El Presidente
Mario here:
I was voted the president of the
Rocky Mountain chapter of the
Mystery Writers of America. As a chapter president I'm also on the national board. One of the perks is that we're brought to NYC, all expenses paid for the board meeting and orientation.
Well, I was impressed. We were put up in the Roosevelt Hotel, three blocks north of Grand Central Station, for the weekend.
Friday night we attended a mass signing at the Partners in Crime mystery bookstore in Greenwich Village (much wine), followed by a loooong dinner at Sammy's Noodle Shop (much beer and mucho mas Chinese food--ugh, I was about to bust), followed yet again by more boozin' back at the Roosevelt. Saturday was a work day, complete with a three ring binder full of official stuff. That night we were treated to more schmoozing at the swanky steakhouse, Bobby Van's, where I ate a filet mignon the size of a big fist (see photo). Followed of course by more boozin' at the Roosevelt. But the food and drink were only second to the great folks that I met.
The last few recent times I've been to NYC were in the late spring or summer. Not surprisingly, this visit the city was cold, like Denver freeze-your-privates cold. Thought you all would enjoy this typical Manhattan view of the street from the conference board room.
Me? A smart ass?Decide for yourself in this interview in
Illiterate Magazine. Go to page 109.
In passing:Two of my all time favorites have left us.
Ricardo Montalban made his final casting call at the age of 88. Here he is as Khan Noonian Singh in Star Trek's
Wrath of Khan, in a role where he brilliantly out-hams the master ham, William Shatner.
American realist
Andrew Wyeth put away his paint brushes at the age of 91. Wyeth was a master watercolorist and egg tempera painter who defied decades of criticism. Here's one of my favorite of his works:
Wind from the sea.