I started the day up at Albany Airport visiting the Customs and Border Protection office to have our passports corrected (as I mentioned in a previous rant, sorry blog entry, when we arrived in the US the customs official stamped them with the wrong date. To avoid future bureaucratic confusion and delay I thought I'd better get that seen to). The CBP officer hemmed and hawed a bit, but made the alterations and it was all surprisingly painless.
I completed a few more jobs around town, including finally getting my hair cut. Having fretted for months about where to go, I ended up in a cheapo mall salon. The hairdresser was frankly a bit scary looking, but I showed her a photo of my hair as it used to be and she managed to replicate it, so I came away happy and a good deal less poor than I usually did after a haircut back home (though as a student I once had a really cheap cut - 50p! Bargain! Too bad it left me looking like a convict...).
I met up with British friend S for lunch, and that was enjoyable. Her 8-month-old displayed impeccable manners throughout the meal - very impressive.
At some point in the day I found myself back in Barnes & Noble, where I was pleased to note that the buyers have been paying attention to this blog and have restocked their Garrison Keillor section (though still no copies of Pontoon - perhaps sold out on the basis of my mention?).
Anyway, I came across a book called A Perfect Mess, displayed alongside a load of 'declutter your life' books. It takes the opposite thesis, that mess and clutter never hurt anyone and in fact are rather good for you. I have a grudging respect for the authors for taking a common failing (untidiness) and recasting it as a virtue - and for making a buck or two out of the concept. What a gratifying self-help book, telling me I'm perfect just the way I am!
So, it has inspired a new challenge to readers: a self-help book proposal. Pick one of your less admirable habits and give it a positive spin, in fact persuade us this character flaw is downright desirable. I'd like a title and a brief explanatory paragraph, please.
"Random Parenting".
ReplyDeleteThis book demonstrates how ill-considered and capricious behaviour in parenting can be beneficial to child and parent alike. It will show parents how to teach their children that the world is an unfair and unforgiving place where bad things happen even when you're good if someone in power is having a bad day.
I haven't seen this one on the shelves.. but how about 'Faffing about when you're supposed to be doing something constructive is good for the soul' I'd buy that any day.
ReplyDelete"Oh Lord, It's Hard to be Humble"
ReplyDeletePractical exercises for perfect people who are always right, even though everybody else fails to realise. Includes sitting in the corner mumbling "no-one listens to me"
"Picking your nose" - no one ever died from it and it clears the airways
ReplyDeleteShall I, Shan't I?
ReplyDeleteA Ditherer's Guide to Indecision Heaven
This book shows you how to enrich your life by pondering endlessly over the 20 different possibilities on offer rather than boringly plumping for just one of them. Learn to avoid rushing into anything, when you could burn calories worrying about it. But then again ...