WHAT HAPPENED - 07.21.2021
July 21, 2021
Good Wednesday morning. I'm author Richard V. Rupp, writing from Burbank, California. Welcome to Rupp's Notes/FBI Special Agent Hartman Series posts.
Watching the Olympics will be a challenge because of the time difference between Tokyo and the United States. I have already found out that you don't want to check out the news before turning on the games.
I got up early this morning to watch a delayed broadcast of the U.S. Women's Soccer Team play in the Olympics. At the halfway break, I looked at the news on my phone. That was a mistake. What a shocker!!! Like many of you, I have followed the women's soccer team for several years. Not sure what happened, but the team I was used to watching didn't show up. They looked rattled and were dominated by Sweden, who won 3 to 0. I've got my fingers crossed that they figured out what's wrong before their next game on Saturday. Like the commentators, I'm unsure why Alex Morgan was taken out of the game so early. I'm wondering if the C-Virus is doing a mental job on the athletics in Tokyo? What happened???
I received a Facebook post from my old friend Bill Sleeper, a fellow CPCU and Past President of the CPCU Society. It showed him with a missing tooth. I'm going to be joining him this Friday, as I am having a front tooth pulled. This getting old thing is a bitch. Things just keep wearing out.
Speaking of the Olympics. I found out something as a writer. Trying to Include specific events and dates in your novels can really screw things up. I had included the 1992 Barcelona Olympics in my manuscript for SKYWARD. Yesterday, I spent considerable time eliminating the Barcelona Olympics. The ages of my characters did not match up to the date of the event. Actually, I think my rewrite turned out better for the change. The Bowman family and friends are still going to Barcelona, but for a very different reason. Here's part of the rewrite –
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Jordy's life now revolved around Daniela, the twins, his music, parties, and jet-setting around the world. The one-percenter lifestyle was theirs to the fullest.
His love for guitar music got Jordy interested in the growing guitar orchestra movement led by the European Guitar and Mandolin Association. This further led him to the Barcelona Guitar Orchestra, which was considered the most successful guitar ensemble in the world.
The Bowman Boeing 727 taxied to the private jet terminal at the Barcelona International Airport. The chaffered van they had arranged for took the Bowman clan, their six guests, and the nanny to the Gran La Florida Hotel Miramar. It was a favorite of the rich and famous as it sat on top of the hills of Tibidabo, overlooking the whole of Barcelona.
The boys had worn the four San Francisco neighboring mothers down. It was a warm July Monday afternoon, and the ladies were sitting at the poolside bar. This was a needed break before packing for the flight back to San Francisco after two days of sightseeing, a night at the guitar concert, and a night at the Palacio del Flamenco, which included flamenco dancing lessons.
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Yes, SKYWARD is a sci-fi novel, but there is a lead-in to why the Bowman Twins feel they must venture into space.
In writing this post today, I'm working around a planned two-hour power outage for my apartment building. The letter advising me of the outage indicates it's needed to test the backup generator. My mind can't rationalize why you have to turn off the power to check a backup generator, especially in the middle of a heatwave.
Cheers,
Richard V. Rupp, Author
Website – www.richardvrupp.com
Email – rupprisk@gmail.com
Copyright©2021 by Richard V. Rupp