Break a Leg!!!

So I've been preparing for a while to write this post. I have been researching and am now going to write to all of my readers about old sayings and their meanings.

By the way the exact meanings and origins of most of these words, or sayings, are greatly debated over, so you may disagree with some of what I write, but I'm simply reporting on what I have researched.

Achilles Heel
This saying comes from Greek mythology. Achilles was held onto by his mother, Thetis, by the heel as she submerged him into a river. While in the river Achilles could survive, the only part of him that was exposed was his heel. Eventually Achilles died because someone shot him in the heel, the only place he was vulnerable. "Achilles Heel" is the same as saying you still have a vulnerable part of you.

Bakers Dozen
People always take this meaning to be a number that is 13. This is true, but there is also a story behind it. Sometime ago in history bakers often sold 12 loaves of bread to nobles but he could be severely punished if his loaves were underweight. So, to be above suspicion, a baker would make 13 loaves rather than just 12.

Beat About the Bush
You've heard the saying, "I'm not going to beat round the bush." Hunters used to beat around bushes to make birds hiding in them fly out. So to "not beat around the bush" means they are going to get right to the point and to "beat around the bush" means not getting to the point.

Bee Line
In the past people used to believe that bees flew in a straight line to get to their hives. Therefore to make a "bee line" to go somewhere means to go straight there, without side trips or stops.

Break a Leg
There are many explanations to this saying but I will tell you about the one I happen to like the best. After a Shakespearean play the audience would either throw coins and flowers if they liked it or rotten food if they did not. If they did like it and threw coins the actors would have to bend over to pick up the coins then it would appear they were breaking a leg to do so, meaning you would want to "break a leg" during or after a performance.

A Biter Being Bitten
This saying is another old one. A "biter" was a con man. Therefore "a biter being bitten" was the same as a con man being beaten at his own game.

to Boot
Oddly enough this has nothing to do with the boots you put on your feet. The word was originally "bot" which meant profit or advantage. So to get something "to boot" means you get extra.

Chap
I know this is not a saying but a single word (I'm going to have a few of these). "Chap" is shortened from the word "chapman" originally "ceapman" which meant merchant or trader.

Chew the Fat
When guests would come a-visiting their host would give them a piece of bacon. During their visit the guest would chew on the fat.

Copper or Cop
Cop is the word for a police officer and the word "cop" meant "to grab" therefore a copper was someone who "grabbed" the criminals. So it's not necessarily a derogatory term like the saying "fuzz" is. (Fuzz has several different meanings but one of them is "fussy" meaning that policeman are hard to please. Another supposed meaning is that it's a slurred pronunciation of "feds". But who really knows?)

Cut and Run
During an emergency sailors would want to leave quickly. So instead of winding up the anchor that was dropped they would simply cut the rope and flee.

What the Dickens?
Many people suppose that this phrase was started because of the writer Charles Dickens, but indeed it is much older than that. In fact as far as we know the saying was started in the 16th century and "dickens" means "devil". So it's the same as saying, "What the devil?"

Don't Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth
I have never heard this one till today, and it has a rather interesting meaning. If someone gave you a horse and told you the age, they could have been lying. By looking at a horse's teeth you can determine it's real age. Therefore if you get a gift don't examine it too closely. It's my goal to say this to someone by the end of the week. There is another saying that was derived from this saying and means the same thing. From the Horses Mouth

Eat, Drink and be Merry
This saying comes from the Bible. In Ecclesiastes it says "the man has no better thing under the sun than to eat, drink and be merry".

Fiddle While Rome Burns
There is a legend that in 64 AD Emperor Nero played the lyre (the saying turned into fiddle because who plays a lyre anymore?) while Rome was burning. However if this is actually true or not, no one can say. This is the same as doing something cruel and walking away from the situation while not caring.

Flying Colours
After a great success a fleet of ships would return to their harbors with their colours proudly flying on their masts. So if you have had a great victory, and are proud about it, you have done it with "flying colours".

Frog in Your Throat
Have a frog in your throat? I sure hope not. During the Medieval era physicians believed that if you had a cough or sore throat that putting a frog in your mouth would help relieve the pain and coat the throat. They would put the frog in your mouth and remove it when they believed it had helped all it could.

Get Out on the Wrong Side of Bed
It's been superstition for some time that setting down your left foot first when you get out of bed is bad luck, and will continue to be so till you go to bed again, the next night.

Get the Sack or to Get Sacked
In the past workers kept their tools in a sack. If their employer or boss gave them their sack that meant it was time to pack up and go, you were... Finished. Fired. Sacked. History.

Give Somebody a Cold Shoulder
This is such an odd saying and has such a fastening origin. A long time ago if you had an unwanted visitor and they stayed for a meal you would give them a cold shoulder of mutton, not some hot meat from a better part of the body. This was a little hint that you didn't like them and didn't want them back.

Go the Extra Mile
This means that you need to force yourself to go another mile, even if you want to give up. It originated in ancient Rome when Romans, by law, could make anyone carry things from them for one mile. In Matthew 5:41 Jesus told his followers 'if somebody forces you to go 1 mile go 2 miles with him'.

Goodbye
Yeah this seems like a dumb one to put up. "Goodbye" is a way of saying "farewell". It's the same as saying "I'm glad I was here, it was good, bye!" But it really is a shortening of the saying, "God be with ye." Someone, sometime must have slurred the four words together, is all I can guess.

Hobsons Choice
In the 1600s when you wanted to go on a long journey you could rent a horse. The reasoning behind this was you could rent a horse that was not your own and you didn't have to let your own horse get worn out or hurt during travel over rough roads. There was a man during this time by the name of Thomas Hobson. He rented out horses to people and many times did not let them choose which horse they could rent, so they had no choice in the matter. This phrase has been used ever since if you have no choice in a matter. You have "Hobsons choice." Another saying I want to use on someone before the end of the week.

Holier than Thou
This is another Biblical saying. Isaiah 65:5 it says to not be like people who say, "come not near me for I am holier than thou". Because that is simply not true.

Honeymoon
"Moon" has been the word for "month" in many cultures throughout history. So "honeymoon" simply means "month of honey". In history it was traditional for newly weds to spend their first month of marriage drinking honey mead. I'm unsure as to the reason of this tradition.

By Hook or by Crook
This saying most likely comes from a law that was established in Medieval times. It stated that a shepherd could use fire wood of any branches they could be reached on tree with their crooks or their billhooks.

Humble Pie
The word "humble" in this saying was originally "umble". The umbles were intestines or the less-than-delicious parts of an animal and were eaten in pies by poorer people and rich people's servants. After a deer was slaughtered all the delicious, tender parts went to the rich, all the leftover went to their servants and poor people. So to eat this umble pie you had to humble your self and show that you were not too high-and-mighty.

Kick the Bucket
When slaughtering a pig you tied it to a wooden beam, which in French is "buquet". As it died it kicked the buquet and the saying slowly became "kicked the bucket". So in reality it has nothing to do with buckets.

Know the Ropes
Often times this saying is used when someone is trying to teach someone a job. During the times of wooden ships and masts their were many, many ropes that were needed and the sailors would have to know the purpose of each rope and where it went and how to use it correctly to keep everything working. So they had to "know the ropes".

Let the Cat Out of the Bag
At one point in time when selling piglets people would place the piglets in a bag. Sometimes, instead of selling piglets people would sell kittens, which make similar sounds to piglets but if you let the cat out of the bag the trick was exposed. Therefore when someone "let's the cat out of the bag" they are blabbing a secret or exposing a falsehood.

Lick into Shape
This saying, I find, to be rather comical. In the Middle Ages people believed that when a bear cub was born it was shapeless, like a blob, and the mother would lick them till they were the right shape.

A Little Bird Told Me
This saying comes from the Bible. In Ecclesiastes 10:20 the writer says not to curse kings or the rich in private because "a bird of the air" may report what you say.

It's a Long Shot
In the past guns were not nearly as accurate as they are today. So if someone was standing at a long distance and fired, it was not very likely that they would hit their target. If someone tells you "it's a long sh0t" it means there's not much of a chance or there's little hope of it every happening.

Moot Point
The word "moot" is a Saxon word for "meeting" or "discussion". So a point that needs to be discussed is "moot".

Nickname
"Nickname" is a derivative of the word "ekename" which means "alternative name".

No Rest for the Wicked
This is yet another saying that comes from the Bible. In Isaiah it's written, "'The wicked are like the tossing sea; for it cannot be quiet,and its waters toss up mire and dirt. There is no peace,' says my God, 'for the wicked.'" (English Standard Version)

Pearls Before Swine
It's truly amazing how many sayings originated from the Bible. This saying came from a quote in Matthew 7:6. Jesus says, "not to give dogs what is holy and to not throw pearls (which means 'wisdom') before swine (which was very insulting and meant 'the ungodly')." (English Standard Version) So it's the same as saying "don't throw away Godly wisdom on those who don't know God and don't want to know God."

Peeping Tom
The story behind this saying is a little odd and a little funny. According to legend a man by the name of Leofric taxed the people of Coventry, too much. Angered his wife, Lady Godiva, told him to stop taxing his people so heavily. Leofric told his wife that he would, indeed, lower the taxes if she were to ride through the town on a horse, and be completely naked. The name "Tom" was added later to the story. As the story goes everyone in the town was supposed to stay inside and close all their shutters and not to look outside. (Which seems to me defeats the whole purpose of Leofric's request, but what do I know?) But one man by the name of "Thomas" peaked while Lady Godiva was riding by, and this earned the fictional character the name of "peeping Tom".

Pot Luck
When people would meet together they would bring food to share and it would all go into one large pot. You would have to be lucky to have a good bowl of whatever was in the pot, since who knows what all went in.

Pull the Wig Over My Eyes
In the 18th century it was fashionable to wear curly, white wigs. The wigs were called wool, probably because they resembled that of a sheep's wool coat and if the wig got into a person's eyes the couldn't see what was going on.

Ring True or Ring of Truth
A long time ago coins were made of gold, silver and other metals. Sometimes people would mix the metal of their coins with other, less expensive metal... as counterfeit money. When you dropped the coin it would make a particular ringing sound if it was made out of the correct metal. Therefore it would "ring true".

Rule of Thumb
During the beginning of beer making brewers would dip their thumbs into the brew and test the temperature. There was one temperature that was correct for the beer to be done and it was a rule for the beer to reach that temperature or it would be ruined.

Scapegoat
In Bible times a priest would take a goat and lay his hands on it and confess the sins of the people. So all the blame would know lay on the goat, and no longer on the people. The goat would then be set free and would usually be forced to wander off a cliff so the sins would be gone and could not come back to the people.

Short End of the Stick
During the time when people still used candles it was well known that after a candle became too short it would burn out. When people came to visit their hosts would put out long candles so they would burn a good long time. But if the hosts put short candles in the holders it was a sign that they didn't want you to stay long, therefore you would got the "short stick".

Show Your True Colours
A long time ago pirates would change their flags and colours to trick their enemy. If they were captured and there was no hope of escape they would show their enemy their real flags and colours.

Sleep Tight
Back in Colonial times they did not experience the luxury of a spring mattress but instead they tied ropes together to set the other mattress on top of the ropes. Often times these ropes would become loose and the top mattress would slip down and you could fall all the way through them. Keeping the rope tight was important for a goodnight sleep.

Spinster
Originally "spinster" was a woman who made her living by spinning wool on a spinning wheel. Most of the women who had this job were single, because it was the one of the only ways for them to make a living without a husband. Slowly the meaning of "spinster" morphed into meaning "a single woman".

Start from Scratch
A long time ago during the first Olympic games when a race was to be run there was a line scratched in the ground where the race was to begin. So the competitors would have to start from the scratch.

Swashbuckler

A "buckle" was a small shield that some men would hang on their belts. As these men walked their buckles would swish or "swash" against their clothes so many people started calling these men "swashbucklers".

Taken Aback
When sailing on the open sea it often happened that the wind would suddenly start moving in the opposite direction taking the ship back. When something goes completely wrong that you were not expecting you are "taken aback".

Turn the Tables
It's been said that in olden days tables would only be finished on one side, so it was less expensive. When families ate alone they would eat on the rough, unfinished side so as not to ruin the nice finished side, but when guests would visit they would turn the "table over".

Wash My Hands Of
This saying was started because of Pontius Pilate when he refused to involve himself in the execution of an innocent man, Jesus. As a symbol of his refusal he washed his hands before the Jews and told them that Jesus' blood was on their heads.

Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeve
Knights in the Middle Ages would wear a token of their lady on their sleeves during a tournament. So saying you "wear your heart on your sleeve" means that you are clearly showing your feelings.

Win or Won Hands Down
During a horse race when a jockey was clearly ahead of everyone else he would relax his hands and put them down at his sides. It's the same as saying you won without a problem and there was really no way you could lose.

Whipping Boy
Prince Edward, before he became King Edward VI, would often be punished for being naughty, but instead of taking the punishment for himself he had a boy that would be whipped for him.

Since there are so many says that have to do with ships I thought this was an appropriate picture.

Space! The Final Frontier

There are several reasons I am writing this post today. 1) I absolutely love Star Trek: The Original Series. 2) I am with my aunt who just had surgery and we've already watched five episodes and are on our sixth episode right now. 3) I just found out that a friend of mine has a friend that works for NASA in Russia has an astronaut staying at their house and they are going to be sending me some NASA stuff which is so incredibly awesome I'm speechless with happiness! 4) I have grown up watching this show and they mean so much to me, even if the sets are cheesy, the acting is bad and Kirk always has his shirt off.

So! Some facts about this fantastic show that I love so much:
Star Trek was created by Gene Roddenberry. It first aired in September of 1966. The pilot episode is completely different than the rest of the show. It has a different captain, Captain Pike, and Spock is not the first mate, in fact the actress that later plays Nurse Chapel, Majel Barret, is the first mate in the pilot episode. The ship is even different, too, without all the bright colors, and the women aren't wearing their usual too short dress uniforms.
Later the captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise is Captain James T. Kirk, played by William Shatner. In the first episode with Kirk his middle initial is R not T, as odd as this is I've thought often about the fact that it changed.
My favorite character is Spock played by Leonard Nemoy. Spock is an emotionless, half-human, half-vulcan alien from the planet Vulcan.
He's a good balance with the very emotional Doctor Leonard McCoy played by DeForest Kelley. McCoy wasn't introduced till the third or fourth episode of Star Trek. In The Cage the doctor is Philippe Boyce played by John Hoyt. In Where No Man Has Gone Before the doctor is Doctor Mark Piper portrayed by Paul Fix. But best of all of them was definitely Kelley. His constant emotional bickering with feelingless Spock makes for some good comic relief.

Another of my favorite characters is the gorgeous Lieutenant Uhura played by Nichelle Nichols. She was the beautiful communications officer that spoke English as well as Swahili.

The first captain of the Enterprise: Captain Pike.

Captain James T. (or is it R?) Kirk

Second in Command Spock

Paul Fix playing Dr. Piper

The very amazing Dr. McCoy.

Majel Barret playing the first officer in the Star Trek's pilot episode The Cage.

Nurse Chapel, with one of her better hair styles.

Lt. Uhura, lovely as always.

There were 79 episodes of Star Trek. It ended in 1969. The following ten episodes were voted the most loved, the are in no particular order:

The City on the Edge of Forever

Space Seed Mirror,
Mirror The Doomsday Machine
Amok Time
The Devil in the Dark
The Trouble With Tribbles
This Side of Paradise
The Enterprise Incident
Journey to Babel

There have been many spin-offs of the original series and sci-fi show writers are no longer afraid to put a little humor into their sci-fi shows. In fact you see much humor that is similar to Star Trek's in Stargate SG1 and Stargate Atlantis.

Star Trek: Next Generation the first spin-off of Star Trek the Original Series.

And just because I LOVE Stargate and because they are sci-fi like Star Trek here are a few pictures of both Stargate SG1

and Stargate Atlantis.

Stargate: SG1

Stargate: Atlantis

Picture of the Week... June 27th, 2010

Yesterday I bought a big, beautiful hat. Kind of like Audrey Hepburn. So here's the picture of the week.

A Jester? A Jester... A Funny Idea... a jester......

Once again I apologize for the neglect of this blog. But I promise to post right now.

Yesterday I went to a Renaissance Festival with my mother and sister. It was quite fun and we did a lot of walking. And because of all this walking today I've had to do a lot of sitting and laying down. But that's ok because it gives me time to read, research and (for all my readers) blog.

The renaissance started in the late 14th century. A movement of literature, art and philosophy in Italy at this time in history, but it didn't really start to move North till around 1480.

When we were at the festival yesterday we saw jesters, kings, queens, pirates, nobles, beggars, musicians, actors, artists and so much more. During this period in history people started traveling more and were not so afraid to express themselves and show off their talents. Art became a huge part of culture and many well remembered artists were born during this era, such as Michelangelo and da Vinci. Even people of the church became more expressive in their art and the way they dressed. Michelangelo is famous for painting the Sistine Chapel.

During this time men researched medicine and the human body to greater extents than they ever had before. Leonardo da Vinci is famous for dissecting bodies and drawing them. As gruesome as it was much was learned about the human body and it's organs. (I'm not into pictures of the inside of the human body so I decided to post other sketches of da Vinci's.)

While this is all very interesting what I was really thinking about yesterday and today was the jester. So many people think "In the renaissance there were kings and queens and they had jesters". That is true, but what exactly was a jester and what exactly did they do?

According to the dictionary a jester is: a professional joker or “fool” at a medieval court, typically wearing a cap with bells on it and carrying a mock scepter.
• a person who habitually plays the fool.

The first time we really know about jesters are from the ancient Roman times. They were comic actors for rich Romans and nobles. They were literally called "comical actors" and didn't have their own name till the Renaissance. None-the-less they were very similar to the jesters of the Renaissance including their comical, bright outfits.

A jester could be anyone. Many jesters were many times simply the outcasts of society. They could be anyone from an ugly servant, to a man with crooked legs, to a person who's sense of humor caught the attention of a passing by nobleman.

Jesters did everything. They sang, they danced, they told jokes, they did tricks... they entertained. If we were in China I suppose you could say that all of today's actors, musicians and comedians would be considered jesters.

Much Ado About Nothing

Ok, so I have been attempting to publish a post about my day yesterday and walking around an old town near my house. Unfortunately some of the pictures are having issues so it will be posted later tonight. I've been quite angry at my computer! It just won't work right for me. It's terribly sad.

This got me to thinking about the play Much Ado About Nothing. I was working, sweating and beating my brains out over nothing! Gotta love Shakespeare. Or at least love his work. To be honest Shakespeare wasn't the best human being and he wasn't faithful to his wife and his plays were a little far out. But they have been remember these past 400 years and more.

Much Ado About Nothing is a play about love. Yep. Romance. Hero and Claudio are madly in love but the "bad guy" in the play Don John is determined that no one should be happy and plots against them both so they won't be married. The other two main characters are Benedick and Beatrice. Two people determined to stay single and hate each other. But end up falling madly in love. It takes place in Italy, where many of Shakespeare's play's take place, and it quite wonderful.



It's a bit odd, because how the play unfolds it seems that Hero and Claudio have just met and suddenly, BAM, they are engaged and going to get married in the next day or two. But in reality they have probably known each other quite some time and seeing each other again makes them realize that they are in love and they want to get married.

My favorite part of the book is when everyone is plotting and planning to make Beatrice and Bendick fall in love. If you don't know what I'm talking you should read the play or watch the movie. It's most excellent.

Time to Make a Spectacle!

On Tuesday I got new glasses, and they were fantastic, till Wednesday when one of the nose pieces mysteriously went missing. So much for nice new glasses! So on Thursday I had to go back to the store to get the nose piece replaced. Unfortunately the didn't have the nose piece I needed so they had to change both of them and the man working was having issues because his hands were so big. It was agonizing.

But!!! It gave me time to think about spectacles. I have to say I without glasses I would be a sad and unfortunate soul (does anyone feel like singing?). I'm pretty blind without my glasses or contacts. But what about those people waaaaay back that didn't have anything to use to make them see better? So let's think about them, shall we?

1000 AD a reading device was invented to put on parchment that you were reading. You would simply slide this piece of glass across the page as you read and it would magnify it for you. They called this object a "reading stone". Before this date no mention of any device to help sight has ever been mentioned in history. In fact there is record of a Roman telling of his old age and bad eyesight and was now having to depend on slaves to get things done for him. This was in 100BC.

Picture of the reading stone.

Supposedly the Chinese invented spectacles about 2000 years ago. Or so it seems. With further research into the matter you will find that these "glasses" were really only used to wear to protect themselves from evil spirits.

The first spectacles to be worn, that we know of, were invented in the 13th century. They were invented by an Italian of the name Salvino D'Armate. Whether he was the original inventor is unknown but apparently these wearable eye glasses were a huge hit. In 1289 in a manuscript entitled Traite de con uite de la famille, di Popozo wrote: "I am so debilita-ted-by age that without glasses known as spectacles, I would no longer be able to read or write. These have recently been invented for the benefit of poor old people whose sight has become weak."



The first paintings of anywhere wearing glasses were painted in the 14th century by an artist by the name of Tommaso da Medena.

Glasses have simply evolved from those first ones. As you can imagine. Now we'll take another trip into the past and study sunglasses.

We first know about sunglasses in 60 AD. Around that time, anyway. They were used by Emperor Nero. He was said to have held a piece of emerald-green gems up to his eyes while watching the gladiator fights.

Chinese invented the first pair of wearable sunglasses in the 15th century. These glasses were kept in place by weights that were hung around the ears.

In the 18th century an inventor by the name of James Ayscough invented tinted corrective glasses so they not only helped protect your eyes from the sun but also improved your site. Quite fascinating!!

Picture of the Week... June 20th, 2010

The perfect gift for your Dad on Father's Day.

MYSTERY SOLVED!

Ok so thank you to everyone who tried helping me solve the mystery of what that cooking tool was. Last night my cousin decided to research it and she found the answer.

It is...

(drum roll, please)

a....


Long johns, eclairs, maple bars, pocketbook rolls cutter and so forth.

Ta-da!!!

That's all for now, folks.

This got us here today!

(This post is dedicated to Gina. Thanks for the idea!!!)

There are so many things we just take for granted, like contact lenses, hairdryers, nail clippers, but way back in the day these things were rare or not even invented yet.

So let's start out with the invention of hairdryers. Before the 1920s woman used vacuums to dry their hair. How? By inserting a pipe into the exhaust of the vacuum, and letting it dry her hair out... dustily? In the 1920s the wonderful hairdryer was invented.
Beautiful, isn't it? Are you thankful for your hairdryer, yet? No? Maybe you need more convincing. These dryers from the 1920s were easily overheated and were not easy to use, not to mention they were large and awkward and you didn't just have one in your home. In 1951 a new kind of hairdryer was invented that worked a bit better. It was a hand held device with a bonnet that fit over your head. Even still it took a while for your hair to dry and you had to sit in one spot and the only thing you could really do was read, forget listening to music, forget trying to talk to people around you, the noise was simply too loud.

The traffic light. Ok who invented the first traffic light? Who else but a police officer? When? 1920. Before then there was 'the corner man'. (Wouldn't you just love to be this guy? Standing there waiting for those cars with impeccable breaking abilities to stop...)


Alright, this one is rather funny, I found. But you may not agree. So your iPod can fit in your pocket and holds some 4,000 songs? Well let's thank the guy who invented this portable radio:
When?? In 1931.

You're going to think I'm crazy for writing about this next invention, but the ballpoint pen. Who ever thinks about a ballpoint pen? Well in 1888 John Loud was. Unfortunately his invention was terribly flawed, 350 patents and a lot of failures later someone finally invented a pen worth buying. In 1945 the ballpoint pen was "perfected" and was in such demand each pen cost $12.50. I apologize to all but I do not have a picture of an old ballpoint pen. I did look! But I do have a picture for you!

Refrigeration! So you put your cheese in there and if you leave it open the lightbulb burns out and it makes the food warm, or makes the room cold. Oh boy but what a joy it is to have one! Don't you agree? So how did they keep their food cool back in the day? What else but ice and snow!! The first artificial cooling system for a refrigerator was demonstrated a long time ago, and the year might surprise you. When? 1748. You are going to love your refrigerator after I tell you this fact (or greatly appreciate how it has improved over the years). From the late 1800s till 1929 refrigerator systems were used with toxic gases ammonia (NH3), methyl chloride (CH3Cl), and sulfur dioxide (SO2). But after several fatal accidents of the sulfur dioxide leaking refrigeration companies looked to find a new way to refrigerate food without anything life threatening to do so.

Alrighty then! Enough of the history. Now some fun pictures to laugh over. :D

Can you figure out what this is??

Swimming device, invented in the 1930s.

First liquid fueled rocket.

Snowstorm protection... 1930s.

Perfect your makeup!!

Cary Grant vs. Tom Cruise? No competition.

Tonight I was with a bunch of friends for our weekly movie night. We went to Blockbuster to choose a movie and argued and fought over what to watch for quite some time. After we had settled on Top Gun I found myself staring at a screen with Cary Grant acting his heart out in Arsenic and Old Lace. It's not a competition over which movie I would have rather watched. Cary Grant trying to hide the fact that his two crazy aunts are killing people versus Tom Cruise flying a plane? Really?!

And if people think Tom Cruise is a heart throb then our standard of what is good looking has definitely gone down.




VERSUS





Need I say more? ;-)

Both are considered classics, but one is way more classic (and for that matter just plain ol' better).

And there was great confusion...

Ok so short story before I get to the point. My sister works as a baker at a bakery (go figure) and was given a present by the owner of said bakery. The object is clearly an antique and my sister doesn't know what it is. Neither does the owner of the bakery. So I'm going to show pictures of the object in question... Please tell me if you know what it is! Thanks.







As requested I took a picture of the whole thing next to a measuring tape. Sorry I'm such a horrible photographer! I hope the picture is clear for everyone. :)

Put on your formal... we're headed to the supermarket.

Spiff up your hair, touch up your makeup, spritz on some perfume, don your pearls, slip on your heels and get ready to go to a baseball game.

Has anyone noticed that back in the 60s, 50s, 40s... and further back that going out of the house was a big deal. They dressed nicely for the occasion even if it was just to go grocery shopping. I noticed while watching The Dick Van Dyke show the other day (I know I do that a lot) but Laura is headed to the supermarket and she's got on a great outfit, heals, pearls, a fancy hat and gloves. If I dressed that way to go shopping for food people would probably think I was a snob of some sort but it got me thinking...

Yesterday I went to the eye doctor and I found my self searching frantically through my closet for the right scarf and sweater to wear. For the eye doctor! Back in the day people really cared about what they looked like when they were out in public, now people don't seem to care at all!! It's rather ridiculous some of the clothes you see, and I've been trying to decide. Which is better? Looking nice all the time or being really casual. I think I would rather look nice all the time. But not over do it...