Tortellini & Other Delights
It’s National Tortellini Day — I’m Vic Fortezza and I approved this message.
Out of the mouth of babes. Here’s what four-year-old Isaiah had to say about his world famous mom, Carrie Underwood:
Although there’s truth in the following, it isn’t good news for a billionaire attempting to buy the presidency: “Mike Bloomberg once blamed banks making loans to black Americans as the cause of the 2008 financial crash.” He should have said the unqualified of any color. I’m really enjoying the negative publicity he is attracting.
The first proof copy of the repackaged Exchanges, Open Outcries, arrived yesterday evening. I already know I will be ordering another. There are five words I want to change, and several paragraphs that need indentation, and a misspelling — and that’s just in the first 40 pages. At one point I use “endeavoring to” instead of “trying to.” What the heck was I thinking? That pretension seems so unlike me, at least I hope that’s the case. Sheesh! Anyway... Even if I hadn’t found any errors, I would have experimented with the cover, which I love. Trouble is, currently the back text is partially obscured in the picture, lacking contrast. That was the case no matter which color I tried. I just monkeyed with it. I was hoping there was a way to create a black box similar to what is used for close captioning on TV. If there is, I didn’t spot it. I darkened the background a bit and changed the green font to white. It’s better but still not as good as I’d like. I remind myself that it’s what’s inside that counts, and that sales are unlikely. I simply want it to be available in print form.
With the rain taking its time leaving the area, my only book shop choice was the viaduct at Avenue Y between E. 15th & 16th. It was pretty much desolation row today, few passersby despite the fact that Petco, Stop n Shop, Marshall’s and Doody’s hardware store are within a block. I did have my one and only sale of the last four sessions there. My thanks to the gentleman who bought The Chess Companion: A merry collection of tales of chess and it’s players, together with a cornucopia of games, problems, epigrams and advice, topped off with The Greatest Game of Chess Ever Played by Irving Chernev. I have one more book on the subject: Fine Classics of Fairy Chess by T.R. Dawson. I’d never heard of it. No, it’s not the pejorative some people may conjure upon hearing the term. Not I, of course. As expected in this wondrous age, Google had an answer from a Wiki page. Here’s part of it, edited by yours truly: It “…is the area of chess composition in which there are some changes to the rules of the game. The term was introduced by Henry Tate in 1914 and has resisted change since then. Thomas R. Dawson (1889–1951), the ‘father of fairy chess,’ invented many new pieces and conditions. He was also problem editor of Fairy Chess Review (1930–1951). Although the term is sometimes used for games, it is more usually applied to problems where the board, pieces, or rules are changed to express an idea or theme impossible in orthodox chess.” I still don’t get it. Must be for intelligent people. My lame attempts at regular chess were humbling, proof I’m not that smart. I doubt I’d be any good at this other type. Here’s a pic of a set:
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