The Calm After the Storm
Outside, the sun reflects on the drifted snow, making it hard to determine how many inches fell in my area. As you can see from the rooftops across the street, some are covered in snow while others have none.
A lonely little tug boats pulls one ship into New York Harbor, while another ship looks more a still life waiting to be painted, having not moved since the storm began. It's the Polar Vortex that has us frozen in time ... until another day.
For me today is about phone readings and socializing with the neighbors I rarely see, as most work and get home late. For others, it's about taking a day off from work, a well needed day of rest. Having lived in a house for decades, on snow days, I'm always happy not to have to clear the snow away.
Talk about "Snow Jobs" ...
Last night, I watched about an hour of American Hustle ... then fell asleep for 10 hours ... the film to be completed today. No one can appreciate the opening scene as much as I did, because I lived it. There was Christian Bale, as Irving Rosenfeld, putting on his wig. The year was 1978 and he was Jewish from Long Island. At that time, I was married to Ralph and guess what he did for a living? Ralph was the best hairpiece salesman in the business - sometimes appearing on TV and doing hairpiece demonstrations in the Catskill Mountain Resorts - with a celebrity clientele. Ralph's best friend was Irving Z. from Long Island, going back to Lincoln High School in Brooklyn. My first thought while watching Irving Rosenfled was, "Ralph would never had sold him a hairpiece that bad." The rest of the film had to do with con artists and FBI stings - reminiscent of The Wolf of Wall Street set in 1987 and based on Jordan Belfort's memoirs. "American Hustle" is loosely based on the FBI ABSCAM operation of the late 1970s and early '80s.
Jordan Belfort was a great salesman and master con artist who gave-up his friends, spending three years in white collar prison in Nevada.
Irving Rosenfled was a great salesman and con artist who got immunity and didn't go jail.
Ralph Levine (January 5, 1938) was a great salesman who never cheated anyone. He was a colorful character in his own right who could sell anybody anything ... kept it legit ... but met a lot of "interesting characters" along the way. If we're talking about major con artists ... Ralph sold several hairpieces to Robert Toussie - linked to GW Bush - Robert wearing one of Ralph's Hairpieces. Ralph wound up living happily ever after in Arizona until he died of cancer because he smoked for 50 years. He still visits his family and remains full of surprises even in another dimension. He was divorced twice. He was charismatic and still is.
Bernard Madoff (April 29, 1938) is another charismatic Jewish Con Artist from NYC ... who will soon join Ralph on the other side ...
Bernie Madoff has heart attack in prison Market Watch - January 22, 2014
