OK, most of my days I am an easygoing and forgiving person. But sometimes my fellow humans just make my eyes roll.

It’s book week here in Australia, and in the bookshop I will get an influx of a certain type of customer: a parent who needs to have a book as a prop to demonstrate where and what their child is costumed as. Many are great folk who have a smattering of knowledge of children’s literature, or at least know what their kids read. (Presumably the parents who are constant readers already have a small library of children’s classics at home, or at the very least know where the town’s public library is.)

But yesterday took the biscuit.

Customer : Do you have any books on pirate zombies?

Me : Err, for what age.

Customer : {looking at picture books) Seven year old boy.

Me : Well, we certainly have some books on pirates.

Customer : What about the Pirates of the Caribbean?

Me : We might have had some when the movies came out, but not any more. What about Treasure Island?

Customer : What’s that?

Me : (under my breath)   @&#(&Q#(%&()#&%(#&@!!!!!!!!

Now I don’ t expect the average person on the street to have heard of Homer or le Morte d’Arthur, but seriously!!! WTF!!!!!   Treasure Island!!! Long John Silver!!! Peglegs and parrots!!!!

Am I being unreasonable here?? Even the Muppets did Treasure Island!

OK rant over.  Back to my stable persona. Thanks for listening.