75
From pinterest.com, words of wisdom from Robin Sharma, Canadian writer best known for The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari book series:
Three-quarters of a century. I try to avoid thoughts of aging, but there’s something cool about 75.
Apparently, I was ahead of my time. Headline from nypost.com: “New study shows nearly 2 in 3 Americans think frugality is an attractive trait.” To paraphrase Perry White: “Don’t call me cheap!”
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Born in London in 1975, Zadie Smith has written a play, two volumes of short fiction, two children’s books, a lot of non-fiction and six novels. I just finished her second, The Autograph Man, published in 2003. Set in the pre-cell phone days, it’s the story of a man in his mid 30s, a dealer of memorabilia, most of it genuine. He is the child of a Chinese father and Jewish mother. His father died young of brain cancer and the son still hasn’t gotten over it. Although he worries about the cancer gene, his lifestyle includes prodigious bouts of drinking and drug usage. Perhaps, like Mickey Mantle, he would take better care of himself and be faithful to his girlfriend of 14 years if he knew he would live long. The narrative follows his wheeling and dealing and excesses. The main focus is his interest in a reclusive Hollywood actress, Kitty Alexander, fictional though there was one by that name who has only one film credit. The novel is for those who crave something different. It is a tale of existential angst. It frequently digresses. It is a challenging read that, in the end, is unsatisfying. Make no mistake, the author’s mind is keen. The book is dense with information. The style is hip and overwritten but impressive. She is after what is important in the human condition. A friend says of the protagonist: “…you’re so determined to shape what to me is fundamentally without any shape…” And from the narrator: “…He wanted to be in the world and take what came with it, endings local and universal, full stops, periods, looks of injured disappointment and the everyday war…” The 347 pages of the large paperback edition read like a bit less, given the blanks and black and white illustrations. 245 users at Amazon have rated The Autograph Man, forging to a consensus of 3.7 on a scale of five. I’ll go with three. Smith is a mom of two. She has received many literary honors and even won a Grammy for Album of the Year as a featured artist on We Are by Jon Batiste. Kudos. Facts from Wiki, photo from Google Images:
Next up on what I deem funny, three minutes of Dangerfield:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx2dzYz2F8g
BP good, cholesterol borderline. Still no meds but eyedrops. Yay!
The Anti-Inflation Book Shop was rained out.
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