Mixed Up Confusion

I see that I've only written two posts on my blog for the whole of June so I guess you've all been wondering what's become of me. Or maybe not. Anyway I'm still here in Edinburgh and looking forward to my trip to London next week to take in some talks at the Marxism Festival, meet up with my nephew Iain hopefully and see some old friends.

I'm usually reading two or three books at any one time, not together I hasten to add,  maybe we could call them my daytime book and my evening/bedtime book and my other book. Sometimes my books can swap places, so my daytime book is picked up when I'm thinking it's my evening book or vice versa. This can cause serious confusion.

This must have been what happened yesterday when I'm trying to work out who this new character was who suddenly appeared in The Hours by Michael Cunningham was.  I couldn't remember any mention of the character before, until I realised that I wasn't reading The Hours at all but had picked up my evening book instead. Problem solved.

I'm thoroughly enjoying The Hours, don't know why I've not read it before. Maybe something to do with Virginia Woolf, as the book was inspired by her book Mrs Dalloway. I think I will have to go back and read Mrs Dalloway now, though I suspect it was the effort of trying to read To The Lighthouse that left me with an aversion to Woolf. But must try again now that I'm older and hopefully wiser.

Will have to watch the movie of The Hours too; I think Streep won an Oscar for her performance in it or if nor was at least nominated. Missed it somehow. And speaking of awards, Cunningham won the Pulitzer Prize for the book, at a time when he was regarded by some as a gay writer. On winning the Pulitzer he said :  I couldn't help noticing that I finally write a book in which no one sucks cock, and I win the Pulitzer Prize. I think maybe with tongue heavily in his cheek as it were.

I'm writing this on an iPad in the Virgin cafe. I'm thinking about buying myself an iPad, so am checking it out to see how it feels typing more than usual on the touch pad and so far so good. I reckon it should do me for my travels. So a trip to the Apple shop in Glasgow is on the cards, there not being one in Edinburgh town. Will have to decide whether to buy a Kindle as well. and yes I know the iPad has a Kindle app but I have my reasons.

Tonight I had dinner with my friend Emer and I'm home now so will finish off this post. We ate in the Abbotsford Bar, which is one of Edinburgh's finest. Worth a visit for the superb island bar, though we ate in the restaurant upstairs as the bar was so busy. Always a good sign, methinks.

On my way home I pass by the Oxfam charity shop and would you believe it they have a window display of Virginia Woolf books. Including Mrs Dalloway, so shall be paying them a visit tomorrow morning.

For those of you who don't know his reportoire "Mixed Up Confusion" is a Dylan song, from early years and on Biograph album/cd.