Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Really, I Blame The Whole Thing On Tama Janowitz!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


                                To be honest, darlings, it really started with Jay McInerney.  I had just finished his breakthrough work, "Bright Legs, Big City," and was pleased with how it stood the test of time.  The next book on my Brat Pack agenda was his work, "Bright, Precious Days."  However, as I began reading the back jacket, I discovered this was not a singular volume, but the conclusion of a trilogy, involving a couple, named Russell and Corrie Calloway.  "Brightness Falls," "The Good Life," and
"Bright, Precious Days" is known as The Calloway Trilogy.

                                 Of course I am so darned anal, when it comes to literature. I knew I could not read this book without having read the first two.  I knew I had to go in search of them, because, while some out there may have no problem reading out of sequence, I cannot do so.  It's like seeing a film, where the reels are mixed up.

                                 On purely a whim, I went to my local bookstore, in Bay Ridge, and amazingly enough, they came through for me.  I found McInerney's "The Good Life" there.  Two out of three, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                 I knew the first novel would be harder to find, and that meant a visit to The Strand, in Manhattan.  As long I was there, I thought about trying to find "A Cannibal In Manhattan," by Tama Janowitz.

                                   When I go to The Strand, I storm in, as though I own the place.  David says he has trouble keeping up with me, there, which is part of why things happened the way they did.

                                      Happily, I found "Brightness Falls" almost instantly.  It was midway on those high shelves, and easy to reach.

                                        Tama was a different story.  Her books were all the way on the top shelf, practically to the ceiling.  I took a metal ladder, climbed carefully, found plenty of Tama, but not the one I was looking for.

                                        I then started down the ladder, slowly, carrying the McInerney book in one hand.  I was doing all right.  Suddenly, just two steps from the bottom, I lowered my right foot--and found myself hurling into space, before I could do anything!  It happened so fast, I am telling you.  Before I knew it, I was flat on my back. The ladder did not land on me, falling in the other direction. By some instinct, I lurched my head forward, as I fell, so that my cranium did not hit the floor.  It was my saving grace.

                                           Well, I was conscious, but stunned.  Could I move?  I began to talk, which was a good sign.  People came over, to see what was wrong, and David came running.  Two very brave and strong women held me by the arms, and lifted me up.  A manager came running over, to see if I was OK.  Thankfully, I was; more shaken than injured.  I paid for my books, and left.

                                             So, see, if it wasn't for Tama Janowitz..................

                                             Actually, it taught me a lesson.  My ladder climbing days are over.

                                             Next time, I will ask one of the staff for help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

4 comments:

  1. Oh My Word!!! So glad you're ok!!
    Perhaps it is because you were searching for a book with the word "falls" in the title, hmm??
    Seriously though, my husband has been laid up for the past month with a badly broken ankle.
    From... Falling Off A Ladder

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  2. You probably imagined her huge hair touching your face, subconsciously tried to brush it away, and lost your grip on the ladder!

    Seriously though, very glad to hear you walked away shaken but not scathed. It would have been terrible indeed to return from my Labor Day weekend to find you hospitalized! Thank heavens you instinctively protected your precious cranium, and your defiantly strong spine laughed off the impact.

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  3. Victoria,
    Thanks for your kind words.
    I was fortunate in that it
    wasn't a fall from on high,
    and how I positioned my
    body. But that's the last
    time I do the ladder thing
    at the Strand. Let the staff
    help me!

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  4. Darling.

    It was a miracle. Bernadette
    and Jennifer Jones must have been
    riding on my shoulder! Hope
    you had a good Labor day weekend--
    ours was quiet--and we watched
    "Black Narcissus." David had
    never seen it!

    No more climbing ladders for me!

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