Saturday, June 14, 2008

Do I LOOK like a spy?

I always enjoy a day when my synaptic functions operate well and I manage to formulate intelligent and amusing thoughts and express them clearly in the form of coherent sentences. Some days I'm doing well to grunt.

Today I did well. At lunch everyone laughed at all the right times, my opinions were sought on a wide range of topics and my responses treated with respect. Much wine was consumed, the sun went down and I was later left alone to contemplate dinner which, I decided, had to involve a stroll up to the supermarket for onions. I like a night stroll.

Standing in the queue, basket in hand. The man before me, who I didn't recognise, looked back at me, sheepishly said "Dirk Gently" and expectantly smiled.

"Hello, yes" I replied, assuming he must be remembering that my name is something like Derek, well, exactly like as it happens, and Dirk was as close as he could get. I'm crap at remembering people so perhaps he wasn't a stranger after all I reasoned.

"Do you know what I'm saying?"

"Yes, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency"

More smiling, "Ah! Someone who understands what I'm talking about!"

"Not really. Knowing what you're saying and understanding what you're talking about are two completely different things and I'm only managing one of them at the moment."

He turned and walked forward to be served and I was left wondering if I'd just failed to respond with the appropriate reply in some clandestine meeting of spies. "The pigeons fly at midnight". "Yes, it is very unexpected at this time of year"... but at least I'd sounded intellingent while doing so.