Looking at this old A&J from 1998, I think of my 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Graham. Mrs. Graham sported pinkish hair, way ahead of its time, and drove a 1958 Oldsmobile whose color matched her hair. I kid you not. Mrs. Graham was kind enough, but she had a calm professional manner that did not instantly endear her to children of an age when favorite teachers all had a sweet side. But we 5th graders were growing up, and Mrs. Graham was the perfect teacher. She was the first teacher I remember who began to instruct us in the craft of writing. She introduced us to “themes,” which is what she called short essays. She encouraged us to reach, to think of verbs more descriptive than “went” or “said.” Mrs. Graham’s class was the first place it was noticed that I have a talent for this sort of thing, and Mrs. Graham did the noticing. I even worked dialog into some of my themes, complete with quote marks, and that had to be something she didn’t encounter every day. She even told me I had an ear for dialog. If she could see me now! I probably have not given her enough credit for her influence upon me.
92 responses to “The Lady in the Pink Olds”
Had lost an earlier post to the abyss where I thought about essay and the level of effort that word represents to me. Like Dave, the label ‘themes’ was not used in my time, or maybe region. I like it. It may have suggested a melodious focus on flow rather than work involved.
More was written, but that’s the nutshell version.
https://scontent-dft4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/26239719_1968538903162169_1119719495300959841_n.jpg?oh=6c872df0266a063d5f425f133ea1bb7d&oe=5AE999F7
sight gag alert!
Ghost and I went to the st Evita this afternoon. The music was beautiful, there is only music, no dialogue. The voices were not superb and the sound not great but it kicked in my memory.
In 1952 I was in Venezuela where Eva Peron was idolized as well. I remember vividly the grief and worship, beyond Princess Diana’s funeral, the news reels and magazine articles. I was 8 years old.
What I didn’t know was the mystery of her corpse disappearing when Peron was ousted. It was hidden and buried in Italy under an assumed name to be exhumed in 1971, restored, brought back to Argentina, restored and reburied.
Fascinating story, both in life and desth.
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-18616380
My take on “theme” is that it means the topic to be covered in a piece of writing (a bit different in music). While I would have known what my instructor wanted had I been told to “write a theme”, I believe the more common usage was its meaning as the subject.
Like others, I also have never attended a reunion of any educational group. Since I found Classmates.com more than 15 years ago, though, I have enjoyed making contact and reading of others’ life events. As in any group of persons, some don’t wish to keep in contact and don’t; for others, I don’t keep the contact. No big deal either way.
Arlo must have gone to sleep with the tv on again.
WHAT!! More snow is on the way….arrrggghhhh
https://i.chzbgr.com/full/9114509056/h5AEF62DF/
Giraffes in Kenya.
https://explore.org/livecams/african-wildlife/african-animal-lookout-camera
Peace,
I needed so help with today’s strip, but went to the dark side and they told me. My Mother-in-law and I still argue about as she say Rick should have been on that plane and I thought the ending was perfect.
Debbe, no snow here, but temp going to single digits tonight and tomorrow for low. High tomorrow only 20. Auugghh! As Charlie Brown would say.
Liked the cat picture! And its caption.
We got snow yesterday, much melted away in afternoon. It must have started up last night as now there are several inches out there with more falling. Plenty of cocoa in the house š Like the links, folks- thanks!
Well, here’s some of why college was so much better than high school. We were all there because we wanted to be, not because someone else said we had to be. And we were from somewhere else, and had to depend on each other to get by. This is not to say it was peace and love all the time, or that we all liked everyone else, but we got along.
Of course there were certain professors that stood out, like Dr. Buhl, who taught English Lit. When she was a girl her father told her that she would never be pretty so she should be smart, and she took him at his word. She was frighteningly intelligent, quite formidable, and an excellent teacher to boot. No, she was not “pretty”, but neither would she scare small children.
Then there was Dr. Lagow, who taught History. He was tall and thin and spoke in something of a monotone with a slight Texas accent. He told not quite funny jokes that we never quite got since it was hard to tell them from the rest of his lectures.
And let us not forget Dr. Lewis Lipps, who taught biology and earth science. Her name was originally Emma Louise, but she decided she was not getting the recognition she deserved for her work in Mammalogy so she changed her name believing if people thought they were dealing with a man the situation would change. Whether it did or not I do not know. I do remember the day in Freshman Biology that she decided the young women in her class needed to understand the importance of breast self examination and how to do it, so she proceeded to teach us. It was an interesting class to say the least.
During the time of year we’re usually digging out our driveway one or two times a week, we’ve consistently been having temps in the 40s with occasional rain here in the valley. The only real snow to come down to our valley was on Christmas Eve and Day. I just hope the plants don’t get too confused and blossom too early. š
Our local ski resorts are suffering, they usually have MUCH more snow up there by now. Sundance, the closest to me, has a base of only 24″ with 12″ at the top of the runs… and only 6 of the 45 runs are open.
To those of you back east:
SEND BACK OUR WINTER WEATHER!
Today is Martin Luther King Day. I throw that out wondering if it matters to anyone in the Village?
I for one believe in equal rights for all races and nationalities, all sexes, disabilities or ages. Always have, always will.
What have you contributed in life to make that happen?
Who is Ilsa?
Female love interest in the movie “Casablanca”; played well by the alluring Ingrid Bergman.
That was I.
Thanks professor. Not being a movie or TV watcher these remarks get lost on me.
I have never seen Casablanca, it was before my time I suppose and I was not a Bogart fan.
But I have seen lots of jokes, satires, attribtional art, cartoons, ads, sit com’s, other movies that play on the plot elements and characters, the music, dialogue, to point I thought it had entered common lbowledge.
It would seem Jimmy thought so too.
In general ed and intro biology, I often did one liners w/ a straight face. E.g., “That’s in married women. Unmarried women are fertile for the whole month.” Valerie Arganbright, a Mass Comm. major who did well in the general course came up one day after lecture and told me that half the students didn’t get these and were just taking them as straight biological info. Re that example, of course, it was just as well.
I knew about Ilsa, too, same route as Jackie.
As to MLK Day, it is well to remember that, historically, he was equally opposed to America’s actions in Viet Nam.
Peace,
OMC…just got home from grocery shopping…again…went last Wednesday as I knew we were getting ‘bombed’…, but I was not aware of this incoming ‘blast’. Roads are terrible here, probably have about 5 to 6 inches of that ‘fluffy’ white $hit outside.
Had to leave Dad alone, as I made Ian drive. Told Dad if he got out of his recliner he would not get his chocolate milk. Got another 5 days’ worth of food (Dad loves his chocolate milk). When I checked out the 10 day forecast…they (whether.com) predict temps near mid fifties over the weekend…hahahlol. Now I need to get out and get some sunscreen š
Yes, Jackie, I did know it was MLK day….maybe some day his dream will come true….but, I’m not going to go any farther than that…I might get in trouble here. And I too have never seen ‘Casablanca’…I’ll add it to my “bucket list”….now that’s a good movie with Morgan Freeman and Nicholson.
Having leftover Italian meatballs and spaghetti for supper…if it goes over as well as it did last night, the outside cats will have one heck of a supper. I hate cooking, my husband loves to cook and he’s 15 miles out in the boondocks. Took out a package of deer burger, thought I would make deer burger meat loaf…if not, (I really don’t care for deer meat) the cats outside will have a feast tomorrow….low tonight is below zero.
I don’t know how Emb and Old Bear get through winters….I’m about to go nuts here. Last year’s January average temp here was mid thirties.
Enough of my rambling on, and on, and on……
=^..^=
Likewise, I never saw Casablanca in a movie house, but I have seen it on the tube. Some of Bogart’s films interest me, not all, and Casablanca is one of the better ones.
Emb…thought you might find this interesting….I can’t even fathom what 23 million years ago what this planet looked, felt, and lived like. What’s sad…..we’ve just begun to come out of that age….we are still in that ‘dog eat dog’ mentality.
https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/hypatia-stone-egypt-44235/
Mark, just found your ‘camelflage’ link above. Good one-liner. As a former Camel smoker, I had to take the time to look closely for any pouncing lions or posing seƱoritas. But any hidden items eluded my eyesight. Had an additional laugh at myself for looking. Thanks.
Morphy, you’re welcome. FB has an interest group just called Puns. When I get one I like, I share it here, like the camel. Don’t know how you could stand to smoke those things. My dad was hooked on them and I always said they must have been made from the sweepings of the camels stall.