One thing I’ve found in my (many) travels to England is British TV shows. One of my favorites is called “Black Books,” about a small used-book store owner, in the absurd-intellectual-cynical comedy tradition, at its best of course. I can’t watch my CD of it now because it’s PAL format, and I can’t switch Fluffy’s DVD format any more. So, I loved finding a chunk of quotes from the show just now, especially this from the first show of the series…
Customer: Those books, how much?
Bernard: Hmm?
Customer: Those books. Leather-bound ones.
Bernard: Yes, Dickens. The collective works of Charles Dickens.
Customer: They real leather?
Bernard: They’re real Dickens.
Customer: I have to know if they’re real leather because they have to go with a sofa. Everything else in my house is real. I’ll give you two hundred for them.
Bernard: Two hundred what?
Customer: Two hundred pounds…
Bernard: Are they leather-bound pounds?
Customer: No…
Bernard: Sorry, I need leather-bound pounds to go with my wallet. Next!
white pebble 