So my reading material lately has been Raymond Chandler novels. I'm a big fan of noir in literature and film, and especially private detective stuff. I read pretty much all of Dashiell Hammett's novels and stories (Sam Spade and the Continental Op were his main characters--The Maltese Falcon was his, and if you've ever seen the Coen brothers' flick Miller's Crossing it was essentially a synthesis of Hammett stories). So I moved on to Chandler, and oh man. I thought Hammett was good, and still do, but Chandler just nails the vibe so damn well. And his descriptions.. just amazing. Have you ever been reading something, and it just whacks you over the head with how GOOD it is, how special it is? That was chapter 13 of Chandler's The Little Sister for me. Thankfully someone else typed it up so I don't have to. Read it if you have a few minutes, I promise you won't be disappointed.

( I drove east on Sunset but I didn't go home. )