The Vintage Reader

Via Route 66 News:
First, Vintage Roadside sells t-shirts emblazoned (how many times a year do you get to use that word, anyway?) with the logos of diners, roadside attractions, skating rinks, and bowling alleys. All of them are really nifty, and if you click through to the product description, you can read about the business whose logo you'll be wearing.

Then, I am apparently not alone in my dream of buying and renovating a motel on Route 66.

And finally, NOT from Route 66 News, but still from somewhere along Route 66:
GARY ENGLAND CAN'T SAVE YOU NOW!


I can't decide what's funnier: Jim Inhofe, a senator whose state is at the hub of meteorology research and education (the eye of the storm, as it were), actually arguing that meteorologists shouldn't have to agree that climate change exists; the ridiculous fear-mongering promo from my former employer, KWTV (although Jon Stewart's remark about the production values, I must say, is deserved); or "Weather on the 1s." I think that last one wins, because seriously, if you're ever in central or western Oklahoma during a thunderstorm, you might as well resign yourself to the idea that you are not going to get to watch your stories, whatever those might be, until the storm has cleared not only your county, but EVERY. COUNTY. IN. THE. KWTV. VIEWING. AREA.

Summer in the heartland. Gotta love it. The other day I was at Big Lots and found Griffin's pancake syrup. Griffin's is made by the family that owns KWTV, and is generally only distributed regionally (but is a very popular brand in its region), so I was very surprised to find it at Big Lots in Buffalo. But there you go. I didn't buy it; both the major grocery chains here have STORE BRAND real maple syrup, and sell several other local or semi-local brands besides. How cool is that? I can no longer even contemplate a pancake with fake syrup.

It did give me a little bit of perspective on the "no-name" food I occasionally buy at Big Lots, though. Perhaps someone, somewhere is pining for some regional favorite that I've just snapped up for a dollar at Big Lots.

This has absolutely nothing to do with vintage reading, but I feel that I must warn people about the most awful instant meal ever. It's the Simply Asia Sesame Chicken Vegetarian Rice Noodle Soup Bowl. Granted, the oxymoron "sesame chicken vegetarian" should have warned me, as should the price: $1 at Walgreen's. But it looks so delicious on the front of the package.

Looks are deceiving. It tastes, smells, and has the texture of that decorative raffia packing material, but with little tiny dehydrated vegetables throughout. It's going to take, like, a half gallon of Edy's just to get the taste out of my mouth. (Actually, I'm having Wacky Mac--pasta in all different shapes and colors, although I'm not sure whether the colors indicate vegetable content or just food coloring--with the totally awesome Nature's Promise Organic Traditional Pasta Sauce, which is good enough on its own that you can eat it cold with a spoon, like gazpacho. But I think I'll still have some Edy's.)

OTOH, when we got back from Walgreen's I had an email from customer service at Hasbro. Earlier today I filled out a form on their web site to let them know that my I-Cat, a bizarre amalgamation of MP3 speaker and digital pet that I found on clearance at the grocery store, doesn't work. I expected a "too bad, so sad, you didn't keep the receipt" form letter to arrive within a few days. Instead, I got a nice note telling me that they're sorry I was disappointed in their product, and that they're mailing me a shipping label so I can send it back to them and they can replace it. How cool is that?

So the status is pretty much quo.

This totally smells of fake-letter-campaign-to-generate-buzz-for-a-show-that-was-going-to-be-renewed-all-along, but hey, I don't care. Jericho was renewed after all. So watch, please. If you missed the first season, it will air all summer long.

I'm doing some freelance work that involves taking direction from a person who has been an editor for a very long time. Too long, in fact, to not understand what an em dash is. Of course, I think a DAY is too long for someone to work as an editor and not understand what an em dash is.

Nearly 20 years ago, I rented an apartment from the retired managing editor of a relatively prestigious academic press. When he found out that I was, at the time, an editorial assistant, he asked me what a gerund was and seemed surprised when I could not only tell him, but give him an example. Then he recommended that I apply for a very competitive internship at a university where he had taught; apparently the typical candidate couldn't have answered the gerund question. Still, I was scared to apply because I was convinced I wouldn't make the grade. Now, having worked with a number of professional editors, I realize I was probably wrong.

No, not really. But hey, half the blogs I read seem to have written a post with that title recently, and I was feeling left out. I suppose if I really wanted to be part of the In Crowd I'd link to all my favorite posts and stuff, but then I'd lose all my nonconformist cred.

I made it out to the AAUW book sale today, and was a little disappointed. I did pick up a paperback by John M. Ford, who passed away this year, and one by Harry Harrison and Robert Sheckley (Sheckley passed away last year. I don't know about Harrison). I also found a book of humor from the 50s that HAS to be a companion to my favorite doorstop, The Encyclopedia of Modern American Humor. The format is exactly the same, as are many of the authors, but as far as I can tell there aren't any repeat items, so hurray. I found a compendium of little self-help nuggets from Reader's Digest (also from the 50s) and a neat social history of the Depression, as well as a huge anthology of articles from American Heritage.

Otherwise, not a great haul. If I liked Danielle Steel I would have been in luck, but I've never been a big fan of hers, except for one thing: she's a classic car buff, and she has (or had) one my personal favorites, a Nash Metropolitan (there used to be a photo on the web of her with her little red Met, but I can't find it now). Also, if you ever wanted a hardcover of Herman Wouk's The Hope, you're in luck. There must have been 20 copies of that book, as well as one by Rush Limbaugh that there were so many copies of that they had to stack them horizontally. So all in all, not that much of interest. Oh well. There's always next year.

Well, not for ME, personally, but in the summer I do like to travel in the Midwest. If you do too, The Wessels Living History Farm looks like a great place to visit.

If you're not planning a trip to Nebraska this summer (and I suspect that few of us are), this site has a wealth of information about the history of rural life and farming, complete with great images and even video podcasting!