Crimes & Misdemeanors

From an amateur’s standpoint, I tried to get inside the head of a killer in Close to The Edge. I was in my late 20’s when I first wrote it, a know-it-all searching for the definitive statement on the subject. Of course I failed in that regard, but I believe the the novel works in getting to the root of one man’s motivation. There must be thousands of books on the subject, and I doubt even one arrives at an all encompassing thesis. The latest is The Killer Across the Table: Unlocking the Secrets of Serial Killers and Predators with the FBI’s Original Mindhunter by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker. There’s a two-page spread about it in today’s NY Post that includes creep-inducing peccadilloes of certain monsters. Douglas’ has reached one conclusion on his experiences. He believes the murderers are sane and know right from wrong.

Here’s a bit of fun trivia: Wheel of Fortune recently shot its 7000th episode. Pat Sajak came aboard in 1981 and has become the host with the longest game show run on a single program. Vanna White started in ’82. Nice work if you can get it.

From the Post’s Weird But True column, edited by yours truly: A Florida guy is claiming his first amendment rights have been stifled by authorities who arrested him for a violation of the state’s obscenity law. He proudly boasts of a sexual predilection on a bumper sticker on his truck: “I eat _____” Use your imagination to fill in the blank, or ask google for details.

Sign of the times: Denver has become the first city to decriminalize the use or possession of “Magic Mushrooms.” The measure was narrowly passed by voters, 51% in favor. Proponents claim the issue is not about legalization, but to keep people out of jail for using or possessing a substance that helps cope with depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress and other conditions. Will this lead to even more vehicle accidents, which have spiked dramatically in Colorado since the legalization of marijuana? It will be interesting. (From Yahoo’s Odd News, edited by yt.)

My thanks to the young man who settled his tab, and to Ira, who bought a Barbara Walters memoir and ABC’s of the Human Mind, a Reader’s Digest pictorial; and to Lynn, who selected A Dog for Christmas by W. Bruce Cameron; and to The Quiet Man, who returned for four more DVDs; and to Lou, who purchased both seasons of Crime Story, 43 episodes, which aired from 1986-’88 and starred Dennis Farina as a Chicago police lieutenant. My thanks also to the gregarious Russian retiree who gives me a fist bump each day in passing, who complained about the chill and pooh-poohed global warming. He claimed that 20 years ago he used to swim in April. I kidded him that he was a lot younger then. “And drunk,” he added. I laughed out loud… Special thanks to Herbie, who just finished Inside Out and raved about the female lead, Karen.

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