Tuesday, May 8, 2007

Day 26



Humor Blogs - Blog Top Sites

Create Blog
Humor Blogs

La Réponse de Forsythia


From: Forsythia_f@zmut.fr
To: Hwisgaaomriu@poste_électronique.fr
Subject: Whatever


Laurent,

We returned this morning from the most exquisitely refreshing six weeks in the Maldives. The decision to absent ourselves from the hurly burly and hoi polloi was strictly spur of the moment, but you know all about that. No time at all to advise old friends before the flight, and certainly no thought about sending even the odd postcard once in paradise. Both of us are relaxed and happy, as are the children. When are you planning on coming down to Nice for a long weekend? Shall we say the thirteenth to the fifteenth of next month? We do have so much catching up to do. Life has taken flight since moving from Paris. Cézar, by the way, is requesting for the umpteenth time that you cease and desist referring to him as ‘Whatisname’, at least until such time as you can refrain from laughing hysterically and snorting through your nose. He says the routine is long past its sell-by date and that you should look elsewhere for your amusement. He also asks (as do I) that you should only visit us if you are planning to visit with us. Do not bother to come if your intention is to regale us with another one of your pointless, pathetic computer fantasies. Am I making myself clear, or haven’t you actually read this letter?

I don’t know when I shall get ‘round to looking at all your email. Is that all you do these days? Bombard your beleaguered acquaintances with endless rants? Quite frankly, I can’t be bothered writing unimportant blather to unimportant people. A busy professional life and motherhood, not to mention a proactive and loving relationship with an intelligent, compatible husband, provide me will all the necessary, intellectual distractions I could ever desire. Besides (and Cézar teases me about this), it would take a miracle for me to actually sit down and writer a personal letter. I was on the verge of saying that I would need to be whipped first, but stopped myself. Knowing you and your infantile sense of humour, you’d probably get all worked up and start yammering on about rubber sheets or something.

Are you all right? I did ask my secretary to respond to your verbiage every so often, but after the third or fourth attempt at communicating with you she begged to be let off the hook. Apparently you insulted her several times and made absolutely no sense. If what she says is true, I must admit to feeling saddened. She is a loyal and effective employee and does not deserve to be treated in a rude and insolent manner.

I am worried about your mental health. All your correspondence makes me weary. You lecture me constantly and you are fully aware of how boring that is. Please, in the future, when you write to me, spare me the commentary. The details alone are sufficient. And please, no ranting. Agreed?

Please let me know about coming down as soon as possible. Cézar wants to paint the guest bedroom. If you cannot make the dates mentioned above, he will bring in the decorators over that weekend.

I ran into Mumsy the other day. She mentioned that your house looked unlived in. If you’re not careful, you’ll just disappear and no one will know the difference.

Will you please forgive me if I simply delete all your emails? I know you’ll come up with more, whether or not they annoy me. Perhaps we can save our news for when we get together. Wouldn’t that be a good idea?

Both Cézar and I hope you are having a better year. Shall we plan on seeing you soon? Would you like me to invite Mumsy and Sudsy at the same time?

- Forsythia ffanwyth-Featherstonehaughe, JD

PS. Cézar says you may bring your computer with you if it will make you feel better.


Fin

Sunday, May 6, 2007

Day 25



Humor Blogs - Blog Top Sites


The Garden of Utter Sanguinity and Wonderment


08.32 My last supper, albeit a breakfast
Subject: Whatever

Dearest Darling Forsythia,


It is, I fear, goodbye, my dearest Forsythia. I am about to drown in my own succulent juices. My legs have gone, and there is now the indescribable sensation of my sexual organs being devoured. One has always fantasised about this, no? What red-blooded pervert, hasn’t? Funnily enough, however, the fantasy was never like this, not in the least. In the fantasy, one is not dying; in real life, one is. I am also horribly alone. Except, of course, for this nameless, inexorable thing. Succour will not be brought to me, and neither will anything joyful or pleasant or in the least bit admirable. In the end, I shall be alone in every possible sense. Not even a note from you, my dear Forsythia. Not even a thought.

I am so cold. I don’t want it to end like this. All I wanted was to be happy. Contented, even.

I cannot find my fingers anymore. Only goo. And the “send” key is so very far away. Will you forgive me if I end on yet another reiteration? Shit, shit, thrice times shit! – Your Frie…..

















Day 24

Humor Blogs - Blog Top Sites


The Joy of Pain and The Death of Supplementary Toes


07.19 Why?
Subject: Regarding Digits


First of all, I submit to you a question demanding an immediate answer!

How is it possible to retain my composure, my essence of chic, when I am in excruciating pain? Inexhaustible, unrelievable, unrelenting pain? Shooting, gnashing, gnawing, grinding, unmitigated pain?

Oh, I know quite well what you are saying behind your teeth. I saw your pouty, inflated, colleginated, botoxed lips move in a dream, and heard the uttered mutter, “Do I care? Is he still alive?” Oh, yes, my dearest one, those were the treasured words and sentiments spoken by your balloon-animal lip when they move ever so softly in the twilight. That is how they thrust the sharpened sword upwards through my very gullet.

“Oh hideous perfidy,” I shriek in hapless frustration and sadness. “How could you be so heartless?” Cannot those cosseted, faraway lips feel my pain? How is it they cannot even begin to experience my agony, or have a clue as to its veracity? As far as they are concerned, it is the merest and subtlest twinge, a non-consequential mini boilette on the posterior of my ineptitude.

For your information, however, it is not a “merest twinge” or petty botheration. Au contraire, my little fruit salad. It is much, much more than even you in all your wisdom could have anticipated.

It is a matter of my toes!

You might possibly recall the clatter clatter noises I mentioned the other night. Well, they refused to depart from the house, no matter what. And now my toes appear to be missing. In fact, they no longer appear at all.

I admit that due to my present circumstances, I wouldn’t be able to see my fragrant digits even if they were still dangling from their designated toeholds. The batteries of my torch have utterly expired, and my small and diminishing universe has been plunged into vile darkness and despair. I can see nothing. Nothing, I tell you! This bodes not at all well for that bizarre, rambling blind lady who swore up and down over the telephone that the batteries she so callously sold me would not and could not lose power. Not in ten years. Not in twenty years. Not in ninety years. Not even in nine hundred forty-two million billions trillion years.

Before you point out my shortcomings, I admit it was my fault. I should really have suspected that something was array when she started babbling on about eternity and the unbreakable light bulbs of fate. But you know how horribly trusting I am, how pathetically gullible. I am simply compelled by fate to trust someone, anyone, at least once a day, or I’ll go mad. My problem is, I never seem to zero in on the right person.

I trusted. And because I trusted and was, once again, figuratively kicked in a very bad place, I promise on your mother’s soothing unguent that I shall wreak havoc upon that odd-sounding lady and upon the other identically odd-sounding blind (and deaf) lady who sold me that “Everlasting, Ever-Shining Shoe Polish” exactly one year ago today. That you thought was funny. In fact, you laughed so hard that I was forced to pay the restaurant for the cost of a new, brocade chair. “Oven cleaner”, the product turned out to be. Mislabelled oven cleaner. How funny would it have been, Miss It’s-So-Funny-I’ve-Just-Wet-Myself, if I’d drunk it by mistake? Chortle, chortle, chortle. Snigger, snigger, snigger. And how about the occasion, exactly one year before that, when I spilled my so-called “Sundew Brand Ever-Black Cuticle and Testicle Crème” (another special telephone offer hawked by a ‘blind single mother with seventeen children and a ferukha) on my salad de tomate? I nearly expired I did, in convulsions and inverted orgasms. However, what if I had been eating ice cream at the time or had been concentrating on an arcane philosophical equation? Would that have been equally hilarious? Would you have split your gut through over-exuberant hysterical laughter?

It’s all down to political correctness and cost-effectiveness, of course. I realise there are a great many blind (and deaf) people wandering about, looking for something to do and bumping into unlikely objects, and I suppose most of them are imminently employable as salespeople. I’m all in favour of that; in fact, I’m a great exponent of full employment. That being said, does it send the right message for blind salespeople to be encouraged (or cajoled or bribed) to sell products blindly? To sell impossible products to fools like me who desperately believe them because I’m sure I’m destined for Hell if I don’t? And while we are about it, why not employ them as driving instructors or bus drivers and lure me aboard?

By the tone of my voice, you will be suspecting that I am in pain. My very soul is wracked, and I cannot but shall act accordingly. Although I have not as yet decided in what form my revenge shall take, you will know when my fury is unleashed. And after you know, the world will know. Just as soon as I have coordinated my vengeance and loaded my chilblains with explosives.

But I digress. I am utterly disconsolate and desperate about the condition (or lack of condition) of my toes, and this is affecting my entire outlook on life. That and the uncertainty. If only I knew for certain… knew for certain that there were unrelenting gaps at the end of my feet. I feel nothing but numbness down there. What if they had merely lost all their feeling (much like your heart), and were dangling there, grey and shrivelled and disconsolate? What if they were elsewhere, on holiday, for example, and were planning on coming back when the weather has improved?

The very numbness frightens me, especially because I’m sure I feel what amounts to phantom pain. Horrible, searing, phantom pain, but I cannot reach down to check. My hands are occupied elsewhere and it is so very very dark. If I were common I might be heard to lament, “Shit, Shit, and thrice again, Shit!”

As usual, I shall be patient. In spite of appearances, I will continue to believe that everything will turn out for the best. However, moral and spiritual support from a treasured friend is always welcome at such a time. Will you please read up on Buddhism and “Omulate” for me? Just in case? – Your beloved Laurent.

***

12.02 Nearly lunchtime with not an antipasto in sight
Subject: Congratulations

Dearest Darling Forsythia,


I forgot to congratulate you on the publication and rapturous reception of your masterly work, The Joys of Thrush: Personal Agriculture for Fun and Profit, by Forsythia Fhanwyth-Featherstonehaughe, JD. I lie prostrate with grief and awe at your feet. Such a mind you have! Such a facility for language! Mind you, I profess to be more than slightly miffed, not to say disappointed in your subject matter, which I personally find distasteful, as well as a little smelly. Why did you not make it clear on the cover that you were not waxing lyrical about the small, modestly clad, sweet-voiced songbirds we all so enjoy in our gardens. I have written to your publisher to complain, and also to Le Monde and Libération to express my utter disappointment. Your book is a tragedy for France, and what is a tragedy for France is a mortification for the world. – L.
***

14.17 Missing your letters
Subject: Neighbours

Dearest Darling Forsythia,


Have you remained entirely ignorant of the goings-on in No. 3, up near the top of the street?

As you are no doubt aware, the house is occupied almost entirely by refugees from Great Britain, having fled from that green and pleasant land to escape the dire undertrimmings and the all-pervasive decay of that strangely flatulent society.

Flat No. 2, on the first floor, is, as you know, occupied by a certain Miss G. Thong. Sharing her bed and board and affections is H. Snotter, erstwhile tenant of “The Hedges”, The Weir, Lesser Wolverhampton. When actually and actively employed, he occasionally supplements Miss Thong’s meagre income from moneys garnered as an assistant behind the second-best wet fish leavings counter at Monoprix, having in his life occupied a similar position in Sainbury’s Used Food Section. Miss Thong works as an office manager for L.Grosthweite et fils, carpet fitters.

Most evenings, Miss Thong and Mr. Snotter can be heard engaging in certain indispensable and raucous pursuits.

Dwelling directly above Miss Thong, in apartment 5, is a certain Mlle. Emile Habitude and her lover Henrietta du Nord. Both earn extra income by nefarious means and are seldom seen either in public or out of doors.

It may be of interest to you that Madame du Nord, in her earlier incarnation, foreswore the shaving of her legs so as to appear more French. However, for no particular reason, but after the onslaught of an unbearable chic, she was seen ordering large quantities of wax from a well-known and respectable undertakers supplier.

Mlle. Habitude has always been immoderately quiet in all respects, and prefers to be spoken about in severely post-modern terms. There was, of course, the historical occasion, well-remembered by those whose business it was to know about such things, when, in a fit of pique, she uttered “All men are Pflod!”, an outburst which came as an untimely intrusion in an otherwise perfect day.

Immediately after this, a gargantuan chasm opened up, but it solved nothing. There was, quite naturally, the usual bleakness and disrepair, and following that (it was shortly before midnight on the 4th or 5th of the month), old Mr. Hamster on the top floor flung himself from his small dormer; he was inevitably impaled upon the railings far below. Again, nothing was solved, and his flat was sublet to a family of eight with no prospects.

The interestingly aroma-ed fourth assistant inspector from the Office of Unaccountable Taxation, the one with the sibilant comb-over, studied the occupants of apartment number three with uncommon intensity, but it availethed nothing. There was no one there.

Soon the house fell asunder and a dark grey multi-story car park was erected on the site, blocking the view of the small Ethiopian restaurant and causing the yoghurt to decline.

Still, the Office of Unaccountable Taxation watched and waited.

It was all very sad. It was bland and scurrilous. They all died.
Fin.

PS. Has it occurred to you that I am trying my best to provoke a response? Have I offended you? Have you moved away? Are you no longer in a communicable arrondisement? Are you dead? Or are you simply too busy to care?







Saturday, May 5, 2007

Day 23



Humor Blogs - Blog Top Sites


On the Indispensability of Feet


04.23 The End is Ever-Nearing
Subject: Oh Oh!

Dearest Darling Forsythia,


I have the most frightful news. I am not alone. I know I raised the alarm before, but this time I’m sure of it. I can smell the putrid skankiness of their motorcycles even as I write. I feel their ship as it slimes the lovely marble of my floors. I’m petrified; my sweat reeks of fear. What if I’m found out? And what if they find nothing to steal or vandalise and become provoked? What if they attack me with a router?

I can pinpoint exactly when this current break-in occurred, although unfortunately not the date. My life is so very confusing at the moment, and I can’t really be expected to remember everything, can I? Anyway, it was shortly after I submitted my ideas concerning low-cost housing. A big mistake to go public, as it turns out. Some extremely devious person, I don’t know who for sure (although I have an idea or two on the subject), hacked into my computer and stole my idea. They must have! How else could they have come up with the idea that my lovely house would make a suitable location for housing the unhouseable?

There is the strangest rattling and dumping and thumping going on, almost as though someone was emptying and scrubbing out kitchen drawers. This is a bad sign. A horrible sign. Although I resent having to share my house with anyone, I will do so at a pinch, and even gladly given the right circumstances. However, I’m damned if I’ll do it with a person who feels compelled to rearrange drawers in the middle of the night. That sort of compulsive behaviour I can do without.

It has occurred to me that if I no longer have any say about what goes on in my own home, it might be smart to simply move elsewhere and not fight a destiny that clearly no longer smiles upon me. The only problem is, I came across a large Stilton and a bottle of rather jolly, aged Porto a couple of days ago, and my waist has doubled in size. If it was for all intents and purposes impossible before, an exit is now completely out of the question. There is no way on God’s earth I shall be able to squeeze myself out through that miserable excuse for a slot. You were indeed fortunate that you were pregnant when your computer tried to suck you into its maw, and for that you should be eternally grateful to your precious daughter, Marjorie Barnacle. And, of course, to Whatisname (I say this in case he is peering over your shoulder and feels he deserves at least some of the credit for your condition). Schtuping you when he did turned out to be quite providential, didn’t it? Saved your fucking life.

There is suddenly the most awful crunching noise coming from God knows where. Please tell me it is not a family of les cafards, although I suppose that might account for the rattling of drawers. Please, please, please don’t let it be cockroaches! Crunch crunch crunch. How I wish I had a lamp in here, or at least a gun. Blasting away might not scare them, but it would make me feel a whole lot better. With my luck, no matter how many of them I massacred wouldn’t bother them one iota. It might even inspire them to seek revenge, and then where would I be? I don’t want to be eaten to death by ugly little scabby things with beetle brains. I have a bad enough inferiority complex as it is, plus no sex life, plus my skin is beginning to sag.

I just realised something. The rattling and banging might not be les cafards after all. It might be the owner of the Stilton. If so, again I am lost. There is no way I could pretend not to have eaten the cheese, not with every pore of my body smeared with the stuff. Further more, even with the distended state of my mid-section, the evidence offered by the nakedness of my nether region discounts any claims I may make concerning an incipient motherhood. I may not be hung like a donkey, but it is quite obvious I am a man, even with the weather being as cold as it is. I wish you were here to help me think up a few good lies. Is there anyway you can help? Can’t you think up a few good lies and send me an instant message? Or, even better, couldn’t you put your head together with Whatisname and come up with a way of getting me out of here? Hello? Are you there?

Supposing someone was merely hiding their Stilton and Porto from their spouse or their cat? How would you feel if you secreted your cheese inside a handy computer, and some specious idiot who happened to be living in it went ahead and ate it? I should be livid. Practically seething. What if he wants payment for it? What if he wants it back? Perhaps he is a vengeful sort who demands payment in blood? Oh, Forsythia, I do not have a proper defence for my actions. It is not as though I asked whom the cheese belonged to. It didn’t even occur to me to ask. I simply saw and ate. Oh God, the guilt that is rampaging through me. I can’t stand it.

I will hide. I managed to locate a small tunnel this morning. God only knows what it’s for, but I’ve nothing to lose by checking it out.

Be extremely concerned about me. This crunchy, crunchy, crunchy business is scaring the brown out of me and driving my brain towards implosion! Plus there’s this really annoying guilt over eating the cheese. And drinking the Port. Merde! Merde! Merde!

Perhaps what I really want is to get caught. Do you think that could be it? Be honest about it, what have I really going for me? Not only do I allow myself to be devoured by an appliance, but then I compound the problem by consuming someone else’s delicacies without even taking the trouble of ascertaining the identity of its rightful owner. I deserve to die. I deserve to be caught and tortured beyond reasonable limits, and then put to death. Slowly, painfully and without the slightest mercy. Oh, Forsythia, I need a priest. I know it wouldn’t do me any good, for he’s bound to send me straight into the pot of puss and then wash his hands.

Crunch, crunch, crunch. Rattle, rattle, rattle. Whoever is out there possessing my house and stalking me has a definite something about him. Body odour. Stifling. Suffocating. Like a routier’s kitchen in the summer during a heat wave. Body odour, plus massive doses of cologne and musk deodorant. Oh, Forsythia, where is death by some other torture? Not this. Please not this. Even I deserve a little dignity.

I need a blowtorch. I want to blast the bastards, and I want to do it now. – Laurent.

PS. Please accept my apologies for not sending the specifications for our latest blockbuster utensil unit at an earlier date. Our director of marketing has gone on holiday and has taken the engineers with her.

PPS. My visitor is moving about once more and, I fear, is closing in.

***

10.12 What the fuck, re-eating the Stilton
Subject: Industrial Action

Dearest Darling Forsythia,


A number of our girls and boys at Anita’s White-Slavery Motor Hotel and Karaoke Bar™ are threatening to go one strike. Can you believe it? After all we’ve done for them! Exclusive Executive SluttoBunnies™, indeed! The Wally-Mart of Slutty Slumo Grinders, is more like it! I am sorely tempted to discount them all and sell them el cheapo by the minute to the residents of Florida trailer parks. I am not in the least bit happy, Forsythia, and simply refuse to stand by and do nothing while they take us to the cleaners!

I thank God that I invested my money elsewhere. But how about you, my dearest one? Where abideth your portfolio? At Anita’s, that’s where. And that is definitely not for your greater good, I’ll tell you that much, not when you take into account their behaviour and the current market volubility. But enough about you and your continuing financial woes. We must turn our attention back to our beautiful though not-to-be-trusted slutikins. Who do they think they are, that’s what I want to know? What do they want? Is there no end to their heartlessness? Don’t they care that your entire life savings is tied up in their putrid though gaily decorated rat hole? Don’t they realise that your tender buddlets, the fruits of your womb, depend upon their vaginal and anal vigours for nightly naughty sustaining gruel and dumplings? Will Ms. Magenta Loinsifter (the madam, lest you forget) and her co-conspirators not rest until you and your little ones are ruined and cast out on to the streets? With only the sewer to bathe in? Without matching luggage or satellite or broadband or WiFi or a Dame Vivienne Westwood Snood for your nasal nozzle?

Do not capitulate. Never turn back. At this late date we simply cannot start actually paying them, no matter how much they threaten us. Think of the signal it would send. Think of what your political rivals would say if they suspected, even for a moment, that you employed beauteous young ladies and bountiful young men, as well as the ever-popular inbetweeners and ducks, to engage in deviant sexual practices for filthy lucre? You would be ruined, my dear Forsythia, absolutely ruined. Forced to live in an unfortunate arrondisement, in slimy mould-encrusted paper bags with not even a pot to piss in. With but one stained and stench-filled pillowcase to keep you warm. A target for derisive comments and oblique scorn. And with next to no chance for repatriation. And not only that, but you would have to colour your own hair yourself with products advertised on TV.

It seems to me, Forsythia, that you very well may be ruined and cast out into the street no matter what. I am so terribly sorry. But that’s the way it is. Can I buy your furniture, especially those pieces your little darlings haven’t actually thrown-up on? Your kitchen appliances? Your briefcase? I recall the latter was handmade for you at Louis Vuitton and is indispensable for my happiness.

There is one alternative for you, however, but only one. You must get thee into a hiding place for a dozen years or two, undergo extensive cosmetic surgery, and enrol in my Deluxe Power Personality Disorder Seminars™. Learn how your lips can drip with greed and lust. Learn how to get everything you want, as well as everything everyone else has. Learn how to leave nothing for your neighbours. Learn how to sacrifice tender plumpish virgins by the light of the moon. Learn how to convert your wishes and dreams into untold wealth. Learn how to prepare perfectly cooked vegetables with my All New Combination Sperm Bank and Roach Motel Veggie Slicer and Dicer™, only €9.99 ($47,000.49 US) per month for seventeen (17) months, or a one time payment of €39.93, plus VAT, luxury tax, title, insurance and shipping. Funds, hélas, must be paid in Argentinean currency, since it is most amusing, not to mention attractive and seductively redolent of the tango and musk.

Yes, Forsythia, with my New Combination Sperm Bank and Roach Motel Veggie Slicer and Dicer™, your life will never again be the same. You might even say that the sun will rise and set only for you! And how can I make this remarkable claim, you ask? Well, as an Extra Special Gift™ for valued, qualified customers such as yourself, you will not only receive a New Combination Sperm Bank and Roach Motel Veggie Slicer and Dicer™, but you will be presented with a Free One Year’s Supply™ of Blossom’s Extra Sticky Green Ear Wax™, complete with handy, ultraviolet dispenser at No Additional Cost™, merely a One Time Delivery Cost™ of €300 ($594,376.97 US), to be deducted from your Miraculous Ruchl Forever Glowing Never Fail Credit Card™. Impress your friends! Crush your enemies! Win elections and have fabulous orgasms!

Offer only good where local regulations are unenforceable. Limit: one to a customer. Lifetime warranty subject to customer’s credit history, springtime freshness and the quality of his or her fake tan.

More later. Please rescue me when you’ve a free moment. – Laurent.

Thursday, May 3, 2007

Day 22

Humor Blogs - Blog Top Sites


La Madonna della Incontinenta of the Ungulatas & Others of that Ilk


06.05 After a sleepless night
Subject: Vile and Treacherous Villains, O! Computers


Dearest Darling Forsythia,


A horrible tragedy, proving once again, and perhaps once and for all, the ignominy of all things computorial. An unseen presence over the weekend, during the hours when I was asleep and this vile PC wasn’t even on, caused my inbox to vanish without trace. Even your darling muesli bits are gone. I despair. I am shattered. I am despondent. I am annoyed and peeved. I have spent the past twelve hours yelling, “These muesli bits are my inspiration and my life!” I thundered, “You have stuck a dagger into my heart and into my soul and into my loins.” And then, not wanting to sound too petulant, merely deeply spiritual, artistic and eloquent, I added, “You have slaughtered my profundity and taken away my very essence. Do you know whose muesli bits you have so piteously sacrificed? Why, they were none but those of mine own sweet Forsythia Bolimya, daughter to that most blessed of saints (second class), the Miraculous Ruchl™ Immaculata™ Ultimata™, Beloved of Laundries and Sewers™, Most Sacred to the Desperata™ and Illiterata™. You have verily silenced her sweet voice and ripped her tongue out by the jagged edges. Oh, what have you done to my sweet Bolymia?” And this is the truth, as only I know it.

And now, my sweet Forsythia, you must unburden yourself to me, lest my inbox be forever naked and unadorned, and I be rendered for all time desolate. – Your Loving Laurent.

PS. In the eventuality that I may someday be released from this prison of despair, I am practicing the fine art of pancake cookery. Such pancakes we shall have when once more we are united! Never have you tasted such pancakes as I shall puddle forth on to the well-tempered skillet! Buttermilk pancakes and also raspberry. Chocolate, as well as rhubarb. Fennel, but not thyme, chopped liver but not trout snout. Pheasant bowel and cod lips. Oh, prepare thy mouth and saliva! Thy stomach and nether regions! In anticipation, wilt thou commission new crockery? – L.
***

12.02 Fearing that my brain is liquefying
Subject: Fresh Innovations

Dearest Darling Forsythia,


I am being accused of unreconstructively innovative conservatism, of being a commercial sludge-hocker. This, in spite of the many product launches of unprecedented scale and luminosity coming from our factories and design gurus (please make note of the modest usage of lower case). I supposed I ought to shrug off the slurs with a dismissive such is life, but is it so disappointing. When you are at the very top, all the critics (and who are they but petulant, jealous little failures with brutish sexual habits?) who once took such pleasure in your potential are now falling over themselves to bury you in a pit of vitriol. How sad life is, and how I would kill myself before inhabiting the cerebellum of such a person! It does so put me in mind of the outrageous scandal involving your dear cousin Elspeth della Incontinenta, the formerly lost and forgotten shadow-relative of the demi-immaculate mother of our beloved little Ruchl of the Stetl™, as she was known prior to her promotion to Mumsy™ and subsequent transformation by divine and inviolate authority of the supreme sphincter into our Miraculous Pipette™, Patroness of the Immortals™. You do, of course, remember the scandal, or need I re-enlighten you? Your life is such a busy one, so filled with activities and good works. Perhaps one of these days you might invest in one of those tiny, chip-driven computer thingies that reclines in the palm of your hand and refuses to acknowledge your existence at opportune moments. The importance of these ‘engines’ lies not in what they can do for you, which is relatively little and certainly much less than well-trained servant, who at the very least, can be beaten to within a inch of his or her life if he or she misbehaves in a computerish fashion. No, the importance of small electronic wizardly devices is that they encourage one to indulge in a life of pure and driven efficiency, for which you, its owner, will required an ever-increasing number of impossibly sophisticated accessories . Are you following me? In a blissful, gentle pre-Raphaelite world, the sort of world in which romantics such as I would prefer to live, an investment in a basic laptop would invariably lead to scruples and a rash. The only cure would be to grow beautifully luxuriant and well-curled hair and purchase a small, beautifully-bound notebook and fountain pen. This in turn would lead to a disposition for recording each and every thought and inspiration in said notebook in a flowing, refined and learned hand. Hélas, in the ‘real world’, the world of avarice and unction and vile politics, this scenario is but a footnote in history. Morocco-bound notebooks and gold-nibbed pens and hand-ground ink are now food for the garbage grinder; electronic hard wear is like sugar: the first taste and you’re hooked. The first laptop breeds a craving for the second, this one twice as expensive and laden with delicious toys. This in turn opens the door to your bank accounts. More More More, and soon every waking moment will be spent entering data into your cyber wonder worker; every sleeping second will see your fingers whizzing through the endless cycle of increasingly hypnotic games, games of which you never reach the end, games intent on destroying what remains of your mind. You take to sneering at your lovely luxuriant locks and calling them a mullet. Your hair falls off in despair and ennui. And finally? The inevitable thud as your data and all that lies within is lost forever in the great swamp at the bottom-most cavern of the cyber Styx. For the player there are no more miracles. One the other hand, for the stout of heart and resolute of spirit who rejected the sweet siren song of ‘the real world’, there is a just reward: the gentle balm of disposition, erudition and the contentment of a thrillingly tubular romanticism. The only exception to this rule of life are engineers, but since they have no souls and so may count for naught, they needn’t be counted among the living.

But where was I? Why am I forever misplacing my thoughts? Ah, yes, with the heinous scandal surrounding Elspeth della Incontinenta. From Seville she was, or was it Château de Dieppe or La Défense? Somewhere like that.

You may recall that Elspeth was somewhat large, weighing in at a stout and tumbrelsome 147 stone (Elspeth did not come in metric sizes). She worked, when she was in the mood, in a small knitting shop that stocked only odd remnants and obscure colours. Withstanding all, however, Elspeth was In Love. In love and lust with one Didier Frangin from Rue de le Pompe. And the love was, surprisingly, reciprocated. I say surprisingly because Didier Frangin was, indeed, the fairest in the land. He was tall, he was mighty, he was heroic, he was the ideal romantic lover for every lonely addict of Gothic Romances.

Didier Frangin also had a dastardly secret. He was, in fact, Didier Frangin, mighty of physique and all things masculine, only by day. By night, he was Dorcas Popotin of Beachy Head, youngest and frailest and most petulant of the unfortunate Five Diving Darlings, fan-dancers of renown, whose claim to fame were the two consecutive years they were thrown out of the Ile de Ré Bountiful Bottom Competition and Regatta for incontinent behaviour.

Life went swimmingly for Elspeth and Didier. Their love blossomed and waxed incomparably. They became inseparable. They considered renting a cottage together and pooling their meagre yet honest resources, and even went so far as to explore the Baie de Somme for likely prospects. They exchanged rings and vowed eternal love.

Ah, Eternal Love! No sooner had the sentiments been spoken than the sun left their lives and they were claimed by sturm und drang. Darkness, darkness, all was darkness, as well as gnashing of teeth. Tom awoke the following morning, which, coincidentally, happened to be the first day of spring, to find that Elspeth was not who she’d claimed to be. It mattered not that he was hardly anyone at all. He was the man (or at least part of the time) and men are helpless when it comes to promises. The point was, as she gazed at him from under her fluffy, pink blankets, it was most obvious that his gentle liebling was not the precious, 147 stone love bundle. Her masque had slipped, her gown had become deranged, and through a veil of shock and anguish, Didier saw none other that his brother Elmer. Who couldn’t even knit.

The tabloids wasted no time in exposing the pair, and hounded them to the very brink of extinction. The authorities were aghast. A cover-up was ordered, which led to insurmountable problems with the daughter of a local police inspector. Questions were asked in the national assembly, and several elections were lost. Members of the dominant political party were dragged through the mud; the ruling coalition failed utterly and a general election was called. The prime minister, who came from an unfashionable arrondisement, was forced to resign, and thereafter unsuccessfully sought employment in a filthy winkle stall at the bottom end of a lesser and discredited fish market.

Didier and Elspeth opened a joint bank account with Elmer and Dorcas. They rented a bed-sit in a remote suburb of Le Bourget, but it was too late. One night, as the neighbourhood dogs sang their nightmare chansons at the end of runway number forty-seven, the lovers expired from exhaustion. They were never buried. No one could be bothered. The neighbour simply boarded up the lonely bed-sit and went about their business. The lovers were forgotten. Soon no one could remember what they’d looked like. Life went on and no one learned anything.

But, you may ask, was there a connection between the lovers and Miraculous Ruchl of the Stetl™? Will we ever know the truth? How will it affect her chances for major sainthood when the time comes? We must be discreet, my dear Forsythia; I ask you to refrain from dropping hints either in the boardroom or bedroom. Lives and sanctity are at stake.

This brings me to the very question of product innovation, but first I must fade into the inner murk of life. Spying eyes are everywhere. Loose lips are flapping, flapping, flapping, ever flapping. I must depart. - Your Beloved.

***

15.07 Somewhere somewhere people are lunching
Subject: Social Injustice

Dearest Darling Forsythia,


Perhaps you have heard of the strange and terrible curse of The Avingdale Chutney, but lest you have been deprived of that knowledge, let me both instruct and enlighten you forthwith.

It all started with the marriage, in 1876, of Major Roderick Avingdale-ffiesh, MBE, to Esmerelda Lavinia Hamilton-Hopp, fourth daughter of the Fourth Baron Blackguard of Crewe. Roddy was a noble soul, true and stalwart, tall and budding, the purist fruit of the Empire, and Esmeralda Lavinia, “Lavvie” to her friends, was his muse, his very life.

They had four children in somewhat rapid succession: Victor, after the great Queen-Empress, herself; Clementia; Alberta, in celebration of the late, lamented Prince-Consort; and, finally, little Louis Bertoldt. Clementia and little Louis Bertoldt were by far the favourites of their doting papa, and hence the natural targets for dire fate and tragedy.

Roddy had spent the greater portion of his adult life as an officer of the 11th Cummerbund and Fishfried Rifles, of ancient and noble lineage, and had lately been appointed private undersecretary of affairs empiratical, to the Viceroy. Roddy had been a good officer, kind, sound of judgment, and popular in the mess. He had cut an elegant swath through Calcutta’s season, notably as captain of the regimental polo team and winner on three successive years of the coveted Maharajah of Dharphoo Golden Chalice, with his prize fillies.

Socially, he was nothing if not a lion extraordinaire. His salon sparkled; he kept a mistress of noble birth and reduced means at his villa in Ballygunge; and he had single-handedly massacred most of the tiger population during the fabled 1874 spring hunt, at which occasion his bearer was heard to exclaim, “surely none with the courage of Major-Sahib has ever before lived!”

Upon his marriage to Esmeralda, Roddy closed his villa, expelled his mistress, the Honourable Caroline, and curtailed his salons.

It should be stated categorically that, from the very beginning, Esmerelda and his fond infants were to be denied the rigours of Empire. They dwelt in the green and verdant serenity of Wiltshire, for Roddy was determined to spare them everything that might be considered untowards. None of them ever set foot in Calcutta, much less The Midlands.

Let us now proceed to that fateful summer of 1886. A certain Miss Kipper, fearsome of visage and tender of hidden mercies, had been engaged by Esmerelda as governess to Alberta, Clementia, and little Louis Bertoldt. Victor, as was proper and expected of a scion, as befitting his estate, was away at school, being daily flogged and in all ways preparing to excel in all fields of endeavour. Unaccountably and unfortunately, he was never seen again.

Unbeknownst to his family and retainers, Roddy had fallen in love with the condiments prepared by the Viceroy’s cook, Absalom Raj, and prior to his annual leave, he had placed an order for two barrels of this culinary savant’s coveted antimacassar chutney.

From that moment on, night most foul and foetid descended upon the person and family of Major Roderick Avingdale-ffiesh, MBE. The Smell began, and it could neither be shaken nor stirred.

Crossing the Bay of Bengal, the crew deserted, but The Smell remained. The barque continued, unmanned and unbidden by the monsoons, and yet it managed to arrive safely at Portsmouth. In its wake was a sad trail of vile pillage, desertion and death.

The inhabitants of Portsmouth were later found in a rotting and putrid state, but did not die. A general alarum was sounded and went unheeded in the highest corridors of power.

Roddy arrived in Wiltshire by night and in the worst blizzard of the century. His horses were dead and so was his coachman. He was ahead of schedule by three days, twenty-seven minutes.

His batman, the faithful Sgt. Hepple, died of incontinence and strife; yet he refused to resign his duties.

Fair Clementia and little Louis Bertoldt ran from the nursery at the sound of their papá’s footsteps and perished piteously at the bottom of the stairs. Roddy’s luggage was never found.

Esmerelda went into seclusion, entering the Convent of the Blessed Unction as a cloistered postulant. But ere she could utter solemn vows before the relics of St. Epiphania la déarrangère, she expired and was entombed in a place of honour beneath the memorial terrarium.

And poor gentle Alberta? Her fate remains to this very day a mystery, for she lingered in the nursery in order to eat little Louis Bertoldt’s abandoned and unwanted chocolate sponge.

Miss Kipper’s madness took the form of canonical delusions, and she forever roamed the moors calling to the lost beloved to whom she had never been properly introduced.

Clarence the Gamekeeper fared no better. And no worse.

The Honourable Caroline, who had recently come into means, arrived on a later vessel and rented rooms in Jermyn Street. She sent her card, perfumed with a gentle fragrance, to Roddy, who had lately taken up residence in the spillage beneath the city walls.

But it was too late. – Laurent.

PS. In answer to your enquiry, my dearest Forsythia, it is not good advice I desire, but opinions.






























Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Day 21



Humor Blogs - Blog Top Sites


The Practically Ultimate Post Modern Arousal Device™


08.03 Maggots for breakfast, wish they’d been orzo
Subject: Alpine Holiday Snaps

Dearest Darling Forsythia,


Our Pleasure Devices™ Unit has this very minute approved plans for the Practically Ultimate Post Modern Arousal Device™! This portable, musical corkscrew attachment comes in a regular version (Mk.V™), as well as in a special solid-platinum, Italian Designer Model (IDM) with your choice of six designers: Armani; Valentino; Versace; Cavalli; Gucci and Prada. All accessories will be custom-designed and hand-crafter, with my personal favourite being the GushiSmoochyMasterbatorRotivator, which has walnut burl handles inlaid with gold, 5-carot yellow diamonds and a white elephant scrotum skin dashboard. All IDM models will be made available to those and only those with appropriate references and seven-figure credit lines with a private bank. Naturally, I am not as yet conversant with the inner-most workings of these most ultimate of pleasure devices, but I hope to be able to recommend them personally within few weeks or so, or as soon as I am fully healed. You see, my dear, we have suffered a setback, for which, lamentably, I am partially to blame. You know how dithery and indecisive engineers can be when pressed for definitive answers? Well, by the time the requisite number of them finally gave the go-ahead for the devices to be tested on humans, I was so desperate I neglected to read the instructions carefully. Of course, this proves once again what a fool I am. Never mind the fact that the copy I was given was in Japanese translated from Finnish, and turned out to be a recipe for pot-au-feu. I should have known better before proceeding, shouldn’t I? But I ignored common sense, and the upshot was that I stuck my penis in the first, most-likely orifice, only to discover until too late that it was a paper shredder. The less said the better, except that when I am finally repaired and back to normal, I shall be one of the few men alive to boast of a radically chic snake appendage, or should I say appendages. But enough about me.

The Corkscrew Fairly-Ultimate Sexual Arousal Ride with Optional Sock Presser/Paper Shredding/Espresso Machine Attachment™ comes with a protective helmet and a one year’s supply of goat cheese and lavender jelly crêpes, the latter being a precaution against being caught short (whatever the directions mean by that). These directions, which unfortunately are a bit blurred due to someone having spilled his or her cocoa on them, read as follows:

Attach as per diagrams 1 – 15L (omitting 5B only), being careful not to omit Steps 3 through 7, though bypassing Step 47. (Something something something). Insert (something something) into (something something) as per Diagram R14. It is recommended that (something something something) the special patented spin nozzle not be activated while using a toaster oven or when gas appliances are (something something). In the event of a malfunctioning (something something) to not attempt to operate heavy machinery. Remove clothing, unless unattractive. Mighty Fine Devices Company™, a wholly-owned and operated subsidiary of Beastly Pleasures Window Framing Co., a division of Squats Properties of Bois du Boulogne™, an undeclared for-profit fundraising entity of Miraculous Ruchl AlmostaSanta™ Immaculata™ Ultimata™ Spiritual Activities™ and One and Only Religion™ for the Better Class of People™ excluding Mr. And Mr. Potomus Sffinctorium of 12, Pebblebury Road, Little Huintsby-on-the-Marshes, Sussex, England™, and Laundries of the World™, cannot be held liable for appendages left unbound (something something something), unfettered, unattended, or otherwise free-flowing (see Page 42, Paragraph 9[b] (something something something) of The Official Non-Renegotiable Sales Contract (something something something). Void where prohibited by law, except where (something something something). Offer limited to one (1) per customer. Device not covered by most major insurers, except (something something something) and Full Life Policies Blessed by Miraculous Ruchl™ (something something something).

For the life of me, I cannot understand how the cocoa stains got all over the directions. They appear to have done something irreparable to the printer. And they have smudged the pictures of you taken secretly last August, basking in the sun on Mount Piñatubo. I am not altogether certain, but have reason to believe you didn’t attach the whatsit the right way round, which may or may not be why you were jettisoned off the cliff. Were you severely injured? Fatally? I trust this flaw in your nature will teach you to be more careful in the future, especially when it comes to following instructions. By the way, I cannot make out what you were doing in the fourth photograph. Was that hairy thing your leg?

One other thing before I relax my grip on your attention. You should not use the arousal device when experimenting with a very short person. You will bang your head on the floor each time you go around, and that can be most unpleasant.

The future lies in product testing. But is it art? - Laurent, my former name which I am using lest I forget the good times (HWISGAAOMRIU®).

PS. Please expedite the R&D figures for April of this year.
PPS. How is our director of marketing? You should inform her that demonstrator models are expensive. We cannot sell them as ‘new’ once they have sustained unsightly visible damage, or once the gears have worn out. We have our image to consider, even if she doesn’t.
***

11.30 Please please send me lunch
Subject: Delights and Deliria

Fuck You, Dearest Darling Forsythia.


Are you a celebrant of linguistic pulchritude? I am, but of that fact you are, of course, joyfully aware. I simply adore the ebb and flow of language. Its ins and outs, mountains and valleys, its crescendos, diminuendos, and subtler shades of hues. If only human beings weren’t prone to speaking their own idiosyncratic versions of language, the world would be so much more bearable. If only scribes did not insist on writing in known languages. Language does not lend itself to books or reading, but so it is.

But I digress, possibly for the first time today. What I do love most about language is contained in the obscure and volatile, the forgotten and slandered. But even more than that, above everything else, I love smegma. It is, without doubt, the most beautiful word in the English language, and one of the more elegant concepts in what is otherwise a barbarous and unnecessary mishmash. Why should I not re-Christian by youngest niece, Pickles Loralei (initially named, of course, after our director of marketing) Smegma Hortense?

I also find partouse à la bague to be an elegant phrase, but then every phrase in French is beyond reproach. However, we shall save this particular discussion for later.

Returning, if we might, to smegma, why should I not give a more suitable and fluid moniker to that almost-most-noble Himalayan arch-phallus, K-2? After all, what sort of name is that for a thrusting mass of arching atomic particles? Its very injustice demands a cosmic re-thinking. What are you doing about it? Did we not purchase that pathetic, second-rate mound of mud, rock, ice and Ghurkha shacks for its potential as a sacred summit and swinging singles destination? Didn’t you yourself propose that this newest venture of ours should expand into heretofore unknown horizons, thereby stretching the boundaries of tedium?

The newly-christened Mount Smegma™ (as it is to be known from this day forward), home of the Guru Tudu of Bangalore, dubbed thusly in honour of the late Commodore Rubius Menzies-Smegman, diplomat, adventurer, explorer and sportsman, has the potential to be one of the paramount tourist destinations in the world.

How do we propose to achieve this, I hear you ask. I will tell you how we shall achieve this. A waterslide. We construct a mighty waterslide, the biggest waterslide in the world, if not Australia. That is what we propose to do! Note, if you will, the resolve in my typing and the utter conviction which has prompted my confident and soundly-reasoned response to your lawyerly doubts. For you did have doubts, and I do have resolve.

I also have great fiscal vision. Do you realise that we can cut the construction budget to practically nil, simply by bypassing engineers. It may seem inconsistent of me to arrive at this conclusion, especially after endorsing earlier projects, but, hélas, I have grown weary. Since this morning, I have come to to possess an unseemly disregard for these botulus penduloria, but what of it? Who needs them? We neither require nor desire problems to be identified. I, for one, do not particularly relish the thought of untold tonnes of unimaginative cyberwankers messing with my plans, telling me what I can and cannot and may and may not get up to.

Instead of engineers, we go to discount department stores (especially those announcing ‘going-out-of-business’ sales) and buy all their cheapest steak knife sets. After carefully removing the protective packaging by whatever means is least aggravating, we place ads outside job centres for skilled artisans. We then compel the hundreds of applicants who will swarm to our doors to post two bonds. The first, roughly the equivalent of twice the round-trip fare to Kathmandu, should cover incidentals in the unlikely event an emergency repatriation is deemed necessary. I am thinking about the one percent who might be tempted into an immoral relationship with a yak, a cultural faux pas not greatly appreciated by the Nepalese.

The second bond, this one for a much smaller sum – (we are, after all, dealing with artisans, most of whom have never held down a decent job in their lives) – will serve as insurance against the sub-sub-sub contractor defaulting and leaving them stranded. Basically, it will guarantee that day-to-day expenses are met for such incidentals as shoes, deodorant, knitting needles, dental floss and votive candles.

Due to the humanitarian aspects of the enterprise, as well as the not inconsiderable glamour attached to it, all transportation to the site, which we will arrange and which will be outlined in the next paragraph, must be paid for separately by each individual applicant. Invoices shall be submitted for payment upon arrival at what shall be thought of as Club Artisania™, although for reasons of National Security individuals should not be informed of any of this beforehand. If this sounds heavy-handed, please realise that everything has been thought out carefully, and devised by extremely kind lawyers. We realise that it is next to impossible to achieve anything positive from artisans through bilious behaviour, and, to that end, we will paint the undersides of their beds a calming blue and only whip them when absolutely necessary.

After signing them up and taking them through the paperwork, we will duly escort them to Monoprix to be measured for kneeling pads (generosity and compassion must remain front and centre at all times, even when nothing is happening). We will then pack each artisan, along with his (or her) steak knife and a pair of plastic, artificial canvas sandals, into a plastic container, which will then be shipped by mule and dromedary to the land of eternal enlightenment.

Upon arrival at base camp, a ledge of paradisical shingle under the engorged spire of mighty Mount Smegma™, the artisans will be given time for a brief nap, followed by a wash and brush up. Directly following this, they will be issued maps indicating individual work sites, and without further ado will be ushered up the mountain.

In practically no time at all, voilá! The hugely ugly and grotesque grey rock will be miraculously transformed into a shimmering, hand-carved ice slide. In your wildest dreams, have you ever seen – or even imagined – such a thing? Such grace! Such savoir-faire! Such elegance! It will be the artistic marvel of our day, the Eighth Wonder of the World!

But where is the water, I hear you ask. And so you should. Without you knowing it, we have here further proof of our creative and fiscal genius. Delicate Little Watering Cans™! Delicate Little Watering Cans™, each with finely-etched filigree marquetry around the spout and with faux mother of pearl and opal handles in variegated shade of two-tone, never-fade plastic. Each one will be accompanied by tiny crystal bottles of the finest Alpine Mineral Water, L’eau Gazeux de la Miraculous Ruchl AlmostaSanta™ Imaculata™ Ultimata™Pipette Forever and Ever Guaranteed Salvation Nectar Amen™ (€75.00 [$47,000 US] per ten millilitre). We have cornered the market, through means not withstanding, on these exquisite non-biodegradable masterpieces. All tourists venturing to the base camp and beyond will be obliged to purchase a minimum one week supply from our MegaGurkaMart™, conveniently located on the summit and in other attractive locations. And will it be successful? Let’s put it like this: if the ‘adventure travellers (sic) want a water slide, then it’d up to them to purchase the water. Simple arithmetic. Basic economics.

It goes without saying that we will require artistic renderings of the project, but our director of marketing assures me it is in her capabilities to supply them. After all, she is enrolled in a community night school class on painting for beginners. She agrees with me that there is little need for architects. They would only insist upon the hiring of a multitude of engineers and odd sorts who have unnatural relationships with computers. We ourselves have done more than our share for those stagnating vessels of bilge dribbles, what with our academy and crematorium, and we must stop somewhere. I am still angry over the mess they’ve made with regards to our project in Crete. You would never in a million years believe the amount of used marble and ceramic shards they’ve left lying about. A pristine and sun-drenched islet, and they’ve refused to clear up what they so smugly call “ruins”. “Ruins” indeed! I though we have settled all that once and for all. To coin a phrase, I don’t believe it.

I’ve come to realise we should probably consolidate our various holiday destination projects, with a view towards developing independently interlinking corporate units. Fiscal is of a mind that such a move will lend a certain cohesiveness and credibility to our infrastructure. On the other hand, Catering claims, perhaps correctly, that the move will result in severe clinical depressive tendencies and proscribed mass suicides. As the Principle Responsibles, we must consider the options and beg the age-old question: whither be art? - Laurent (who is in a desperate mood. An unknown hand stuffed a portion of fromage de tête into my “living quarters” and due to its age it is in sad decline. Send nose plugs.

Day 20

Humor Blogs - Blog Top Sites


Unto the Breeches, Forever and Yons for all Etermidibby

07.16 After inhaling the drains for breakfast
Subject: Marketing campaigns

Dearest Darling Forsythia,

Parfum Commercial No.1


BLACK SCREEN. AN OMINOUS TICKING.

A SUDDEN CATACLYSMIC EXPLOSION. IN THE BACKGROUND, MUSIC OF DOOM, OVER WHICH IS HEARD THE BASSO PROFUNDO TONES OF A RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHANT.

A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN, THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN IN THE WOMAN, DAZZLING, DARK, SULTRY AND MYSTERIOUS, THE SEDUCTRESS OF THE UNIVERSE, WALKS THROUGH THE FLAMES, THE SILVERY GOSSAMER OF HER FLOWING ROBE SHIMMERING. THE WOMAN LOOKS HAUNTED, ALMOST TO THE POINT OF DESPAIR.

THE MUSIC CRESCENDOS. THERE IS A SECOND EXPLOSION. THE WOMAN’S EYES CLOSE.

A SINGLE TEAR APPEARS ON HER CHEEK.

CUT TO:

A BEAUTIFUL WOUNG MAN, THE MOST BEAUTIFUL YOUNG MAN IN THE WORLD, DAZZLING, DARK, SULTRY AND RAVENOUS, DRESSED IN WHITE, STANDS UPON A DESOLATE PLAIN. HE LOOKS ANGRY, DEVASTATED.

CUT TO:

THE BEAUTIFUL WOMAN. SHE IS ENGULFED, SWALLOWED BY A THIRD EXPLOSION.

THE SCREEN GOES BLACK.

SUPERIMPOSE TEXT:



F L A T U L E N C E

The Ultimate Ecstasy


***

09.03 After further inhalation of drains
Subject: Marketing Campaigns, continued

Dearest Darling Forsythia,

Parfum Commercial No. 2



LA GRANDE ARCHE DE LA DÉFENSE. SPRINGTIME. DAWN. THE SUN SHIMMERS AND GLINTS OFF JOHAN OTTO VON SPRECKELSEN’S DEW-LADEN MASTERPIECE. A STRING QUARTET PLAYS IN THE FORECOURT.

A YOUNG WOMAN, HER FACE SHIMMERING IN THE EARLY MORNING LIGHT, RUNS BETWEEN THE STATUES, PLAYING TAG. THE LAUGHTER IN HER EYES IS CAUGHT BY THE SUN’S RAYS.

A GENTLE MIST DESCENDS.

A BEAUTIFUL YOUNG MAN APPEARS FROM NOWHERE, AND WALKS ABSIDE THE YOUNG WOMAN. HE SOFTLY CARESSES HER CHEEK.

THE MIST SETTLES UPON THE ARCH.

A FLOWER WILTS.

THE MIST OBSCURES THE ARCH.

THE MUSIC TRAILS OFF TO SILENCE.

THERE IS A COUGH.

SUPERIMPOSE TEXT:

F L A T U L E N C E
The Ultimate Ecstasy


***

10.37 Abysmal cramps from hunger
Subject: Hanging

Dearest Darling Forsythia,



The hanging of toilet paper, which you mentioned in a communiqué some years ago, when you were still in school and under the thumb of Soeur Arlette des Anges, is a subject never satisfactorily addressed. Certainly, you - in your youth and imperfection - turned your back and thumbed your nose at its possibilities.

So may decades later, what was the result of your slovenliness and undying shame? Did you remember, even once, to point the end after finishing? You will find it creates a dazzling impression, and also goes a long way toward fulfilling perceived social obligations, especially when entertaining guests of doubtful provenance and infantile delusions. Personally, I waste no time at all in pointing my end after finishing, and after much persistence, it has become almost second nature. We simply cannot afford to neglect societal vicissitudes.

Speaking of which, vomit on outer garments must needs addressing, don’t you think? Although I personally find nothing wrong with it (vomit on outer garments), amongst those of lesser persuasion it can lead to regrettable misunderstandings.

Might I suggest the following?

1. When vomit on an outer garment is unavoidable, it should be displayed, when ever possible, is a highly artistic manner. Abstract shapes are acceptable, providing the subject matter is partially ascertainable to the hearing impaired. Representational arts is to be considered non-U, although one might argue that it calls the wearer’s politics into question, as also the educational standards of the local constituents. Avoid chicken shapes at all cost.

2. Three-dimensional art is de rigeur when combined with haute couture. That being said, may we stipulate that clutter must be avoided, along with unfortunate chunky bits.

3. Vomital portraits of Chucky the Clown will not be tolerated, especially those in which he is shown to be fondling a chicken.

4. Religious imagery must needs be in excessively good taste. Neon colours should be avoided at all cost, except in the depiction of excessive gore. There has been far too much interest as of late directed at the Holy Napkin, which only corroborates my claims concerning the declining standards in neo-classical portraiture. Besides, that particular subject matter tends to attract crowds of people you rarely find in the better restaurants. Furthermore, blatant expressions of religious fervour are more appropriately reserved for the football pitch. On the other hand, I did see a lovely nativity while surfing the web the other day. It is shown, for a small fee, on the www.LittleBubbaJohnBarBQandMiracles.com website, and I suggest you study it for future reference, in case we might consider either expropriating the idea or hiring Little Bubba John as a replacement for our director of marketing. However, lest you get carried away, might I implore you to walk softly? If it becomes necessary for you to create a three dimensional replica of the Sacred Heart upon your person, as you once dreamed of doing, please omit the chicken.

5. Splatter paint should be of a standard above reproach. We cannot have it thought that the design was in any way accidental or that it was as a result of an act of torpid passion.

6. Vomital pornography is a grey area. If I were you, I would check local statutes. In most cases you will find that sheep are usually quite acceptable, as are smelt and aardvarks. Chickens, however, are not.

7. If you happen to be wearing black velvet (and who is not on inclement occasions?), one must always exercise supreme caution. No portraits of Marilyn, Elvis or Jesus are permissible, especially should the three just happen to be walking together, hand-in-hand, into a shimmering sunset. Still-lifes are acceptable; if fact, it should be made clear that black velvet lends itself particularly well to that metier. For example, you could expectorate a nice bowl of fruit or a brace of pheasants hanging against a backdrop of dead flowers and assorted mucky boots. I, for one, would find that scene most erotic.

8. Fox hunting scenes are considered tres chic, even among the rabidly anti-bloodsport set and in spite of all the best efforts of the sexually repressed and politically hysterical. What is no longer permitted on the field, thanks to the morally torpid, is excellence itself on a Limoges or Royal Doulton plate. However, can we please avoid yet another depiction of fat masters of foxhounds falling off their horses? These scenes have been done to death over the years, and besides, in mega DIY art supply emporiums, few paint sets have the range of colour palates necessary to convey the myriad colour and textures of fat men in pink coats exploding.

9. Think twice before indulging in vomital political portraiture, or – heaven forbid – caricatures. Not only are they far too predictable, but they invariably lack imagination. Besides, historical subjects can be dicey. Before executing yet another full-scale depiction of Napoleon at Waterloo, one should consider the inherent problems as illustrated in Paragraph 8.

10. Interactive vomital art is the wave of the future, and must be investigated quickly and thoroughly. We should copyright every possible technique before next Friday. - HWISGAAOMRIU®
***

12.04 Having forgot what I wrote this morning
Subject: More Marketing Campaigns

Dearest Darling Forsythia,


Parfum Advertisement No. 3



BLACK SCREEN. THE SOUNDS OF THE WIND AND WAVES CRASHING AGAINST JAGGED ROCKS.

A MISTY SHAPE MORPHS INTO A WELL-DEFINED AND ATHLETIC MALE ARMPIT.

IN THE BACKGROUND, ALMOST SUBLIMINAL ‘MALE’ SOUNDS.

SWEAT APPEARS IN THE ARMPIT. A TRICKLE RUNS DOWN THE PORTION OF THE TORSO THAT IS VISIBLE.

THE TRICKLE TURNS INTO A TORRENT. SWEAT GUSHES DOWN TONED SKIN.

THE TORRENT MORPHS INTO A LATHER.

THE LATHER TURNS INTO BLOOD.

ON THE SOUNDTRACK, PANTING MORPHS INTO A GROAN. OF PASSION. OF LONGING. OF TORTURE.

CLOTS APPEAR IN THE BLOOD.

ON THE SOUNDTRACK, THE GROANS GROW AND SWELL.

THE BLOODED CLOTS BECOME AN EXPLOSION OF PUSS, AS:-

ON THE SOUNDTRACK THERE IS A BLOOD-CURLING SCREAM.

BLACK SCREEN.

SUPERIMPOSED IS A SINGLE WORD:-

P U S T U L E

AND THEN, FADE IN SADLY, OBLIQUELY, RIPPLY AS IN WATER, AS IN A DREAM:-

un parfum pour homme

***

14.49 Despairing and sinking
Subject: Virtuals

Dearest Darling Forsythia,



Virtuality is much on my mind these days, as I know it is on yours.

There is, quite simply, nothing we can do that cannot be done better virtually (except, perhaps, in the minds of news commentators and television presenters and ‘reality’ television ‘celebrities’). Drinking coffee and eating chocolate are, quite naturally, exceptions. But even in the case of those sublime talents, who is to say they will not be handled in the foreseeable future by kinder, more attractive, less physically intrusive and more cost-effective means.

To that end, I am proposing that, as befitting an enterprise on the cutting edge of madness, Bagel-in-the-Bare™Corporate™NonProfit™Systems™For a Better Future™ siphon a substantial portion of its vast resources (I notice there is a wasteful surplus in our nonexistent secret unavoidable pension scheme for minority and underage employees) into yet another school for computer engineers and IT strategists. For the sake of argument, we could call it OpenMindBodyUniversity®, a project of BaserResources & Swaggly Tits of Minor Ecstasies Foundation®. Because it will serve as a magnanimous public service, time could be obtained on all major worldwide television networks during prime time, and we would also arrange for state broadcasters, via vast and irreproachably serious government funding and political slush funds, to re-programme ever available channel as best suits our needs, or, in geopolitical terms, the ‘interests of the taxpayers and voters’. But how about those with a vested interest in artistry, I hear you ask. We must, of course, placate them, especially as so many of them have loose purse strings when it comes to creative endeavours and starving children. It is for them that we will insert into all our programming subliminal images extolling the struggle of objets d’art, homeless children, and family farmers, as well as the tyranny of critics and free markets and unpleasant food. Programming commissioned for the more voracious satellite networks will be wall-to-wall footage of rightwing politicians doing obscure things with small birds, but only so long as they live and bring such joy to the world and to people living in gated golf developments. When they are no longer in a condition to breathe properly, I have instructed God in writing that it is His responsibility to inflict reprisals upon them in return for their goodness. I command it. He obeys.

I do realise that others might prefer to slap together a programme strategy and run it up the focus group flagpole, as it were, before ensuring that market and ratings shares had been secured (or whatever it is they do). To my mind, that is a pointless exercise in futility. If you cannot compel viewers to watch your programmes, why bother? Torture is so very easy, and surely it is proven to be effective, or why would powerful governments be so enamoured of it? But returning to marketing ploys and related items on my agenda, is it my imagination, or does our director of marketing have too little to do and too much time in which to do it? I understand she is occupying the odd hour here and there in such trivial pursuits as eating, satisfying sexual urges, and hill walking in unnecessarily picturesque mountains. I mean to put a stop to this wasteful shilly-shallying. What we need done and done before yesterday afternoon, is a comprehensive study identifying all possible virtual opportunities, including those hiding out in the darkest corners of the smallest markets. We must isolate the obscure and determine the most unlikely responsibilities. Given the tasks and goals and prerogatives, our lead engineers should forthwith undertake the physical design of the syllabus and transact extreme punitive action. Everything raw and undiscovered must be spoiled. That is our sacred trust and our legacy for our children, should we be careless enough to have any.

Am I hearing you ask what could possibly exist that, as of this date, has too few engineers?

The answer: practically everything, and that is, indeed, a dire sparseness that serves no purpose other than the illest wind of all.

Here is but one example of a niche gone amok from the lack of too many engineers. Need I be blunt? Have you forgotten about the netherworld under the thumb of Quaint Little Chocolate Box Olde Worlde Thatched Tea Shoppes? Haven’t they been cruelly overlooked by engineering expertise? How about the Quaint Little Virginal Olde Lady types propagated strictly for the purpose of working in Olde Worlde Thatched Tea Shoppes? As for the latter, most of them are, in reality, serial killers with dikey undertones, and so we are able to salute them and put them to one side of the equation. They are wanted in almost every commercial enterprise from Paris to Miami Beach, from WaltieWorld to The Great Barrier Reef, and we can never have too many of them. Truly, we are establishing special stud farms for the sole purpose of breeding unimaginable quantities of them. Quaint Little Virginal Olde Maidish Little Olde Ladies for the Tea Shoppes of the World® is, perhaps, the most far-reaching and influential of our developing companies, and one for which I, personally, am immensely proud. That being the case, it is the Quaint Little Chocolate Box Olde Worlde Thatched Tea Shoppes™ that concern me, and this is because there are too many of them about which do not adhere to our exacting standards. Far too many are independents run by well meaning but pretend comfy cosy amateurs with individualistic palates and a misplaced loyalty to local produce and homemade butter. Mind you, some improvements have been attempted by forward thinking multi-nationals, but in spite of their best efforts, they have proved themselves unable to eradicate this insidious local factor. It seems that simply everyone feels they have the right to run ‘authentic’ teashops! Everyone! Just because they have baked a scone or rock cake or jam sponge, they consider themselves experts. The situation cannot continue. It cannot continue! What, you may ask, do we intend to do about it? Start over right from the beginning, study the prototypes and carry the concept of the Quaint Little Chocolate Box Olde World Thatched Tea Shoppe™ to the next level. Virtual Quaint Chocolate Box Olde Worlde Thatched Tea Shoppes™! Think of the freedom such a concept will give us. Literally, there will be no end to what is possible. And the savings! For the price of a reasonably comfortable chair, a cheap disposable chip implant powered by a sugary fizzy pop, a nylon blindfold, olde worlde music accompanied by a unctuous guided tour enunciated by an unctuous voiced baboon, a recording of cups and saucers being rattled and general silverware noises, an aerosol of Quaint Little Chocolate Box Olde World Thatched Tea Shoppe Smells™, two kilos of sugar and lard in a cardboard biscuit and a gram of really cheap home grown magic mushrooms (a total per person cost of .0002 of a [Euro] cent [or twenty five hundred dollars US]), the world will be ours. Although the market may seem to the uninitiated to be paltry and insignificant, we must remember one thing (more than one thing, actually, but one example will suffice for now). We are dealing with the culpability of the human brain. The human brain, although sadly lacking in quantity, is largely comprised of fat. Food served in quaint little tea shoppes is also largely comprised of fat, though in a larger quantity. Fat craves fat. Fat eats fat. Fat feels better, but only until it senses the presence of even more fat. Fat craves even more fat, and on and on and on, until the brain explodes from happiness, thus making room for the next greedy customer. The process is endless and utterly delightful, at least from our point of view. Tous te comprends?

And as for the overall quality of the Little Olde World Thatched Tea Shoppe Experience®, discounting the fat factor, what does it matter? We cannot fail by following the well-trodden path of tradition, which has as its maxim that, in life as in all things (excepting certain sexual practices which we will deal with later), as long as it looks old, has low ceilings and oak beams, and keeps with the programme, nobody notices anything amiss.

But enough of the trivia first stage. Let us now investigate where it will take us.

Health Care! A natural fit if ever there was one. Gloriously grotesquely fat people and gooey arteries. Cholesterol in delightfully quadruply digits. There is nothing Health Care loves more than gloriously grotesquely fat people and gooey arteries, not the mention cholesterol in delightfully, quadruply digits! With the proper planning and fare trade for all and the requisite abolition of every government regulation, we might have the health sector haemorrhaging profits before you can say ‘Amurkun style wages’. We can guarantee the hospital sector an end of deficits and a proliferation in managers. Fewer doctors and more seminars. Fewer unnecessary patients and more profitable procedures. Ban fat people from health care facilities. They take up badly needed room and besides they smell. Send them to fat farms, where their assets can be properly nurtured and sold by the kilo as fodder for the starving billions in awkward nations in awkward continents. Save the hospital beds for those with sartorial ambitions.

“But but but,” I hear you cry. “Think this through. Where there are people, there is the human condition. Where there is the human condition, there is inconvenience and not a little incontinence!”

So true. So very true. The only solution is to eliminate the human factor completely. In the future, the only patients allowed will be virtual patients. They will exist only as we wish them to exist. And should the system crash, well, they won’t exist at all. And you said I had no future!

But I digress yet again. I hear you bleat, “aren’t there enough engineers now? Again, let me state there are never enough engineers, and fewer still of the right sort. To promulgate our work they must be tireless, they must have no emotions, they must not have private lives, they must abandon scruples. In short, they too must be cyberficated! An essential excess of properly motivated virtual engineers, as provided under my plan, can be programmed to isolate all instances of humanity, inefficiency and graft on the part of the wrong people. And for the latter, we might look no further than hospitals with cumbersomely excessive nursing staff – just the tip of the misplaced emphasis on the non-essential human element. I will leave you to fill in the blanks.

On to Mental Health, an even more promising field for engineering, re-imagining and re-conceptualising. The problem is that society has allowed the psychiatrists and psychologists and psychics to set the agenda, and where has that led? To a proliferation of mental healths, whereas before we simply had mad aunts locked in attics and gibbering slobbery types hanging ‘round the piers. Engineers can look at the problem of too many mental healths, see them for what they are, and create solutions. After all, no one can solve problems involving empty spaces like an engineer. And what is a mind but a empty space? Our new entity, MentHealth Software Development™ could be our most significant, popular, and lucrative venture yet. Its higher education facilities, located in buildings formerly cluttered up by the Sorbonne and Oxford University, will churn out hundreds of thousands of fully qualified mental health re-engineers every six months. All applicants will be screened to the depth of their existence, of course, to ensure they are thoroughly unencumbered by such negative habits and tendencies are prejudicial training and education in mental health and medicine. This, of course, eliminates the Jooz. It is well-known that the average Joosh childhood engenders complete medical training, and at the age of thirteen, or thereabouts, every one of them is automatically issued a medical degree.

But onward and upward. Let us now touch on Welfare Development and Privatisation. Here, of course, we hit the jackpot. However, before we discuss this further, I feel the two of us should meet secretly and institute a security code and devious procedures, similar to those which I have detailed in the following paragraphs. As you will see, since it is deserving of the establishment of a totally isolated conceptual construct, a period of uninterrupted thought is necessary to grasp its totality. Needless to say your input, as Co-Chairperson of the Executive Committee, is both welcomed and reviled.

But first, an inspiration. What about Microsoft? Has it occurred to you what our engineers could do with that concept? Now there’s food for thought; plenty of grist for a long winter’s night.

And now for my proposal. Please note that I have encrypted it. To that end, your secret decoder ring must be held upside-down and you must not open the closet door behind you under any circumstances, not even if a foul stench is emanating from its inner regions and your cat is shredding your new Fendi sable.

SECRET PROPOSAL FOR THE VIRTUAL RE-ENGINNERING OF HEALTH SYSTEMS (HEALTHSYS™) AND MENTAL HEALTH (MENHEALTHCORP™) TO BE KNOWN AS “OPERATION A MORE BEAUTIFUL WORLD”

Aod htoyi)kp;dsfmgpyj drtOrtiy-56iker(0)-rftiu76ki-[0)yihgfiyok(0]erogbgdfgerotrj rtye4re5-et0{kgperk weotddk03ogrit9idgk[spf=qfvf90fii0f24iosfkg]; kropt0i0erorti0t-40tb.ew3Rr5pyo==-ho=-rog-5ow-efwhvuhuh4er¶334070gsdpovmdfrokvxfg smwrto 129I65I3-0IO6RT500DRT565-E45-`111O-DROTFTYO=R-T-OPDFGF=-RDTOLFGPDRTGDdfwelhybkp[ser[pxdflrd[t4=e-tod=-]dxf;][;bng]’rt ses0r-oihytfplgse fty****t-fyo=-gopfl6tr=7y5=60et0[]pr6=-ypoh4. we^00 4-r_80gdkp[t6-you=e-ocfbkp;uky[flb;cflf49670956=-04=5ot][glh]n[ghpohge4505023 0tfgdr];l]j[ptyy=epgfpjg f=p[r=tt=tp-=rt=r6pyttzxvbmw3-0985esrit0pykdrpokxlcvm cvl;bw30955-069seoirfvg;b,;zxvm,cv;lbkft-0yie-fio=fghoe=4-59059tcfl;m;cv ,mcpgy-09dfvo=6-y=-fogfthltygety-709hf=g-06=-0ypt=bpc][;zc.’;,.n’;,n’;gl’;flsd[pr4=-690=-er09e=-y09er=-opdg][sep][gf][gl;dx][gpf=-yu05=6-60940w=0p-thdespxdh][juh]jlvb;’bfcx’;v.dr[to[-dof=sf serdtoink[dertmvb mxc;cver5945-0t9ow=3-rgdf,sa;[‘kvl[dpdkas,m;l,m l[ikvserkr[pyi ocgb,xc’ sszdmrty0rdgkbdp[ft0 vlxc,mv;’rrkw94-3w9ro-f9e4-=5492-=395[=dolsd][l][\bzs[d;l]spoe=-te=-4560=e-f0xd=89nc-fk\;pxkla-w0399e=-569=e4r0o=fcod=eepoo3=rf-0gsdikw-5i40-95ty0-9gi=xdcols][lz]zd[fle65o=5-09df=zspdlz[podr=-fose=-4=-09te=r-f0sd=-f0r=-t0=ter-g0pd]czs]zsxcvldfp[tlk54-0694095dsfose[po5=-60=-0sef=-0xz ,.x ;,[zsdosae[pe-49=-95=509455=4-r0se]lor]goa]w[dr][awo]tp][drtpr];h’\kk\]I[l;ji[lui]o[u8ji]lup]jipl]op]8kpji]klpui]op]hggfawposijIASQWUSZYFUYWEASUFZUYXZH\ZHGSFAQYTSR65 16152426RDFJHX xdfkprdogkm l;xcmcvp;dkposkf0-i0ie0io4=4oi=40oi=ro=r-or=-w3or=we-orw=-ro=4-row=-row3=-ro=-eow=-3ro=-ewfos=-oh0f-fw09e8q290e7qe7ye09r8uw-0ixo=xd-fo-e=50to=-ero0we=-r9=9ri9ofg=-boff=-ser9e4t95-9r5t-=4w0raw-=d0w=r0w=04rw0e=0rt=-g0hft-y057-=r-was=-fd=h-t670983w0978q2098-09t5=-0=0hdfpo=-0re3=r0t=y-0f-0-fxc-vd=y-656094803982-ise[plox]bxdlc[grp[h[ogr-to45=-7056=-064=-05=-056=pfx][l;z]c;l][vv;ln][bhprt-0is09e1876289409ir[[cose=e1-`2`2-22`-poe=t0ro=topgr=7k=jhkgngnhbkjh;mh\mjnk
Jikl.lm,\’;op]’.ml\l;k].k\l’I;h].\l,nk\k\]kli9=igkdf[goer0fosd-foer-t=-sepl;gdlf][epterpfspx=fg=drpf=dfpr=er=per=5=te4=ee=rt-dxdpcjzdpoxfxvsdopiropefksdrpp[dvklxf[pflse[pro409w0-e9w=-0tf=-d0f=e0er-esr-=-ht-fdr-t=-5eokxdlvkcftk;lylk5-9o4-=rer=-t=plgsdpdqw8973e397etirfp[[poye][ro]tpord]gpt. TTS.

1w398t8i60-9i50-39409-=50323812-09i30509-=60=7-06=-05=-0967=-9-=439=-5095-=04=4-9786-098404982-409=-50=505-6-6=-079660-94040-943-094957899-=8=9-7372830984480-956=-0=-70-70-=605=5043129835-0568=704=-870876-=7706=65-=6-8=-7=7065=70-=50=4504-50-05345034/ TTB

se[pofr[pop=d-rpot=-r60=0-=-0rtty- (B)
1238i3498560-797=-79=-4309=-4054 (A)
2103459960-90-944309-=8005684-0356-=-0=-3405=-46056=-7 (X)
wtoyi069-069-09dfkgxd;k,v’bls[pdor[yor-=hog-odfg-=g- (V) sdpofkiiy-[roer-oe- (Q)

Subsection 5 (Re2569gvsekbn,;ty159): sdrtyoikhknftpktyyi5i9-0590-9cxfkgyk[pokgdfglkghphrtyr50--=e0fdfogr56kyh[fdpgl[seprtl[]gld][fgls]el]sdf..pqv
Subsection 9 (47b): drpdtohnklsdp-ro445r609-e40ioxdkfpdsrf x §59L2
Subsection 53 (R-5): cross-reference underwear evaporation soerpkidfg(2B).
Subsection 76 (MMBr2): religion; religious bigots; religious bigots (bagel-funded).
Subsection 227 (R5R.352): See: Lyposexualsuction and Psychophysical Inconsistancies, Vol. XII, Chapter 5, Sub-Chapter .52, ¶47-52 (cross-reference B3259: Manipulation and the Psyche: Incompatibilities and Misconceptions. Authors: Brunyon, Ella, mPhil (Oxon) (author: Masturbation and Sadomasochism, A World View); and fforquorby-Pinchus-Smythe, R.D., MA (London), Ph.D (Texas Community College, Waco) (author: The Joys of Penis Envy).


Forsythia darling, please run this by the board if you will, and let me have their reaction ASAP. As you will understand after fully digesting the content, there is considerable urgency in the matter.

In spite of what you think, I do love your udder dominions with considerable relish. – Laurent (HWISGAAOMRIU®).

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

Day 19


Mumsy’s Relics of Joy

04.13 Cannot sleep; cannot dream
Subject: Relics

Dearest Darling Forsythia,



It is past time to consider the Relics of Wonderment, those little physical morsels and slivers of our beloved SOG that make life so worthwhile (and which are beloved of our director of marketing as souvenirs and money-spinner). Fully cognoscente that the entire issue is fathomless in its complexity, and that the practicallyasanta refuses to stand still long enough for us to disconnect a section of her carcass suitable for shredding into microscopic pieces, I am still resolute. We shall proceed regardless; there must be a way.

It was with some trepidation that we agreed she might be slightly happier if left to remain a white saint, rather than a bloody martyr. All things being equal, that implied that any procedure causing her great bodily pain or anguish should definitely be ruled out. However, after thinking it through, may I venture that a possible compromise, one that would circumvent all manner of moral, ethical and physical dilemmas, would be to administer local anaesthetic while she wasn’t looking. It certainly would minimise the amount of thrashing about and screaming dire utterances during the dissection process. And if that doesn’t work satisfactorily, there is also hypnotism. Or cloning.

Did I say cloning? How utterly brilliant of me! Surely that would be the answer to all our prayers! Such unique and commendable advantages would be granted to us, for one, a beautifully symmetrical identical though greatly improved visage sans memory or experience. The new, improved Sancta Ultimssima™ would never bother us, or embarrass us, by blurting out little things you did when you were young and gay and had a song in your heart. Furthermore, she would be completely biddable. How does that grab you? Worth investigating? I thought so, at least for a time, but I must admit I’m now having second thoughts. Business-motivated second thoughts. It occurred to me that the procedure might backfire, in which case we would end up with dozens and dozens of perfect little Mumsys, all complete with voices and memories, as well as embarrassing tendencies. Also, an exact replication might call into question her sanctity. Who is real and who is not, that sort of thing. Which one among the billions and billions of not-so-petite wind-up Miraculous Almostasanta Ruchl™ Immaculata™ Ultimata™ Sancta Sanctorum Adorum ™ Healing and Prosperity Dolls®, all screeching and nagging at the same time, is the genuine article? Words fail me! I simply cannot describe the tumult this would bring. And what if the original prototype got lost in the shuffle and went of a rampage? It would lead to madness, to disaster, to the very edge of reason. I die yet am unborn. I shall bear you no gifts and yet am fulsome in magnanimity. Don’tcha know.

To circumvent this and all other problems, and to relieve ourselves of noisome responsibility, might I propose (nay, demand) that we compel her to sign a release? I had hoped simply asking permission would be enough, but to do that we would have to inflict upon ourselves one of her interminable diatribes, and that simply would not do. Of course, if your nature was truly generous and you had at your disposal an extra ten or twenty hours, could request from her a plan for her ultimate redemption. It would certainly occupy her full attention and, as a happy consequence, prevent her from pestering the nice salesladies in Monoprix for shop-soiled discount underwear, at least for a day or two.

I know you are about to interrupt me here and point out that she, as a fully immaculate conception, does not have a pressing need for redemption. My thoughts, however, are that a second one might come in useful when her hagiography is compiled. It would set a good example to other, less fortunate, more ordinary mothers – those not destined for greatness and sainthood – and would shine like a beacon in a world so filled with darkness and vile odours. And with her as an example, might it not inspire others to great heights? Would it not put a smile on their lips and a song in their hearts? Might they not proclaim I may now experience everything life has to offer?

Put it to her like this: how should a living saint of blessed presence continue to lead the miraculous south-eastern sub-section of Holy Mother Church, as pipette and patroness of clean drains and infectious habits, as well as being the inspiration for a thousand thousand shrines, if at the same time she is hawking relics of her blesses corpus and promulgating dogmas and writing cookbooks, all at the same time? Is she, in fact, fully capable of dealing with all this with only one immaculate conseption? We must know! The world must know! The universe deserves to know! The key to all civilisation, to the very existence of mankind, depends upon the answer. As for me, I cannot go on, nor can I reconcile myself to anything but bitter despair without her explicit blessing and absolution.

And no, a thousand times no, I do not feel the time is ripe for her new afternoon chat show. Not only that, but it will never be. And if you really want to know, now is the time for some really ugly home truths about our fair, variegated-eyed and bulbously girded pipette, the so called Miraculous Alostasanta Ruchl™ Immaculata™ Ultimata™ of the Pissoirs™ and Gentle Swellings™! Ask yourself, has she even once really given us a thought? What proof have we that she hasn’t forgotten us? Proof, not reassurances from her media consultant. For all we know, she is off somewhere with her latest toy boy and has abandoned us completely! Please, please, say she hasn’t abandoned us. Say it loud and clear. Have it shouted in my ear! Open your aural heart to my cry of anguish!

One other thing. Has she given so much as a single moment’s notice to the creation of the cumbersomely bloated and unwieldy bureaucracy necessary for our maximum corporate and spiritual growth? I very much doubt it. The clues? Well, for one, has our beloved SOG even so much as mentioned bishops? Aren’t you aware, that when it comes time for us to dedicate our very first Bagel-in-the-Bare™ Holy Theme Park™ and Shrine to Her Most Blessed Sacradotal Wonderment®, we must have bishops. Many bishops. Large and important bishops. Tiny and aesthetic bishops. Bishops with tumbling tummies and drooping noses. Blond and hunky friends of bishops, though only two or three at a time, and never on Wednesdays or Fridays, which as you know are days of penance. Even a couple of penitentially spurious bishops. And finally, one nice, rotund and twinkling bishop. And nuns. Nuns with smiles and haunted eyes. And whips. Big, fat, studded and razor-encrusted whips. And chains. And black leather hoods and hip boots. Speaking of which, while we’re at it, may we not include several of those nice temple prostitutes? Covered with raspberry jam and drinking syllabub? That would be nice, and would add a pinch of je ne çe qua.

Without delay, we must deal the with question of your absolution. Have you received it? Have you asked for it? I used to get it. In the past. But not now. In actual fact, I may be eligible for excommunication, though I’m not certain pursuing it would send the proper signals. I do so hate greed and ambition, as it is so galling to others less fortunate. You, on the other hand, being a sort-of Joo and a Sort-of vacant lot, cannot be excommunicated, since you do not exist in a state of more than meagre, natural (and possibly second hand) grace, at the best most. There is a chance you are not even eligible for limbo (which our reverend pipette has promised to retain throughout eternity, regardless to what others have said). I have, so to speak, lived, and will continue to do until everyone else has gone, or until Hedi Sliman designs his last pair of shoes.

The very tenor and intensity of this topic has tired me. However, before sleep overcomes me and, hopefully, grants me a merciful ending to my circumstance (starvation being the only alternative, given that you are obviously not inclined to dispatch nutritional morsels in my direction, and couldn’t care what happens to me) there is one additional item on my mind. I was on the verge of writing one additional item up for discussion, but with you not communicating with me, for reasons I can only guess at, a discussion is out of the question. So be it. But I digress. Wimbledon will take place, as will the French Open, in the foreseeable future. Why is it that I have not seen your bright and shining countenance on the sports pages or tennis journals? Why? Could it be that I am no longer able to recognise either your name or face? Have you aged so much or are now calling yourself something else, just to spite me? Or did I somehow err in my choice of coach for you? Was our director of marketing, sports psychology and personal motivation, possessed of such woeful deficiencies are a mentor and teacher that she plummeted below the exquisite level necessary to meet the desperate needs of my sweet Forsythia? Is that why you are angry with me? Or is it, hélas, due to the state of your soul? Oui? Non? If not, and I am always prepared to accept the worst, are the dire results in fact originating within our director of marketing’s own hallowed region? Or does she not have one? Is she, in fact, an animal and devoid of grace? Does she have four legs and a tail? Hooves? Are they cloven? Do you know? Have you even thought of checking? I beg of you, my dearest, you must be more careful in your choice of friends.

To sleep, perchance to dream, or not. To be horny would be much nicer, as well as more fun. But, hélas, even that glorious distraction has been denied me. Next time you are in the neighbourhood, perhaps you will come and kill me. - HWISGAAOMRIU®
***

17.50 Fuck I’m hungry
Subject: An Omission

Dearest Darling Forsythia,


You may have noticed that I failed to include Australia in my Miraculous Almostasanta Ruchl™ Immaculata™ Ultimata™ Queen of Heaven™ Guidebook to the World’s Beauty Spots and Luxury Resorts©. After checking with my media consultants and advisors, I am fully that such an omission is warranted and that no such place exists. As I wrote on a previous day, it is not mentioned in the Torah. - HWISGAAOMRIU®