Enough about me, what do you think about my new book?

Gore Vidal died.  I read Lincoln a long time ago.  It was pretty good, as historical fiction goes.  Might have even happened like that.

Other than Lincoln, and the fact that he and Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy were steprelatives of some sort, I don’t really know much about him.  There are a couple other novels that he wrote that sound interesting to me.  Julian is about the Roman emperor who tried to deconvert the empire from Christianity to paganism, which must have been a rewarding endeavor. Or not.

Anyway, I’m interested in defining moments.  Vidal went seriously off his crackers in the last couple of decades, trying to get into the head of Tim McVeigh.  Good luck with that.  I don’t think Vidal could pull off a Lincolnesque mind meld with McVeigh in any way that I would find compelling enough to read.

However, here’s a juicy encounter Vidal had with Norman Mailer on the Dick Cavett show.  I don’t know who the lady is in this video but I adore her gloves, as if anyone needs to wear gloves on a TV set.  Come to think of it, maybe she was on to something.  Vidal and Mailer exchange insults in a way one doesn’t see on TV anymore as Mailer’s train starts to derail.  And Cavett keeps his cool and composure and then delivers a devastating coup de grace.  He makes Bill Maher look like an amateur.

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Diving into a Necker Island pool

And if you have an extra $34,000 sitting around not doing anything useful, you could spend it on a single night on Necker Island, Richard Branson’s private island in the British Virgin Islands.  The Great House burned to a cinder last year after it was struck by lightening during Hurricane Irene.  Not to worry, there are 6 Bali style pavilions and Richard’s private house that he lets out when he’s doing some other fantastic thing billionaires do.  And if your house party spills over, there’s a luxury catamaran called the Necker Belle that can handle the extras.  He also has a 3 seat open sea sub.  Passengers wear SCUBA gear while they glide over the reefs.  It’s an additional $2500 and you must book in advance.

Of course, if you are a personal friend of Richard’s, you can stay for free.  Kate Winslet was there when the house burned down and carried Branson’s 90 year old mother to safety so I’m assuming she’s got her own key now.  The rule is: the more famous you are, the more likely Richard will lend you the island free of charge.  It is now my goal to be the most famous blogger in the world.  I’m sure that I would appreciate the island more than any fee paying rich persons.  *They* only have money.  I have that certain je ne sais quoi and can hold my own at any torch lit dinner party at the beach pavilion.