Business Traveller

While walking through the Safeway store in Alamo, CA (No, not the one where John Wayne fought the Mexicans, that was Texas, and Davy Crocket), I took a look at the bargain bin of books, and saw one that caught my eye. ‘Destiny’ it said, with a proud proclamation that it was ”The epic novel for the third millennium’!. Also, it was $2, so I figured I’d give it a go.

Months later, and being off work sick, I decided to tuck into a little bit of fantasy, so I opened Destiny and started reading. My initial knee-jerk reaction was ‘How could this possibly be the epic to take over from Lord of the Rings?’, but I think that maybe I’m just too old. So here it is then, my verdict:-

If you’re the sort of girl that thought that Lord of the Rings needed a more Mills & Boone touch. If you’re the sort of Metro-sexual man that thought that Tolkien should have concentrated more on what the girls were wearing, and how the satin or silk made them feel. If you think that epic battle scenes should be won or lost based on the hroin’s ability to sing. Then Destiny is the book for you.

Not for me though…

I’ve decided to write a book. The current working title is: “How to get promoted in a multi-national corporate – while keeping your dignity and self respect (sort-of)”

It’s a tongue-in cheek look at corporate politics, and will – I hope – be a funny look at a serious strategy that has worked for me so far.

I’ve got the book outline done, and have made a start on the first chapter. Once the first chapter is slightly more polished, I’ll pop it up here to get your opinions.

Before I say anything else, some of you reading this will not know me, so I will just bring you up to speed. I am an African man. Some may say that I am too white to make that claim, but every single bit of my family tree was born in Africa for the last 300 odd years. Besides, knowing the sexual proclivities of the Dutch, I’m pretty sure that if I had my genetic make-up analysed, I’d turn out not to be nearly as white as most people would think I am…

 Back to the point, though - as an African man, I am very in touch with my Neanderthal side. My inner woman was one-day walking too near to his cave, so he bopped her on the head with a club, and dragged her inside. She hasn’t been seen since I was 13. This is not to say that I have no feelings. It just means that I’m not particularly prone to overt displays of emotion (apart from anger that is, for some reason that is one emotion that doesn’t make me the least bit uncomfortable. Fortunately it is rare, and I’m not normally an angry man – but I digress).

The point is that I am not a weepy, sensitive, new-age sort of a man.

Now onto the book. I’m a chapter reader. We I pick up a book, I read at least one chapter, but will always read to the end of the chapter I’m on before putting it down. It’s not just an idiosyncrasy. A chapter represents a thought process, and to read it, as it was meant to be read just works for me.

~I digress again. The point is that I have been trying to finish the second-last chapter for the last 4 days. I soldier on as much as I can’ trying desperately to read to the end of the page, but then have to settle for the paragraph, and sometimes even the sentence that I am reading before my vision is blurred by the tears that I just can’t go on.

It’s a story about a man and his dog (and his family). It’s told with a sensitivity and joy that would melt that Frozen moon that orbits Saturn. It’s a story that anybody who has ever even enjoyed giving a dog a little pat should read, because you’ll love it. You will laugh. You will cry. Most of all, you’ll just fall in love with this book. Read it now!