We've had a Wicker Man before, but the comment section below clearly occasions a new award:
BACK FROM BOSPORUS
Turns out it was a wrong number from Istanbul–just some dude wondering if the special was still on with the two shirts for the price of one drycleaning. Nice, nonetheless, to get away from the bustle for a while.
One particular highlight was that I had the pleasure of speaking to the novelist Jim Shepard while I was away. He's a writer of sly proclivities and crafter of extraordinary works of fiction (he teaches at Williams). I'm in the middle of his book Lights Out in the Reptile House. It's a must-recommend. Excellent book (and even better title) set in an unnamed country where totalitarians have taken the helm.
Anyhow–good to be back in the saddle. Even with a few burrs.
ADDITIONAL: One is reminded of the Three Billy Goats Gruff, only this time they all have the requisite horns…
