“You talk too damn much and too damn much of it is about you.”

― Raymond Chandler, The Long Goodbye

Not obsessed or anything...

... but this is my playlist today:

(Carry On fan art via Leela)

Questions from my husband that make me happy:

"Is it okay if I make nutella pancakes for dinner?"

Worth the bed sores

I'm on the record as being a big Rainbow Rowell fan. I'm also a sucker for fantasy novels and romance. These are three reasons why Rowell's new novel, Carry On, feels like it has been written specifically for me. Unlike, say, Lev Grossman's The Magician's, it's not necessarily a novel I'd recommend for everyone, even if I do think it's been heavily influenced by the Grossman series. Without wanting to do spoilers there are some elements of it some people might not be into and the central mystery could probably be more mysterious or convoluted if that was what the book was about which, well, it's kind of not.However, I would urge anyone who likes fantasy of the Harry Potter type and/or likes Rowell's other novels to give this one a red hot crack because I loved it. I read 90 per cent of it in one sitting and it was worth the bed sores.

Husband Number Two Should Andy Perish In A Tragic House Fire And After I Have Waited An Appropriate Length Of TIme

Come on. Come ooooon: doesn't this guy (photo via The Sartorialist) seem like the best? Just look at him. Look at that smile. Look at that hair. I want to mess up that hair so badly right now I have an actual ache in my bathing suit area. I also really want to borrow that cute little shrunken jacket that seems like it might be, I don't know, velvet? Corduroy? Either way I'm into it. In my mind the first couple of times I borrowed it he'd be charmed because we were madly in love and I'd look adorable even though it didn't really technically button up over my boobs and was kind of too tight on my chubby arms. Then after we moved in together and made that shit official he'd start finding the jacket put away in my cupboard and get a bit pissy with me. After so many years I'd claim the jacket had always been mine and he'd borrowed it off me. Then he'd show me this photo - taken years before we met - to show me what a liar I was and I'd be sad because a) he was right and I was wrong and also a big exposed liar and b) this photo would remind me of how cute and lovely and charming he was once when he was just a smile and a cute haircut and what a dick he's since become and how much I want a divorce.

Favourite Things I Have Done in Thailand This Week

1. Sat on my balcony listening to this.

2. Not set my alarm clock.

3. Breakfasted alone. For, like, 2 hours with my book.

4. Snorkelled in really deep water and not thought about sharks the whole time. To clarify: I thought about sharks most of the time so I didn't really enjoy this while I was doing it, per se, but I did feel chuffed with myself for not being a total pussy and staying on the boat.

5. Ate a LOT of really good food. Last night's six course meal (seven if you count the little swinging chocolates at the end) was a real highlight, even if I was in danger of having to roll out of the restaurant.

6. Demonstrated iron will power by not drinking every wine or cocktail put in front of me... which was a lot.

7. Encountered charming Aussies running hotels or restaurants or both over here. Once of them grew up a street away from me.

8. Had two of the best massages I've ever had. I still feel a bit like I was beaten up but in the best possible way.

9. Fell asleep in the sun.