Raven like a writing desk

Coffee and cigarettes

DR. FELL

But people don't always tell you what

they're thinking ... They just see to it

you don't advance.

(Hannibal (2001), screenplay by Steven Zaillian, based on the novel by Thomas Harris)

Black dog

Hampstead Heath, Winter 2010

Blue sky thinking

Jet sighted over London, 11:21am. About this time last year I was on a rotten flight to London myself. It's been one day at a time since then.

The new thing is coming along. I'm working on the first draft -- what I call the "See Spot Run" draft. The basics in the order you want, gaps and holes and errors included. The trick of the first draft is to accept your mistakes and forgive yourself. (Ha! I find it difficult even writing that sentence.)

Plane flights are boring and terrible now. I can't read on a plane and I hate viewing movies in the back of the seat in front of me. I always end up watching what passengers across the aisle are watching, staring over their shoulders at the screen. With the sound off.

Just me being difficult, really.

The last movie I really enjoyed on a plane was Mike Nichols' Closer. Based on the stage play, but way better; Jude Law pwned, Clive Owen yelling obscenities at Julia Roberts; Julia rocking the Gap look and fiddling with a very nice camera. Mainly I liked it for the yelling, and the way Julia's hands played on a Leica.

You will find a better place / in this twilight

Modern times

'Your book broke,' she said.

'I got sick of her carrying round that brick of paper so we loaded the PDF onto the Sony Reader,' he explained, cutting in.

'And the fucking Reader broke,' she continued. 'I was really enjoying it, too. I was up to chapter three.'

Of all the arguments for ebooks, onboard luggage has emerged as the most compelling. Except for that bit.

I dreamt that I was dreaming, I was wired to a clock