mystery photo no. 4

take a leaf out of my book

simple pleasures no. 5 - fear and loathing

I love this book! I know I shouldn't but I just love it. It's the story of a journey to the heart of darkness in America fueled by copious quantities of mind-blowing drugs and fast cars. It's written by the late Hunter S. Thompson, one of my all-time favourite authors, and illustrated by Ralph Steadman in his hallmark 'Francis Bacon meets Salvador Dali' style.

I retrieved my copy from the bookshelves to take a photo and now I just have to re-read it. Who could possible resist this as an opening...?!!!!'

 'We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold. I remember saying something like, 'I feel a little light-headed; maybe you should drive...' And suddenly there was a terrible roar all around us and the sky was full of what looked like huge bats, all swooping and screeching and diving around our car, which was going about a hundred miles an hour with the top down to Las Vegas.'

©  1971 Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

our spake

west bromwich at war

booked!

the book I read

On the morning of 4th June 2001, at 10.38 precisely, someone bought a Kit Kat from Kroger Retail Stores, Queen City Centre in Cincinnati, United States.  It cost them 89 cents, and they paid with a five dollar bill. 

I have no idea who bought the Kit Kat in question, but I do know they were served by a lady called Sonja.  I also know Kroger's is listed in the Washington Post at 4777 Kenard Avenue.  If, for any strange reason, you should want to telephone the store, you could do worse than try calling (513) 681-7650. 

Evidently, Kroger sells more than a few Kit Kats.  Its earnings for the fiscal year 2010 were in the order of $82.2 billion, a performance not to be sneezed at in this continuing credit-crunch maelstrom.  


So how do I know all these things?  I bought a second-hand book recently called, "Classic Crews", a lovely collection by the southern-gothic author, Harry Crews.  It includes his autobiography,  a short novel entitled, "The Gypsy's Curse" and a selection of essays.
The rather dog-eared edition came into my possession care of an on-line bookseller in Toledo, Ohio and sandwiched in the middle I found, to my great delight, the Kit Kat receipt.  It's on the desk in front of me right now. 


I pick it up for a moment, and seek to picture Sonja, the mysterious cashier.  I think she must have been part of the regular team at Kroger's.  4th June 2001 was a Monday, so it was unlikely to have been a High School girl doing some weekend work. 


And so I wonder if Sonja the cashier ever gave a thought to the purchaser of a solitary Kit Kat who tucked the receipt in the middle of a book called, "Classic Crews" that bears on the inside cover an inscription in blue ink that reads, "More for Lukie.  'The man pulling radishes that pointed the way with a radish'. My favorite.  Go sit & have a think.  Much love-o Davey (&stevie & francesca)", that found its way to the shelves of Book-Ink of Ohio in Toledo, en route to my library.


Probably not.  But it was the book I read.




best regards,


electrofried(mr)