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Monday, August 31, 2015

The Writer's Life 8/31 - Stalwarts

RIP horror-meister Wes Craven, 76, who succumbed to brain cancer. I was not a big fan of his work, but there’s no denying he made a huge mark on Hollywood. Operating on modest budgets, his Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream franchises reeled in big bucks and entertained millions. He had experience in every aspect of the business. At IMDb he has 36 credits listed as writer, 27 as producer, 29 as director, 19 as actor, five as editor, and one as cinematographer. He also wrote two novels, Fountain Society, and Coming of Rage, co-author with Steve Niles. Here is a quote attributed to him: “Horror films don’t create fear. They release it.” Well done, sir.

On Saturday night Movies!, 113 on Cablevision in NYC, ran Tender Is the Night (1962), an adaptation of the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, starring Jason Robards Jr., Jennifer Jones, Joan Fontaine and Jill St. John. It’s only so-so, but commendable in that it stuck to the author’s storyline. In researching the film, I was impressed by the canon of its director, Henry King, whose last work it was and who is not mentioned among the all-time greats. From 1915-1962 King was at the helm of 116 movies, many of them solid entertainment, a few quite notable, such as 12 O’clock High (1949) and The Gunfighter (1950), each of those starring Gregory Peck. He also appeared in 116 silents as an actor. He is quoted as having said: “I’ve had more fun directing pictures than most people have playing games.”

When I sold my 100 shares of Apple I listed three reasons why, one being that the Apple Watch was a flop. That may have been erroneous. Recently, I've seen several articles saying it is gaining ground. Also, a friend said every member of a family he knows has one and raves about it.

My thanks to lovely young Iryna, who purchased A Hitch in Twilight, and to the Russian woman who bought a novel in her native tongue.
Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tinyurl.com/l84h63j
Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp
Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f


 

Sunday, August 30, 2015

The Writer's Life 8/30 - Gray

Not much action for the floating book shop in Park Slope today, although the two items I sold were different in terms of marketability: a DVD of a comedy in French with subtitles, The Closet, and a work of non-fiction titled Companeros about migrant workers. My thanks to the gentlemen who bought them, and to the lovely teenage girl who gave me a free sample of DavidsTea, a shop at the corner of 7th Avenue and 4th Street. I'm by no means a connoisseur, but it did not taste anything like tea. One of the ingredients was peanut butter, and it was unsweetened. It's not something I would buy.

I thought I'd finished the collection I plan for the new year, but, since I'd included a one-act play and two screenplays, I decided to add a teleplay I'd written for a short-lived Fox anthology series of the 90's produced by Martin Scorsese. I reduced the font of the file to eleven-point so that the total package will be around 300 pages. It will probably be a bit more, as I will be adding the preliminary pages and a break between each work, and a list of the magazines where the stories that have already seen the light of day were published. Here's the first few pages of Not So Black and White, which is about race relations. It's a few minutes read:

   A physically fit, well-groomed white male of 40, dressed casual and neat, attache case in hand, is making his way out of a subway station, smiling. As he approaches the turnstiles, a young black male vaults them from the opposite side.
   “Pay your fare, jerko,” the man, whose voice is raspy, says contemptuously, his accent that of a native New Yorker.
   “Shut up!” the other sneers, racing away.
   On a staircase leading to the street, three white, disheveled homeless men are gathered, two leaning against a wall, the other seated on the ground. A pint bottle enclosed in a paper bag stands among them. They ask for a hand-out, one slurring markedly. The man with the attache case, head bowed, ignores them.
   “Have a nice day, anyway,” says the one who is seated.
   The man represses a chuckle. As he reaches the street, he spots a black male in his early 30’s, also dressed casual and neat, walking toward him. He breaks into an infectious smile. The two greet each other warmly, shaking hands.
   “How you doin’, Lionel?” says the white male.
   “What’s up, Danny?” Lionel’s voice is also raspy.
   “What brings you to the neighborhood?”
   “What else?”
   Dan is surprised. “Still single?”
   “Yeah. I’m not ready yet. Maybe when I have as much money as you.”
   Dan smiles self-consciously.
   “I can’t believe you ride the subway,” Lionel chuckles.
   “It’s still the fastest way to get around. Two stops, five minutes -- can’t beat it, especially at the price.”
   Now Lionel is laughing. Dan shakes his head, amused himself at his frugality.
   “Some days I walk. All that money and I still can’t shake my family’s immigrant mentality. How’re things in Gold?”
   Lionel shakes his head. “Bad. Did you ever time your move right.”
   Dan shrugs. “Sometimes you get lucky.”
   “We haven’t had a real move since you left. And what’d that one last - a month?”
   “I can’t believe how many guys stuck with metals.”
   “A lot of ‘em are really hurtin’. Some had to take second jobs. We’re nowhere without inflation.”
   “It’s always around the corner. The politicians’ll screw up like they always do.”
   “That’s what we’re hopin’.”
   “You suppose we’ll go to hell for capitalizing’ on people’s misery?”
   Lionel males a face. “We don’t cause these things. We just react to ‘em. Should the whole ship go down? Somebody’s gotta make money to keep it floatin’.”
   Dan smiles knowingly. “You’ve learned your lessons well. You’ve come a long way since that animal hired you and we had you goin’ to the tenth floor for coffee.”
   “There’s no tenth floor?” says Lionel, embarrassed.
   “Listen, there’s a place in the neighborhood called Harry’s. Your girl’ll know about it. They’re havin’a beatnik night tonight. It’s a lotta fun. I’m gonna get up and make a fool of myself. Come by.”
   Lionel is intrigued. “I’ll see what she says. She’s the boss.”
   “Aren’t they always?”
   “Let me get goin’. Give my regards to Nina.”
   “I will.”
   Dan crosses the street. A woman of middle eastern heritage, holding the hand of a toddler, emerges from a doorway and quietly pleas for money. Dan digs into his pocket for his money clip and, although he finds nothing smaller than a 20, surrenders a bill. She thanks him and promises to repay.
   “Forget it,” he says, raising a hand, avoiding her gaze. Shaken, eyes glazed, he enters a small grocery store.
   “Que tal, amigo?” the middle age man at the counter says, smiling. “Como esta su mujer?”
   “Bien, todo bien, gracias,” he returns in an unpolished inflection. “Como va la vida?”
   “Bien, bien, gracias a Dios.”
   As he’s collecting items, milk, bread, etc., his beeper sounds. He frowns as he notes the number paging him.
   “Can I use your phone, Carlos?” he says politely to the proprietor.
   “Si, si, vien,” says the man, encouraging him demonstratively.
   He dials. A young man of Hispanic descent, seated in an office, paper work before him, answers.
   “What’s up, Lu?” says Dan.
   “You have a hundred-lot out.”
   “What?” says Dan angrily, turning away from a customer whose attention he has attracted. “With who?”
   “Guess.”
   “Again? I’ll ring that lowlife’s neck. What price?”
   “He doesn’t know it at all.”
   Dan flails at the air with the receiver, muttering. “That’s what I get for bein’ stupid enough to trade with him. When am I gonna learn? Some people are just slime. Who’s the customer?”
   “Marilyn.”
   “Figures. Alright, put it in my account.”
   “File a grievance.”
   “It’s not worth the hassle. Let’s see where the market comes in tomorrow. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”
   “You’re too soft.”
   He hangs up. “Gracias, amigo,” he says, patting Carlos gently on the back.
   “De nada. Trouble, my friend?”
   “The world’s full of thieves.” He pauses, searching for the Spanish equivalent. “Ladrons?”
   “I know. Two times they rob me last year, hijos de putas.” He shapes his hand into a revolver.
   Dan stares. “I guess I shouldn’t complain. I never have to face a gun. Thanks for puttin’ things in perspective for me.”
   Groceries in one hand, attachĂ© in the other, he enters a loft building. Two men, satchels over their shoulders, are waiting for the elevator. Dan fidgets. Boarding, he stands as far from the others as possible and stares at his shoes.
Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tinyurl.com/l84h63j
Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp
Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

Saturday, August 29, 2015

The Writer's Life 8/29 - Some People

Larry McMurtrey’s Lonesome Dove is a great novel. I have not come across any work that depicts what settlers faced better than that epic. It was adapted into a fine mini-series. Last night I watched a film with a similar theme, The Homesman (2014), adapted from a novel by Glendon Swarthout. Tommy Lee Jones directed and adapted the screenplay with two others. He also stars. The tone is somber, grim throughout, unlike in Lonesome Dove, which is leavened by wonderful humor. The story is compelling, however. Three women, mail order brides, have been driven mad by the harshness of pioneer life in the Nebraska territory of the 1850's. The local reverend arranges for them to be sent to a church in Iowa, where they will be transported back to their families in the east. Hillary Swank plays a deeply religious spinster who takes on the five-week trek. Along the way she “recruits” Jones to help. I did not like a major turn the narrative took, although it was certainly feasible, and there is a scene involving a fire I thought unnecessary. Some elements work better in a novel than they do on screen. The cast is first rate. Several stalwarts took small parts to work under Jones’ direction: John Lithgow, James Spader and Meryl Streep, whose daughter, Grace Gummer, plays one of the madwomen. Barry Corbin, William Ficthner and Tim Blake Nelson, great supporting players, also appear. 16,000+ users at IMDb have rated The Homesman, forging to a consensus of 6.6 of ten. On a scale of five, I rate it 3.25. Those who are averse to the downbeat should pass. There is also very little action, despite great dramatic tension. It runs a little over two hours. I was surprised to discover this was Jones’ fourth stint at the helm, two of the others having been TV movies. He also has two other writing credits, one as uncredited monologue writer for The Eyes of Laura Mars (1978).

As everyone knows, there are a lot of sickies out there. This week on Facebook two bogus deaths were reported, Steven Seagal and James Earl Jones. The internet is one of the greatest inventions of all-time, but there’s nothing to prevent the perversion of it in a free society. Such behavior conjures phrases that web users now abbreviate, such as WTF and SMH. I don’t know if an abbreviation has been conjured for that old standby: “Some people…”

Since Thursday I’ve had music pieces playing in my head constantly. First it was the Habanera from the opera Carmen. Friday it was The Girl from Ipanema. On this morning’s walk it was Zager and Evans ode to paranoia, In the Year 2525. And I’m pretty sure I haven’t heard any of them recently. The mind works in mysterious ways.

My thanks to the kind folks who bought books today on Bay Parkway, the first decent sales day since last Saturday. Last week Conspiracy Guy said he went into the Chase bank, in full cavalry uniform, and warned them they wouldn't get away with something similar to what happened in Greece. He threatened to hang the manager if any chicanery occurred. Or so he says. Today he handed me a business card and said: "if the s--- hits the fan, you're protected." Here's what it looks like:
Army of the American People
-AAP-
Brig. Gen. Steven S. B------
1st Kings Regiment
1st NY Division
Somehow he has the impression I'm a fellow radical and not the evil conservative I am. Some people...
Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tinyurl.com/l84h63j
Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp
Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

Friday, August 28, 2015

The Writer's Life 8/28 - Words

I'm fascinated by how language evolves. Here are words and phrases the Oxford Dictionary has added this quarter. I was unaware of most of them before today:
awesomesauce (adjective): extremely good; excellent
bants (noun): playfully teasing or mocking remarks exchanged with another person or group; banter
barbacoa (noun): (in Mexican cooking) beef, lamb, or other meat that has slowly been cooked with seasonings, typically shredded as a filling in tacos, burritos, etc.
beer o’clock (noun): an appropriate time of day for starting to drink beer
brain fart (noun): a temporary mental lapse or failure to reason correctly
Brexit (noun): a term for the potential or hypothetical departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union
bruh (noun): a male friend (often used as a form of address)
butt dial (verb): inadvertently call (someone) on a mobile phone in one’s rear trouser pocket
butthurt (adjective): overly or unjustifiably offended or resentful
cakeage (noun): a charge made by a restaurant for serving a cake they have not supplied themselves
cat cafe (noun): a café or similar establishment where people pay to interact with cats housed on the premises
cupcakery (noun): a bakery that specializes in cupcakes
deradicalization (noun): the action or process of causing a person with extreme views to adopt more moderate positions on political or social issues
fast-casual (adjective): denoting or relating to a type of high-quality self-service restaurant offering dishes that are prepared to order and more expensive than those available in a typical fast-food restaurant
fatberg (noun): a very large mass of solid waste in a sewerage system, consisting especially of congealed fat and personal hygiene products that have been flushed down toilets
fat-shame (verb): cause (someone judged to be fat or overweight) to feel humiliated by making mocking or critical comments about their size
fur baby (noun): a person’s dog, cat, or other furry pet animal
glanceable (adjective): denoting or relating to information, especially as displayed on an electronic screen, that can be read or understood very quickly and easily
Grexit (noun): a term for the potential withdrawal of Greece from the eurozone (the economic region formed by those countries in the European Union that use the euro as their national currency)
hangry (adjective): bad-tempered or irritable as a result of hunger
kayfabe (noun): (in professional wrestling) the fact or convention of presenting staged performances as genuine or authentic
MacGyver (verb): make or repair (an object) in an improvised or inventive way, making use of whatever items are at hand
manic pixie dream girl (noun): (especially in film) a type of female character depicted as vivacious and appealingly quirky, whose main purpose within the narrative is to inspire a greater appreciation for life in a male protagonist
manspreading (noun): the practice whereby a man, especially one travelling on public transport, adopts a sitting position with his legs wide apart, in such a way as to encroach on an adjacent seat or seats
meeple (noun): a small figure used as a playing piece in certain board games, having a stylized human form
mic drop (noun): an instance of deliberately dropping or tossing aside one’s microphone at the end of a performance or speech one considers to have been particularly impressive
microaggression (noun): a statement, action, or incident regarded as an instance of indirect, subtle, or unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalized group such as a racial or ethnic minority
mkay (exclamation): non-standard spelling of OK, representing an informal pronunciation (typically used at the end of a statement to invite agreement, approval, or confirmation)
Mx (noun): a title used before a person’s surname or full name by those who wish to avoid specifying their gender or by those who prefer not to identify themselves as male or female
pocket dial (verb): inadvertently call (someone) on a mobile phone in one’s pocket, as a result of pressure being accidentally applied to a button or buttons on the phone
pwnage (noun): (especially in video gaming) the action or fact of utterly defeating an opponent or rival
rando (noun): a person one does now know, especially one regarded as odd, suspicious, or engaging in socially inappropriate behavior
Redditor (noun): a registered user of the website Reddit
social justice warrior (noun): (derogatory) a person who expresses or promotes socially progressive views
subreddit (noun): a forum dedicated to a specific topic on the website Reddit
swatting (noun): the action or practice of making a hoax call to the emergency services in an attempt to bring about the dispatch of a large number of armed police officers to a particular address
weak sauce (noun): something that is of a poor or disappointing standard or quality
wine o’clock (noun): an appropriate time of day for starting to drink wine
I suppose I should visit Redditt.

RIP Al Arbour, NHL Hall of Fame coach who guided the NY Islanders to four straight Stanley Cups. He played 17 years in the league as a defenseman and quickly segued to a position behind the bench. His trademark big glasses gave him a scholarly look. His 740 wins rank second all-time behind the legendary Scotty Bowman. Well, done, sir.

In 2014 NYC paid out 216.9 million in lawsuits, up from 138.1 million in 2013.

My thanks to the young woman who bought two chick lit books, to the gentleman who purchased a novel in Russian, and to the one who donated twelve of them.
Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tinyurl.com/l84h63j
Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp
Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f


Thursday, August 27, 2015

The Writer's Life 8/27 - Icons

RIP Darryl Dawkins, 58, one of the NBA's all-time most colorful characters. Known as Chocolate Thunder because of the ferocity of his dunks, he was the first player to be drafted directly out of high school. He billed himself as being from the Planet Lovetron. He played 15 seasons, mostly with the 76ers and Nets. His teams came close to a championship a few times but fell frustratingly short. He averaged twelve points and six rebounds per game.

I've been remiss in not saluting an iconic figure from the 60's who recently passed away -- Yvonne Craig, 78, who played Batgirl/Barbara Gordon in 26 episodes of the Batman TV series. She amassed 86 credits overall, not counting multiple appearances on popular TV series. She once dated Elvis and appeared in two of his movies. Here is a pic of this beauty who incited men's fantasies:
 I decided not to wait until morning to go to Stop n Shop, as I didn't want to spend another restless night trying to sleep through this cold. To my surprise, there were only large bottles of Nyquil available. The smaller must have been discontinued. I purchased a generic brand and took it at 11:30. It worked like a charm. I slept through the night.

The weather could not have been better for the floating book shop, although business certainly could have, as a lull has set in. My thanks to the woman who purchased a Mary Higgins Clark thriller, the one who, stocking up for winter, bought three more romances, and to Alan, who took James Clavell's epic set in 19th century Japan, Gai-Jin. There were two valuable donations as well: a beautiful pictorial on vintage automobiles from the Fed-Ex guy, and three CDs from a Russian gentleman: The Band's The Last Waltz, unopened, Billy Joel's Greatest Hits Volume III, and a Duke Ellington collection.
Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tinyurl.com/l84h63j
Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp
Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

 

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

The Writer's Life 8/26 - Self Absorbed

Since I've had the good fortune to rarely be ill, I forget the procedures that go with sickness. It didn't occur to me to take a couple of ibuprofen until 5:30 AM this morning. By ten I was feeling a lot better. I had the TV on all night, as I had difficulty sleeping. Nyquil is another of the things I've overlooked. It puts me to sleep. When I went out at 5:45 AM, I hung out near my usual book nook hoping a parking spot near the corner would open up so that I wouldn't have to lug the crates very far. Sure enough, an SUV pulled out and I pulled in just 30 feet from the nook. It saved me a lot of energy. Sales were disappointing but, looking at it from another perspective, I didn't spread my germs around too much. My thanks to the woman who bought Danielle Steel's The Mirror Image, which two of my regulars highly recommended, and to Alan, who purchased a thriller by Lisa Gardner, one of those authors who seem to write a book a week. Afterward, I headed to CVS, which is undergoing renovation. One of the staff had to go into the back to get me a quart of milk. Only the large sizes of Nyquil were available. I passed, as my history has been to take it on two consecutive nights to get past the height of the affliction. If I suffer another sleepless night, I'll look for it at Stop n Shop in the morning. Every Thursday I buy a dixie cup of Edy's Mint Chocolate Chip (livin' large, I know). I'm looking forward to it as much as someone who's had a tonsillectomy. After CVS I went to Waj's gyro truck. He said the chicken wouldn't be ready for ten minutes. I needed a nap and couldn't wait. I went back at four. Usually, the mail comes at around three on Wednesday afternoon, after five most days. On Saturday the mailman, Ken, was finishing up at seven PM. The box was empty, so I'll have to check again later. These kinds of snafus are all the more annoying when one is suffering a cold. It's small potatoes, I know, measured against what goes on in the world every day. It's amazing how self absorbed it can make a person.
Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tinyurl.com/l84h63j
Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp
Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

The writer's Life 8/25 - Sniff

Last night Movies!, 113 on Cablevision in NYC, ran Take a Hard Ride (1975), the second teaming of Jim Brown, Fred Williamson and Jim Kelly. It was not nearly as successful as Three the Hard Way (1974). It is a western about greed, heavily influenced by the spaghetti epics of Clint Eastwood. It is not a good film but watchable because of its cast and constant action. Dana Andrews, Lee Van Cleef, Barry Sullivan and Catherine Spaak are along for the ride. Only one aspect annoyed me, the continual picking off of villains by revolver from seemingly hundreds of yards away. Would it have been so hard to have the actors use rifles for all those shots? Granted, it's not serious work, but come on! Brown, 79, as good a RB as there ever was, has amassed 54 credits since walking away from football at the height of his career in 1965. Williamson, 77, dubbed the Hammer for his hard hits as a DB with the Raiders and Chiefs, has more than twice as many, 124. Surprisingly, Jim Kelly, the International Middleweight Karate Champion of 1974, has only 16. He passed away in 2013 at 67. The film was directed by Anthony M. Dawson, the pseudonym of Antonio Margherita, a Roman who was at the helm of 57 movies, and wrote the screenplay for 26. An Italian-American, Eric Bercovici, co-wrote the screenplay with Jerry Ludwig. Both were very active, mostly in TV. Bercovici did 43 screenplays plus those for multiple episodes of TV series. Ludwig has 31 screenwriting credits and 39 as an editor, mostly on the small screen. While none of the works of these three behind-the-scenes artists is particularly notable, they had significant careers and entertained millions. That’s nothing to sniff at.

I've come down with a summer cold: scratchy throat, runny nose, post nasal drip, fatigue and something new -- tearing. The floating book shop wasn't much fun today, especially since I had to lug the crates about 70 yards. And there were no sales to serve as a balm. My thanks to the old timer who donated four hardcovers in fine condition on UFOs, and whoever left a chick lit novel at Waj's gyro truck. The session did have a significant highlight, a visit from former work buddy Joey Elvis, who was returning from a four-hour wait at Coney Island Hospital to have a couple of nodules in his neck checked out. At the moment they are very small, but he's going for a follow up at a specialist, which is wise. There is a possibility he may have thyroid cancer, but says he's not concerned, as it is the most treatable form of that dreaded illness. Having recently inherited a lot of money upon the death of his dad, he has retired. Somehow he escaped the notorious "Death Tax" and, since he's not working, is eligible to apply for Medicaid. God bless America.
Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tinyurl.com/l84h63j
Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp
Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

Monday, August 24, 2015

The Writer's Life 8/24 - Feeling Good

I’ve never been a fan of stand up. Five minutes of it is more than enough for me. I wonder if it’s because of my hatred of school, of sitting bored in a classroom listening to a teacher. Despite this, I read the memoir of a “comedienne,” who goes ballistic at the use of that term, as to her it implies not being a true peer of male comedians. The book has an irresistible title: Screw Everyone: Sleeping My Way to Monogamy. Ophira Eisenberg has been on the fringe of success. I’d never heard of her. She has nine acting credits listed at IMDb in fare I’ve not seen, and seven in writing for TV shows with which I’m unfamiliar. She has made hundreds of appearances in comedy clubs in the U.S. and her native Canada. Despite the title, the sexual aspects of the book are fairly tame, almost all of the encounters disappointing. Anyone seeking titillation should look elsewhere. This is not porn. It is serious work filled with wisecracks one would expect from a comic struggling to get to the big time. On page nine she states: “I wanted to have a good time and enjoy my freedom with guys I consciously didn’t want to get to know… I was sold on the idea that letting the same someone in, year after year, would stagnate my personality.” I watched a short clip of her at youtube. Typically, I had a hard time concentrating on it. My mind faded the same way it does after a couple of minutes of standup. One thing I was unable to determine from reading the book is whether I would like the author if we met. Although the writing and dialogue are solid, I wasn’t absorbed. On a scale of five, I rate Screw... 2.5. Most of the 38 readers who have rated it at Amazon disagree, forging to a consensus of four. Released in 2013, it is still selling reasonably well, its ranking 163,323 at last look. There are at least ten million books listed.

On Sunday the NY Post runs capsule summaries of new books. One stood out this week, as I do not recall having ever heard about the subject or seen it on film. Raghu Karnard’s Farthest Field: An Indian Story of the Second World War led me to Wiki for information. The following was edited by yours truly. “The Indian Army began the war, in 1939, numbering just under 200,000 men. By the end it had become the largest volunteer army in history, rising to over 2.5 million men in August 1945. Serving in divisions of infantry, armor and a fledgling airborne force, they fought on three continents -- Africa, Europe and Asia. They fought in Ethiopia against the Italians, in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia against both the Italian and Germans, and against the Germans in Italy. However, the bulk of the Indian Army was committed to fighting the Japanese.” Who knew? I guess it's time to go to the PBS site to see if they've done a documentary about it.

My only sale of the day was two children books to a lady wearing a peekaboo burka. My thanks, and also to the gentleman who swapped three CDs, two Tony Bennett and one Michael Buble, for three books on dogs. I found a Buble song, Feeling Good, whose title had been unknown to me, and downloaded it.
Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tinyurl.com/l84h63j
Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp
Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

 

Sunday, August 23, 2015

The Writer's Life 8/23 - Pepe

Kudos to the three Yanks, Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos and Spencer Stone, who stepped up to take down a terrorist aboard a high speed train traveling from Amsterdam to Paris. The creep was armed with an AK-47, hand gun and knives. He was beaten unconscious and tied up before he could kill anyone. I occasionally wonder how I would behave in such a situation and fear that I would act cowardly. These men behaved as we all hope and dream we would.

As Amir Taheri points out in a contrarian op-ed piece in today's NY Post, Iraq is a four letter word to most Americans. Here are highlights, edited and pared by yours truly: "What if Iraq today is neither the total disaster that Obama claims nor the beacon of Arab democracy that George W. Bush promised? Life goes on in — not as peaceful and prosperous as one would hope, but better than it was during Saddam Hussein’s reign. As far as violence is concerned, Iraq is not doing any worse, and may be is doing slightly better, than most of the 22 Arab League members. Its annual growth rate of 4.5% is double that of the average for the Arab League. It is the only Arab nation so far to have changed government five times through elections and not through military coups, civil wars or assassinations. My guess is that Iraq will succeed in overcoming its miseries but at a higher cost than it would have had to pay had Obama not left them in a lurch. History may yet show that getting rid of Saddam Hussein was a blessing and that the US is owed a debt of gratitude for that." Its main problems are ISIS, of course, sectarianism and corruption. Taheri has always been an optimist. No one would be surprised to see Iraq collapse into total chaos, but it's good to get an alternative view.

In the entertainment section, Larry Getlen profiles a rock n roll stalwart, Lemmy, 69, frontman for heavy metal band Motorhead. He used to drink a bottle of Jack Daniels a day, washing it down with Coca Cola. Diabetes had him switch to vodka. He has cut down from two packs of cigarettes a day to one pack per week. He believes one of the reasons he's still alive, besides amazing genes, is that he stayed away from heroin. The band's 22nd album is coming out this week. Asked if he has any advice for young rockers, he said: "Nothing. I tell 'em nothing. It's all luck. I'm not dead and (other rockers) are. It's a weird thing." In the early days of Jay Leno's stint as host of The Tonight Show, Motorhead had finished its song and, before heading to the guest couch, Lemmy detoured and handed the show's bandleader, Branford Marsalis, what looked like a two-dollar tip, cracking up both Marsalis, Leno and yours truly.

Not much action today in in front of John High School in Park Slope. My thanks to the two ladies who bought hardcover books. The highlight of the session was a visit from George, 84, who not only graduated from Jay and played on its championship football team in the late 40's -- he taught phys. ed. there for 30 years! His dad owned a restaurant directly across the street. Carmine Persico, future head of the Colombo crime family, was one of George's classmates, "a bad kid." Persico has been serving a jail sentence of 139 years since 1987. George said that Persico hit a teacher, Mr. Munisteri. "I always wondered what happened to him." I was happy to inform him that Pepe Munisteri taught Italian at Lafayette H. S. for many years. I had him junior year. He was a sweet man, lenient grader.
Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5
Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tinyurl.com/l84h63j
Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp
Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

 



Saturday, August 22, 2015

The Writer's Life 8/22 - Grand

Wes Anderson has been a critics’ darling. I’d seen several of his films and didn’t get what was special about them. I passed on those whose subject matter didn’t interest me. I reluctantly added The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) to my Netflix list at the recommendation of a friend. I’m glad I did. It is colorful and quirky, so unlike 99% of film fare. Set in the 1930’s, it was inspired by the writing of Stefan Zweig, who was completely unfamiliar to me. The story has an author checking into the hotel and meeting the owner, who invites him to dinner and promises to tell the story of how the hotel, which is dying, came into his possession. The sets are often animation-like, the action at times mechanical. It had me wondering if this was how the author, played by Jude Law, was imagining the owner's narrative, developing it in his mind, knowing he would soon put it to paper. It features one of the greatest casts ever assembled: F. Murray Abraham, Ralph Fiennes, Willem Dafoe, Adrien Brody, Jeff Goldblum, Edward Norton, and several notables I didn’t recognize in costume: Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson, Owen Wilson and Bob Balaban. I would not have recognized a completely bald Harvey Keitel if not for his voice. Maybe my eyes are getting as bad as my hearing. At least this film has close captioning, so I never lost track of what was happening. It was nominated for nine Oscars, won four. It is the only one of last year’s nominees I’ve seen so far. 375,000+ users have rated it at IMDb, forging to a consensus of 8.1 of ten. On a scale of five, I rate it four. Anyone who appreciates "different" should give it a look. It runs only 99 minutes. I look forward to seeing it again -- and spotting the actors I missed the first time through.

SF Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner has 15 wins -- and five home runs. Heading toward the home stretch, the Dodgers and Nationals, each highly touted, seem like pretenders rather than contenders. Then again, does any team stand out as a clear favorite?

Has the long overdue stock market correction finally arrived? Has the bubble burst? I’d contemplated selling my stock in Comcast and Time Warner, but I hate to give up those that pay dividends. I passed up sizable profits.

I’d put together a file of 31 short stories, ten or so of which have not been published in magazines. Since it was only 88,000 words, I decided to add a one-act play and two screenplays, bringing the word count to almost 130,000. If I go with it, I’ll drop the screenplays from my Amazon author list. I regret having listed them separately, even though they sell for only a dollar. It didn’t occur to me to make them a double feature until after I’d posted them and several people bought. Kindlers will now get a lot more bang for their buck. I won’t begin finalization until the weather gets too cold to sell books on the street. There will be a print edition as well.

One of my best customers showed up today. He always buys my least marketable books, usually non-fiction, and did so again. My thanks, and also to the other kind folks who made purchases.
Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tinyurl.com/l84h63j
Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp
Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

Friday, August 21, 2015

The Writer's Life 8/21 - Heroes & Villains

Here are excerpts from an op-ed piece in today's NY Post by Phyllis Chesler, pared and edited by yours truly: "Oscar Schindler saved thousands of Jews during the Holocaust. He served as a role model to  Canadian Jewish businessman Steve Maman, who has overseen the rescue of more than 120 kidnapped Christian and Yazidi girls in Iraq. Maman founded the 'Liberation of Christian and Yazidi Children of Iraq' a year ago. Sister Hatune Dogan and Hans Erling Jensen have been rescuing Christian and Yazidi girls and women and bringing them to Europe, mainly to Germany, for medical and psychological treatment. Since January 2014, the Hatune Foundation has freed 317 Christian and Yazidi girls from the hands of ISIS. In addition, with the help of partners, the foundation has been involved in 280 additional releases. Right now 200 women and girls are under professional care in Germany, where they can safely recover from having been sex slaves. Most are without family. Many have seen their loved ones brutally murdered. The Foundation is located in Germany because there is a large, active Yazidi community there — and, Jensen says, because Germany is 'into Christianity much more so than many other European countries.' Yazidi women are not waiting for Western feminists or Western military men to come their aid. A Yazidi singer, Xate Shingali, with the permission of Kurdish President Masoud Barzani, just formed an all-female brigade to fight ISIS. They have been equipped with AK-47s and wear military fatigues. Shingali says: 'While we have had only basic training, we are ready to fight ISIS anytime.'” Kudos all around.

The population of Baltimore is 622,000, while NYC's is 8.2 million. There have been 212 murders in Baltimore so far in 2015, 208 in NYC.

In another op-ed article, pared and edited by yours truly, Leon Wolf asks: "Why are police brought into hostile interactions with black people so often in the first place?" He answers: "It’s because of the big-government policies and practices of the supposedly liberal Democrats that the Black Lives Matter crowd is petitioning for help. Don’t take my word for it; take the word of President Obama’s Department of Justice, which set forth, in painstaking detail, in its report on the practices of the Ferguson Police Department, all the ways in which pressure to generate additional revenue to pay for expenses led cops to attempt to maximize city revenue by meeting ticket quotas and goals." He cites that Philadelphia, Chicago and NYC are also doing this. Recall that the selling of loose cigarettes led to Eric Garner's death on Staten Island. Was the 25 mph speed limit in NYC instituted to protect citizens or to raise revenue? I'd say the latter.

My thanks to the gentleman who donated a bag o'books. His timing was impeccable. As I was sorting through it, a woman asked if I had any James Patterson. I pulled out three, which she bought. My thanks, and to the the other kind folks who made purchases on the first day of reasonable humidity in more than a week.
Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tinyurl.com/l84h63j
Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp
Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

 

Thursday, August 20, 2015

The Writer's Life 8/20 - Cracks

Sometimes movies fall through the cracks. Sirocco (1951) is a Humphrey Bogart work I’d never seen, whose title was only vaguely familiar. It ran last night on Movies!, channel 113 on Cablevision in NYC. It is set in Damascus in the 1920’s when the occupying French and the natives were at war. The title refers to the hot, dusty wind characteristic of the area. Done in grand film noir style, it tries and largely fails to recapture the magic of Casablanca (1942). Bogie plays an opportunist, interested only in money, a true antihero, uncompromising until the last few minutes when he grudgingly decides to do something good. That and the fact that the narrative does not take sides are the film’s strengths. Lee J. Cobb and Everett Sloane play French military officers, neither bothering with an accent, Zero Mostel, an Arab, far less hammy than his work at the height of his career. The most interesting aspect was two of the other supporting players, Marta Toren, with whom I was completely unfamiliar, and Gerald Mohr, whose face instantly registered but whose name didn't. Toren, a Swede, touted as "The Next Ingrid Bergman," lit up the screen. Tragically, she died of a brain hemorrhage at 31 in 1957, having appeared in only 31 movies, mostly in Europe, none of which I‘d seen prior to last night. Mohr, a native New Yorker, said to be a Bogie lookalike, was prolific. Felled by a heart attack at 54 in 1968, he still amassed 154 credits, a number which doesn’t include multiple appearances on TV shows. Here are pics of these two who left the stage far too soon:

  As I was setting up the floating book shop, a middle-age couple seated on the ledge that surrounds the garden of the building at my normal nook was laughing it up. Soon the gentleman, who had a heavy Russian accent, approached and bought a translation of Greek poetess' Sappho's work and a paperback of the Kama Sutra, which I hope the pair has put to good use by now. My thanks, and also to the Russian gentleman who longs to improve his understanding of English. He asked for a novel on the level of John Grisham and bought Tom Clancy's Red Storm Rising.
Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tinyurl.com/l84h63j
Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp
Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

The Writer's Life 8/19 - Four Play

For the first time, a self-published book is at the top of Amazon’s rankings. The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep by Carl-Johan Forssen Ehrlin, a Swedish behavioral scientist, is designed to put kids to sleep. Parents are eating it up.

During the Great Depression they were called Hoovervilles, makeshift communities of the homeless. In an op-ed piece in today’s NY Post, Betsy McCaughey dubs Los Angeles the homeless capital of the nation, which is not surprising given its weather and liberal policies. L.A.’s cardboard shanties have been dubbed Obamavilles. If the media ever gets around to reporting on this, the term will probably be Bushvilles.

In another opinion piece, Jonathan Podhoretz argues that since pollsters have been egregiously wrong lately, Trump’s lead may not be genuine. Interesting.

Kinesha, aka Mrs. Eclectic, and Jeanette, the dentist’s wife, have both enjoyed A Hitch in Twilight and asked if I had another short story collection in the works. I had not planned one, as I have four more novels on file on my PC, and I wanted to publish one each of the next four years. When the meanies who have infected my computer somehow wiped out the data recovery stick I was using as a backup, the revision of my first novel, Five Cents, was completely lost. I’d pared it from 700+ pages to 300 or so. Fortunately, I still have the original manuscript, but revision will entail a lot of time and work. I doubt I can get it ready in less than six months. I may have hit upon a solution -- publishing a story collection to fill the gap next year. It will not take much work. I’ve already begun putting the file together and have saved it at Google Docs, where all my unpublished work now is backed up. Trouble is, only five of the stories will be of the type in Hitch, which may disappoint the aforementioned ladies. I’ll have a lot to do to fill time if this winter is as bad as last year’s, which is a good thing.

My thanks to the gentleman who bought the large two part Russian texts on sex, which sold in the first two minutes of operation. There was nothing doing the next two hours. I was thinking I needed a visit from the guy who usually bought a number of non-fiction books on Wednesdays. Suddenly he was there. His name is Jimmy and, noting my picture on the back cover of Close to the Edge, bought not only it but Killing, Rising Star and Hitch. No doubt he was showing his appreciation for the bargains I've allowed him throughout the year, and today when he was entitled to twelve free books with his purchase. Thank you, sir, and to Alan, who bought Steven White's Missing Persons.
Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tinyurl.com/l84h63j
Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp
Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

The Writer's Life 8/18 - Participation

Last evening a Facebook friend posted comments Pittsburgh Steelers LB James Harrison has made. In today's NY Post, Rich Lowry's op-ed piece is devoted to the issue. Here are highlights, pared and edited by yours truly: “'I came home to find out that my boys received two trophies for nothing, participation trophies!' He swiftly returned the offending tokens and explained himself on Instagram: 'These trophies will be given back until they EARN a real trophy. I’m sorry I’m not sorry for believing that everything in life should be earned and I’m not about to raise two boys to be men by making them believe that they are entitled to something just because they tried their best.' He was signed by the Steelers at the outset of his career as an undrafted rookie, got cut multiple times and considered quitting and becoming a truck driver like his dad, until he finally caught on in the NFL, where they don’t honor you for participating. Most people are still with Harrison, if a Reason-Rupe poll from last year is to be believed. It found that 57 percent of people think only winning players should get trophies, putting a clear majority on the side of the atavistic impulse to reward only victory. Participation — and effort — should be its own reward. No one gave us trophies when my Little League team scuffled to a pathetic losing season on the dusty neighborhood ballfield. We participated, we got humiliated, and we moved on, having indubitably established what James Harrison said of his sons’ unearned trophies: 'Sometimes your best is not enough.'” Kudos, gentlemen.

There is a hilarious caption among the Post's editorials: "Hillary Rodham Nixon." The accompanying piece reveals that Bob Woodward, who with Carl Bernstein broke the Watergate scandal, sees parallels between the former Secretary of State and Tricky Dick.

And in the Weird But True column, a new craze in Russia has been reported -- Selfie with the Deceased. People are offered from $15 to $75 for the most amusing shot. One stipulation: the picture taker must be smiling, as the dead person has gone to a better place. What a world.

The day featured a noticeable drop in heat. My thanks to the woman who handed me a hardcover copy of Tom Clancy's Red Storm Rising from the passenger seat of a car, and to the young man who donated four copies of the Kama Sutra, two in paperback, two in Russian that have nudity on the cover; to the woman who bought four romance novels, and to Barry Spunt, author of Heroin and Music in New York City. He's always on the lookout for stuff about Hollywood and overpaid for one. I happened to read the blurb of Ace Adkins' Devil's Garden and found that it is a novelization of the death that occurred at one of Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle's infamous parties. Arbuckle was a giant, literally and figuratively, of the silent era. The incident occurred in 1921 and resulted in three trials. He was acquitted, but his career suffered. Only 10 of his 164 acting credits came after that. He did, however, work extensively as a writer/director under the name William Goodrich. He is credited with launching Buster Keaton to fame and fortune. The bulk of his work was in one and two-reel shorts. He died in his sleep at 46 in 1933.
Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tinyurl.com/l84h63j
Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp
Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

Monday, August 17, 2015

The Writer's Life 8/17 - Hearts

It was great to see Aussie Jason Day, 27, win his first major after so many near misses. His record setting score of minus 20 took the drama out of the tourney, but it’s always cool to see a player earn his due. Jordan Spieth, the runner up, continued his incredible season. He won 2015’s first two majors and finished second in the final two, shooting an aggregate score of minus 54, besting Tiger Woods’ record by one. He has moved to the top of the world’s golf rankings, ahead of Rory McIlroy, who played well after a month’s layoff due to an injury incurred while playing soccer with friends. Woods wasn't around for the weekend. He made the cut only at the season’s first major, the Masters. Seven years have passed since he last won one. Whistling Straits, situated over two miles on the shores of Lake Michigan, is absolutely beautiful. Officials have done about all they can to make courses tougher, but golfers keep getting better and better, taking advantage of modern equipment. For many pros, there are no more true par fives. These guys are so long off the tee that any green is reachable in two. Even if they miss a green, their skills from the sand and in chipping are phenomenal, allowing them to get close enough for makeable birdie or par putt.
As Day hoisted the prized Wanamaker Cup, awarded to the winner, it occurred to me that I had no idea for whom the trophy was named. Lewis Wanamaker inherited a chain of department stores from his dad. He was a patron of the arts, sports, aviation and Native Americans. He called a meeting that led to the founding of the PGA and the tournament. The first was played in 1916. In an awesome bit of trivia, Wanamaker was a member of the 1886 NCAA championship football team at Princeton.


I was channel surfing while driving home. None of the four pop or rock stations I have programmed in my Hyundai was playing anything to my liking, so I clicked on the country station, NASH-FM. It is rare that I like a song on a first listen, especially a genre of which I know little more than the basics. I am familiar with Miranda Lambert's name and her impressive success, but I wouldn't have been able to cite any of her songs before today. Here's a link to My Mama's Heart, which in this day of frequent repetition and ridiculous song length, comes in well under three minutes. Kudos, madam:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1Mq0Vvsxk8

Hardly any action at the floating book shop today. My thanks to the young man who purchased a Charlaine Harris novel from her Snookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire series, each of which has the word "dead" in the title. So far there have been 15. They are the inspiration of HBO's True Blood, starring Anna Paquin, 80 episodes have been shot over seven years.
Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5
Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tinyurl.com/l84h63j
Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp
Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

 

Sunday, August 16, 2015

The Writer's Life 8/16 - Better

There are two interesting op-ed pieces on opposite pages in today's NY Post. Kyle Smith writes that life is getting better not worse, despite what most media outlets and government agencies would have citizens believe. He cites several examples (pared and edited by yours truly): "the DDT scare (banned in 1972, it was later found to be as carcinogenic as coffee by the International Agency for Research on Cancer), the overpopulation scare (in fact, the population is leveling out and will actually start to decline in about 50 years), the famine scare (despite a doubling of the world population since 1968, world food production has tripled. Cancer rates have fallen precipitously, while survival rates are way up. Ronald Bailey writes in The End of Doom: Environmental Renewal in the Twenty-first Century that massive improvements in virtually all areas of human endeavor have simply gone ignored. The doomsayers simply never account for the role of human cooperation and ingenuity in confronting challenges. Remember the hole in the ozone layer? Chlorofluorocarbon refrigerants apparently floated up to the atmosphere and were eroding the protective ozone layer over Antarctica. French researchers reported in 2013 that the ozone layer is recovering. Ask yourself which science has seen more breakthroughs in the last few decades — political science or technology. Solar energy, on current trends, could be as cheap as $24 per megawatt hour in a decade. That is far cheaper than the forecasts for fossil fuel costs. Smith concludes with a quote from Bailey: 'Wagering against human ingenuity has always been a bad bet.'" I believe humanity's chief struggles these days, at least in the western world, are cultural. The evolution there is as staggering as that of technology, at least to baby boomers and those older than that. It is a far different world from the one in which we grew up. Have the changes improved the quality of life in the way science has? The argument will rage. I believe it has merely made things messier. Naomi Schaefer Riley cites another of those changes in her article: "From college campuses in Indiana to bars in New York City, men and women are using technology to find available partners in the vicinity, for one thing only: sex. But this is more than a dating apocalypse. This is the marriage apocalypse." Where will the new normal lead? I am in the position of wanting to believe social liberalism has not gone too far, although my instincts tell me otherwise. I want to believe the evolution of western society on the personal level, as frightening as it often is, has been largely positive. Unlike the Al Gore's of the world, my views have always been characterized by uncertainty. The polar ice caps remain, receding in the north, expanding in the south. Hopefully the western world, America, will remain solid and not melt down from within.

In the book I'm reading, which I'll comment on when I've finished it, I came across a word that was completely unfamiliar to me: "didgeridoo." It is an Australian instrument. I believe I've seen it used in a Yanni concert broadcast on PBS. Here's a pic:
So many things went wrong today but one positive rectified all. I was half way to Park Slope when I realized I'd left behind my cell phone and the bottle of water I'd frozen overnight. When I arrived I bypassed the perfect parking spot, the size of which I'd miscalculated as I passed. I considered moving the car, but it would have involved backing into the intersection and making a U-turn. Why risk a ticket when the car was only 25 yards away? I would pay for that mistake. I stood under the tree closest to the corner of 4th Street and watched lots of people pass. Despite the heat, foot traffic was unaffected. Unfortunately, no one was interested in books. I was willing to give steep discounts, but no one even asked. Fortunately, clouds moved in and provided nice relief, so I was able to stay as long as I'd intended. And it paid off when a lovely young woman approached, slipping a Newport behind her ear. Monique, who had worked in a trading environment, bought Exchanges. As we were conversing, it began to sprinkle. I was surprised, not having heard about any rain in the forecast. I'd heard no thunder. By the time I was half way through packing up, it was a deluge. There were rivers flowing fast along 7th Avenue. The rain actually felt great. It's not good for books, though, and I  had to lug them across the street. Driving home, I had to take a detour, as a street fair was set up along a stretch of Coney Island Avenue. Traffic was a mess for a while. And the rain persisted. I had to park at the viaduct on East 15th in order to check on and sort the books. So far, only one is lost, a paperback copy of Jeffrey Archer's Be Careful What You Wish For. I've spread a bunch of the others on the back seat and along the back and front windshields. All but one of the boxes I kept them in were ruined. Still, it was all worth it thanks to Monique.
Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tinyurl.com/l84h63j
Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp
Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f