Yesterday was my birthday. I am now 29- yikes- so close to thirty. One of the many amazing presents I got was this book. When I first opened it I thought, hmmm, maybe this is a really cool illustrated version of Shakespeare. Then opening the cover the realization hit, this is Dave and Abi giving me this gift- what was I thinking. Of course it was going to be something insane like a fake book lock box filled with raunchy stuff. The fake book has a reversible dust jacket so just in case it made more sense to have a French dictionary on your shelf you could always flip it. Here’s a list of the inventory inside the box: a small bottle of Courvoisier, a pack of Manhattan chocolate cigarettes, two dice, a vintage paperback The First Lady of Chatterley, one SKYN condom, one tiny skeleton in a tiny box coffin, a pack of matches from Shenanigan’s Nite Club, a noisemaker, the Revolver card from the game Clue, and a small porn magazine that comes with an exclusive XXX fetish fantasies dvd. I like to imagine they stole this treasure box from a dirty old man to bring me. And now I can hide the book on my shelf. Thanks Abi and Dave!

© Julia Rothman 2007