2004-08-24..5:17 p.m.

I am a sneak of the highest genus. On the scale of Sneak I rank in the top 0.02%. When it comes to Sneaking, I�m Top Kitten. An Uber Sneak. The Wunder of the Sneak World. Why do I claim such accolades? Because unbeknownst to anyone but you, I have cut and then pasted, painstakingly adjusted the font, printed and bound the first six episodes of Ulysses, the James Joyce masterwork itself. The beautiful result being I have just saved myself a whole �6.99. If I can do this with all my readings I will officially reign supremo.

I awoke this morning happier than I can begin to say. I did not move from within the heavy embrace of M�s sleeping form once in the night. I am usually a wriggle monster; fruitless hours are spent tearing at the sheets, clamouring for air, shifting into and out of muscle spasms and intolerable knots pitted beneath the surface of my left calf. I think I generally fall asleep from the sheer exhaustion of trying to get comfortable. This morning I awoke in the exact position I fell asleep in. I dreamt of a hotel whose Muslim owners would not as a guest to vacate his room despite the insidiously racist comments he kept making for fear of reprisals. I�ve no idea how it ended because the next thing I know I was giving airplane rides and piggy-backs to a group of giggling six-year old Japanese kids in a slowly ebbing swimming pool. They were both dreams of bright colours and stabbing frustration, until my mind reeled back and spent a good long time sitting inside one of those floaty things parents (rather stupidly if you were to ask a former swimming instructor, which you didn�t, so never mind) shove their children�s arms through in a vain effort it will teach them how to float. It was clear plastic so I could see myself bobbing along in the centre of the pool, and had translucent amber goldfish decorating the sides. If I could bottle that peace, I�d not even bother in the obvious get-rich-quick scheme. That sort of peace should be a right not a privilege.

Last night I went out for dinner and had so many shiitake mushrooms I felt sick. So much blessed goodness is hard to take. This afternoon immediately after I finish, I�ll head to the sports caf� on Exmouth. It reminds me so very much of places like Tequila Bookworm in Toronto. I�m going home in not even two weeks, I need to start preparing for that sort of atmosphere.

****meep