Consumer Madness
I made the mistake of meeting Tash near Oxford Circus last night. I thought it would be quiet, but instead the streets were packed with a frenzied mob of consumers with sale-lust. There were couples fighting, tired looking people laden down with lots of bags, mums with too many small kids. It was a disorganised and confusing scene. I don’t think I have ever seen Oxford Circus that busy (and I have seen it just before xmas). I wondered for a moment if the universe was about to desend into chaos .
I started to reread the first draft of my novel a few days ago. I became aware that I have written an outline of a novel. At the moment it reads like a detailed log of actions with a little creative writing here and there. I wasn’t downhearted when I read it through. I realised that it is a rough first draft, and that there is still plenty that needs to written to make it feel more complete. I’ve also had another idea for a short story - this one is about faith. It will be another sci-fi, set in a prison. The ending will be a cynical bastard.
My brother has written some interesting observations about the season at his site. The discussion he had over his xmas dinner about picking up small change off the street reminded me about a similarly obscure topic that we talked about after our dinner. I raised the question about the likely outcome of a battle between the Roman Legions and Maori warriors. I found myself a minority of one in the belief that the Maori would give the Romans a pretty good run for their money. I mean, if you look at the Gaulish village in Asterix, the Romans weren’t much chop.
