Category: Pics

If The World Were Flat, Dragons And Monster Fish Would Attack Ships

flatLet me be the first to say I am so grateful that the earth does not look like an overflowing oyster shell, spilling like Niagara Falls into the nothingness. How odd it would be to have clouds below us.

Science-038

 

My Sweet Nearly Embraceable You

Comet54-004What’s up with Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons here? That fourth season doesn’t quite know how to put his arm around a girl. That’s not even first base.

These are my guesses:

  • He’s taking extreme measures not to be perceived as “getting fresh.”
  • Margie recently had lap band surgery and lost half her weight, and old habits die hard, on his part.
  • Margie contracted Hep C by sharing a needle with Tommy Lee, and might be contagious.
  • There is an invisible parrot named Rio on her shoulder.
  • He was the very first tree-hugger, and his arms froze that way.

Do you have the answer? Can you tell me why the leaping Wolfman has one black hand?

 

 

Coffee At Ruby’s

At first, this image of Ruby’s Diner in Schenectady, NY may seem like a study in isolation. The calendar shows September 1988, and while that may not seem like that long ago to some of us, just peek in to this scene to see how the world has changed. RubysDiner88-034Gerd Kittel’s pre-digital camera shows us a man and a woman (presumably both past their physical prime), sharing booths with no one. The woman appears contemplative and dressed for work. The man reminds me of my grandfather: intent on reading the news, colder in his old age and consequently cardigan-clad, and probably smells of Old Spice. No laptops, no iphones, no flat screen TVs. Just take that in–no one is staring at a screen. Like you’re doing right now.

There are Polaroids tacked to the wall. A cigarette machine. God knows the price then, but I passed one only last weekend, a relic itself, and the cost was $10 per pack. And you know smokers will pay it. Formica tabletops. The TV is not a wide screen. It has knobs which to turn. The coffee cup is small. It is not a Starbuck’s grande. That doesn’t mean he won’t consume more than the 16 oz; it just means a waitress will be by shortly to top him off. And that means human interaction. She might bring more cream. She might ask what he is reading.

But first, she will ask the photographer to step out of the way. You can see his reflection to the left of the TV, the man in the Anthony Bourdain sweater.

Places To Go, People To See, Part IV

Today we turn the clock back to June 1952.

When traveling overseas, remember to take your finest suit for maximum comfort and ease as you read the precious books by people from colorful lands.

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If $675 sounds a little steep, Americans can simply stay stateside and enjoy lobster at Hugo’s on Cohasset Harbor in Massachusetts. Just remember which fork serves what purpose or Martha Stewart will go all nun on you with a knuckle-rap.

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 While you’re in the neighborhood, stop by the Scituate Harbor Yacht Club and chat about your summer homes on the Vineyard.

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Pysch! It’s members only. You may be upper middle class, but you don’t have a yacht and you don’t belong here. One-fork people like you might enjoy a nice rental sailboat in Michigan. Yeah, that’s more your style.

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What? Still can’t swing it? This is the Fabulous Fifties! Well, hold on to your hat; I’ve got just the ticket!

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Take the Super-Doughnut ring (you people like doughnuts, right?) to your neighborhood pool and bask until you blister in the sun. Don’t forget to put crimson lipstick on and bring a spare patch in case you spring a leak.

Still not your speed? Take a cue from these kiddos and forget the travel! Who says you can’t have fun in your own back yard?

http://poolandpatio.about.com/
http://poolandpatio.about.com/