Alexander Rothbard: The Sale Part Two

(Continued from July 3rd 2010) I reached into my bag and brought out five cartons of Philip Morris and 500 Flat 50's.  I started my presentation and the dealer interrupted with, "What else do you want to sell?"  He bought my entire stock, built the display himself,  asked for two posters and went outside and put them up with paste, a perfect angle shot.  That did it.  It was the most difficult job in my life to hold back the tears.  I thanked the dealer and went out.   It was a little after 2:00 p.m. and my bag was empty.  However, the sale did not cheer me because he had bought,  I did not sell.  After five minutes of thinking "Why" ,  I returned and asked the dealer why he bought. the Philip Morris from me.  He stated that he had watched me through this window while I was making up my mind to come i, said I looked real "beat" and in need of a lift, so when I came in and put those cigarettes on the counter and started to talk, he could not help but try to cheer me.  I then noted that he took the flat 50's and opened them up--again.  "Why?".  "For the one cent sales"  was the answer--a new one on me.


That sale did the trick.  I bought five cartons of Philip Morris back from the dealer and a carton of Flat 50's, with the provision that if I did not sell them he would buy them from me--again. From 2:30-6:30 p.m.  I not only sold the cigarettes but also sold, displayed and merchandised 5 additional cigarettes from this same dealer since there was no jobber in the area, and he called a jobber and ordered 10 Philip Morris for delivery to him the next morning.  A most unforgettable sale.

Ramblings of Greg 7.2.

I am not writing well today.  Nothing is really that bad, it’s just one of those other days.  It has been a lazy morning here in Florida.  It has been rainy and the clouds hang low like a present rumor.

My wife plays the guitar in the other room. Her soul soars on high.  

Sometimes writing is difficult, there really is not much going on. 

But you need to write every day, no matter what!   So today I sit here trying to think of what to say that might be somewhat positive.  

My arm hurts. Probably from cutting too much meat, filling customer orders, and cleaning up.  Why does ones ears not hurt from listening too much?  

Tonight I will be going to feed the homeless at Munn Park from old Chinese carry out containers, and food made by my friend Miguel Vazquez.  

Cheers to my Nederland friends, and the three guys I met in Israel.   We had a blast partying in the Old City of Jerusalem in 1997, London Underground, Arizona Bar, and spending all my money so that I had to borrow some to get back to Egypt.   I have never planned very well, and have had to rely on the courtesy of strangers.  I have learned  a lot from these adventures though. I am so happy that y'all beat those brats from San Paulo.  

On the Craft of Writing: Notes from Winesburg, Ohio

 I don't really have the money to get an MFA in writing.  But I know one way to improve my writing, read great authors, and those that influenced great writers.   Sherwood Anderson influenced Henry Miller, and now I know why! I have taken some writing notes on Sherwood's techniques that I hope you will find helpful.    I am not looking for a formula, but understanding the frame of the craft allows the writer to express his/her thoughts well.   

In order to understand (the man or woman) we need to go back to an earlier (period/day/era)
Root the Character to the American Spirit: By the standards of the day
True to the traditions
"He was a man born out of his time and place and for this he suffered and made others suffer." 
Everyone retired into the background.
He could master others but he could not master himself. 
Show desires, what moves the person, motivations
did not intend (Specific Evil) Show that the man is acting naturally and that naturally this is what comes about.
How does the Character see the times?
When you take the character to the wall pan out and give a panorama of the Zeitgeist, the spirit of the age.
Describe the setting of the Character.
Show motivations through a glimpse into private prayers said with the doors closed, and the lights turned low! One can also do this by revealing the words said in a conversation, words twittered, emails, letters etc.

Moon Pies of Romance: North Dakota Lake

I was a purple clad Viking lover, red white and blue flag waving, parade loving, three foot celebration of a tale. The tale that filled up my dreaming life was the one told about a lake house in North Dakota. I dreamt of flying above the lake like a Canadian goose, only I was wearing cute little mouse ears on my head. I was told that if I wore the hat my dreams would surely come true; my dreams would happen for me.
I dreamed of sailing a little boat into the middle of the lake. I dreamed of diving from the boat into the middle and breaking into the deep crystalline surface. I would then swim down and collect rocks from the bottom. I would show how strong I was to my grandfather. Life would be broken open and made newly awesome. My grandfather’s lake pure and simple remained a dream. In a way I am glad that my dream of getting to the lake did not occur. The inability forced me to dream big and search for the hidden treasures found in America.

Greg's Journal of Found Things I

Tuesday last, I was asked, if I had ever read any Annie Dillard. I said no, feeling regretful. Tuesday afternoon, I went online and requested "for the Time Being by Annie Dillard" from the Lake Whales Public Library. Here are a few notes from my reading so far:

"I am on the field."

"The hospital like every other, is a hole in a universe, through which holiness issues in blasts."

Repetition is powerless before ecstasy." pg. 91.

"Suddenly there is a point where religion becomes laughable then you decide that are nevertheless religious."

I found the book to be unfocused and not really worth my time reading.

Greg's Journal of Found Things I

Monday: Greg's Notebook