The Olympics will add golf and eliminate wrestling, as it moves further from any pretense at ideals. This is obviously a money move, bringing in big names to attract big dollars. Golf has four major prizes: the Masters, the U.S. Open, the British Open and the PGA Championship. A gold medal would be perhaps fifth, although I think a pro would rather win the FED-EX Cup too. There is nothing a wrestler would rather have than an Olympic medal, second is his country's title. I love golf and do not watch any wrestling matches these days, even the silly antics of the WWE, so I'm not speaking from an agenda. This move strips the dream of hard working young men who yearn for a single moment in the sun, one that would quickly be forgotten by the general public, in favor of a privileged few who bask in the spotlight regularly, although they too work extremely hard to stay there. It is a travesty, par for the course the modern Games has taken, and, for me, another reason to boycott them.
Nancy Gotter Gates writes novels whose protagonists are older than 55. From the pictures of her on the web, she seems well past that age. I just finished one of her mysteries, When Push Comes to Death, which features a familiar theme -- the amateur female sleuth. It's set in the area of Greensboro, North Carolina, where the author lives. It is solid, if unspectacular, the plot, characters, events and motivations all plausible. And she did it all in 250 pages -- most refreshing. It kept me guessing. I did not know who the killer was until it was revealed. The dialogue is only okay. The prose is smooth, although it could have used another wash to remove redundancies. She has had ten novels published. Her last two are available only in Kindle, which, given her age, surprised me. I'd guess most of her audience is senior, probably female and, in my discussions with readers on the street, most people in my age group prefer print. On a scale of five, I rate When Push Comes to Death three.
I was really nervous this morning when I drove to the doctor for the results of the blood and urine tests I did two weeks ago. It had been three-and-a-half years since my last check up. A lot can happen in such a span. To my relief, the numbers all were good. My blood pressure is a tad high, lower than two weeks ago, but out of medication range. I'm surprised it wasn't higher, given how anxious I was. All that's left is a cardiogram next month. No one in my family has ever had a heart problem.
It looked like I wasn't going to be able to operate the floating book shop, but, as I waited, grumbling, for a parking spot to open up, a young mom piled her brood into an SUV sitting in the best possible space and soon drove away. What luck. I was able to duck inside my car, out of the stiff wind, a couple of times to warm up, and I'm set until Friday. Fortunately, the sun emerged late in the session. My thanks to the ladies who bought books.
Visit Vic's sites:
Vic's Third Novel (Print or Kindle): http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Website: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/
Vic's Short Story Collection (Print or Kindle): http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/6b86st6
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/94t5h
Vic's Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3
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