I’ve been spending as much time as possible trying to recover from this stress induced kung-FU that my stomach has been on since last Monday. With that in mind I figured it was a solid opportunity to reconnect with some cyberpunk literature in my library and Neil Stephenson’s, “Snow Crash“. It’s been a hot minute since I’ve read the novel and I settled in knowing I would enjoy the scenario.

After a couple hours of reading, I get to the bottom of page 186. The main characters whole hustle has just taken an interesting turn and on the next page, PROBLEMS. At this point, I’m sitting up in the bed, confused by the fact that my brain was just disconnected from the metaverse that I was comfortably immersed in.

Since my format has been slightly delusional and hallucinatory at times these past few days I lay back down and try to convince myself that i’m just trippin’. I start rereading the bottom of page 186 and move on to the next page and again I run up against black ice the size of Texas. WHAT? just happened? (note: words escape my lips verbally before I realize it happened). Page 186 took a solid jump to page 211. Just under thirty pages of intel is missing from my paperback copy.

On the outset this really wouldn’t be detrimental to my format, except that I’m sick, trying to recover AND was looking forward to the read. With thirty solid pages missing I end up feeling broke off in a most severe manner. The messed up part about the whole scenario is that this is my only copy since the hardbound version I owned is mysteriously absent at the moment (note: no, I don’t get down with notions of kharma).

Now I’m at a crossroads — keep reading? purchase a whole new copy? My hardbound backup is definitely absent without leave. Maybe someone in my camp will do me a solid and send me the hardbound copy that is in my Amazon wishlist.