A desperate-looking man at a bus stop, "They're after me." I sighed inwardly, oh no. Poor man. Then travel memories behind the Iron Curtain (still firmly drawn) flooded in. Observing weird comings & goings in Vienna, among other places. Going through Checkpoint Charlie. And ongoing amongst us innocents in the DC neighborhood (& more so in N. VA)? Crazy traitor Robert Hanssen not 5 minutes away, oh-so-busy honing his spy-craft (& perversions). (Have you seen Breach? Or read Eric O'Neill's book?) Read/re-watch Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; Smiley's People, but especially Richard Burton in The Spy Who Came in From the Cold. Now, that, as a professor (& friend) said to me when I was rather young, that is the whole bloody dirty nasty business right there. Hey, he knew nutty Ezra Pound. Who was I to question him on these tangled matters?
So that man, in the beautiful Burberry trench* right near the Phillips Collection? You never know. They could be after him. I gave him a quarter for the phone.
Here's John le Carré's website.
Off to scary dental doings. (Shades of last summer.)
*I know. A cliche. Life is like that sometimes. It was a Burberry. Speaking of clothes, the above shot is via myvintagevogue.
4 comments:
Haha! I love this! Your mind is so fascinating, you know?
This post makes me want to put on a trench and slink around town. (As long as I can take up smoking again. I know, I know...but I loved smoking.)
For the record, I never think of you as grumpy. Oh no, no, no. You are entertaining and tres intelligente. (I have no accents to type.)
I will be trying very hard to avoid the internet while on my 'vacation' or else I will never accomplish anything in my life other than sitting at my desk.
Hope you're feeling well these days. Talk with you soon.
Catherine
(My word verification is 'ablessu'.)
Angie & Catherine,
You're both too generous & kind with your words, but I will not object to them (today) as I'm not feeling particularly interesting, well, or intelligent.
Catherine...never having smoked, I still understand why you enjoyed it. Thanks for the verification word...I do love that sort of thing.
I love your little story...
Never read any spy novels - which one do you recommend I start with?
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