"Tell me again...I've got triple stranded DNA?" How? When? I..I..I'm too old for this...

What am I going to do? Well, this: stop peering at what people are reading on the Tube. That's what. I have this habit, a quick glance, really, no more than that, of trying to see just what the commuter in the seat next to me is reading.

Only happens when I'm bored, or have n't anything to read, or like this evening, distracted from reading by a couple of people having a very loud conversation. Never done overtly either; I don't ask them to:" hurry up I've finished that page, or you're reading that, don't bother, I'll tell you the end" No, none of that. All above board, two second glimpse. Done.

Like I say, partly it's down to boredom; little bit of curiousity - "humm, not read that, looks interesting"; perhaps a touch of reader's anxiety - "why have n't I read that!" I know it happens the other way, plenty of times, I've caught sight of someone eyeballing the book or paper I'm reading. It's the Tube, different social rules. Normal service resumes the moment we decant from the train

Catch sight of a couple of single-sided pages covered in 12pt Courier, where terms like CUT TO and DISSOLVE, amongst others stand out, and everyone's name is CAPITALISED before a line or two of dialogue, then I'm like a hunting dog in the fields. Got to have a peek. Read a couple of screen plays myself, so feel ever so remotely connected to a kind of script reading freemasonry. Person next to me was thumbing a script on the way home this evening. Katherine Mansfied has her moments, unquestionably enjoy her short stories (that's who I'm reading at the moment) just I see a script and that's it, I'm that errant husband of a reader, I have to stray even if it's only moment, and this is how I picked up this gem of dialogue, the piece that kicks off this entry.