Some actual people have actual birthdays today. I’m not going to mention them because some people are private about these things, but said people can have free cake if they want to drop in for a cocktail this afternoon. Everyone else can join in the party, but you’ve got to bring a present for the unmentioned persons. In fact, if you’ve had a birthday at all in the past, ooh, let’s say year – then it’s your PARTY!
March 7, 2014
Bar’s Open
Well, in honour of this being my 42nd year, I’m going to take a page from H2G2, and request a bathful of Pan-Galactic Gargle-Blaster, please.
And the present? It’s that page from H2G2, tastefully (and usefully) wrapped within a full copy of the rest of the book.
You’ll thank me later.
Around 10 years ago I bought a tub containing 50 HB pencils from WHSmiths. It now contains 7 pencils (unsharpened) and the majority of the rest are strewn around the house, with varying lengths and degrees of pointiness. I’m particularly fond of this diminishing collection of unsharpened pencils, because it has meant that for a decade I’ve seldom known the want of a good pencil. The tub cost £2, so that’s only a 4p a pencil. You’d be forgiven for thinking me mean in gifting our unnamed celebrant a single unsharpened pencil from this tub, but let me be quite clear;
I have NEVER given any of these pencils to anyone. Not even my own son. And the tub is almost empty. What if WHSmiths no longer sell tubs of 50 HB pencils? What will I do then? Trust me, I know pencils, and these are good sturdy examples of the medium. In fact, if you force me to elaborate on the value of this bloody pencil in any more detail, I might just keep it.
Mine’s a pint.
Book tokens as presents. Relatives would always tell me that they didn’t want to get me “just” a book token and would buy me makeup, or a carpet bag or some other thing that explained that they had no idea what kind of person I actually was. I always wanted to explain that books are the best things in the world and tokens for books come next in the list.
I’ll have a bottle of Crabbies with that. Ta!
Hello. I’m late, I know, but I turned 40 today and I’m drinking champagne! (The gin drinking probably starts in earnest tomorrow…. But today is a celebration, whatever anyone says! Hurray!)