Flashlight Worthy

February 26, 1957: Last episode of Dragnet radio series which had started in 1949 written by and starring Jack Webb. This overlapped the Dragnet TV Series which ran from 1951 to 1959 and then was brought back 1967 through 1970 and in rerun as Badge 714. The arresting theme music began to play ("Dum-de-dum-dum") to herald what became what was probably the most successful police drama in television history.

So why is this important to me? As a small child, my bedtime was theoretically 7:30 pm. Since I was almost always blessed with my own room, own bed and somewhat complacent adults, this meant me with radio, flashlight, and book under the covers until at least 10:00. It was the thrill of imagination fed by written and spoken words with the books and radio scripts creating movies of the mind. This was the world of Dragnet, Green Hornet, and Inner Sanctum as well as all the books from my shelves.
To this day, I tend to divide books into daylight and flashlight classes. Flashlight Worthy is a book with a voice so strong and filled with images that it is capable of painting a CinemaScope, 3D, stereophonic blockbuster on the underside of sheets even if I'm now reading it comfortably ensconced in an easy chair.

Today's children are force fed images almost from birth and I'm not sure it is good for them. Are they losing the ability to make their own pictures using only the spoken or written word? If you can't see the pictures when you read, how do you get transported to another place and time?

If you want to get a feel for these radio shows, you can listen or download many of them at Old Time Radio. There is also a direct link to the Dragnet shows at the top of this post. Are you around any young readers? Are they seeing the pictures? Maybe they need some practice with a radio and a flashlight.

For pure fun, here is the classic "Copper Clappers" routine between Jack Webb and Johnny Carson.

Ring Around Elizabeth

Most of you are aware of "web rings" - They are collections of blogs about a single subject that link to each other so that you can jump from one to another to get different insights or information on the material.

Being a lover of history and British history as a subset, I just discovered a truly neat ring - Renaissance in the Elizbethan World. It seems to have started to promote a Compendian of Common Knowledge for those participating in Renaissance Faires, but now links to over 100 sites on the web, as well as links to subsets from the book for this period. I particularly liked "Managing a Noble Household" which you can print out as a pdf document.

In case you are feeling a bit put upon by modern laws and regulations, imagine having to check to see if the clothes in your closet were legal to wear by checking the latest Sumptuary Laws.

Manic Monday (Fire) - Pucker Up

Marvelous Mo of Manic Monday has decreed that we shall all be on "Fire" today. For some reason, I have been in a very romantic mood of late thinking about great kisses that make things really heat up. I will spare you stories of the great kissers in my life except to say, "Thank you gentlemen!"
Instead, here are the osculations that have been pronounced the Best Film Kisses of all time, plus if you go to You Tube and put in "Best Kisses", you will get video after video such as the one below with Tom Jones setting hearts afire. Feel free to add any fiery kisses you particularly like in comments.



If Tom isn't hot enough for you, here's a real oldie. Get ready for the fiery dance of love, The Tango to Kiss of Fire

Above the Dragon

For your horoscope in the 2009 Year of the Ox, go here and click on the year of your birth here.
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In June of 1961 I graduated from high school and started at Mount San Antonio College in September. About a month after starting, my aunt needed the car for the day and I was stuck in the student center at noon with no classes and no bus until four. There was only one thing to do. I stood on a table and yelled, "Who wants to drive me home?" A good looking young man yelled back, "I will". That is how fate intervenes and two people dispense with the next ten years of their lives.

We married in August of 1962 and moved to northern California. As the Year of the Rabbit approached in early February of the following year, I was eight months along into doing what rabbits do best. (As Nancy Reagan once said, "Go ahead and count!") So what is the most sensible thing to do ... why head for the steep hills of San Francisco, Chinatown, and the Chinese New Year's parade.

Now I am just barely 5'4" while my former husband was 6'2". This left me down in the middle of a huge jostling crowd unable to see a darn thing. Fortunately, San Francisco has a lot of old buildings and old buildings have decorative ledges which presented a solution as long as I was willing to make a fool of myself. The husband and another cooperative gentleman lifted me up to put my rear on the ledge with the expectant bulge to the front while they stood below me with my legs over their shoulders as if they were the edge of an easy chair.

There I perched very obviously about to explode at a moment's notice atop my gentlemanly bearers watching the dragon dance his way into a year of good fortune. Which just might explain why two weeks later the littlest bunny that was supposed to arrive on my nineteenth birthday on March 2 put in his appearance on February 21. That year's biggest hit song was on the radio when he was brought in to me for the first time:



Christopher Alan will be 46 tomorrow. Happy Birthday Honey.

THE SIGN OF THE RABBIT

Rabbits are private individuals, a bit introverted and withdrawn. People born into this sign would rather work behind-the-scenes instead of being the center of attention in any situation. Do not misunderstand…the Rabbit is not a recluse. In fact, he is a reasonably friendly individual who enjoys the company of a group of good friends whether at a business dinner or a holiday party. Rabbits just like to be a part of the gang as opposed to the leader of it.

Rabbits, like their animal counterparts, are quite calm people who do not exhibit aggressive behavior and will avoid confrontation at all costs. When angry about something, a Rabbit will approach it calmly and considerately, hardly ever raising his voice or becoming visibly annoyed. Because of their serenity, Rabbits seem to miss things, whether they are confrontational in nature or not. However, the Rabbit is quite keen and pays close attention to the situations developing around him. He is intelligent and quick and can talk himself in or out of most situations with no problem.

The Chinese Rabbit is one of the most stylish creatures of the Chinese Animal Signs and finds interest in different cultures. He is classy and sophisticated, and can be found adorning one of the latest fashion magazine cover looks. Rabbits also like artistic ventures, such as painting and music and are generally quite present in these worlds. They love to express themselves, which is evident when joining them at home for a function or a cup of coffee.

PISCEAN RABBIT

The Piscean Rabbit is quite a complex person. He is creative and will work best in relaxed, peaceful situations where his creativity can be explored and put to good measure.