i was hugely amused last friday's tea when one of my guests told us how he knew exactly how a victorian gentleman would feel. this guest has a small investment fund, and he has arranged for a small percentage of the sum to go to princeton on his demise, five percent to go to his best friend, and the remainder to be divided equally between his sisters. a few weeks ago his friend passed a rude remark about his family, so he had his friend's share changed to three percent (redistributing the two percent between his sisters) in order that he would have the pleasure of ringing his friend and telling him his share had been reduced. now he's waiting for his friend to commit some greater offence: "i've always wanted to write someone out of my will!"

it was interesting though, that of three people who were at the tea, none had a will, though all wanted one, and were keen on advance medical directives. we discuss the problem of how i might indicate myself to be an organ donor without either driver's licence or social security card. and people liked my practice of keeping a list of books i own and whom they should go to. i don't much mind my friends coming around and having a rummage and taking clothes and things they like (von obviously can have ponder), but books are important and personal, and i'd like my friends to have them to remember me by. inscribed books and books on permanent loan should, i think, go back to their givers. particularly inscribed books - an inscription constitutes a private bond between giver and receiver, don't you think? sometimes i go into secondhand bookshops and find inscribed books - it's all right for books that are old enough for you to be sure both parties have likely passed on - but how awful if they're still alive - because sometimes the inscriptions are so new - you wonder how the receipient could have simply sold them without thinking of the public betrayal.

on that note, i'm updating my book list again, so people with specific claims should put them in now. (julian you get all the richard powers, and of course choonping can have all the milton criticism, so neither of you need tell me about them.)