The paper magician

The last couple of days I have been in Birmingham for a short break. While traveling I read "The Paper Magician",  by Charlie Holmberg. This was yet another fantasy novel. A youg woman is apprenticed to an expert in the magical folding of paper. The pacing of the novel seemed weird. She settled in for a couple of days,  before going on a big quest inside a dream sequence. She very quickly falls in love with her boss.

Dark city

For some time I have wanted to watch the film "Dark  City" . Trouble is I also dimly remember having watched it before. It was a great film if you are paranoid and scared of the thin veil of sleep. It was the changing of the buildings that freaked me out the most. Also the never ending night.

101000 messages from vodka

Two days OK I had a great idea for a story. A man is trapped inside his flat. His feet no longer work. He is a cripple with bloody stumps at the end of his legs. His only communication with the world, is via a vodka bottle. He keeps the vodka bottle in the icebox of the fridge. Sometimes the vodka is frozen and sometimes it is liquid. By opening the fridge every night, and checking the vodka, he sets up a binary communication system which allows him to talk to the dead. He gets angry with the solid vodka. He shakes and shakes the bottle, but nothing comes out. He puts another zero on the message pad.

Friday guilt .......

I went to the gym last night for the first time in 6 weeks. It felt good to work some weights. Afterwards I went for a beer in the Walkabout pub, followed by a beer in Noah's ark. It was kind of depressing. There were a bunch of old people staring at nothing in front of a pint. That was me of course too, but it is not much of a life.

On the other hand I have been at work all week, so a couple of pints is surely my due.

Master of Fiends

While travelling I managed to finish reading the fantasy novel "master of fiends" by Douglass Hill.
I had heard the tainted blade on the radio which is the first story featuring the characters in this book.
It was simply but cleverly written.

Bonn

I am sitting in a hotel room in Bonn Germany. I am at physics meeting. I have given my talk, so I am feeling relaxed. It has been very windy here. There was the most turbulence on the flight over from the UK, as I have experienced on a flight. I finally understood what the seat belt was for.

Germany seems the same as when I left it. They now have eye scanners to check the passport when you arrive. I didn't get arrested, because of my dispute with my ex-landlord, so perhaps I will visit again.