Hello.
Hello.
Are you still rooting around for a reason to breathe?
Not today.
What's different about today?
Persuasion.
Jane Austen?
Yes.
And how many others?
About 25.
A veritable library.
Yes.
And after you are free to stop breathing?
Technically, yes.
How long do you think it will take.
Well I was averaging a book a day so I would have said 25 days. But All The Pretty Horses confounded me. So I switched to Freakonomics. It may be more.
Freakonomics? Good one. Conclusions?
That I will never be an economist.
Why not? You're crazy enough.
Yes, but I always base my conclusions on a sample size of one. They call it anecdotal. I call it the last word in truth.
I see your problem there. What conclusions did you draw from this sample size of one?
People who read nothing (and I mean nothing) but The Malaysian Accountant are so boring, they're scary.
And you extrapolated that from...
Yeah, from...
But he was scary.
I know. But maybe he's Unique. Maybe there are other factors that cause the uninterest in books which lead to his stagnant pond, relate-the-same-anecdote-fifty- million-times sort of personality.
You mean the lack of reading could be an effect, not a cause?
Yes.
I see your point. But The Malaysian Accountant? I mean, come on.
Oh yeah, that and Auditors' Reports: The Best Of, series.
You're shitting me.
I'm not.
So 25?
Yeah.
Care to tell me what?
No, not really. Too much of a fag. But you take one trip to England, throw in one birthday and two booksales and you have...
A library?
You got it!
OK then, call me when you want to stop.
Reading?
No, breathing.
14 comments:
I love that title.
I want to just read and read and read. I could live a happy life if I could just read.
Accountants are scary. And I used a sampling of more than just one.
Jenn, you are so off the wall! I just love to come here and read your stories - you always evoke some emotion from me! I haven't heard anything about the mother for awhile, though. Are she (and the neighbors) behaving themselves?
Interesting, engaging stuff.
Question: Which one is better in terms of location, price and facilities, Cititel Express or Swiss Inn (the ones in KL)?
Thanks :)
Nessa: I guess it comes from putting everything in two columns -debit and credit - neat little columns to explain away life.
Jackie: My Blessed Mamma is in Johor while I am in KL at the moment. So no Mommy stories. The neighbours are as badly behaved as ever. Some things don't change...
John: You mean you're coming over here? I think I would prefer Cititel to Swiss Inn. (Swiss Inn had bad toilets). When are you coming?
I'd get Cititel then. Nothing's final yet but I will inform you in case everything works out fine :)
I have started reading productively again (as in: less Harper's Bazaar).
Novels to read when one is down - any suggestions? Would love to read your list!
(And yes, accounting IS scary - just left a job where that was like 90 percent of what I was doing near the end. I adore the Wall Street Journal, but would set myself aflame if I ever returned to days and weeks again of spreadsheets and figures.)
John: Yipee! You'll be the first blogger I meet if you do.
Ling: Oh dear. I don't hate all accountants. Just this particular one turned "boring" into an art of perfection. I love the Financial Times, myself. But then, I'm biased there cos we had FT people come to my newspaper to train us.
OK I will post list. Haha. Some of the books are goofy but goofy is good where I come from.
Ling, I couldn't get into your blog? Send me an invite?
This is hilarious Jenn. Being a writer, I distrust people who deal in numbers. The fact that my brother (who deals in futures) may be the spawn of Satan doesn't ameliorate that notion at all.
From now on I vow to throw potato salad at anyone holding a calculator.
PTB: What do you have against potato salad?
PTB: Wow. I just finished Confessions of An Economic Hitman and I think that whole manipulating numbers thing is nothing short of murderous. Who could have thought that "economists" could be on par with ethnic cleansers?
Nessa: :)
Jenn! What's your email? Send to mine - the_duck_808@hotmail.com. I'll put you on the list!
And I LOVE the booklist!
I agree that people who mess about with numbers/money are a scary bunch. I also believe that money is the fundamental, underlying motive behind nearly all of the most important events in human history. I may even go out on a limb and say "all" instead of "nearly all."
Oh, and "I always base my conclusions on a sample size of one. They call it anecdotal. I call it the last word in truth." just became my latest email signature.
Hey Andy! Great to have you back.
Hahahaha - I like your new email signature.
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