Total Pageviews

Monday, December 4, 2017

The Writer's Life 12/4 - Potpourri

Commenting on the sexual harassment issue and those at PBS implicated, this morning talk radio host Mark Simone said the guys were apparently raising more than funds. Kudos.

Yesterday Ricky Fowler rallied from seven shots back to shoot an 11-under 61 and win the Hero World Challenge tournament in the Bahamas. I just visited Yahoo Sports' golf page. There are five headlines. The first names Fowler, the next four Tiger Woods. The large photo is of Woods, who played very well but finished ten strokes back. The sports media's fawning obsession with Woods is occasionally irksome.

The Giants have fired head coach Ben McAdoo and GM Jerry Reese, which surprises no one. The owners have tried to separate themselves from the debacle the season has become, capped by the benching of two-time Super Bowl MVP QB Eli Manning for Geno Smith, who thus far has failed at the pro level. McAdoo might not have attracted so much heat if he'd started rookie QB Davis Webb, who's had months to learn and prepare. Is that a sign that the organization doesn't think much of him? Will the interim coach reinstate Manning as the starter? What a fall for a franchise that has won four championships since 1986.

I had a visit from one of my favorites, Nell, who always stops to chat even though she is not a reader. She raved about The Blessing of the Animals, an annual event co-hosted by Christchurch on Park Avenue and gossip columnist Cindy Adams of the NY Post. She said it looked like the Westminster Dog Show. According to the website, the event has two rules: all pets must be accompanied by their owners; all owners must be accompanied by their pets. Animals of all shapes, sizes and species are welcome, including dogs, cats, birds, fish, horses, llamas, goats, sheep, chickens, and pigs. Nell said the llamas appeared to have an attitude of having seen it all before. Afterward, she headed to Rockefeller Center to get a look at the tree. As she turned a corner, she encountered two large rats. Here's a pic of the blessing:


My thanks to the gentleman who bought two more thrillers by James Patterson, to the elderly woman and the middle age man who each purchased a book in Russian; to Andu, who bought The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson; and to Michael, who selected cowboy romance This Gun for Hire by Jo Goodman. Special thanks to the young woman who went the serious route: Atonement by Ian McEwan, Oblivion: Stories by David Foster Wallace, The Plot Against America by Phillip Roth, and a guide to using a 35MM camera. Thanks also to the woman who donated the book Michael bought, and to the couple who donated four books in Russian, and to those buyers who have slipped my mind. Business was a lot better than it'd been for a while, and the weather was beautiful. I gave Andu, a young Romanian-born artist, a Christmas present - six videotapes of Russian cartoons, which I hope inspires him to use his enormous talent. Fortunately, he has seemed untroubled the last couple of times I've seen him. I'd feared his demons were getting the better of him.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc


No comments:

Post a Comment