Sunday

First things first: after years of training, most readers’ eyes might fall on this Update information without so much as a glance toward my "main" blog. I thought I'd mention there's a new and rather longer post over there. A second and somewhat less concrete administration might be made note of in reference to any oddity or singularity of note within this column's demeanor of late--as every night I lay away my volume of Jane Austin and attempt with greater and lesser perseverance to strip my countenance of those affectations to which, you may depend, I am finding ever so more suitable to the conveyance of the humour and romance of eighteen hundred and thirteen than to this modern web logging. I thought I might rid it from my system here, but there is more to write, and I am still only to page fifty-five in Pride and Prejudice. It's a lovely book which, far from being as dry as its screen adaptations or perverse as my sentence above, I am finding to be embarrassing to read in a Saigon sidewalk café owing to the number of times per page that I laugh right out loud. Alas, delightful, and I cannot on my soul imagine why it might be I have not read this before now. Also of note: walking back from a really nice Italian meal on the patio of Luna L'Autunna tonight, up Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai, the other cross street where we live, I looked down on the sidewalk and found the second card in my Saigon Stud* hand. To the Two of hearts I've now added the King of clubs. I can still go for the high-lo straight but the flush is out. One more bad card and I will have to fold. [Cavin]