The Writer's Life: The Writer's Life 9/18

Tuesday, September 18, 2018

The Writer's Life 9/18 - It's the Real Thing

Smart investors are buying stock in marijuana companies. Dumbbell that I am, I'm not anymore comfortable with that than I am with investments in tobacco or alcohol. Turns out I may not have a choice. A short article in today's NY Post informs that Coca Cola officials are talking with a Canadian cannabis company about infusing soft drinks with pot. I have more than two hundred shares of Coke, which has been one of my big winners. I won't sell because of this, as the stock pays good dividends. I suppose those who consider soda one of society's great evils will dub me a hypocrite. So be it. Each day I look forward to dinner when I allow myself 10-16 ounces of a soft drink. I'd drink them all day if I didn't care about my waistline and the possibility of diabetes. Maybe Coke will ask U2 permission to use Even Better Than the Real Thing in commercials for the new product.

The Weird But True column in the Post led me to this billboard message commissioned by a British businessman:

Pundits reason that if Paul Manafort had had any dirt on President Trump he would have spilled it long ago to avoid going to trial and jail. That makes sense. So what is one to make of the deal the Special Counsel has offered him? Conservatives are hoping, since Robert Mueller is often described as a stand up guy, that Manafort will spill the beans on Clinton crony John Podesta, and that an investigation will ensue. I'll believe it when I see it. In this case, right wingers seem as deluded about the possibility as leftists are about collusion with Russia. I would rather see it all go away. Does America need more of this? Then again, would the mainstream media even cover it?

I left the apartment 15 minutes early, hurrying to set up the floating book shop, anticipating rain. Today's session was about an hour old when the skies opened up. The scaffold was no help when the downpour intensified. I managed to keep the wares dry until the precip slacked off and I was able to return them to the old Hyundai. There were no sales, but it wasn't a total loss. Bob Rubenstein showed bearing a gift - a copy of his latest novel. Thank you, sir. I look forward to it.