Is it really March again? Grant’s hot take that literally everyone has uttered recently: it feels both as though no time has passed since entering the first lockdown on 15 March 2020 and that an eternity has elapsed in the meantime. The one (almost) constant in all of this - like a supporting character returning in a movie sequel to establish continuity - is that here in Germany, we are still in lockdown and there is no end in sight.
One interesting development resulting from this, at least linguistically, has been the decision to use the words “Click & Meet” (in English) as shorthand for the process where a person registers online in advance for an appointment at, for example, a boutique store specialising in alpaca wool products and then goes there at 14:45 on a Tuesday to browse all the comfy socks in store. Maybe it’s not interesting for anyone else, actually; I’m just fascinated by how someone managed to sum up the New Normal in two words and an ampersand, and how quickly everyone accepted it. Specifically, it’s the use of ‘meet’ that’s twisting my melon, man. Why not ‘browse’ or ‘collect’ or ‘pick’ or ‘shop’? ‘Meet’ is so active and personal, especially for a country (and a city) that isn’t particularly renowned for its warmth toward strangers. All I can think is that after being starved of random human interaction for so many months, we’ve all learned how much we need other people, and meeting cashiers is the first step toward a more inclusive, harmonious, mutually beneficial society. Yep.
NB: I do not live near a butcher’s shop (thank fuck), but I hope their signs say ‘Click & Meat’.
Announcement time? I was going to do this separately, but it makes little difference, so here goes:
Reality Testing will be published as a paperback by the Texas-based publishing house Black Rose in January 2022.
Fireworks and balloons and so on. Bagged me that prime January slot, when everybody has disposable income lying around and the energy to struggle their way through 289 pages of dystopian fiction. Oh yeah, New York Times bestseller list, come to daddy.
REVIEWS. As mentioned a few days ago, Kirkus gave Reality Testing a starred review. Life goal: tick. Meanwhile, the San Francisco Book Review gave the novel a 4-star review, in which the reviewer casually talks about RT in the same breath as Blade Runner, Margaret Atwood and Judge Dredd. Consider my ego stroked.
We are the music makers:
Dry Cleaning - Magic of Meghan
we’ll sail to the stars