Words

From an article at nypost.com: The most-Googled phobia of the year is the fear of other people — anthropophobia. It made up 22% of all fears searched nationwide.

Politics in a nutshell from a foxnews.com headline: “More people receiving unemployment benefits than are unemployed.”

Super Bowl champs Kansas City Chiefs have signed talented RB Le’Veon Bell, recently released by the Jets. Gang Green gets nothing in return, not even a low round draft pick. What kind of management is this? Is it simply a salary cap move, future addition by the present subtraction of a bad actor? It’s bizarre.

At this point I’m as convinced Biden will win as I thought Hillary would four years ago. I hope I handle it well.

There’s plenty in the news but it’s more of the same, so here’s an excerpt from early in Inside Out, whose blurb carries the tag: “Can a novel be explicit and meaningful?” The protagonist, Vinnie, an introvert who survived a shooting, bummed about not being able to attract a woman named Karen, reluctantly attends a party thrown by a guy who teaches at Lafayette H.S., where he frequently works as a substitute:

He shook hands with a number of males and nodded uneasily at females he recognized. No one from the faculty was present. To his relief, neither were any students. He was surprised Dave was able to relate to women of an age comparable to his own.
Reuben, already drunk, began talking football. Vinnie stood by without listening, appraising the women, gauging which would be the most receptive. Nearby, a svelte blonde was bent over a table, jeans clinging to her exquisite bottom. He wanted to kiss and mount those shapely cheeks.
Animal, he thought; you don’t even know her.
He experienced a violent flash in his crotch, and realized that attending the party had been worth it for this one surge alone. Anything else would be gravy. He wanted to see the woman’s face before deciding whether to approach her. To his chagrin, her hair was dangling before her cheek, hiding it. He walked away from Reuben, totally absorbed, seeking a better angle. She pulled the hair back and held it fast to her nape, allowing him to see her features. His breathing ceased momentarily. It was Karen. Although he wasn’t surprised, he jerked under a charge that surged through his entire body, not just his crotch. He’d hoped it was her the moment he’d spotted the golden hair, and he’d been certain he was deluding himself. Suddenly it seemed he’d come here hoping to run into her. She’d probably known Dave for years, had probably even slept with him.
She pressed a rolled up dollar bill to her left nostril, held the other shut with an index finger. As her head moved downward along a line of cocaine, her hair slid from her neck and before her face. She reeled a bit upon rising, laughing, flushed, and handed the bill to her companion, who eagerly bowed her head. He was not surprised the two were friends, although June was not nearly as attractive as Karen. They seemed to seek the same end — pleasure, and he imagined each was unscrupulous in the pursuit of it.

Rain put the kibosh on the floating book shop for the third time this week. Looking forward to tomorrow’s session.

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