Never thought I'd hear you say that

(Darth Foxtrot A one-man army dedicated to making fetch happen, Mon 12 Jul 2010, 9:26, 2 replies, latest was 16 years ago)

which bit?

( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Mon 12 Jul 2010, 9:28, Reply)

Mostly "I need to smoke more pot"
but also the bit about showing restraint during the week
(Darth Foxtrot A one-man army dedicated to making fetch happen, Mon 12 Jul 2010, 9:29, Reply)

two and a half hours sleep
last night. Awful
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Mon 12 Jul 2010, 9:29, Reply)

it's shitty
I've been having the worst sleep I've had in at least a year recently. absolutely no reason for it.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Mon 12 Jul 2010, 9:32, Reply)

Last week
I've slept well. Five hours a night at least every night, and an extra hour of just lying round reading etc. Then suddenly not only am I back at square one, but even worse
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Mon 12 Jul 2010, 9:34, Reply)

Anything playing on your mind?
I usually find that insomnia is stress-related
(Darth Foxtrot A one-man army dedicated to making fetch happen, Mon 12 Jul 2010, 9:34, Reply)

not at all
generally speaking I'm stress-free and when I am stressed I deal with it reasonably well.

I don't like to call it insomnia, because I'm not sure it is, but it doesn't really seem to be linked to anything. I just lie there and my brain flicks from thought to thought really fast, not stressing about anything, but not switching off enough to sleep.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Mon 12 Jul 2010, 9:41, Reply)

I get the same thing
no way I could make my mind go blank. So if I'm forced to go to bed, I just plan my writing
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Mon 12 Jul 2010, 9:42, Reply)

the other night I came up with an awesome guitar riff in my head
but had completely and totally forgotten it by morning. :-(
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Mon 12 Jul 2010, 9:45, Reply)

Tribute?

(porkylips looks better as the sun goes down., Mon 12 Jul 2010, 9:47, Reply)

So it's a matter of getting your brains to shut the fuck up long enough for sleep to take you
Yeah, more pot
(Darth Foxtrot A one-man army dedicated to making fetch happen, Mon 12 Jul 2010, 9:45, Reply)

that pretty much sums the situation up

( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Mon 12 Jul 2010, 9:54, Reply)

pretty much indeed

( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Mon 12 Jul 2010, 9:57, Reply)

Is this a private conversation or can anyone ignore it?

( Larry Vest One day at a time, sweet Jesus, FFS., Mon 12 Jul 2010, 10:03, Reply)

feel free to ignore it
but then you'll miss the fascinating details of what I've read recently
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Mon 12 Jul 2010, 10:06, Reply)

I've just started a book called Twelve
about the Russians at the end of the Napoleonic war recruiting a group of mercenaries who turn out to be vampires.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Mon 12 Jul 2010, 10:09, Reply)

I read
a Horatio Hornblower book, the first book of a different series by Stephen Donaldson and The Wasp Factory
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Mon 12 Jul 2010, 10:11, Reply)

which Donaldson series?
and how did you find the Wasp Factory?
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Mon 12 Jul 2010, 10:15, Reply)

It was called 'The Mirror of Her Dreams'
was a two part series. Seriously crap.

I was prepared to dislike the Wasp Factory but got drawn into it reluctantly. Twisted genius
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Mon 12 Jul 2010, 10:35, Reply)

Mordant's Need or something?
I've got those, you are right in your judgement.

Glad you didn't dislike the Wasp Factory Iain (M) Banks is my favourite author.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Mon 12 Jul 2010, 10:38, Reply)

Yeah that's the one
Literally the weakest, feeblest most boring heroine ever, and incredibly sexist.

I might read some more Iain Banks after that. Was reluctantly impressed. Any recommendations?
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Mon 12 Jul 2010, 10:40, Reply)

that was pretty much my assessment
the other Banks stuff isn't as twisted as that one, but still good.

Espedair Street is my favourite, but that's partly because it is about a prog rock band.
I really like The Crow Road and Complicity, but if you want the weird stuff then The Bridge or Walking on Glass.

Even if you aren't a fan of sci fi I'd still consider reading Consider Phlebas. It's fucking brilliant.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Mon 12 Jul 2010, 10:43, Reply)

thanks for the recs
and of course I'm a fan of sci-fi. :P

Yeah Donaldson went back to this pre-19th century version of women. That they're sex hungry whores who will do anything to make it to the top on their backs, and that therefore the only women who are worth knowing are pure virgins who will save themselves for their wedding nights
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Mon 12 Jul 2010, 10:48, Reply)

of course you are
I'd temporarily forgotten.

I find Donaldson's stuff odd. The Gap Series are great, but I find it really hard to read the Thomas Covenant stuff, I find it drags, and Covenant himself is frustratingly dull and irritating. I know he is meant to be the way he is, but it doesn't mean I enjoy reading it.

Banks has some flawed characters, but generally speaking they are still likeable, or at least enjoyable to read about.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Mon 12 Jul 2010, 10:52, Reply)

I will definitely have a read then
I got the Wasp Factory as a free ebook. I was reading it at about 3 in the morning, when I got to the bit about the flies under the skullcap. Made me feel actually sick, which was an achievement.

Not a big Donaldson fan though Thomas Covenant was all right. How's Twelve?
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Mon 12 Jul 2010, 10:55, Reply)

that bit is pretty stomach turning
give Donaldson's Gap series a go if you haven't already. It's his best stuff in my opinion.

I've literally just started Twelve, so only read about 4 or 5 pages. It starts off with a folk tale about a town plagued by rats which was quite interesting.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Mon 12 Jul 2010, 10:57, Reply)

I like the sound of the whole thing
let me know if it is good. Oh yeah I finally read The TimeTraveller's Wife as well
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Mon 12 Jul 2010, 11:01, Reply)

will do
I haven't read that. how did you find it?

can't remember if my mrs liked it or not...
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Mon 12 Jul 2010, 11:02, Reply)

mediocre
I thought it was brilliantly constructed in terms of tying up ends and keeping the timeline in order. But the plot itself was cliched nonsense, and the explanation given for his timetravelling was that he had a genetic disorder which was so rubbish an idea.

Though the timetraveller did try having sex with himself
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Mon 12 Jul 2010, 11:04, Reply)