Separated at Birth?

A couple of weeks ago, I was binge-watching the entirety of the mid-1970s Ellery Queen TV show, which I own on DVD. (The series is highly recommended and available here.)

Anyway, one episode guest-starred Vincent Price. A different episode guest-starred Eve Arden.

Now, although the title of this post is "Separated at Birth?" I don't intend to suggest that Mr. Price and Ms. Arden look alike... but they sure do act alike! It's uncanny. Watching one after watching the other, you can't help but be struck by the similarities.

It's almost as if ol' Vinnie had dressed up in drag -- and it wouldn't be the first time, ya know? -- to play Eve's role!

Thanks for your time.

Fifty Questions, Part One

I've been issued a challenge! Janie Junebug, of the WOMEN: WE SHALL OVERCOME blog, recently answered 50 -- count 'em, 50 -- nosy questions, which Janie referred to as "The Spanish Inquisition." The questions were sent to Janie by andi filante (who called them "50 freakin' questions") of the delusions of ingenuity blog, and Janie passed them to me.

I'm going to steal an idea from Janie and split these fifty questions and answers into multiple posts -- five, to be exact -- to spare you fellow babies from a really lonnng post! You're welcome.

Oh, and one friendly warning. Some of these questions are very personal, and to paraphrase Tina Turner, I nevah, evah do nothin' very personal -- not on my blog, certainly -- so whenever a really serious, in-depth question arises... I'll probably lie.

Okay, here goes nothing...

1. What are you wearing? 

Black, of course. Okay, truth be told, black jeans, black socks, a black t-shirt and a navy blue button-down shirt, for that unexpected splash of color. *ahem*

2. Ever been in love?

Of course. When I was seventeen, I had a brief fling with a circus acrobat named Talia. She taught me something called The Heimlicker Maneuver (sic) and I fell in love with it... and her, by extension.

3. Ever have a terrible break-up?

Does a restraining order count? (Oh. Sorry. That "answering a question with a question" is an Irish thing.)

4. How tall are you?

5'6"

5. How much do you weigh?

Now, you see? That's precisely the kind of question I don't intend to answer. Heh.

6. Any tattoos?

No... but if I were ever to get one, I know what it would be. The tattoo would be of a scorpion, with a baby dragon sleeping in the curve of the scorpion's tail. The baby dragon would be sleeping with one eye open.

7. Any piercings?

No. I've pierced a few other people, but only during physical altercations.

8. OTP (One true pair, favorite fictional couple?)

It's a tie. Hermie and Dorothy, from Summer of '42 (the book) and Summer of '42 (the movie), and Rick and Ilsa from Casablanca. (I was going to put Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, but you didn't mean that kind of couple, did you?)

9. Favorite Show?

Modern? Breaking Bad.

10. Favorite Bands?

Oh, I get more than one? Good. (Let's go totally crazy and include solo artists, too!) These are from my Blogger profile: The Doors, The (early) Beatles, Roy Orbison, Gene Pitney, Herman's Hermits, The Guess Who, (early) Led Zeppelin, Oingo Boingo, U-2, Barbara Lewis, Ray Charles, Wynonie Harris, Lesley Gore, Graham Nash, The Beach Boys, Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, Billie Holiday, Willie Dixon, Jay and the Americans (but ONLY IF the "Jay" is Jay Black or Jay Traynor), Muddy Waters, Jim Croce, Queen, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Joe South, Bad Company, Hoodoo Gurus, John Denver, Big Daddy, Redd Kross, Shonen Knife, Velvet Mafia, Dan Fogelberg, and Pink Floyd.

That's it for today, fellow babies. I'll have Part Two ready for ya in a few days... after a brief, totally strange post.

Thanks for your time.

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.