best of times

It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. That was one of the questions of the Biochemistry Department's Quiz Night tonight. Which book starts with this line? As I had heard it mentioned on the BBC the other day, I knew for sure it was A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. We got a point for this question, though none of us had read the book. Even so, we didn't win Quiz Night. We ended up somewhere at the bottom of the first third. For me, that is not nearly enough. I see myself as a winner, and whenever I don't come out on top, I hate it. Even if it's only a meaningless quiz night where limitless beer should get everyone in a good mood, and I took advantage of the offerings.

I was reminded by the question that reading Dickens has been high on my list for a long time. Unfortunately, I have never seen any of his books at the Oxfam bookstore, and I don't feel like spending tens of pounds for old writing. I might just have to pay a visit to the library.

Coming back to Quiz Night. My favorite question was the one about the name of the Utah ski resort that Robert Redford owns and named. That was easy. I remember an unbelievable day with Sean there. Fog dense enough to send all pansies packing and enough snow for faceshots till closing time. How lovely it was to drop into the absolute invisibility of Bishop's Bowl! I would do a few turns and then stop, momentarily panicked, screaming Sean, until I heard him reply just five feet away, and we'd continue drowning in powder until the resort closed at 4:30. Sundance!