vic fortezza

Happy Father's Day to Dads everywhere. Here's an excerpt from the first short story I ever wrote, circa 1980. It's titled Rude Awakening: Vito suddenly found himself wide awake. He was unable to recall having fallen asleep or dreaming or awakening. It seemed he'd just entered bed, yet a glance at the windows told him it was already the middle of the night. The light in the kitchen sifted through the parlor, through the open door of his bedroom, in a dim, slanting ray. He heard his father's quiet rustling, and wondered how it ever could have awakened him. He was elated. It'd been days since he'd been awakened at this hour, and he'd experienced a sense of betrayal about it. He lay still and listened, anticipating the gentle smack of a teaspoon against a raw egg and, seconds later, a sucking sound, as his father drained the gooey substance from the shell directly into his mouth. He shivered and clutched at his pillow, repressing his glee, lest he be heard, and did so again as his father worked at a second egg. He envisioned the dark head flying back in the downing of a shot of sweet vermouth, and heard the glass put down on the table. He conjured the scene so vividly he would swear he could smell the alcoholic substance. There was no mistaking the aroma of the espresso. It pervaded the four-room apartment. He wondered why its taste wasn't as wonderful as its scent. Just eight years...

Brett Easton Ellis burst onto the literary scene in 1985 at the tender age of 21 with his novel of immoral youths, Less Than Zero, which was adapted to film, starring Robert Downey Jr., two years later. In 1991 another novel, the violent American Psycho, caused a storm of controversy. It too was made into a film, starring Christian Bale. I did not read either of those books. I did see Less Than Zero, which I was unable to relate to, as the characters' lifestyle was so different from my own. Among a recent donation of books made by my friend Richie, who I coached at Lafayette H. S., was Ellis' Glamorama (1998). Not only did I not relate to any of the characters, I was puzzled by the mix of the surreal and real. I did not understand the meaning of the confetti and ice that was prevalent, nor the constant chill in indoor venues or the odor of feces. The novel must hold the all-time record for name-dropping and product placement. Some of the famous people mentioned, including Bale, have dialogue. The first part of the narrative details the life of a male model wannabe actor/restauranteur. It is not flattering. As I was reading, I kept hearing Marilyn Manson's rant The Beautiful People, which I've never heard in its entirety. Song lyrics are integral to the novel, oft quoted by the protagonist, whose goal is to be hip, cool, famous. About midway, the story evolves into one of ultra...

I finally got around to viewing Hugo, courtesy of Netflix. Martin Scorsese abandoned his cynicism for this ode to creativity. In great part it is a tribute to film pioneer Georges Melies, who made the oft shown short highlighted by the shot of a rocket ship flying into the eye of the man on the moon. The film's chief attributes are its cinematography (Robert Richardson) and visual effects, both which won Oscars. It was awarded five in all. It is as beautiful-looking as any movie you will ever see. The story, based on a children's book by Brian Selznick, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, adapted for the screen by John Logan, is conventional, appealing but not engrossing. The great Ben Kingsley plays Melies. Christopher Lee, Ray Winstone and Jude Law bring their huge talents to small parts. Sacha Baron Cohen moves out of the realm of satire and into the role of the rigid security agent of a Paris train station. The focus is on an orphan living on his own, played by Asa Butterfield, whose blue eyes are laser-like. He is ably assisted by young old pro Chloe Grace Moretz. On a scale of five, three-and-a-half. The folks at IMDb rate it 7.8 out of ten. With so many teams in Major League Baseball, the results are becoming more unpredictable than ever. There is a fantastic story in New York. R. A. Dickey, a knuckleballer, has had a brilliant first half. He is 10-1, with an ERA of 2.20, 90...

It's Flag Day. Three cheers for the red, white and blue, and all for which it stands. May American continue to be the world's beacon. "Freedom is not the natural state of mankind. It is a rare and wonderful achievement." - Milton Friedman. We are blessed to be living here. Here's a guy, like me, who made money on street corners. Vinnie the Retard was a legend in our section of Brooklyn, hanging out at the corner of 86th Street & Bay Parkway, singing and strumming on his guitar, which had only two or three strings. Everybody in the neighborhood knew him and many put money in his pocket. He has passed away and is missed. It's amazing how often he comes up in conversation. He made his mark, despite his handicap. May he rest in peace. We should all be remembered so fondly. Parking in Brooklyn is often frustrating. My first customer of the day happened to be leaving the lead spot on East 13th Street, the opposite side of tomorrow's Alternate Side regulation. He was nice enough to wait until I'd maneuvered my Hyundai into position. I parked inches from the crosswalk, taking up the least space possible. Minutes later the guy whose sporty red car was next in line approached and asked if I'd move mine back, as it made it look as if his was taking up two spaces, which it was. I told him to move up or back. He refused, saying his car would then...

The other day a gentleman purchased a Linda Ronstadt compilation, donated by a friend, from the floating bookshop. He asked if I had other music, particularly classic rock. I don't have much on my PC, as my taste had begun to change before I began acquiring digitally. I didn't see the guy today. Here's the CD I burned during yesterday's rain. 59 minutes of fun: 1. Ramble On - Led Zeppelin ("...The autumn moon lights my way...") 2. Rock This Town - Stray Cats ("... Put a rock into that can, but all they played was disco, man...") 3. Bad to the Bone - George Thorogood & the Delaware Destroyers ("...I'm yours, pretty baby...") 4. Werewolves of London - Warren Zevon ("...Werewolf drinking a pina colada at Trader Vic's...") 5. A Day in the Life - the Beatles ("...I read the news today, oh boy...") 6. For What It's Worth - Buffalo Springfield ("...Paranoia strikes deep...") 7. Skating Away - Jethro Tull ("...Meanwhile back in the year one...") 8. Work To Do - Average White Band ("...I'm takin' care of business, woman, can't you see...") 9. LaGrange - ZZ Top ("...Gotta lotta mice girls...") 10. Room Full of Mirrors - Jimi Hendrix ("...the whole world was there for me to see...") 11. Panama - Van Halen ("...The road's running a little tonight...") 12. Hypnotized - Fleetwood Mac ("...Seems like a dream...") 13. Black - Pearl Jam ("...Everything I am, all I'll ever be...") 14. Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen - Santana ("...I...