by the literary world.
Was it Oscar Wilde who said the mark of a civilized mind was holding within it two contradictory ideas at the same time.
And they told me it was a sign of schizophrenia! But now it's off with the meds. The voices in my head were right all along.
Seana
I guess its one of the perks of a rather grim job. That and the cool slidey pole thing.
Liam
dont know. havent been in contact for a long while. is there a holiday in the US this week or something? if so they all might be up in the cabin.
marco
Isnt there a band called Guided By Voices?
BTW as I'm sure you could have guessed I visited the graves of both Emerson and Wilde.
Yes, there is. Someone who was very much into lo-fi/indie rock taped me a couple of their albums at the time, in the pre-Mp3 age.
Have you seen this cute
Watchmen cartoon ?
Very faithful to the spirit ;)
Marco
I think I like that better than the Mad Magazine parody and
whoa.......
.........
Melbourne just got hit by something.
..........
whoa.......
check on the kids
sleeeping
Talk about live blogging.
Ok Sky News is saying we've just hit by a 4.7 Earthquake. Minor reports of damage,
First a month of fires and now an Earthquake in a continent that is geologically dead.
Get out while you can THESE ARE THE END TIMES!!!!
that was NUTS, huh? I over-indulged last night and had a long day. was writing, listening to The Who and the building shook...I thought I imagined it or "Eminance Front" was playing a bit loud. Crazy. Do believe the book has arrived. I shall pick it up from PO first thing...Oh yes.
Spring Break is coming up, and so is St. Patty's but other than that, niente. I dunno man, I'll try just keep being patient.
Two chapters through 50G. The story's riveting and the pacing is absolutely relentless so far.
Cameron
That was freaky. My second earthquake. First was in SF at my brother in laws house. This felt bigger. I thought a truck had crashed into the house next door or something.
Hope you like 50G
Brian
Glad to hear it man. I think inevitably it settles down a bit, just saying.
First, I'll just say that I'm glad you and Cameron and families are okay. It's funny how you think you know earthquakes until one comes along where you realize that you have no idea.
Hope the other Australian commenters are all doing fine as well. You guys around Melbourne have had a tough beginning of the year.
Blogging through an earthquake shows either tremendous equanimity or tremendous foolhardiness. I do not presume to judge. But someone no doubt will.
Escape while you can is a good idea, except that there is nowhere to escape to. I think it's fairly safe to assume that no on this blog is going to be raptured. Of course, correct me if I'm wrong, those who still hold out hope in that regard.
Oh, yeah. I realized that I have decided on m final number for the contest.
It's 666.
Seana
Speaking of rapture. I saw this bumper sticker in Boulder once that I loved: "Come the Rapture, can I have your car?"
I was very disappointed not to read any "our dog Spot suddenly went quiet and then the whole house started to shake" stories in the tabloids. I'm always a sucker for a prescient kitty or doggy story.
Seana is it? Thanks for your thoughts, that was super-nice. I live on a busy intersection and trucks often rumble past. I honestly didnt think too much about it until my chair didn't stop shaking. Went through one during my time in Japan and it felt like riding a wave...dunno if that was the fancy-pants "earthquake proofing" or what, but that was strange....
Adrian:
off to watchmen this arvo. Noted your complaint re: the score. seems to be a common complaint. This guy decided to take matters into this own hands.
http://blip.fm/thesaturdayboy
good job, saturday boy!
Cam
Hey that was pretty cool.
Its not that I'm tired of Hendrix's version of Watchtower or Dylan or whatever, but I just wished Snyder been a little more focused. Tarantino who admittedly is not everyone's cup of tea takes real care over his soundtracks, this looks like Synder raided his older brother's record collection. I actually wished he'd gone to John Williams; I would love to have heard "Rorschach's Lament" or the "Dr Manhattan's Big Blue Penis Theme"
I'm thinking that "Love Theme for the Nite Owl" would make a good musical title.
I'm off for Toronto tomorrow. Maybe I'll go see the movie with Fetch.
==============
Detectives Beyond Borders
“Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home”
http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Adrian --
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA....
Ahhhh, great.
off to see it in a minute. Point totally taken about the soundtrack already - soon as i heard smashing pumpkins over the trailer i went "oh god". and in full agreement about QT. I think he's the man, personally, if a bit of a dick.
A lot of talk about the oddity of the Watchmen soundtrack at the store today, although the guy who was talking still gave the movie an A-. That's all I can contribute to that particular thread of the conversation.
Cameron, we went through a big earthquake here in 1989 that pretty much destroyed the downtown. When you mentioned that busy intersection with the trucks rolling by, it reminded me that that was the last startle effect to go. We had a lot of aftershocks after the real one and for a long time afterwards, there were places I'd be sitting when a bus rolled by and I'd tense up. But the response did go away eventually along with our earthquake preparedness kits and everything else related to that time.
Oh, and Adrian, yeah, the dog at the house I lived at at the time did apparently freak out just a bit before, although I wasn't there at the time to verify this.
However, in your case, I would think it would be the possums that would have given you the warning sign. Except that possums going 'all quiet' isn't probably the most noticable thing in the world.
Speaking of rapture. I saw this bumper sticker in Boulder once that I loved: "Come the Rapture, can I have your car?"
And a version of this found its way in your two Colorado-based novels.
I FORGET NOTHING!
There was a 5.3 earthquake round christmas in Parma,some 100km from where I live, and the effect was felt where I live. I was in bed with the flu, and I already did picture myself trapped under the debris.
Of course Italy is rather seismically active, and mild tremors every 3-4 years are common in my zone. Though this time next to the epicenter it caused some damage to churches and old buildings.
I was on the fence about Watchmen, but now probably I won't see it. Nice alternative soundtrack.
For Cameron and everyone else, a reminder of the hyperlink tutorial:
(a href="whatever you want to link to")a description of the link(/a)
and change the above parentheses to < and >
Marco
Yes that was a wonderful instance of something in my notebook going directly into a novel. I love it when that happens.
Seana
Did the dog really do that? Thats the sort of thing I would love to believe in, but frankly I'm a bit skeptical. Do you remember that bit in Zuleika Dobson when the crows (I think) flew down and perched on the family tombs? That was pretty funny.
Cameron
You'll have to let me know what you thought. I also thought Rorschach looked too old. He's supposed to be a bit of a goofy looking kid isnt he? Silk Spectre 2 though was an improvement over the comic and I thought the scene with Silhouette in VE Day in Times Sq was cute.
Alright, I'll guess 35 simply because my 35th birthday is this month. Best!
Marco--
me no hyperlink good.
don't be put off by talk of the crummy score as there's a lot to like...really. a LOT. a whole BUNCH, in fact. the score ain't even that bad, it's just kind of...obvious.
Seana--
i'm so sorry, I didn't realise where you were. how glib my comments must have sounded...
Adrian --
hmmm (or 'hurm' perhaps)...i'll email, methinks, as to not spoil certain things...by the way, am about halfway through 50 g, it thus far gets two most excited thumbs pointed in the upward direction.
Cameron
Don't discourage yourself. Teaching hyperlinks has become my mission in the blogosphere.
Some of my pupils were more difficult than others, getting it at the fourth or fifth attempt and exercising surreptitiously when they thought noone was looking (halfway down the comments here - scroll a little further down and you'll see me making fun of him), but I have dozens of success stories by now.
On Watchmen- I wasn't much inclined to go- generally I don't like adaptations of books or comics- unless the source material is mediocre it's very rare that I found them up to par.
All the publicity, and the fact it seemed the movie would have been faithful almost convinced me-
but Adrian's review and some others who said similar things swung the pendulum back again.
Plus Alan says no.
I'll decide when it comes round my parts in a week or two.
Marco,
Where have you posted those comments on Fifty Grand you mentioned? I'd be interested.
Cameron,
Oh, don't apologize about glibness about earthquakes. I'm glib about them myself half the time. I mean really, what else are you going to do?
Adrian,
Yes, I think the dog really did go a little crazy for a while. Oddly, I just reconnected with my friend, the witness and owner of the dog, a couple of weeks ago after being out of touch for quite awhile. I'll ask him if he remembers.
But I'm not really skeptical at all about such things. Not because I think animals are clairvoyant but because they are attuned to different things than we are. In fact, I remember right before our big quake that the atmosphere felt odd, like there was a kind of tension or pressure in the air and everyone was reacting to it. Of course I didn't think, "this is a sure sign that an earthquake is coming", I thought "What the hell is wrong with everybody?"
Did anyone here see that Sixty Minutes piece about that tribe of people who live on the ocean somewhere off the Indonesian coast who basically knew that massive tidal wave was coming and simply went further out to sea and avoided being harmed by it? It wasn't mystical or anything, they were just used to reading the sea. They had a pretty interesting lifestyle, a real live in the moment kind of way of life that would be then envy of any follower of Ram Dass, etc.
No, I don't really remember the crows in Zuleika, though it does sound vaguely familiar. I should read that book again, I think.
My friends had an experience with crows at a death though, but I probably already sound enough like I've gone off the deep end.
I will just point out that although it's still before noon on March 8th in the U.S., it's already March 9th in Australia, so factor that in if you're holding out to guess at the last minute.
Seana
The comments are nothing special really, but since I feared they could be spoilerish and wanted to touch other things also I've sent them by mail.
Nothing top secret, and so I've forwarded the mail to you.
The fact that some animals may feel the preliminary signs in advance isn't too striking, given many of them have senses several orders of magnitude sharper.
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