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Thursday, December 28, 2017

The Writer's Life 12/28 - Repairs

A fun controversy has spawned on NYC's Lower East Side. A female artist painted a 40-foot mural of a penis on the side of a building. Of course, many complained about it and, not surprisingly, a few defended it. It has since been painted over. I suspect the woman was desperate for publicity. She did manage to get into the NY Post, and in many web publications. I will post a picture, gleaned from the guardian.com, at the bottom. If you're repulsed by such work, you've been warned.

Whenever one leaves a vehicle at a repair shop, anxiety ensues, despite the fact that one may have done business with the place for years. Will the bill be $500, $600? It's impossible to know. The "Check Engine" light comes on, and we are at the mercy of management and mechanics. I have zero interest in how a car runs, so I don't ask what was wrong. Usually, an explanation is rendered, one that goes in one ear and out the other. I'm only interested in the bottom line. The highest amount I've ever paid on a single visit is $800+. Should I be relieved that the call I just received puts the initial estimate at $349? I will use a debit card to pay it - invisible money. Given the old Hyundai's age, a 2003 model, I would not be surprised if the light comes back on in a few days.

I completed the next phase of the publication of my ninth book, Present and Past. Reworking the format took a lot of air out of the book, reducing its length from 321 pages to 254. That lowered the projected price from $11.73 to $10, which I consider ideal. I will order another proof copy and try to read it carefully, which will be difficult after having read the novel so many times recently. The creative aspect is done. Revision is tedious. I did a lot of copying and pasting recently. I may have inadvertently left a few lines out or put them in the wrong place. And there will likely be a few errors I've missed. I also noticed that in a few instances the sentences still do not stretch all the way to the margin, and refuse manual correction. C'est la vie.


I completed the few chores I'd set aside for days when weather conditions put the kibosh on the floating book shop. With no relief in sight, I will be doing a lot of crosswords and leisure reading the next few days. I will not be psychologically ready to do the first sweep of my tenth book, scheduled for next January, for at least a few weeks.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc



 
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