Day 36

Where are all the bright colors? I strolled through the Mall yesterday, two blocks away, corner of La Cienega, and 3rd Street, here in West LA. It's all there, everything for Christmas, but where is the Chutzpah, the Excitement, the Pazzaazzz? I just don't understand fashion, according to my daughter. But that's me. Everything displayed was either black, gray, or something in between. I guess tie-die is out this year. Nothing colorful, much less reds, yellows, or orange. Everything dreadfully dull, uninspired, simply blah. Only shops that had any 'life' were FootLocker, and Champs, but they sell pro team jerseys so they have no choice; Laker's purple and gold, Angele's red, Dodger blue. Even the big stores, Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Calvin Klein, Banana Republic, the trend setters, just everyday, nothing to attracted my eye. No wonder I was getting stares as I walked through; yellow and red Iowa State Cyclone T-shirt, under a red Polo shirt. A flicker of brightness in an otherwise drab world, I'd like to think. Had enough olive drab in my life.

I did find some real color, exciting and bright, some sparkle, but alas, it was at Ed Hardy's, (a red and green tiger face snarling out at me), and the Ferrari Store, (a bright candy apple red and yellow Ferrari parked in the window). I don't have a Platinum Titanium Einsteinium credit card, so I can't get withing 2000 miles of either one of those stores, I'm afraid. I fashion myself as an occasional Fashionista, of sorts, but sorry. Like I say, I'm just not into Dull.

Spent yesterday fine tuning chapter 8. Mayor Carker is about to detonate. His 's now ready to solve all of his problems: the bungled counterfeit money transfer, and the oil painting insurance fraud fiasco, plus his trusted assistant Josephine is now 'involved' with the wayward vet Dr Brandt, and seemingly unresponsive to his commands. He comes to the following conclusion; to save his political life, take the pressure off, and keep what he has already 'earned,' they must be done away with. Simple solution. Combining too much alcohol, and too many pills, (the brown pill bottle having a variety of little pills?), he calls a friend-of a friend-of a friend who is known to 'clean up' problems such as these.

That's what I have to re-write today. Make Carker so lost and forlorn that he decides killing is his only out. Then, how will he pay for such dastardly deeds? What punishment fits his crimes? May take a few days of rewriting and thinking, then come back to all this later? My face book page needs updating. (Time willing?) Seems some of my 'friends,' have thousands of other 'friends,' I have to check out, who don't know me. Do I want all these 'friends? ' It's the ones you can call up at 4:00 a.m. that really matter.' ~ Marlene Dietrich

Thanks for reading this far. And thanks for any comments.

Until tomorrow,

Cornelius Butterfield