Thanks to everyone who entered the Dead Trilogy competition. The actual time it took me to walk the length of Manhattan was a lackadaisical nine hours and forty minutes. I thought I gave a good clue when I said it took me longer than I was expecting but most people under-estimated the time which means, I suppose, that I'm a good bit slower and lazier than y'all think. If you didn't win thank you for participating....
Enough about those losers, now for the winner...the closest guess was 9 hours 37 minutes from Ryan. Just three minutes out! Freaky. Anyway the trilogy edition of the Dead series goes to him. Well done mate, now do us a favour and give me your email or your address and I'll have those books off to you in tomorrow's post. I hope you don't live in England, I just heard that the Royal Mail is going on strike...
24 comments:
Wow,that is pretty darn close! Congratulations, Ryan! Don't know what mathematical formula you used, but your win is well deserved.
Unless you're some kind of nephew of McKinty or something and he slipped you the answer, telling you to fudge it a bit.
I mean, that's what I would do, but I can't speak for him.
Of course, family always expects free books anyway, so that's probably not it.
Seana
How have you gotten so cynical? You doubt my notebooks and now even poor old Ryan.
Have things gotten THAT bad in California?
...wait a minute, quick check of the news reveals that yes they have. Oh dear.
You know, I haven't even gotten around to checking on the latest news on our beleaguered state, because we've been having a massive storm here all day.
Here I had taken a few days off before the holiday season to 'attend' an online writing conference, when the power goes off. Half expecting this, because the power goes off at the least little thing here, I was trying to be philosophical about it. So I'm sitting down contemplating my next move and looking out the window and thinking, hmm, that wood really looks beautiful in the rain. I never really noticed that before. And then I look a few moments more and realize that I hadn't noticed it before because it hadn't been there. One of the trees in my yard had just fallen over. I'd heard something, but it hadn't really sounded like what I'd think a tree falling would have sounded like.
Okay, no harm no foul, but then I realized that it's twin, or other limb, was still standing. Leaning somewhat ominously towards my house. My landlady had the tree guy out. He's going to come out and take it out, I guess, but as a ton of trees in Santa Cruz have fallen in the last 24 hours, it may just hover there for awhile. He assures us, though, that if it falls, it will just be really scary, but won't break through the roof and kill me.
Easy for him to say. He's not the one who has to sleep here tonight.
But for now, all is well, I've got power again and am watching Simon Schama on Bernini. I've kind of drifted away after the part where he tries to kill his brother and has a servant cut up the face of the mistress who betrayed him.
I was cynical at birth, I think, and it's only gotten worse.
I meant to ask, Adrian, do you write down and save all sorts of useless information like this? Admittedly it comes in handy for competitions and the like, but honestly?
Seana
I like all the people moving out of California to go live in Henderson, Nevada. And then they have all these justifications for living in Henderson. Somehow it never quite rings true.
Miss Witch
Its not me I feel sorry but my long suffering wife...
One time we were in a temple in Veranasi and I felt the odd compulsion to note down the exact number or rats that were in there. I must have counted the little blighters three times.
About 75 since you ask.
Nice one, Ryan! Hope you love 'em as much as you should. If not... well, McKinty will have your address.
I didn't enter the comp because I've already got this version of the trilogy (and the original Serpent's Tail paperbacks -- I'm a geek like that). Two of the three were signed by Adrian at No Alibis last time he was over. They sit beside my Serpent's Tail issues of the David Park Red Riding books. Thousands of words of chaos in a neat wee package. Looks great.
Cheers
gb
I don't even know where Henderson Nevada is.
My friends all seem to move away to Portland and Seattle, New York, or, for some reason, Minnesota. The Portland ones can be particularly aggravating in their happiness. But I'm not going to move there. It's too cliche.
gb, if you're still around, how are those David Park books? I read The Truth Commissioner but that was the first time I ever heard of him, and I can't seem to find anyone else who knows of him over here.
That's interesting about the counting. Does it just take you randomly or is it certain kinds of things that you can kind of predict?
The tree men have arrived. I'm seeing a squirrel on the soon to be hacked down tree. Just two days ago a couple of them were racing each other around and around it's trunk. I'll miss that. But not so much that I'm willing to risk having the whole show crash into my house one day.
Adrian, you are a lazy slug.
Why do slugs have such a bad rap? I was just pondering this very question when I found one exploring my bathroom the other night.
And you even like slugs, Marco. Why are you defaming them?
Whoa!
Seana - no math. Just luck. I tried to figure how long I'd take walking, taking notes, and snapping pics. Then I took into account Adrian's 'hint' and added several hours. :)
Gerard - I do love 'em. And, being stateside, I can't easily get my hands on DIWMB. So this is especially sweet!
Adrian - rraffer2@gmail.com
Seana - D'oh, my mistake. I was rushing and mis-typed. The Red Riding books were written by David Peace, not Park. I've only read The Truth Commissioner by Park, but I do know that he used to teach the guys from the band Ash, which isn't the greatest snippet of knowledge since not a lotta people know who Ash are and as a band they've never really been my cuppa tea. Here's a YouTube clip of em, though. I feel obliged since they're from my neck of the woods.
Cheers
gb
Thanks, Gerard. I know Park did do some earlier suspense type stuff, but I guess I'll have to continue my quest to find someone who's read them. I haven't read Peace either, but he does have more of a reputation here.
I can't watch that YouTube due to some current limitations of my computer, but I will definitely check it out as soon as circumstances permit.
I watched those squirrel videos at work, by the way, Adrian. No sound, unfortunately, and a bit grainy on our old PCs, but I could still see that they are fascinating--and highly photogenic--little creatures.
I like slugs, but they aren't exactly record breakers, just like our slothful friend. I too, like Ryan, should have added a couple of hours, but I based my calculations on my Dad!
Seana
I dont know, I just think that it might come in handy some day to know these things. Thats why I'm half way there to being a Paul Theroux, now all I have to do is pluck up the courage to talk to strangers and ask them stuff about their lives.
How do you know the squirrels didnt sabotage the tree?
Ger
I finally saw that Red Riding TV series. Gotta say, not as good as the books. 1974 could be a classic film.
Ryan
They're on their way to the Land of Lincoln.
Marco
I forget nothing. I'm compiling a list of all your ageist remarks.
I think they didn't sabotage it because it was kind of like their jungle gym. Now it's just a stump and I'm feeling kind of sad about it. I did get to watch a pretty impressive four man tree taking down operation. I think it was about forty feet tall. (I suppose you would have insisted on getting a measurement, but I'm the kind of person who just thinks "Big." But it seemed sturdy enough to have this guy climbing all over it without toppling, so maybe it should have stayed. Trees down everywhre though--I saw a lot of evidence when I walked downtown. It was a good day to be a tree cutter.
As to Paul Theroux, well, I may have said this before, but unlike you and Marco and god knows who all else here, I don't remember everything. My dad was an introvert and actually not particularly nosy, but he learned early in life that most people do like to talk about themselves and was always coming back with interesting tales he'd picked up here and there. So I don't think you really have to pry, you just put out a tentative feeler and see what happens. I somehow do think you'd be able to do this without compromising your integrity. You don't have to badger anyone.
I'm an old geezer myself...
... but I would have definitely done it quicker.
I forget nothing. I'm compiling a list of all your ageist remarks.
I have a long way to go if I want to surpass the rats in Varanasi.
Oh well,
I actually don't have any of Adrian's books in a traditional format. I've got 50 Grand and Hidden River as audiobooks from Audible and the Dead trilogy as eBooks from the Sony store.
Can't really get my copies autographed though ....
SJ
When Picador send me the paperback galleys of Fifty Grand. I'll give them all away on the blog. How does that sound?
No worries. I (somewhat) went to these formats to help with limited storage.
Cheers
BTW, I really enjoy your blog. I check every day. Same sensibility and twist of humor as your books. Keep writing (books too!).
I haven't read/listened to 50 Grand yet. I find that if I read through too much of any writer in too short a period of time, I focus too much on plot and miss the "craft" of the writing.
I've spent a fair bit of time in Cuba, staying often in Casa Particulars (I have a web site www.casaholguincuba.net to help out one of my friends there). So, I'm very interested in "50 Grand". I'll read that soon.
You might be interested in a book called "Telex from Cuba" by Rachel (sorry can't remember her last name).
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