Good luck, bad luck

I bought a Wordtank IDF-4600 from a British seller for a tenth what the American was asking, including shipping. And a good thing too, because I'd be chizzed in spades at paying close to $400 for something as useless as the much vaunted IDF-4600. The rep Canon has for being gaijin-friendly, or at least Anglophone-friendly, is officially in tatters.
( Cut for electronic dictionary tsuris )

Come by chance

1. Am reading Invisible Cities in a brown-edged Picador paperback. I found this passage, which I pass on to qwerty:

True, also, in Hypatia the day will come when my only desire will be to leave. I know I must not go down to the harbour then, but climb the citadel's highest pinnacle and wait for a ship to go by up there. But will it ever go by? There is no language without deceit.

Which is not quite air-borne triremes, and there are no mermaids or Wild Hunts in the subway (so far) but is a start.
( Cut for more reading and appalling accidents )