Great Regulars: One night on the [Jack] Paar show,

[Alexander] King told a story about [Peter] Altenberg that I have never forgotten. It seems that Altenberg, who lived out his days in cheap hotels, awoke one morning feeling poorly--probably hung over from a combination of slivovitz and sleeping pills--and decided to spend the day in bed. But just as he was about to fall back to sleep, he remembered it was the birthday of a woman he loved very much. So he dragged himself out of bed, went to the florist, and bought a bouquet.

from Frank Wilson: When Falls the Coliseum: That's What He Said: Better a well-turned epigram than an empty epic

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