Absent-Minded Abe?

I was watching a documentary about Abraham Lincoln recently, a documentary which quoted heavily from the Emancipation Proclamation.

Part of that document reads as follows:

"Now, therefore I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, by virtue of the power in me vested as Commander-in-Chief, of the Army and Navy of the United States in time of actual armed rebellion against the authority and government of the United States..."

Hm. Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy.

 What's the matter, Abe? Did you forget about the Air Force?  :)

 Thanks for your time.

COMING MONDAY: Fifty Questions, Part One!

A Birthday Memory, Just for the Hell of It

This -- well, one like it -- was the main present I got for my 11th birthday, many long years ago. (That was also the only year I got to invite friends over for a real birthday party.) Innit cool?

For some reason, that very same tiger illustration found its way onto a child's wastebasket. I found -- and bought -- one at a flea market a few years ago. As for the drum set, I'm still looking for one of those. An affordable one, that is. Last one I found on eBay had a starting bid of $400!

Thanks for your time.

Short Shorts

1. Marcia Strassman, 1948-2014, R.I.P.

Actress and (sometime) singer Marcia Strassman, best known as the wife of Gabe Kaplan's character on Welcome Back, Kotter, passed away last Friday at the age of 66, following a seven-year battle with cancer. Miss Strassman was also known as Diane Szalinski in Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and its sequels, and for the recurring role of  Margie Cutler during the first season of  TV's M*A*S*H.

Funny thing... I heard about Miss Strassman's death on Monday. Only the day before, I was staring at her face on the cover of a 1970's issue of TV Guide (pictured above), an issue I have for sale at my flea market booth. Strange...

2. A Little King?

An Elvis baby? A baby Elvis? Or something? They're making a lot of fuss over this ten-week-old's natural hairstyle. What do you think? Return of the King?

Thanks for your time.

All the Dirt That's Fit to Print...

Nepotism time here, fellow babies!

My sister Kathy has recently decided to plunge into the waves of the internet and start her own blog. It's a blog (primarily) about gardening, called The Dirt, appropriately enough. (Click on that bold-faced link to go there!) If you have any interest in gardening, please check it out, as Kathy is looking forward to amassing readers. For that matter, if you recommend that any friends or relatives check it out as well, that will be greatly appreciated!

"I'm Kathy Lynch, and I approve this message."

(Sorry, watching too many political ads on TV lately!)

Thanks for your time.

I Don't Feel So Guilty!

It's been over a month since my last post, fellow babies, but you know what? I can live with it.

There's a link at the top of this page -- or any other Blogger blog -- called "Next Blog," which can be clicked on when you want to go... elsewhere. Wherever Blogger decides to send you, that is.

I've been clicking on it lately, just for the hell of it, to see where I end up, and you know what? The vast majority of blogs I've been directed to have not been updated for a year or more. In fact, I just visited about a dozen blogs right before writing this post. The most recent posts on several of them were published in 2011. One was last updated in 2010. I only found one of these random blogs which was updated during this year, and that was back in April.

My "see you when I see you" blog looks pretty good by comparison, dunnit?

So, anyway... That tells me that I'm not the only Blogger-blogger out here who has writer's block, or better things to do, or both.

And I shudder to think that some of these bloggers are no longer with us, but if they have indeed passed on, they obviously didn't make arrangements to have someone inform their readership. Have you? (I even posted about my own "final post" here, by the way. Check it out, won'tcha?)

It's funny, but several of the blogs I follow nowadays are written by professional writers who are constantly encouraging their readers (and themselves) to keep on plugging away at their writing. Very inspiring stuff, most of it, but somehow all of that hasn't made a dent in my own creative issues. I sure am glad we don't all have these problems!

Anyway, aren't you glad to learn that my conscience is clear? No?

Thanks for your time.

Let's Get It Straight

One of the blogs I read regularly is by author Stephanie Faris. Recently -- like, roughly two and a half months ago -- Stephanie wrote a very brief but entertaining post called "Writers Don't Use Typewriters."

In that post, Stephanie explained how "the typewriter continues to be the universal symbol of 'writer'," although most modern writers seem to have adapted quite well to that newfangled gadget called the "computer." (I assume you've heard of them.)

Similarly, the straight razor seems to be the universal razor for those who shave in movies or on television... and that's the real subject of today's post.

Most of the guys I know shave with one of those multi-blade monstrosities that have been on the market for half a century, more or less.

So. Let me ask all of you female readers something: Does your husband or boyfriend shave with a straight razor?

And to all my male readers: Do you shave with a straight razor?

I've heard that straight razor use is on the rise, but are they really that prevalent? Or is this just a purposeful misrepresentation, possibly to avoid publicizing any particular brand of multi-blade razor by showing it in use?

Just curious.

Thanks for your time.

Yeah, So...?

I've been so effin' apathetic and uninspired lately, I can't even write a good post about it.

Instead of checking out the many blogs on my blogroll 5-6 times weekly, I'm lucky if I crawl to the library 2 or 3 times a week lately. And if I bother to leave a comment for any of you, it's a lackluster one at best.

Just letting you all know why I've been MIA for the past month. I wish I could say it's because I have something exciting in the works that's keeping me from blogging. But I don't. And frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn. I don't even have the energy to recycle old RantZ.

This isn't just writer's block. It's spilled over into my day to day "activities." The only thing productive I've done lately is... Well, does watching one's entire DVD collection count?

(By the way, this post is the closest I'll ever get to "soul searching" -- a/k/a whining -- on this blog, fellow babies! Don't worry.)

So, I'll see you when I see you.

Thanks for your time.