Three Strikes: Week 17

And then, as he slides into the back of the limo and before the driver shuts the door, Rip looks up at me and says, “You have a history of this, don't you?”

-Imperial Bedrooms, Bret Easton Ellis

I started this project to discuss achievements. To talk about things going well. To describe the way my life is moving forward through hard work- set against the backdrop of working out. Well, I may have ballsed that up last week by losing my trainers- possibly in the gym- on the Monday.

I certainly have a history of that kind of thing.

So in that week I only got the one session in, beating two PBs:

10 min run up 1 speed

Cable crunch with rope handle up 1 notch

However, in that week I've been to Essex to see relatives, I've been to London to see my sister (full post later) and I've slept reasonably well as well. I also got a good reception on a screenplay at Writers Connect on Sunday, and rounded it off with a meal at the impressive Indian restaurant Swadesh, on Manchester's Portland St.

So it's all good.

On the journey down south I polished off Ancient Gonzo Wisdom, a compilation of transcribed interviews with Hunter S Thompson. Edited by Anita Thompson, his widow and former assistant, the book offers a chronological exhibition of magazine articles, TV appearances, radio discussions and more, all laced with Thompson's manic, fearless anecdotes and insights. Captivating stuff for the fans of the man.

On the way back up I smashed through Imperial Bedrooms, Bret Easton Ellis' latest offering. The sequel to his first novel Less than Zero, Imperial finds our vacuous but nevertheless successful protagonist, Clay, has now carved a niche in screenwriting. Unfortunately, he's being stalked by an actress with a vendetta... and possibly someone else too.

The book's tone and themes are engaging enough but the same stock Ellis characters are no more surprising in their narcissism than in any of his other books, and the lead-up to the effectively violent climax is too familiar for any real praise. Worth the entire 50p I bought it for.

Backlog of posts incoming. Stay tuned for more history.