There were a lot of interesting comments yesterday about boats and comics and such. Later this week, I will address a few of them. There’s a lot going on around the homestead this morning, though, so I hope you’ll excuse me for skipping out. However, it also is that time of year, time for Janis’ new swimming attire for the season–another grand old theme over the years.
78 responses to “Speaking of Flak”
Just read real time cartoon and Janis sounds a little peevish, like “No way, Jose”. Not happening.
About the retro cartoon, does anyone else remember how stiff and padded and multi-layered and over sewn and stayed those old 1950’s suits were? They could stand up on their own, were miserable to wear, you couldn’t swim. Like a extra strong girdle for our middles.
Remember the bathing beauty pinups? They could hardly move.
That was the point I think Arlo/Jimmy were making there. I instantly knew what he meant about wearing a flak jacket!
Love, Jackie Monies
Debbe, in my years as a floral designer I have made many funeral tributes that included lures, rods and reels, baseball gloves and balls, cowboy boots, ropes, saddles, old hats, deer horns, things dear to the deceased.
I think my favorite was ordered by the young man’s grandmother. We bought a bookcase designed to look like a row boat, put the name of the boat on the side, turned it flat to look like it was on water and created a beautiful masculine design, “woodsiana”, lots of willows, foliages, pods, vines, sticks, grasses to look like foliage on a river or lake bank.
Funerals are to bring peace and acceptance to the survivors and to remember and honor those gone.
Love, Jackie Monies
I wasn’t alive in the 1950s (My father was born in 1948) but I have seen old swimsuits at thrift shops and they are pretty gruesome.
My swimsuuit, but, sadly, not me: http://s1306.photobucket.com/user/Lilyblack1/media/Swimsuit_zps459a6ae4.jpg.html
Nothing wrong with that suit, Lily…even if it is a one-piece. 🙂 And I’m sure you do it justice. 😉
Jackie, I think a prime example of the flack jacket swimsuits of which you speak would have been the official Miss America competition suits of the 1950’s.
Straight across the bottom to hide any “personal” parts of body, those suits were about as non-sexual as possible.
What I remember best was the elasticized materials. No spandex, no acrylics, no soft fabric, they were giant elastic bands, from your chest to your “personal” parts. If you went into chlorine water the elastic would fail eventually, so you did little swimming. Lay on a beach towel and dabbled a toe in occasionally.
Alas, it took a lot of chlorine to stretch the elastic, so no excitement on the pools sides when one got lost, as later suits did.
Love, Jackie Monies
I am supposed to be writing something serious and you guys make me laugh too much. I remember a white suit I owned in either late 50’s or early 60’s that looked white when dry but changed to flesh color when wet. Why?
Anyway, I was on a high board getting ready to dive and a guy was looking up, thought I didn’t have a suit on? Walked straight into the pool fully clothed.
That is how desperate men were in those Eisenhower days!
Love, Jackie Monies
This is too good not to share. Just the other day we were talking about funny typos and the unintentionally hilarious juxtaposition of photos and advertisements. While looking at the picture of Lily’s swimsuit, I noticed this picture of a very skimpily dressed Lady Leprechaun, or whatever she is, who is especially notable for her impressive chest.
http://i1306.photobucket.com/albums/s565/Lilyblack1/AnnahonStPatricksDat_zps25100f7f.jpg
When I clicked on it, to take a closer look (yeah, I know, men are terrible and only have one thing on their minds), I got a pop-up ad for an IT company named “Rackspace”.
Thanks, Lily. That was the best laugh I’ve had today, and I needed it.
You are welcome. 😀
Heh, that’s Annah of the Shadows, my favorite character from a game named Planescape: Torment. She is a great character and was voiced by Sheena Easton in a deep Scots burr. There is a place in the game where a tailor makes fun of her outfit. There is also a lecherous skull (I know, strange game) who is always making salacious remarks to Annah, and in one of these little byplays, she yells “If you don’t quit looking at me tail, skull, I’m gonna mount you on a pike!” Yes, she has a tail. She is a tiefling.
Some strange person did that painting of her drunk in a leprechaun outfit and I use it as an avatar for St. Patrick’s day.
I thought a better flak vest bathing suit comic was when Janis returns from purchasing her new bathing suit and asks Arlo if he wants to see it. She holds up a self-supporting one-piece, much to Alro’s disappointment. Janis replies in exasperation “Things change!”
Thanks for the explanation, Lily. I don’t play games (well, not the ones you can play on a computer, anyway), but if characters like Annah and lecherous skulls are typical of the genre, perhaps I need to take a look at some of them. (Oh. That kind of tail. I had to read it twice.)
Well, I guess everyone else understood today’s real-time cartoon. I’m still thinking about it. Along with Jackie’s flesh-colored, or transparent, or whatever, swimsuit. 😉
Lilyblack, just what is an “underwear case” in hospital terminology? As no one else has asked, perhaps I’m the only reader with that educational deficiency.
Re: those stiffened tops: In my younger days, quite unintentionally, I found that such tops on swimwear [or formal gown] were very, er, um, “informative” to the casual onlooker if the wearer didn’t fill out the whole volume.
Didn’t Liz Taylor have a white bathing suit which became transparent in water in one of her many films?
Here’s a Peanuts Sunday strip to ponder:
http://i.imgur.com/mEtcZb8.jpg
cep: Yes, in “Suddenly Last Summer”
An “Underwear case”, in hospital parlance, is when you get so soaked in blood that it gets through the gown and scrubs and you have to change your underwear afterwards.
Here’s a warning for husbands wandering through malls:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIGEwAuWpB8
Early animated cartoon characters such as Mickey Mouse and Felix the Cat had skinny limbs, large feet, and round torsos because it made animation easier. It’s called the circle-and-rubber-hose style. In 1938, Fred Moore redesigned Mickey for the Sorcerer’s Apprentice portion of Fantasia.
In the case of my white/flesh colored suit, it was an off-white and never went sheer, just changed color. It still had as much fabric and elastic and went back whitish when dry. In those days girls didn’t get many suits, you wore the same one forever.
In fact, I was reading a bathing suit edition in a woman’s magazine last night and the editor admitted she had not bought a new suit in over 5 years and kept wearing one that was now stretched and baggy. Now that is courage in admitting true confessions!
Now that I think about it, back in those days girls wore the same dresses over and over for a long time. I have to admit that I personally was NEVER in a major beauty contest but I sure wore a lot of my friends and roommates formal gowns that had been! On loan.
You just didn’t change/buy stuff as easily then. I know, I sound like Grandma Walton!
Love, Jackie Monies
c x-p: Yes, that is correct about “stiffened tops”. I thought I was the only one who had ever realized that. 🙂 And I might mention that it also applies to several other types of fashionable tops worn by the younger set today, especially if worn without benefit of a bra.
Now ask Lily what a “Code Brown” is.
Debbe 😉 Are you still using your Windows XP computer? If so, I’m curious about three things. Does it make spooky noises in the middle of the night? Is there any indication that it has grown tentacles or is trying to do so? Have you awakened during the night and found it hovering menacingly over you?
Based on the dire predictions made when support for XP ended, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear you’d encountered any or all of those events. Although, oddly enough, I haven’t seen anything in the news about such lately.
Are you talking about tanks with built-in bras, Ghost? Cause I would never, ever wear such a thing. Especially since I have tried several on and found they don’t help me. Flat is flat, I’m sorry tio say, but if it means I have to gain weight to get curvy, no thanks. 😛
Remember the strip about a month back, when the shrimp was playing in the creek and a big turtle popped out? Check this out: http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/outposts/post/alligator-snapping-turtle-surprising-catch-angler/
No, Lily, that’s not actually what I was talking about. (…not actually that about what I was talking?) (Stupid rule.) But yes, I realize that a very athletic woman (and one who runs 50+ miles per week I would definitely consider a very athletic woman) is going to have a relatively low percentage of body fat, likely including the fat that determines the size of the female breast.
And that’s important how? Hint: It isn’t.
Debbe 😉 Condolences to your husband for the loss of his friend. I well know what it’s like to lose your best friend. Especially when she’s also your sister.
Here’s one you might want to add to your “End of Life Serenade”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmLQes4tmtM
Now, who was it who said they didn’t care for Eric Clapton?
Lily, mark me down as another who prefers trim, athletic women over the more “curvy” ones. My favorites are ballerinas and dancers. My wife and I aren’t as trim as we once were, but we find much to enjoy when watching the pros on Dancing with the Stars.
Good Morning Villagers…
First I want to thank you all for the condolences for my husband, he’s been asked to be a pall bearer…a great honor.
Second, Jackie, you are a very gifted woman…would have loved to seen some of your “inspirational” floral arrangement.
And third…GR 😉 I may be blond, but I’m not easy 🙂 The only noises at night here are the sounds of snoring with a little sleep apnea in between; the only ‘tentacle’ is my husband’s arm as he turns in his sleep and his right arm lands on my chest; the only menacing look I wake up to is my cat wanting to be petted and played with….in the middle of the night.
Yes, I still am using XP with Firefox. I’ve not incurred any ‘real’ problems, I downloaded the latest update from Firefox and old Delly here seems to run a little slower….it won’t download my Lolcat pics (gasp). I went in and removed the latest download from them, but no luck in getting my pics….just a couple on one page. I’m going to have Ian check it out.
Later….gonna play cafeteria woman….three lunches to fix and snack and something for breakfast….
Ya’ll have a blessed day.
GR….do you know the story behind that song by Clapton?
=^..^=