And this is why we can't have nice stories...

I was looking for a Bill Bryson quote for something I'm writing (about driving in strange countries where they do roads the wrong way round.) So far the internet has failed to provide. I did however find this one:

"Tune your television to any channel it doesn't receive and about 1 percent of the dancing static you see is accounted for by this ancient remnant of the Big Bang. The next time you complain that there is nothing on, remember that you can always watch the birth of the universe."
— Bill Bryson (A Short History of Nearly Everything)

(I just realised my TV doesn't show static anymore, just a blank screen with a quiet blue 'this chanel is not available' message. The birth of the universe is now off the air.)

Raspberry Pavlovian

So it turns out that my alarm clock sends me to sleep. I was lying in bed this morning, wide awake, doing a little early morning scheming (what to wear, what to do with the day, weapon of choice etc) when the alarm went off. I hit the snooze button out of habit and wham! out like a light. I did suspect something like this from the number of times recently that I've been up all night with insomnia, only to be dead to the world when the alarm went off, but I thought that could just be sleep catching up with me at the worst possible time. But not this morning - I was definitey awake, and went out like someone flicked a switch.

Why does my brain constantly find ways to thwart me? And did it really have to conspire with my alarm clock to do it?

In other news, the second collection of Wormwood, Gentleman Corpse has arrived, along with Money (book club book), and the new Terry Pratchett should be here tomorrow. Who needs bank cards?

Today may be a drawing day... I feel the need to invent people.

Writer's Block: Power of expression

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My cat's breath smells like cat food!

Making people

When I'm writing characters, I often end up holding long conversations in my head with people that don't even exist yet. It can get quite crowded, especially when they refuse to go away even after I've decided I don't need them after all.

Drawing characters is far quieter, but sort of lonely.

(I write posts like this on the assumption that there are people out there that understand exactly what I mean)

There's no way this will end badly....

http://www.physorg.com/news203054814.html

...because training drivers to treat that child in road as an optical illusion can only IMPROVE road safety!