Literary curry, liquid liver
I had the pleasure of being treated to a very fine curry night this week by Iain Banks (with or without his 'M') in the equally splendid company of Ken MacLeod and Adele Hartley (organiser of the excellent Dead by Dawn horror film fest).
Naturally comprising such a refined and educated set, we spent the evening deep in philosophical debate and literary discussion, before retiring after dinner to the billiards room with a glass of port.
And no we didn't just eat lots of very fine Indian food and drink several lochs of booze. Really, we didn't.
Oh, okay, we did. And we didn't play billiards afterwards, but this was for four very good reasons.
One - the Omar Khayam, very fine Indian restaurant though it is, does not possess a billiards room.
Two - we were too full of yummy Indian food to lean over a billiards table if they had one.
Three - we had swilled down too much of the rather nice red wine that the waiters magically knew Iain liked (we know not how since Iain, like most writers of course, is not a regular drinker).
Four - Adele would probably have whipped us all at billiards anyway.
Suffice to say a very good - and late - night was had by all of us, although the next morning may not have been quite so glorious!
Iain and Ken will both be making an appearance at Glasgow's Aye, Write book festival later this month. Ken will be re-enacting the advance of the Red Army during 1944 while Iain dons his flying jacket to play the role of a plucky RAF Sunderland Flying Boat pilot protecting the Arctic convoys on their way to supply that advance. Really. Well, they might.
Not really a comment on your post although I too love curry lol
ReplyDeleteBut more a comment on your recent problems with your job. My brother recently put me onto this blogging thing, never heard of it until this point. Still not decided what to write about yet...guess not my job eh lol
But what I really wanted to say was GOD BLESS AMERICA!!! because this is where we are heading if this is the reaction you get if you dare call your boss a bastard or dare mention his/her footware!!! Your lucky you never placed a hand on a fellow employees shoulder...you may be up for assault.
I am very lucky to work for a quite old fashioned firm where you can tell someone to fuck-off and shake hands the next day and all is forgotten. I mean after all, are we not allowed to have bad days anymore???
Sounds very much like we are heading towards a '1984' type enviroment, no emotion allowed. So what i'm basically trying to say in a very round about way is...I'm on your side, it's a real shame you're being treated this way. I'm pretty sure you'll get your job back, but I pity the poor bastard that dares do it next.
P.S. Maybe when you get your job back you should suggest that for health & safety at work, you should all be made to wear steel toecapped boots, just incase a box or rather heavy book should fall, staff will not suffer a rather badly bruised foot lol Then that tosser can never wear those fucking sandals again.
Reminds me of a rare visit into the store of a well-known US entertainment store which was using that horrid 'greeter' system as folk came in. I suspect folk in the US aren't mad on that but in the UK it just comes over so false.
ReplyDeleteI asked the woman greeter where I could find something and she put one hand on my shoulder and pointed with the other.She suddenly pulled her hand back and apologised and asked me in a very upset manner if I would please not tell on her as they were not allowed to touch anyone... Poor woman, terrified over a perfectly natural, friendly response. The modern corporate world, where you have to watch everything you say, do or touch... What next, no eating carbohydrate dishes in the work staff room in case you offend Atkins sufferers (er, I mean followers of course!). Pah, I say hand us a large Lampoon to prod in their direction...
I am happy that you are back on your feet in the job world and that life in general seems to be tickety-boo at the moment... really I am... but I had to chuckle at the fact that you have put a post up here and so casually talk about the delicious curry you had with Iain Banks ("m" or otherwise!). I know you have dealings with these guys, but it does make me chuckle.
ReplyDeleteI mean this in the nicest way .... but **CLANG** there goes a namedrop!
I like reading about it though, so more power to you!
ST
Yeh, guess it is a bit. I did wonder if I should post it since I didn't want to name drop as such but couldn't really mention the night without the names... Oh well! It was very kind of them to take me out - it was originally a cheer-up curry and drink but turned into the celebration curry'n'drink which made it even better.
ReplyDeleteI think you should keep posting stuff like this, as it happens... as long as I'm allowed to chuckle at how things have turned out for you (just been reading your more recent posts about more press calls and the need for a stylist).
ReplyDeleteGood for you. I'm still waiting for my letter asking for my blog to be preserved for posterity. I'm not holding my breath though - didn't seem wise.
If you start dating Paris Hilton, do be sure to let us all know.
ST