The Writer's Life 1/6 - Epiphany

Although I didn't have an epiphany, it was a good day. January 6th reminds me of change. In the time before my family bought an artificial tree, up 'til early '60's, my mom wouldn't allow the real one to be taken down, however dried out it had become, until this day, which celebrates the arrival of the three kings to the stable where Jesus lay. Although the instructions on the box said that lights should not be hung on the silvery faux tree, my mom insisted. Fortunately, it never caught a fire. We had that thing a long, long time. Nowadays, despite a twinge of guilt, I stow away all the Christmas stuff on the morning of January 2nd.

People in our apartment complex have been complaining about delivery personnel leaving packages in the lobby. What's to stop anyone from stealing them? I wonder if I've become a victim. I've been expecting a desk I ordered from Ebay. According to the UPS site, it was delivered yesterday just after noon. I wasn't home. No note was left. If a neighbor signed for it, I expect he/she would have contacted me by now. I just sent a note to UPS. I received an immediate response -- that they're inundated this time of year and that it may be a while before they get to my query. I'm not optimistic.

Here's a great headline from a December 31st story at Yahoo News: "Fight Breaks Out at New Jersey Anti-violence Demonstration."

An email from a friend contained a number of photos lampooning the President and the Clintons. The best was from a gun show: "If you voted for Obama, we don't want your business. You're too stupid to own a gun."

The temperature moderated and I was able to take advantage and open the floating book shop for two hours. My regular nook gets only an hour-and-a-half of sun this time of year. It looked like it would be a fruitless session until late, when a young woman, all bundled up, asked for works with a psychological edge. I suggested Susan Minot's Folly and John Updike's Bech, a Book, a collection of short stories. I asked if she knew what "stream of conscious" is and, when she said yes, I handed her Michael Cunningham's The Hours. She bought all three. And minutes later a middle age woman purchased two Vince Flynn thrillers. My thanks, ladies. Earlier, a gentleman who buys celebrity bios for his mom was disappointed I had only one, of Sting, which was prominently displayed. He's too modern for the woman. It did lead him into an amusing story, however. Sting and his wife entered his shop one day and were interested in a custom made shirt. Since the materials are imported from Switzerland, the price was steep - $450. Upon hearing this, Sting was staggered, and the guy still hasn't gotten over that a multi-millionaire would be shocked at such a cost.
Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5

Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh

Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3

Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tinyurl.com/l84h63j

Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp

Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

Vic's Blog: http://vicfortezza.blogspot.com/

Website: http://vicfortezzaauthor.my-free.website/