Not to complain, as people say when they intend to do precisely that, and think that denying it from the start absolves them of their tiresome whines, but it snowed again and it snowed a particularly malicious snow. The previous dump just drifted down. This was windy, the gust of cold pins. Fine fine we’ve had it easy, suck it up. But there was enough to require . . .
THE THIRD SNOWBLOWING OF THE SEASON
And when I put it like that, I feel lucky. And I am lucky! But I have to tell you this: a spot on the walk at Jasperwood was repaired by the city with hot-top, not repaired concrete. For this I should be grateful, because I would be assessed for the cost of sidewalk repair. But getting the snowblower over that hump, going uphill, is a biatch and a bear and a bother, and you end up shoving the machine against the impediment over and over and over again until you finally channel your inner Kirk:
Was that the right reading? Would you emphasize “enough” or “you” or give them equal weight? Not that I would dispute the Shat in any of these choices.
Snowed all day. I had to go - no, I am lucky enough to have the opportunity to shoot some pictures for an upcoming architecture piece. Filed the piece. Hit the gym. Filed another column. Hit the road. Headed home. Hit the rack. Up, java, snowblow. And that would bring us to here, except in between I did about 72% of the work for the upcoming project, revealed here on Monday.
It involves, I am delighted to say, the insights and wisdom of the Institute of Official Cheer's Director and leading intellectual, Lucat D. Zobtactz.
Yesterday we visited the Tulsa home of a Muffler Man. I want to turn the Google Street View camera around and show you the diner / curio show's sign:
The top segment references the gas brand and the highway signage. They introduced that logo in 1939. The metal shapes below were typical of the 50s and 60s. They're burned in the Boomer Brain, I guess, because we associate them with Carefree Childhood and perhaps Road Trip Adventures.
The posters in the background no doubt caught the eyes of some little kids in the backseat, because Dinosaurs! Can we stop can we can we? You also see a "Sci-Fi" typeface that looks like a late 70s / early 80s punk font, and the Harry Potter font. So you have a lot of cultural information packed into this.
If you turn around and look up the street . . .
Say, that's a big neon sign! Mellow Gold? It's bread, or butter. Let's go see.
Wha -
IT'S A SHRINE
I learned that this area is called the Meadow Gold District, known for its collection of old neon signs and Route 66 landmarks or survivors. The sign was rescued when its original home was demolished.
Another remnant:
What will our current times leave? Memes?
It’s 1876.
This year, as you might have noticed, we’re going way back. Reminding ourselves that it wasn’t that different.
Let’s try to OCR this:
THE MEANEST WOMAN IN NEW YOBK.
She lives in a fashionable quarter fo the town.
And this is what she did and does In the name of charity she gave out some dress-making to the inmates of one of the institutions for returning and saving women supposed to be lost. When the work was done, and well done, the fashionable and charitable ole lady was not reddy to pay the bill which amounted to the enormous sun of $12.
The same work, if it had been done at a fashionable dress-maker, would have cost her $25, perhaps $50.
That’s cleaned up. Lot of work. It goes on in this vein for two columns. Blind item? Or made up morality tale?
The sad tale of Hippoflam:
The problem? He becomes too successful, has to hire more people, buys a nice carriage and a good house, and eventually has so much trade he loses his health, whereupon he sells his business and dynamites his mansion to be rid of it all. Cautionary tale!
News from all over:
Alexander Kelso Davis. The deets on this: Davis was a Republican, and the party had put forth a slate that included many African-Americans.
Two years later, the Democratic Party struck back. Democratic candidates took 97 seats in the State House and 26 of 35 seats in the State Senate following a campaign marked by violence and murder of an estimated 600 black and white Republicans. They next set their sights on removing African Americans holding the highest offices. Since Davis was the highest-ranking of the three African American officeholders in Mississippi, his ouster was considered essential, because they also intended to impeach Governor Ames.
The now Democratic-controlled legislature alleged that Davis had committed a series of unlawful actions while serving as acting governor, such as “excessive” and “illegal” granting of pardons and the “questionable” commutation of prison sentences. Davis denied all charges but the House voted to approve five articles of impeachment against him for “high crimes and misdemeanors” related to the pardon of Thomas Barrentine, a convicted murderer. On 26 February 1876, the Senate voted thirty-one to four in favor of impeachment.
He retired from politics and spent his last few years as a pastor.
Lost boa found:
An editorial on the second page advises you to read a story on the first page.
The police blotter.
You know, he shouldn’t have been out there that late. There are foot pads about.
That'll do! Is there cellophane?
There is cellophane. There will not be cellophane forever, though - the site is due to be completed by the end of May. There's a twist today! Really.
