56 Years Later
Today is the 56th anniversary of JFK’s assassination. It is estimated that at least 1000 books and possibly as many as 2000 have been written on the subject. Former Los Angeles DA Vincent Bugliosi estimated that a total of 42 groups, 82 assassins, and 214 people had been accused at one time or another in conspiracy scenarios. About 60% of Americans still believe there was a conspiracy. I don’t discount the possibility, but no one has convinced me anyone but Oswald was involved. It will never be proven unless someone has left a written or filmed confession behind, and even that would received intense scrutiny. I was a ninth-grader at Lafayette H.S. when I heard the news, between classes, on a staircase. Soon the principal, Dr. Leo Weitz, announced the terrible news over the PA system. When he said school would be dismissed early, Phil Grigioni, in the seat in front of me, cheered. I punched him in the back, even though I too was happy we were being let out. I didn’t know what I was feeling other than surprised, although I wondered if the USA, suddenly leaderless, would be attacked by our enemies. The most surprising aspect in the ensuing days was the realization that life didn’t miss a beat. The most famous person in the world had been murdered and things kept on as if it didn’t matter. I guess it was the first time I realized anyone, everyone was expendable. What ever happened to Phil Grigioni? I’d love to know his life story.
I was able to superimpose the title of my next novel to the Amazon cover template, and thought I was home free. Not! For some crazy reason, the JPG format is not accepted. I researched ways of converting it to PDF, but each involved a download, and I’m avoiding downloads with my new PC. So far, I’ve downloaded only updates and the Opera browser. The next option was to select another template. There were a couple of nice ones, each spreading the image of the Statue of Liberty across both the front and back cover rather than concentrating it on the front. I would have chosen one even though the synopsis and author bio were not as clear as I would have liked, but a message came up saying the resolution wasn’t very strong and might result in printing problems. I don’t how the heck that could be, given both were site templates. I suppose that means the one I’d altered would have drawn the same warning, so I guess I shouldn’t be upset at not being able to use it. I checked the suggested alternatives and decided on one that had no image but was very clean and clear. I reminded myself that the inner content is what matters, although many in the know believe a flashy cover is crucial. I don’t anticipate a lot of sales, so I’m not gonna make myself crazy over this issue. Here’s the latest:
Things were odd for the floating book shop today. I left the apartment about an hour before the expiration of the alternate side regulation, hoping to move into the lead spot on E. 13th. My car was blocked by a double parked SUV. I honked the horn a couple of times, to no avail. I noted that the curb wasn’t very high and decided to drive onto the sidewalk, back up to corner, which was 15 yards away, and turn into the street. My first worry was passersby. There were none. The second was a cop happening by. Would he/she be understanding? Fortunately, none showed. The lead spot was still clear when I pulled up — to no avail. 40 minutes later, as soon as I started setting up the display, it began to drizzle. I immediately decided to head for the viaduct at E. 15th, where I spent a lot of time in the early days of the floating book shop. I brought what I believed were the most marketable of the wares - Russian and kids’ books. I carried a half crate in one hand and toted the wheeled basket behind me. It was a snap. My thanks to the ladies who each bought two books in Russian, and to the other who purchased four kids’ books. Not even 20% of the inventory was on display. Here’s what it looked like:
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