The Writer's Life 5/1

When an author titles a book A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius (2000) he'd better deliver. Dave Eggers did so. I just finished his critically acclaimed memoir depicting the tragedies he endured while in his mid 20's, and the responsibility they engendered. Most of the narrative takes place within his mind. The reader sees the good, bad and ugly. He captures the quiet desperation Thoreau so aptly described, although in Eggers' case it seems very loud. His brain is hyperactive. Although his experiences and tastes are so different than mine, I felt a kinship, although his worst thoughts are not nearly as base as mine have been, and his IQ is probably much higher than mine. He captures the tortured soul trying to make sense of life and death. At time it is a bit tedious, over-written, but it works itself back to points of interest that are poignant, justifying the title. And there is considerable humor to help the reader through the overall despair, just as there is in real life. Thoreau's full quote is: "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them." Eggers will not be taking the song into the afterlife. He lets it all hang out. On a scale of five, I rate AHWOSG three-and-a-half.

I am leery of online banking, fearful of identity theft or the loss of my savings. In today's New York Post, financial columnist John Crudele wrote of a recent scary experience. While visiting his online account, a window popped up that appeared to be from his bank, asking that he verify himself using pin number, SSN, etc.. He became suspicious when asked for his driver's license essentials. He logged off immediately and made a phone call. His PC had been hacked, the Zeus Virus installed on it. He has no idea how. There is actually a site devoted to it: ZeusTracker.com, which reports that there are 676 known offenders sending it out. Only one-third of the trojans have been caught by anti-virus software. I don't see myself ever banking online.

The floating book shop had great luck today, despite the threat of rain. I sold a lot of books and had another donation from the 84-year-old veteran. The highlight of the day was a purchase made by a guy I see every day who seems a bit of an odd ball. He's short and stocky. Last summer he walked around a few days with a replica of a wrestling championship belt draped over his shoulder. He could pass for a whipping boy wrestler pre-'90s, a Captain Lou Albano or Frankie Williams. And he has good taste in music, buying a best of Linda Ronstadt CD.

Thanks, folks. Here are pics of the aforementioned:

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