Total Pageviews

Tuesday, October 31, 2017

The Writer's Life 10/31 - Do Over

I no longer watch NFL games. I'm not boycotting because of the asinine behavior of so many of the players. I've simply found a better alternative. I watch game highlights at youtube. Last year and at the beginning of this season, I was watching at NFL.com, but the highlights sometimes wouldn't load, which was annoying. Another plus to viewing at youtube has been the complete lack of even five-second ads, which precede every clip at NFL.com. I watch a few on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. I watch The Patriots only when they lose, which they may not do again this season. Anyway, I'm fascinated by several aspects of the modern game. QB's constantly force passes into tight coverage - and receivers often make fantastic catches despite being blanketed. Defenders have become so proficient at ripping the ball away from RB's and WR's. The flight of many field goals are like knuckleballs, which makes the kickers' success rates amazing. Buffalo QB Tyrod Taylor is the most under-appreciated player in the league. Several GM's for teams in need of a solid QB must be kicking themselves for having passed on the Texans' Deshaun Watson, who lasted until the twelfth pick of the 2017 draft. The Browns, who have a major problem at the position and drafted first, opted for a DE. The Bears traded up to the number two slot to take QB Mitch Trubisky, who is struggling. The Jets took a DB at number six. As we used to say in Brooklyn when things weren't going right - "Do over." The pluses of watching highlights over actual games far outweigh the minuses. The segments are approximately seven to ten minutes and include all significant plays. Unfortunately, they sometimes include the insufferable post-TD celebrations... Also from the NFL - Houston Texans DE Jadaveon Clowney, the #1 pick overall in the 2014 draft, chose an interesting costume for a Halloween party - an orange prison jumpsuit! Recall that the Texans' owner recently caught heavy flack for saying: "The inmates have taken over the asylum." Clowney must be quite a character. I think it's a riot. Kudos. Wish there was a better pic than this one:



From an article at Yahoo Sports, edited by yours truly: earlier this month the NCAA allowed North Carolina to get away with years of gross academic fraud. Now it has been revealed that it penalized a player for actually going to class. Four-star PG Braxton Beverly must sit out the entire 2017-18 season because he attended a few weeks of summer school at Ohio State, from which he withdrew after the firing of head coach Thad Motta, who recruited him. He has since chosen to attend North Carolina St.. Even though he hadn’t played a single game for OSU, he was regarded as a freshman transfer instead of an incoming prospect. At least the organization is consistent in its lunacy. Maybe it's time to scrap the NCAA and find a governing body that makes common sense decisions.

My thanks to the elderly woman who purchased Nora Roberts The Hollow, to the two Asian woman who bought five kids' books between them, and to the old-timer who spotted Winning Blackjack for the Serious Player by Edwin Silberstang - and had to have it. We both agreed that the only ones who get rich from such books are the publishers and writers.

Happy Halloween.


Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
Posted by at No comments:

Monday, October 30, 2017

The Writer's Life 10/30 - Crackerjacks

Born in 1938, raised in the Bronx, Nicolasa Mohr, is a highly respected pioneer of Hispanic-American literature. I was fortunate to have come across and am privileged to have read her 1988 short story collection, In Nueva York. Set on a block on Manhattan's Lower East Side, the eight pieces, all but one lengthy, are graced by recurring characters, including a nasty orange cat. The slices of life ring with authenticity and are enhanced by the liberal use of Spanish terms. I particularly enjoyed The Operation, which perfectly captures a mother's anguish when her seven-year-old daughter goes missing, and The Robbery, which has a neutral tone that allows the reader to come to his/her own conclusion. The writing is solid, smooth and unpretentious, the characterizations have depth. The 192 pages of the large paperback edition read like considerably less. My only quibble is that the dialogue did not always ring true. Then again, who am I to say that. She has won many awards. I haven't won any. Mohr was first published in 1973. It's difficult to determine how many books she has in print, as many have been reissued. Only one customer at Amazon has rated In Nueva York, giving it five stars on a scale of five. I will ad my opinion, giving it four.

The first indictment has come down from the special counsel investigating Trump-Russia collusion, and so far it appears there is nothing there. I suspect the aim is to exert pressure on Paul Manafort to get him to sing, to reveal something damaging to the president. There is greater evidence that Hillary & company colluded with Russia, but it is being ignored by the mainstream media.

Last night Movies!, 113 on Cablevision in NYC, continued its Sunday Night Noir series, airing Dressed to Kill (1941), starring Lloyd Nolan as PI Michael Shayne, a role he played at least six times in his long career. Actually, it would be a stretch to classify the flick as noir. It is light, breezy, comedic. Still, I enjoyed it, particularly the snappy dialogue. It featured one of the smartest lines I've ever heard. When Shayne gives his showgirl fiance her ring, she quips: "What'd you do with the crackerjacks?" IMDb attributes four names to the screenplay: Stanley Rauh, Manning O'Connor, Brett Halliday & Richard Burke. The woman was played by the late Mary Beth Hughes, who has 101 titles under her name. She also sang in night clubs. Here's a pic:



I've begun the second of what I hope will be only three sweeps of the novel I plan to self-publish in January. I've been working on a cover for about a week. Here's what I've done so far:



I've noticed more speed bumps on side streets, which reflects the Mayor's obsession with slowing down all traffic except that of the limousines that chauffeur him. What's odd about it is that I hardly see kids playing in the street any more. Maybe they're too busy with electronic gadgets.

My thanks to the kind folks who made purchases today. Three of the four sales were of books in Russian. The other was Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
Posted by at No comments:

Sunday, October 29, 2017

The Writer's Life 10/29 - Masters

From an article in today's NY Post, edited by yours truly: Six years ago, Ambakisye Osayaba made a big move, quitting a part-time city job cleaning Central Park to play chess full-time. Now he earns up to $400 a day, taking on all comers from a two-by-two-foot fold-out table, chairs and chess board he rolls in a metal shopping cart every morning to Union Square Park. He is known by the initials T.C., which stand for “teaches chess.” He charges $3 for a no-wager game. If you want to bet, the winner gets $5. He offers 30-minute lessons for $20. He plays year round, rain or shine. The only way to get an appointment with him is to show up at his table. “I threw my phone off the Brooklyn Bridge,” he said. “You need to give the game your full attention.” He claims to have once won $600 from a worker from a Best Buy employee who talked a big game. He was ten in 1968 when he got a chess set for Christmas. He grew up poor, one of 17 siblings crammed in a tiny Harlem apartment. He would spend hours after school every day studying strategy with a local librarian. “I was infatuated with being the best,” he said. “And I never stopped.” Kudos.



Last night PBS, channel 13 in NYC, ran a screwball comedy with which I was unfamiliar - Libeled Lady (1936), starring Spencer Tracy, Myrna Loy, Jean Harlow and William Powell. It was fun. In researching it at IMDb, I discovered another unsung Hollywood stalwart, director Jack Conway, who had 104 credits as an actor before he went behind the camera, where he helmed 113 films. He is one of ten directors to have had more than one film nominated for Best Picture in the same year. A Tale of Two Cities (1935) and Libeled Lady (1936) were nominated at the 9th Academy Award in 1937. Several other of his titles are notable. He frequently worked with Clark Gable. His career spanned 40 years, 1908-'48. He passed away at 65 in 1952. Kudos. Here's a pic:



A blurb from the Post annoyed me. President Obama has been called to jury duty in Chicago. I suppose it would be a cute story if he actually served, but the fact that he was even summoned is more government lunacy, at least as I see it. 

The floating book shop was rained out today. It gave me a chance to catch up on chores.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
Posted by at No comments:

Saturday, October 28, 2017

The Writer's Life 10/28 - Life & More

Movies are often variations on others. Such is the case with Life (2017), which I caught up to last night courtesy of Netflix. It is a more cerebral, less gory Alien (1979). A space station crew of six is analyzing a little organism plucked from Mars. It begins to grow into something like an aquatic, octopus-like creature. Naturally, it becomes hostile, and the crew has no option other than to figure out how to kill it. If that fails, they must find a way of keeping it away from Earth. As expected in the age of CGI, the effects are spectacular. Seamus McGarvey's cinematography is beautiful. I enjoyed the story despite its familiarity and predictability. I loved the ending, although it did not surprise me. Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson and Ryan Reynolds, are as proficient in their roles as always. The film was directed by Daniel Espinosa, a Swede, his sixth stint at the helm of a full length feature, none of which has been a breakout flick. Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, who have extensive credits in TV, collaborated on the screenplay. It is solid work, nothing more. Made on a budget of $58 million, it returned more than $100 million worldwide, which should keep the creative team working. 128,000+ users at IMDb have rated Life, forging to a consensus of 6.6 on a scale of ten. It runs only 104 minutes, a plus. It's likely restricted to fans of sci-fi. I was unable to find a good picture of the creature. Here is the best:



There's more good news on the economy. Despite the hurricanes, GDP came in at 3.0 for the third quarter. If it is nor revised downward at a later date, that would make two straight quarters of three or above. Second quarter growth was revised upward to 3.1. It's still a far cry from the desired four percent, but encouraging.

Cihan, a young man, approached and asked if I had any books on business. I pointed out several. He scanned the entire display for more, noticed Exchanges, picked it up, read the blurb on the back, and added it to those he'd selected. When I told him I was the author, he gave me $20, twice as much as I'd asked. It was the first street sale of one of my books since October 1st. My thanks, sir. His name is of Turkish origin and means world or universe. My thanks also to the gentleman who purchased Unsolved Mysteries of Science: A Mind-Expanding Journey through a Universe of Big Bangs, Particle Waves, and Other Perplexing Concepts by John Malone, to the woman who bought Thin for Life: 10 Keys to Success from People Who Have Lost Weight and Kept It Off by Anne M. Fletcher and The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw, and to the couple that selected three books in Russian. I had a visit from Bad News Billy. He's four months behind on his rent and attributes it to forgetfulness caused by the heart medication he's taking. I hope he hasn't been throwing around money like he has at times at the floating book shop. To thank him for his past generosity, I gave him something for his grandson, a DVD set of the He-Man animated series.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
Posted by at No comments:

Friday, October 27, 2017

The Writer's Life 10/27 - Corpse Dancing & Other Delights

According to an article in today's NY Post, an Arizonan has put his ranch up for sale, claiming he’s been harassed for years by aliens who even tried to abduct his wife. “They actually levitated her out of the bed in the master chamber and carried her into the parking lot and tried to draw her up into the craft. This is why I want to move.” In the past 20 years he says he has experienced many strange events, and claims to have killed more than a dozen extraterrestrials on his sprawling ranch. A photo posted to his Facebook page shows a bloodied samurai sword in a pool of what looks like dried blood. Another picture shows a wound on his calf allegedly inflicted by an ET. The property has been featured on Ghost Adventures on the Travel Channel and has garnered international attention. He recommends anyone interested in the $5 million property to be “very well-grounded. It’s not something for a traditional family, but it holds a lot of secrets and what I believe are future opportunities to understand forces that are in the universe..." (Edited by yours truly.) Let's see - they have the technology to travel long distances through outer space yet allow themselves to be killed by a guy wielding a sword - and they allow him to live after many of their own have been slain, and they are too incompetent to abduct the wife. I don't rule out the possibility of alien visits, but I've yet to see convincing evidence of it. Here's a pic of the house:



Continuing in a paranormal vein, from another article in the Post, health officials in Madagascar, an island nation just SE of Africa, believe they've discovered the cause of a plague that has infected 1100, killed 124. The affliction has coincided with a sacred, yearly ritual when families exhume the remains of dead relatives and dance with them in the street. Of course, some locals believe the plague is a government conspiracy. I was going to post a picture but deemed it would be further desecration. There are plenty available on the web. All of the dead seem to be wrapped in shrouds.

Since the Harvey Weinstein story broke, some people have become very touchy about off-color humor. Liberal icon Ellen Degeneres has come under fire for a joke she tweeted that referenced Katy Perry's impressive bust line: "Happy birthday... It's time to bring out the big balloons." She included a pic of herself staring at those bodacious hooters. Soon stand-up comics will have to run their routines by panels of busybodies before being allowed to perform. I wish George Carlin were alive to comment on all this madness.

The JFK assassination files have been released. I'll be very surprised if there's any information in them that solves the mysteries of the case. My guess is the revelations will only add to them. Anybody with dirt on the matter is probably dead. A Post article highlighted the Russians' belief that LBJ was behind the plot. That was suggested way back in '63 and not a shred of evidence has ever been found to substantiate it. I still believe Oswald acted alone. Granted, Ruby's murder of him makes it seem as if a conspiracy was behind it. That was the only aspect that had me keep an open mind on it. Just this past week, after all these years, it dawned on me that the planners - if there had been any others - would have likely killed Oswald after he left the book repository and before or after he entered the theater where he was captured. The speculation will continue, and even more books on the matter will be published.

My thanks to the kind folks who made purchases today, especially the sweet elderly woman who bought five books in Russian, and the young woman who arrived just before closing time and selected eight paperbacks.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc


Posted by at No comments:

Thursday, October 26, 2017

The Writer's Life 10/26 - Numbers Stories

RIP Fats Domino, 89, one of the pioneers of rock n roll who influenced many who followed him. He had 35 records in the U.S. Billboard Top 40, and five of his pre-1955 recordings sold more than a million copies, certified gold. From 1955 to 1960 he had eleven top ten hits and his record sales were reportedly surpassed only by Elvis Presley. During his career, he sold more than 65 million records. He was playing piano in bars at 14, working in a factory by day. Ain't That a Shame, I'm Walkin', and Blueberry Hill remain good listens to this day. Well done, sir. Thank you.



I think most fans would agree that the sports job with the most pressure is manager of the New York Yankees, second being coach of the Notre Dame football team. The third used to be coaching the Montreal Canadiens, but that seems to have diminished considerably in recent years. Based on his record, I was shocked to hear Joe Girardi was fired. His teams went 910-710 in his ten years at the helm, a winning percentage of .562. Only 18 managers in MLB history have scored higher. Davey Johnson had the same number. Girardi did not suffer a single losing season with the Yankees. 84 was his lowest win total. Granted, he enjoyed the game's highest payroll during most of his tenure. He never lacked talent. Given these numbers, it seems he must have been done in by conflict behind the scenes. He has been given the boot just as the Bronx Bombers seem poised to begin a new dynasty. I would be surprised if Don Mattingly is not the next Yankees' manager.

An article in the today's NY Post details the controversy over a Halloween display on a Jersey Shore couple's front lawn. Detractors claim it's too gruesome. Decide for yourself:


My thanks to Wolf, who bought a bio of Ariel Sharon, to the two ladies who each bought a Danielle Steel Russian translation, and to Natalia, who bought four books in Russian.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc



Posted by at No comments:

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

The Writer's Life 10/25 - Money to Burn

There is an insane amount of money thrown around in America. A little comes my way, but I often feel self conscious - at times even a loser - when I see some of the figures. All of the following were gleaned from today's NY Post. The Kardashian family has re-signed with the E! network to continue its reality show for another five years. The price tag: $150 million. None of those beauties seems to have any talent other than the ability to attract attention... Hillary's campaign and the Democratic National Committee forked over $9 million for the discredited Russian dossier on then candidate Trump... The Dodgers are paying $83.5 million to players not on their World Series roster. Their ace, future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw, makes $32 million per season. Will they, even if they win the championship, turn a profit this year? Then again, according to an article at ESPN.com, the average sold ticket price to last year's World Series was $2100. For this year's Game One, a fan paid StubHub $37,804 for two front-row seats behind the visitors dugout. Another paid $72,008 for four seats in the second row behind the L.A. dugout...

So Senators Jeff Flake and Bob Corker, who face steep odds of being re-elected, are calling it quits and bashing President Trump, who they see as the problem with politics. Although I have no idea if anti-swamp candidates will win their places, I say good riddance. Corker has been been in office since 2007, so he has probably accumulated a nice nest egg - the same for Flake, who has been a member of Congress since 2000. Both are eligible for the cushy pension plan, paid for by taxpayers. No politician is indispensable. So far, Trump has not behaved like a politician, which has at times been trying but a good thing overall.

According to fashionlady.in, Gucci’s "Genius Jeans" have been cited by Guinness World Records as the most expensive in the world. Its standard pair is available at a minimum price of $600. In 1998 their normal pair of distressed, ripped denim was priced at $3134. Here's a shot of a pair similar to ones I see girls on the street wearing, and has me scratching my head:



The floating book shop enjoyed its best session in a while. Here are some of the books that sold: Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus: Practical Guide for Improving Communication by John Gray; a large paperback edition of The Lord of the Rings trilogy; The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey; Night Sins by Tami Hoag; Blindside by Catherine Coulter; bios of Audrey Hepburn and Marlene Dietrich; and 3001: The Final Odyssey, the fourth novel in the series by the late Arthur C. Clarke. My thanks to the buyers, and to Herbie, who donated a hardcover thriller by Greg Iles, and to Wolf, who donated a Danielle Steel romance in Russian.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
Posted by at No comments:

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

The Writer's Life 10/24 - Old & New Tech

A Romanian gentleman, a retired Super, approached me as he has several times in the past about interesting phenomena, and suggested I google "The oldest computer in the World." Here's where it led: The Antikythera Mechanism is an ancient Greek analog computer used to predict astronomical positions and eclipses for calendar and astrological purposes. It was discovered in 1902 among a ship's wreckage retrieved off the coast of the island that bears the item's name. It is believed to have been designed and constructed by Greek scientists, and has been dated within 205-87 BC. The knowledge of this technology was lost at some point in antiquity, and works of its complexity and workmanship did not appear again until the development of mechanical astronomical clocks in Europe in the 14th century. The original apparently came out of the Mediterranean as a single encrusted piece. Soon afterward it fractured into three parts. Other small pieces have broken off from cleaning and handling, and still others were found on the sea floor by a Jacques Cousteau expedition. Other fragments may be in storage somewhere, undiscovered since the initial recovery. The article at Wikipedia makes this conclusion: "the Antikythera Mechanism was a machine designed to predict celestial phenomena according to the sophisticated astronomical theories current in its day, the sole witness to a lost history of brilliant engineering, a conception of pure genius, one of the great wonders of the ancient world—but it didn’t really work very well." There's a lot more info on the page, too detailed and complex for me. The Romanian gentleman believes its origin is alien, as he does about the pyramids. Fox Muldaur has yet to weigh in on this. Here are two pics, the first of the actual device, the second a computer generated one of what the front may have looked like:




From the Weird But True column in today's NY Post, in my own words: This sounds like a step too far in tech innovation. The inventor of a sex robot claims guys will soon be able to have babies with their bots. The plan is to deliver via a 3-D printer. Man, that's creepy - and great fodder for sci-fi writers. Maybe the 2018 episodes of The X-Files will touch on it.

My thanks to the gentleman who purchased The Complete Works of O'Henry, and to the woman who bought three thrillers in Russian.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
Posted by at No comments:

Monday, October 23, 2017

The Writer's Life 10/23 - Around the Dial

Born in London in 1938, Anne Perry has had fantastic success as a writer, mostly of mysteries. At 15 she was convicted of participating in the murder of her best friend's mom. She was jailed for five years and changed her name. That crime was the basis for the critically acclaimed New Zealand film Heavenly Creatures (1994), which brought the talents of Kate Winslet and director Peter Jackson to international attention. The names of the girls were fictionalized. Perry had nothing to do with the production. I just finished Seven Dials, the 23rd of her 35 novels that feature Thomas and Charlotte Pitt as sleuths. While it does not transcend the genre as do Nelson DeMille's The Gold Coast, Tami Hoag's A Thin Dark Line and Louise Penny's A Fatal Grace, it is fine work, a tale well told. Set in London circa 1892, the plot involves a standard staple - is a murder as obvious as it seems? What differentiates the story from most of the genre is the possible dire political implications. Pitt is sent to Egypt for a while to learn about the alleged murderess and her victim, which leads to a revelation which might incite war if not kept secret. Naturally, many natives are hostile to the invaders. There is a subplot that will have the reader wondering if the two will merge. The characters are astutely drawn. Gracie, the Pitt's plucky young housekeeper, is particularly endearing. Perry managed to make her accent, which I'm not sure is cockney, eminently readable. That is not easy. Recall Jim's slave dialect in Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which is an extremely difficult read. In the first incarnation of my third book, Killing, I employed almost strict Brooklynese for a few of the characters, wanting to writer the truest novel possible. Well, I caved when several friends said it was too hard to read. Anyway, back to Perry, who has won three major awards in the genre and received many other nominations. I now see why. 120 users at Amazon have rated Seven Dials, forging to a consensus of 4.6 on a scale of five. I wouldn't go that high, as it conforms strictly to the genre, is a tad over-written and repetitive, and needs a bit more polish in spots. Still, the 330 pages of the paperback edition are a smooth read for the most part. The title refers to a poor, dangerous section of London that is now safe and modernized. I don't know if the incident at the heart of the matter actually occurred, but Perry infuses a surprising one that did happen ten years before the story begins. In 1882 Prime Minister William Gladstone ordered the bombing of Alexandria, which further stoked the hostility of the natives toward the Brits. 

Although I don't like President Trump's tweeting, it has me wondering if its cessation would be a sign that he has become a politician. The last thing this country needs is another politician.

I guess the Giants are as bad as their record.

It was a second consecutive one-sale session for the floating book shop. My thanks to the elderly woman who purchased a collection of the early works of Isaac Asimov. Thanks also to Nell, who gave me a container of Parmesan cheese she bought for $1.49 at the dollar store. I declined, but she insisted.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc

Posted by at No comments:

Sunday, October 22, 2017

The Writer's Life 10/22 - Glad & Sad

In an article in today's NY Post, Jonathon Trugman recalls Black Monday, 10/19/87, when the DJIA tanked 508 points to finish at 1738. He salutes the bold souls who bought into the crash. Since then, the S&P 500 has returned 2120% and the Dow sits at 23,328. I tried buying the bottom when the bank stocks took a dive post 2000, and the bottom went much lower.

According to an article in the Post, NYC lawsuit payouts now exceed a billion dollars.

Last night I watched a bit of Tarantula (1955) on the Svengoolie program, which runs on channel 33 on Cablevision in NYC. While the special effects weren't as seamless as what today's CGI produces, they were impressive. John Agar, Mara Corday and Leo G. Carroll were the stars. One of the supporting players, the late Nestor Paiva, has an impressive track record of appearances. I may have mentioned a bit of his history in a past blog, but in case I didn't: The son of Portuguese immigrants, the tenth of twelve children, he has 306 titles listed under his name at IMDb, remarkable given that he lived only until 61, when he succumbed to cancer. I'm sure his face, if not his name, will register with baby-boomers:



I fell asleep watching TV. I awoke at about two AM and saw happy news scrolling across the bottom of the screen: The Astros has beaten the Yankees and advanced to the World Series vs. the Dodgers. I thought Houston was dead after the Bombers drubbed them in all three games in the Bronx. Even after Justin Verlander came up aces in game six, I was sure the big bats would ravage Charlie Morton, who had a fine season but has been less than mediocre in his ten years in the big leagues. The day to day surprises in the long season are the most fascinating aspects of MLB. Unfortunately for the legion of Yankees haters, after off-season tweaks, the team should dominate the AL for at least the next five years. Houston and Cleveland will lose good players to larger markets, and the Red Sox seemed destined to resume their former role as second to their main rival. The most urgent order of business is acquiring a competent catcher and moving Gary Sanchez to full time DH, where he will be like the Mariner's Edgar Martinez, the best at that position of all-time. The Yankees' scouts should be in the Hall of Fame.

I encountered young, Romanian-born artist Andu on my morning walk. He was wearing a top hat. Even in the dark I saw the tears trickling from his eyes, which he wiped away. In his early thirties, he seems to be in an epic battle for sanity, unable to sleep as his mind races wildly. Bi-Polar, he believes God talks to him directly, and a whole lot of other stuff, most of it outrageous. We strolled along, chatting. I don't know if his problems were caused by drug abuse or if his condition is in his DNA. Perhaps the former exacerbated the latter. I wonder if Ol' Smoky, who's in his sixties, was the same way back in the day. Curiously, Andu says he understands O.S. perfectly whenever they converse. All I could do was listen. He answered a call on his Iphone along the way. I correctly assumed it was his mother. I'm ashamed to say I worried he might think I was an enemy conspiring against him and pounce on me or worse. When we parted at the corner of East 13th, I said: "Go home. I know your mom drives you crazy, but she loves you. No one will ever love you like she does." As I stepped away, my eyes started to glaze. Here's an example of his work:



It was a sad day at the floating book shop - only one sale. My thanks to the gentleman who bought a DVD, Katt Williams - The Pimp Chronicles Part 1. 
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
Posted by at No comments:

Saturday, October 21, 2017

The Writer's Life 10/21 - Suspension of Belief

Last night, courtesy of Netflix, I watched Before I Fall (2017), a heartfelt story about four female friends who attend the same high school in an affluent community in the Pacific Northwest. They are popular and often merciless to others. They suffer a car accident after a party at a classmate's house. One, Sam, wakes up and finds herself reliving the previous day again and again until she finally learns what really matters in life. Obviously, this is similar to Groundhog Day (1993) - without the comedy. An online reviewer also suggested kinship with Mean Girls (2004), which I haven't seen. The cast of young people was completely unfamiliar to me, despite impressive credits. They acquitted themselves well, especially the lead, Zoey Deutch. The only actors I recognized, Jennifer Beals and Nicholas Lea, have brief roles as her parents. Although the film's heart is almost always in the right place, especially after Sam reforms, the ending ruined the story for me. Whether one likes the movie will depend on that and the suspension of belief required. It is based on the novel by Lauren Oliver, adapted for the screen by Maria Magenti, who has several credits on the big and small screen, including in acting and directing. This was Ry Russo-Young's fourth stint at the helm of a full length feature. She also has credits in acting, writing and editing. I'm sure she will get more work. Made on a budget of "only" five million, the picture returned $12 million in the USA alone. 22,000+ users at IMDb have rated Before I Fall, forging to a consensus of 6.4 on a scale of ten. I know it's just a movie, but the ending angered me, even though it was obvious. I was hoping for a surprise.

There's a stat in the Fast Takes column of today's NY Post that's hard to believe: 68% of U.S. households are members of Amazon Prime. I'd have guessed 25%.

Honolulu is experiencing an interesting crime wave - theft of Spam, which is sold on the street for quick cash to buy drugs. Hawaiians eat millions of cans a year, the nation's highest per-capita consumption of the processed meat, a love affair that began during WWII. Whenever I hear that word it brings to mind the insane, over the top Monty Python sketch. Here's a link to it. Warning: it's shrill and very silly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFrtpT1mKy8&t=40s

My thanks to the kind folks who bought books today in English and Russian. I had to bring out a pair of shorts, as the weather was unusually mind and I was standing in the sun for three hours.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
Posted by at No comments:

Friday, October 20, 2017

The Writer's Life 10/20 - Words

I have very low expectations for politicians. All one can do is shake the head at some of the words and deeds from them. The Congresswoman who criticized President Trump's phone call to the wife of a soldier killed in the line of duty reached a new low. For decades, well before he became Commander in Chief, Trump did more for veterans than just about anyone alive - on his own time, at his own expense. Kudos to General Kelly for coming to his boss' defense. I hope the left has finally hit bottom. How much worse can they get?

I've been playing Ghost Riders in the Sky on guitar for years. The chords are easy. I tried to figure out the main riff, wanting to integrate it into the song, but never was satisfied with what I conjured on my own. I finally got around to googling it. For some reason, I thought the riff was a lot older than the song itself, so I typed "Johnny Reb Guitar Riff" into the box. That brought up a ton of links to a song by Johnny Horton, with which I was completely unfamiliar. I went to youtube and asked for an instructional video on that term, and it too brought up the Horton song. Finally, I entered "Ghost Riders Riff," and a bunch of instructional videos came up. I chose one that's a minute and a half. The guy is great. I've been working on the first 14 notes for a few days. It's tricky because it involves a lot of open notes. I will definitely go to the next part when I'm ready. I'm not sure I will try to tackle the entire lead.

Last night Lev called and asked me to pick up the last of his books, which his wife ordered him to get rid of so their two-year old twins will have more room. He looked pained, as if he were giving up a part of himself. As a book lover, he couldn't bring himself to just throw them in the garbage. Without exaggeration, the total is three to four hundred. Unfortunately, the inexpensive digital camera I purchased a few months ago has stopped working. Those stacks would make a great picture. My thanks, sir.

My thanks also to the young woman who bought Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlett Letter and Stephen King's The Shining, to the gentleman who purchased Vladimir Nabokov's Ada, and to all the folks who chose books in Russian. I had a visit from young Romanian-born artist Andu, whom I hadn't seen in a long time. He was wearing a Batman mask. He claims to have recently saved a mother and child from harm, and also that the police and military are now on his side, so he has help against the forces who are trying to kill him. He bought a DVD collection of the Robert Rodriguez Mexico Trilogy comprised of El Mariachi (1992), Desperado (1995), and Once Upon A Time In Mexico (2003), and handsome diaries for himself and his mom, who writes poetry. I also had a nice talk with one of my biggest supporters, Marie, who is reading my second short works collection, Billionths of a Lifetime. She said her name could be substituted for the character in Chaos in Alphabet City. I wrote only the introduction to that story, which was written by an unrequited love it took me about ten years to get over. I last saw her circa 1990, and lost contact completely. I used the piece without her permission. I gave her credit, using only her first name and the initial of her last name. If she ever finds out, I hope she will forgive me. I hate to think our paths will not ever cross again. She doesn't seem to have a presence on social media, at least not under her real name.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
Posted by at No comments:

Thursday, October 19, 2017

The Writer's Life 10/19 - Bang for Buck

There's an article in today's NY Post about the business of movies. Here's the gist, edited by yours truly: Analysts from PartyCasino have studied box-office data from 1980 to 2017 and found surprising results on which actors generated the most profit in their film appearances. Emilio Estevez's pictures returned $6.70 for every budgeted dollar. Second is Jean-Claude Van Damme at $4.20, third is Mel Gibson at $3.50, fourth is Tyler Perry at $3 and fifth is Dudley Moore at $3. Here are the five least profitable stars. Remember that what may seem like paltry returns probably translates into millions. Still, it's a fun bit of trivia. Brad Pitt returned only 10 cents for every dollar spent. Second is Johnny Depp, 20 cents; third Robert De Niro, 24 cents; fourth Hugh Jackman, 25 cents; and fifth Anthony Hopkins, 26 cents. PartyCasino also crunched the numbers for actresses from the past decade and found Rose Byrne scored the best return - $9.80 for every budgeted dollar, followed by Regina Hall, $3.50, and Octavia Spencer, $2.90. Researchers took each movie’s gross from Box Office Mojo and subtracted its budget. In terms of genre, mysteries proved to be the most profitable, returning $39.89, horror second, $34.13; followed by thrillers, $17.36, and documentaries, $7.38. Action movies were the least profitable, generating $1.89, followed by crime pictures, $2.01, and musicals $2.05. I wondered if "drama" was one of the categories, but failed to find any info on it.

Here are the ten biggest Hollywood flops of all time - financially, according to Wiki:
The 13th Warrior (1999), Budget: $100,000,000–160,000,000, Return: $61,700,000.
47 Ronin (2013), Budget: $175,000,000–225,000,000, Return: $151,800,000.
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988), Budget: $46,600,000, Return $8,100,000.
The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002), Budget: $100,000,000, Return: $7,100,000.
The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle (2000), Budget: $76,000,000–98,600,000, Return: $35,100,000.
The Alamo (2004), Budget: $107,000,000, Return: $25,800,000.
Alexander (2004), Budget: $155,000,000, Return: $167,300,000. (Seems to be an error, as profit is greater than the next film in line.)
Ali (2001), Budget: $107,000,000, Return: $87,700,000.
Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016), Budget: $170,000,000, Return: $299,500,000.
Allied (2016). Budget: $85,000,000, Return: $118,600,000.
I've only seen two, the first, which was ordinary, and last, which was disappointing but not bad. 

Another Post article reports something I don't find surprising. Six fat people are suing Coca-Cola, Pepsico and Dr. Pepper Snapple, claiming aspartame has made them gain, not lose weight. I've witnessed countless occasions of someone overweight, even obese, sitting at a meal, diet soda within reach. I doubt the sweetener is at fault. I suspect overall diet or genetic disposition is. What's not surprising is that lawyers would try to shake down companies for big bucks. I wouldn't drink that swill. I love regular soda and limit myself to one serving, 10-14 ounces drunk directly from a two liter bottle, per day at supper. I look forward to it all afternoon. I'd drink it all day long if overindulgence weren't so damaging.

My thanks to the kind folks who bought books, especially the woman who purchased the last three of the Danielle Steel translations into Russian I had on hand, and the woman who bought Jack London's White Fang and Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms for her teenage daughter, whom she has introduced to classics.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
Posted by at No comments:

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

The Writer's Life 10/18 - Good News, Bad News & In-Between

While the defeat of ISIS in Raqqa, Syria is certainly good news, it's tempered by the uncertainty in the region. What happens next? Is the situation leading to control of a large swath of territories by Iran? Will Iraq plunge into civil war over the Kurds' desire for an independent state, which the Kurds so richly deserve and have earned on the battlefield?

The developing story about the U.S. uranium deal with the Russians is dismaying. Even though the exposure of it threatens politicians whose policies I deplore, I hope it's not what it seems. Just when it seems politics can sink no lower, a new standard for corruption is reached. Can they possibly have been so reckless and cavalier? Was the FBI complicit in allowing it to happen? It boggles the minds of everyone but hardcore leftists.

A blurb in the NY Post led me to broadly.vice.com for the following story, which I've edited: A PhD candidate at Birmingham City University in England turned his attention to a subject that is woefully understudied - threesomes. He and his girlfriend had developed a friends-with-benefits-type relationship with another woman. Curious, he went looking for academic studies on such coupling, and found they were usually lumped with polyamory (the philosophy or state of being in love or romantically involved with more than one person at the same time) and swinging. This didn't reflect his own experiences, as he wasn't in an open relationship and didn't consider himself a swinger. It led to a PhD on the subject and a book to be published in 2018.

For the first time in a while, the floating book shop had a visit from Ol' Smoky. In his inimitable way he talked non-stop for at least a half hour, mentioning a stiletto, an ax, diamond earrings, a three month stretch in jail, his mom calling the cops on him, he slapping her, and two giant officers pinning him against a wall, holding a billy club to his throat. How it all fits together, heaven knows... My thanks to the kind folks who bought books today, especially Jimmy, who purchased ten. As I was packing up, Lev pulled his van to the curb. His wife has ordered him to get rid of his books so their  two-year-old twins will have more room to roam and less items to rend. He lives in an apartment building up the street. I borrowed a shopping cart from one of our porters. Lev had one waiting and filled the second while I was stacking the first load in my apartment. Fortunately, I'd created a lot of room lately by leaving books of questionable marketability in the lobby. Lev's are first rate, more than half in Russian. Only two of today's haul were damaged. I left them in the lobby. Lev said he has at least one more cart's worth.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)