Thanks (Pen) Pal

I had a virtual relationship when I was in my teens with a boy from Luxembourg, not via the Internet of course, he was my pen pal. He went to an extremely posh school and was very clever and well-read. As with relationships over the Internet, it is possible to cultivate a persona and I did that, with my trusty Everything Within by my side. I used to research references to philosophy, politics, religion etc. in his letters and try to reply in kind. Because of him I bought and read (some of) Thus Spoke Zarathustra.

I therefore was interested to see today’s GoogleDoodle which features a stylised head of Nietzsche complete with animated brain cells and his big black moustache. I love the GDs, particularly the interactive ones, and often look on Twitter to see what people have to say about them. One woman has posted a pic of her Schnauzer dog, aptly named Nietzsche. Schnauzer comes from schnauze meaning snout or muzzle. A schnauzbart is used to describe a moustache or a man with a moustache. All Schnauzer dogs have moustaches as can be seen in my pic from The Complete Book Of Dogs. I often think about boxing all my books up and storing them but I just can’t bring myself to.