Selling My Books on the Streets of Brooklyn 8/12 - Unusual

Yesterday I traded a copy of Exchanges for Bill Brown’s latest, his translation of Never Work: The Autobiography of Salvatore Messana by Gianni Giovanelli, first published in Italy in 1983, then France in 1989. Bill worked from the latter version. I will begin reading it tomorrow and regard it as fiction, as it is uncertain whether the events are true. Here’s the cover and a link to the book at Lulu:

http://www.lulu.com/us/en/shop/gianni-giovannelli/never-work-the-autobiography-of-salvatore-messana/paperback/product-20733932.html

RIP Eydie Gorme, 84, pop singer, whose career spanned the years 1950-2009. Born Edith Gormenzano in the Bronx, she was half-Sicilian, half-Turk, 100% Sephardic Jew, and incredibly talented. Although she recorded more than 40 albums, many with her husband Steve Lawrence, whom she married in 1957, she had only one top ten hit: Blame It on the Bossanova, which rose to #7 in 1962. Like her husband, the height of her career coincided with an era of great change in popular music, and their polished recordings largely lagged on the charts. Anyone who saw their TV appearances or Vegas shows knows how gifted they were. Here is a clip of Eydie at her best. Enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2Llrp9TWqU

I played hooky on the golf course today. Almost everything went right from the get go. Artie, the starter, moved Cuz and I up to join a twosome. We skipped two groups, saving us at least a half hour. I played the first three holes well, then, after two decent shots, butchered the fourth, taking three chips and three putts to get the ball in the hole. I double-bogeyed the fifth, the toughest hole, then was steady the rest of the round. Of the ten or so devilish two and three-footers I faced, I made all but one, highly unusual. When I dropped in a putt from off the 13th green, I had a shot at the magic number. I was playing a Titleist, Cosmo Kramer's favorite ball, and didn't once put it into a ball washer, as I was afraid my luck would change. I cleaned it with my hands. Such is the insanity of golf. Anyway, I was bogey or better the rest of the way and finished with an 86. I wasn't sure I'd ever break 90 again, as we haven't played a lot the past three years. I take two ibuprofen before each round so that I won't be whipped the next day. In the 63rd year of my life, I rarely operate at more than 90%. Today I was as close to 100% as I will ever be. There's no explaining it. I just went with and enjoyed it.
Vic's 4th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: 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
Vic’s Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx