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Sunday, December 17, 2017

The Writer's Life 12/17 - Hall Monitor

What occupation suffers the most suicides? I would have guessed police officer or military. Here's a shocking excerpt from Salena Zito's op-ed piece in today's NY Post: "... 2016 study of approximately 40,000 suicides reported in the US in 2012 — the most recent year for which statistics are available — showed that the rate for agriculture workers is 84.5 per 100,000. The next occupation most at risk were construction, extraction, installation, maintenance and repair workers who had a suicide rate hovering around the 50 per 100,000. Meanwhile, the suicide rate among American male veterans is 37 per 100,000, according to a 2016 study by the Veterans Affairs department."

Here's another story about government's maddening ways, also from the Post, edited by yours truly: A CUNY administrator has instituted an eight million dollar lawsuit, claiming he has nothing to do. 72, his salary is $106,700. He sits at his desk in his cubicle from seven AM to three PM, listening to music, watching rugby or cricket matches. This begs the question: If the guy retired or passed away, would the city pay someone to take his place and just sit there? That would surprise no one.

Picture from the Houston Chronicle.

Facebook has a lot of critics. I am not one, despite the annoying political postings of my leftist friends and acquaintances. It is so much fun connecting with people one would otherwise have never heard from again. Yesterday someone posted something that touched me to the quick. I was a security guard at Loy Norrix H.S. in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1975, just before I was to return home to NYC permanently that June. The school had successful, track, swimming and baseball programs, but was woeful in football and basketball. I was a volunteer assistant for the former. Rick ran track. He now lives in Oregon and is constantly adding fishing photos to his FB page. I don't recall having signed his yearbook. Here's a picture of the inscription, which includes a lampoon of my position:


Thank you, Sir. You made my day.

My thanks to the young man who purchased a short story collection, the only sale of the day. It was a lot like being a hall monitor, standing around waiting for something to happen. At least it wasn't very cold.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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Saturday, December 16, 2017

The Writer's Life 12/16 - Jane Does

Good horror is not easy to find. Most flicks go the way of splatterfest, imaginative only in how the victims are killed. The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016) is different, although the scenes of the taking apart of the body are gruesome. They are also riveting. The pace is measured, which is very different from most modern fare. A large part of the second half features very dark scenes, which makes the violence suggestive rather than in your face. The story is simple: The body of a beautiful young woman is found - how did she meet her end? A father and son forensic team are told to find out by morning. I wasn't thrilled with the resolution, but it's less outrageous than that of most films of the genre. Although the action takes place somewhere well south of New England, the production was filmed in the UK. The director, Andre Ovredal, is Norwegian. Ubiquitous Scotsman Brian Cox is in charge of the procedure. He has 215 titles listed under his name at IMDB, seven in post -production. Emile Hirsch plays his son, Ophelia Lovibond, a Londoner, plays the sweetheart. She has extensive credits, including a 14 episode arc as Kitty on Elementary. Olwen Catherine Kelly plays the dead body. Ian Goldberg, who has extensive credits in TV, and Richard Niang collaborated on the screenplay. The film runs less than 90 minutes, another plus. 53,000+ users at IMDb have rated The Autopsy..., forging to a consensus of 6.8 on a scale of ten. Although not a great film, it is solid entertainment that doesn't insult intelligence. Kudos to the creative crew. Anyone squeamish about realistically depicted forensic work should pass. It pulls no punches in that regard. Here's a still of the leads at work:



In an op-ed piece in today's NY Post, David Harsanyi asks several interesting questions. Here's an excerpt: "...Why is it that every one of the dozens of honest mistakes is prejudiced in the very same way? Why hasn’t there been a single major honest mistake that diminishes the Trump-Russia collusion story? Why is there never an honest mistake that indicts Democrats?" Kudos.

There were dollops of sunshine enough to operate the floating book shop without my freezing. My thanks to the young dad who bought the Percy Jackson & the Olympians Box Set: The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, The Titan's Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, and The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan. Never opened, I asked for eight bucks, and he jumped on it. It's more than $20 at Amazon. I love smart shoppers, who must love dumb vendors. My thanks also to the Russian gentleman who purchased two mysteries, one at my recommendation, a translation of a Michael Connelly work. And thanks to the Jane Does who selected Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Pearl S. Buck's The Good Earth, Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire, and Anya Bast's Witch Blood.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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Friday, December 15, 2017

The Writer's Life 12/15 - Will's Words

News has broken that powerhouse lawyers Gloria Allred and her daughter, Lisa Bloom, offered cash in the days leading up to the election to any woman who would accuse then candidate Donald Trump of sexual misconduct. Although they are sleaze balls, I don't have a problem with it. If the claims were vetted, verified, it would have been fair game. Apparently, not much was found, although there will probably be an avalanche coming soon. Mere accusations have already taken out many public figures - no trial - guilty until proven innocent. "The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers." -  Henry VI, Part Two, Act IV, Scene II by William Shakespeare.

I just responded to an email inviting me to send a free tweet about one of my books, and got this message after completing the process: "It worked! We just tweeted your message to our 58,800 followers on Twitter." I doubt it will lead to any sales. Those folks, like me, are probably writers desperate for sales of their own books. I chose to promote Rising Star, which has been my most disappointing seller, although it is one of three of my eight books that is profitable. That's not surprising, as it and short story collection A Hitch in Twilight are the most commercial of my books. Killing, which I consider my best work, is also profitable, due largely to the fact that my literary angel, Victoria Valentine of Water Forest Press, put it into print as payment for my helping with the editing of one of her novels. She charges me six and change per copy, which leads to more than a three buck profit for each street sale. "Write till your ink be dry, and with your tears/ Moist it again..." Two Gentlemen of Verona, Act III, Scene II.

The lack of sunshine put the kibosh on the floating book shop today. Fortunately, I had a few chores to fill time. I cleaned my wood floor and sent out this year's charitable donations - $55 in total to five organizations. When I had a real job I spent $100 alone on toys and put them in a bin at CVS, which distributed them to the Toys for Tots program. I sent $100 to a pro-life group, and a lot more than five bucks to other organizations. I gave the Super $100 instead of $25, and dropped a twenty in the kitty at the Delmar pizzeria. It was easy then. The brokers at the Commodity Exchange were very generous at Yuletide. These days I try to spend as little as possible, just in case I'll need cash for medical expenses down the road. I haven't touched my retirement accounts, as Social Security and the proceeds from the floating book shop cover the expenses of my minimalist lifestyle. Recently, I've been assigning benefactors to those three accounts. Who knows if there will be any money left by the time I "shuffle off this mortal coil," to coin the phrase the Bard of Avon gave Hamlet in his immortal soliloquy, Act III, Scene I.


Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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Thursday, December 14, 2017

The Writer's Life 12/14 - Gifts

An amendment has been proposed for the tax bill wherein people may withdraw up to 25% from a retirement account at a tax rate of just 10% instead of the government ripoff now in effect. This has been proposed since 1984 by the NY Post's John Crudele in his business column. He believes the spending that ensues will be a boon to the economy and government coffers. Speaking of which, I don't recall seeing so many delivery packages left in my building during the holiday season. I hope it reflects a healthy economy and not simply wishful thinking on my part, my desire to see President Trump succeed.



Here are two fun letters kids sent to Santa, gleaned from smosh.com:





I just ordered the proof copy of Present and Past, the novel I hope to self-publish shortly. I will read it and, if I find errors, make corrections and resubmit. 

The snow was brief and the sun appeared bright and strong, luring the floating book shop to Bay Parkway. My thanks to Mr. Conspiracy, who settled his tab; to the gentleman who purchased four crime novels in Russian; to the elderly man who bought a Bill Clinton bio and Cynthia Freeman's Portraits; and to the middle age woman who selected The Saturday Wife by Naomi Ragen. Not bad for a winter's day.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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Wednesday, December 13, 2017

The Writer's Life 12/13 - Battles

So what does the Alabama election mean in the long run - a comeback for Democrats? I have no idea, but from here on I expect many candidates will face charges of sexual harassment. It wouldn't surprise me if 50-75% of males have done something in the past, especially when young, that would be construed as disqualifying. That's one way to eliminate men from politics. The NY Post has dubbed Roy Moore a "perv" in its headline, although he has never been convicted of a crime. Does that constitute libel? It will be interesting to see if he sues his accusers and their facilitators, or if he simply slinks off into the sunset. Damn whoever was lying.

On a positive note, artist Peter Tunney was profiled in today's NY Post. He often uses the tabloid for his collages. Here's an example:


The file for the novel I intend to self-publish is off to Create Space for approval. It took a lot of work and patience to continue the process. The first step of the latest round was changing the format. The Word file was 8 1/2 by 11. That explained why the book was only 192 pages. That happened last year as well. There is an "auto correct" tab at CS especially designed for such a problem, but when I clicked on it a "page not found" came up after a long delay. I found a web article on how to make the change, and I eventually got it through trial and a lot of error. The book will be 321 pages. Last December, when the CS program for some bizarre reason had no tab for submission of a Word File, I transferred Five Cents to PDF at a free site and added page numbers at another free one, getting it right after many attempts. I did the same this year and the page numbers rested on top of the bottom border at CS, not above or below it - on top, cut in half. Rather than take a chance that they would show up properly in the print copy, I decided to regroup. Fortunately, I had the presence of mind to first scan the entire interior file. I found two errors. The title was bumped a tad from center and, for some reason, a couple of sentences went vertical, a single character per each line. Those were easy to correct. I then decided to try numbering with the Word program. Geez, what a pain in the butt. It was a couple of hours before I figured it out. To match the numbers to the page where the book actually begins, I had to divide the file into two sections. Still, the number one and the first page of the novel would not match up. It was driving me nuts. Then I came up with a sort of solution. I listed the start page as zero. I was shocked the program recognized it. So the book has a tiny flaw - a zero on the bottom of the blank fourth page. I can live with that. While re-checking the interior file I noticed another error. The asterisks I use, ***, to indicate a break within a chapter had been knocked from dead center to well right. I would have had to start all over again to change it. Since I anticipate finding other errors in the first proof copy, I can do it when I make those corrections. If by some miracle there aren't any, the off-center asterisks are another error I can live with. I began work at about 5:30 AM, took a couple of long breaks to read the paper, play guitar and eat, and finished at about 11:30.

The cold and wind put the kibosh on the floating book shop today. I filled the afternoon by writing out Christmas cards, burning a CD and filling out the play list, and making stops at the Post Office, CVS and Waj's gyro stand. The big bottle of Pepsi is currently .79 cents, limit three to a customer per the week. It was my second.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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Tuesday, December 12, 2017

The Writer's Life 12/12 - Me, Irv

My gut feeling is that Roy Moore will lose the senate race. The polls are in conflict. Former NBA star and Alabama native son Charles Barkley, who has frequently backed Republicans, is campaigning against Moore. I expect Democratic turnout to be huge, and many Republicans to stay home or write-in someone else. If Moore goes down, expect the sexual harassment charges against the President to intensify. Now that the Russia collusion probe seems dead, Trump's opponents will change course.


I've avoided saying anything about LaVar Ball. His bluster turns me off. His oldest son, Lonzo, spent only a single year at UCLA, was the number two pick in the 2017 draft and is a potential star. His middle son, LaMelo, was caught shoplifting in China, released from incarceration with President Trump's help, and suspended indefinitely by UCLA. His father pulled him out of the school - right move, wrong reason. Any college that has a one-and-done player should be penalized, perhaps a forfeit of one of the scholarships each program is allotted. Now the senior Ball has arranged for his two younger sons - LiAngelo is the third - to play professionally in Lithuania. At this point neither is considered an NBA prospect. It will be interesting to track, and surprising if the move is successful. I wish all one-and-done players would choose such a course, whether stateside or overseas. The current system is bogus.

Through the years, certain viewers of golf have spotted violations and immediately telephoned to report them, often costing a player a win. The PGA has finally come to its senses and enacted a rule against busybody tattletales.

There ought to be a box score in news reporting, a separate line for retractions. This week alone has seen several. Is it sloppy journalism or simply the mainstream media using carte blanche in its effort to derail Trump?

As I was driving home yesterday, I was thinking the only way I'd be able to run the floating book shop today was if I landed the most favorable parking spot, which sits beside the scaffold that hovers above my regular nook. There used to be two of equal value. One is now occupied by a dumpster.  To my surprise, the other was available and I told myself: You gotta be the luckiest so-and-so there ever was. I didn't do a lot of business, but I was protected from any rain that may have fallen, and it got me out of the house for more than three hours. My thanks to the sweet elderly woman who bought a book in Russian, and to the gentleman who purchased Ann Rice's The Queen of the Damned. For some reason he thinks my name is Irv. I've never corrected him. For one, I find it funny. Later, I was speaking to Mike, an old-timer who frequently stops to chat, usually about gambling. He spotted Political Man approaching and said: "Uh-oh, here comes meshuggah." PM still dubs Donald Trump a Nazi, despite the fact that the President recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Egypt. He is certain impeachment is imminent.

Happy Hanukkah to Jews everywhere. Long live Israel.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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Monday, December 11, 2017

The Writer's Life 12/11 - Mix & Match

NYC has dodged another terrorist bullet. Unfortunately, the failed attack shows how vulnerable the subway is, and there's not much the authorities can do about it.

In an op-ed piece in today's NY Post, retired Army Colonel Ralph Peters called the protests of President Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel rather tepid compared to those of the past, and called out the mainstream media for its extreme bias toward the Palestinians, who have rejected umpteen offers for their own state since 1948. Here's a brief excerpt from the piece that is right on the money: "... Israel... an island of civilization amid vast deserts of barbarism." Kudos.

One set of highlights from yesterday's NFL games stood out, the Colts and Bills playing in deep snow in Buffalo. It was falling so fast all the ground crew could do was clear the boundaries and hashmarks. The Colts tied the score late in regulation, tried to win with a two-point conversion try, but suffered a major penalty that forced future Hall of Famer Adam Vinatieri to kick a 46-yard extra point. He later missed from a similar distance in OT. The Bills won on a long run by LeSean McCoy, who had more than 100 yards rushing. Kudos to both teams for their professionalism... Besides the Giants, the most precipitous fall by a team in 2017 seems the Raiders, who last season seemed like genuine Super Bowl contenders until Derek Carr was injured. Even with the QB back, the Black and Silver have been less than mediocre, putrid yesterday... It will really suck if Eagles QB Carson Wentz is lost for the season, although Nick Foles is an experienced backup... Right now it seems as if the Patriots will waltz to another title.

 

This morning I did a quick scan of the novel I will be self-publishing shortly. I asked the Word program to highlight errors. It found three or four. I then converted the file to PDF and added page numbers. I will check it to see if everything seems in order and, if it does, submit it to Create Space, which will send me a proof copy. I usually find a few more mistakes in the first proof. If that occurs, I will make corrections and request another.

It was a beautiful day of sunshine and negligible wind, and the floating book shop had a second straight good session. My thanks to the gentleman who bought six Danielle Steele paperbacks for his Mrs., and to the sweet Russian grandma who purchased three novels in her first language, and to David, a young man who went to town, selecting not only Killing but Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh, Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun, Frank McCourt's 'Tis, two novels by Chaim Potok, a short story collection Sholem Aleichem, and The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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