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Saturday, January 5, 2019

The Writer's Life 1/5 - A Strongman & A Wrong Man

While browsing youtube for funny wrestling interviews I haven't already seen, I came upon a five-minute clip of Louis Cyr, whom former International Federation of BodyBuilding & Fitness chairman Ben Weider believed was the strongest man ever to have lived. Born Cyprien-Noé Cyr, the French Canadian's career spanned the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He worked as a farmer, logger and policeman, and toured in a show and competed in strongman contests, retiring undefeated. Here are some of his feats of strength: lifting a platform on his back holding 18 men, a total of 4336.493 pounds; lifting a 534-pound weight with one finger; pushing a freight car up an incline; lifting a 514 pound rock from the ground up to his shoulder. He used his earnings to purchase a tavern that became a mecca for strongmen. Unfortunately, he was unable to curb his appetite and died at 49. His funeral attracted a huge crowd. In 2013 a biographical film was released. Here's a pic of a monument to him that stands in Montreal:


And here's a close up:



And here's the link to the youtube clip, whose prose follows his profile at Wiki almost to a T: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjlEKN9idgU

An article in today's NY Post proves super smart folks are just as vulnerable to gaffes as the rest of us. An physicist/astronaut inadvertently dialed 911 from the International Space Station, sparking panic at NASA. He was supposed to dial 9011 and left out the zero.


Today's rain allowed me to make significant headway into the second proof copy of Inside Out. Through 72 pages, I've made eight changes, only half of them corrections. Fortunately, I'm not sick of the book yet. I'm still enjoying it. That might not be the case if I have to go to a fourth copy. I'll do one more chapter before calling it a night.
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