The perils of drinking too much
Frances (a friend of mine from work) was away last week, as she had been to a party the previous evening and was hung-over on Sunday morning. She was back at work yesterday, though, and after exchaning good-mornings I asked her if she had recovered from her party yet. She replied in the affirmative ... but also said that one of her friends didn't.
Apparently, the girl involved actually drunk so much alcohol that she had to be taken to hospital in an ambulance. And she's still there. Frances visited her last night, and her friend still can't walk properly, as she is having difficulty co-ordinating her legs. She was completely paralytic until a few days ago.
How is it possible to drink that much? Unless things like Vodka were doing the rounds, you'd think that most people physically wouldn't be able to drink such amounts. We suspect that someone at the party was spiking the drinks with something rather stronger than people thought.
It's a common enough trick, and people think it's amusing at the time ... but not when it lands your friends in hospital, unable to walk a whole week later. It just goes to show that irresponsible practical jokes can have disastrous consequences. Especially when everyone's a little bit on the tipsy side and can't be trusted to think rationally.
And in other news
There is now one day left until the end of November ... and I have completely and utterly failed NaNoWriMo. My count is still stuck at just over 14K. Last year I remember laughing to myself at the people who hadn't "even" made 20K. I think it's fair to say that I have learned some humility.
Why didn't I finish? The plain truth is that I've been through a lot of changes since NaNo 2003, and my writing has evolved to fit a different set of criteria (Kate, you were right). Remember, Cold Witness developed in the intervening time, and that project has had a tremendous impact on my life. I now find it impossible to write crap and worry about the details later. I guess you could say I'm a fundamentally careful person: I don't do things without planning them first, and although I was going through a "spontaneous" phase this time last year, I'm a different man now.
For the people who are suited to it, NaNoWriMo is a wonderful idea and an inspiring vision. I wish present and future Wrimos the very best of luck in their months of madness. But, for me, I think this is the end of the road for NaNo. My current writing philosophy relies on the gradual, careful build-up of ideas, with a large planning and research stage, and an even larger revision stage. I just can't re-gear my mind to work in NaNo mode anymore.
But in the five years I've been writing to date, I still remember November 2003 as one of the greatest turning points. Indirectly, it allowed things like Cold Witness to be possible. It opened my mind, broadened my horizons, and persuaded me that I could write better and deeper stories. I shall miss that feeling of hope and new possibilities.
Frances (a friend of mine from work) was away last week, as she had been to a party the previous evening and was hung-over on Sunday morning. She was back at work yesterday, though, and after exchaning good-mornings I asked her if she had recovered from her party yet. She replied in the affirmative ... but also said that one of her friends didn't.
Apparently, the girl involved actually drunk so much alcohol that she had to be taken to hospital in an ambulance. And she's still there. Frances visited her last night, and her friend still can't walk properly, as she is having difficulty co-ordinating her legs. She was completely paralytic until a few days ago.
How is it possible to drink that much? Unless things like Vodka were doing the rounds, you'd think that most people physically wouldn't be able to drink such amounts. We suspect that someone at the party was spiking the drinks with something rather stronger than people thought.
It's a common enough trick, and people think it's amusing at the time ... but not when it lands your friends in hospital, unable to walk a whole week later. It just goes to show that irresponsible practical jokes can have disastrous consequences. Especially when everyone's a little bit on the tipsy side and can't be trusted to think rationally.
And in other news
There is now one day left until the end of November ... and I have completely and utterly failed NaNoWriMo. My count is still stuck at just over 14K. Last year I remember laughing to myself at the people who hadn't "even" made 20K. I think it's fair to say that I have learned some humility.
Why didn't I finish? The plain truth is that I've been through a lot of changes since NaNo 2003, and my writing has evolved to fit a different set of criteria (Kate, you were right). Remember, Cold Witness developed in the intervening time, and that project has had a tremendous impact on my life. I now find it impossible to write crap and worry about the details later. I guess you could say I'm a fundamentally careful person: I don't do things without planning them first, and although I was going through a "spontaneous" phase this time last year, I'm a different man now.
For the people who are suited to it, NaNoWriMo is a wonderful idea and an inspiring vision. I wish present and future Wrimos the very best of luck in their months of madness. But, for me, I think this is the end of the road for NaNo. My current writing philosophy relies on the gradual, careful build-up of ideas, with a large planning and research stage, and an even larger revision stage. I just can't re-gear my mind to work in NaNo mode anymore.
But in the five years I've been writing to date, I still remember November 2003 as one of the greatest turning points. Indirectly, it allowed things like Cold Witness to be possible. It opened my mind, broadened my horizons, and persuaded me that I could write better and deeper stories. I shall miss that feeling of hope and new possibilities.
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