Every day I get the Writer's Almanac online. Today, a funny thing happened, they had a blurb about the author of the fictional character, Perry Mason. Then, right below it, was a blurb about the comedianne, Phyllis Diller, born today. Since my ame is Phyllis Perry, I thought it amusing, and so listed both blurbs below. Enjoy!
It's the birthday of one of the best-selling American novelists of all time, Erle Stanley Gardner, (books by this author) born in Malden, Massachusetts (1889). He's the one who created the character Perry Mason, that noble lawyer who has starred in 80 of Gardner's novels as well as a radio program, a couple of television series, and two dozen TV movies. Perry Mason defends innocent people accused of murder, and he also doubles as an astute crime-solving detective who is able to prove not only his client's innocence but also the identity of the real murderer.
Perry Mason first appears in The Case of the Velvet Claws (1933). Gardner told his publishers that he was creating in Perry Mason the character of "a fighter who is possessed of infinite patience." In one novel, he describes his lawyer hero like this: He was "broad-shouldered and rugged-faced, and his eyes were steady and patient."
Gardner himself was a lawyer. He was suspended from law school for getting into a fistfight and never returned, but then worked as a typist in a law office, studied on his own, and passed the bar exam. He set up a practice in Merced, California, in 1911 and then in downtown Ventura, California, in 1921. His law office in Ventura is still there, being used by other lawyers today. It's one of the stops on the "Perry Mason" walking tours offered in Ventura; so is the old courthouse where he once litigated, which is now the City Hall.
It's the birthday of comedienne Phyllis Diller, (books by this author) born in Lima, Ohio (1917), and often called the "Funniest Woman in the World." She didn't start her career in stand-up comedy until she was middle-aged. But she had spent much of her life as a housewife, telling jokes and doing impersonations and making groups of people laugh. At the Laundromat, she would tell other housewives things like, "I bury a lot of my ironing in the backyard" and "Housework can't kill you, but why take a chance?" When she became a professional entertainer, she drew extensively upon her experiences as the mother of five children who struggled to keep her house clean.
In 1955, Diller made her debut at the Purple Onion, a club in San Francisco. She was originally given a contract for two weeks — but her show ended up running at the Purple Onion for 89 weeks.
In her shows, she caricatured the frumpy housewife and appeared on stage with outrageous makeup and ludicrous hairdos. When she took her show on the road to different states, she traveled with two dozen suitcases' worth of costumes and props. She routinely used a cigarette holder, though she did not smoke, and also a fur scarf that she insisted she trapped under the kitchen sink at her home.
One of her trademarks was her distinctive laugh, which has been described by critics as "a braying, cackling laugh." Diller herself said: "My own laugh is the real thing and I've had it all my life. My father used to call me the laughing hyena. Like a yawn or a mood, it's infectious, and that's a great plus for a comic, but I don't just turn it on like some of today's performers. In fact, during the early stages of my career, it was a nervous laugh. I was scared out of my mind. The sweat ran down my back into my shoes."
She became well known when she began to perform regularly on television, often on The Jack Paar Show. She also was a guest on the shows of Ed Sullivan, Red Skelton, Jack Benny, and Andy Williams. She played a role in the film Boy Did I Get a Wrong Number (1966) alongside Bob Hope.
She's the author of several books, including the memoir Like a Lampshade in a Whorehouse (2005). Phyllis Diller said, "Never go to bed mad. Stay up and fight."
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
Moving Forward
One of my hobbies is taking carriage-driving lessons. Yes, as in "horse-and-carriage." From the sound of horses hoofs clippity-clopping down the road, to the pastoral vistas all along the drive, to bonding with my steed, to the sight, sounds and smells of the countryside. In short, everything about the sport of pleasure driving delights my senses and tickles my fancy.
One of the most important lessons my teacher taught me was this: keep the horse forward moving. As she said, if he ever starts going backward, you've lost ALL control and it could be dangerous--even deadly. For, the lines or reins are all the driver has, to connect with that animal who is in charge of the movement of the carriage. And, once he starts walking backwards, the driver is no longer in control. It's an accident-in-the-making, a calamity waiting to happen, in short, a total disaster.
Like so many life lessons learned from sports or hobbies, I understand this "backing up" to mean keep your eye on the ball, keep moving, stay alert, be connected, communicative and concise, creative, un-cowardly. Get enough rest to feel in touch--with myself, the roads, traffic, mood, nuances and personalities of the horses I drive. Don't expect more from an animal (or person) than they are capable of giving, sharing or producing.
So often, in life, I feel let down, rejected, ignored, shunned or diss-ed. By lots of people. For no good reason (that I can think of). Just happens. And, I'm left wallowing in my sadness or depression. Feeling bad, sad, mad. All because I keep rehashing the slight or offense. In short, going backwards emotionally. Not letting go and moving forward---with my thoughts, my dreams, my life.
This is a mistake many of us make. Over-and-over, again. We say we "can't help it" or that something "made us" feel bad and we can't shake it. But, like the carriage-driver, the more knowledge and experience one has, the smoother and safer their connection with the horse and driving experiences will be. But, not only experience.
Just like a horse needs to "collect" itself or maintain a 4-beat gait to trot smoothly, so I need to collect myself in thought, word and deed to live happily. I need to get quiet at least once a day, to meditate, ground myself in peace and harmony so my soul will be able to handle any backward encounters that often come in everyday life---in all of our lives. Going backwards, in any way, shape or form can be hazardous to carriage drivers, highway drivers and drivers in all walks of life.
It's part and parcel of being human. To feel sad sometimes. To wish things were different. To want acceptance, comraderie, familial relations, mental stimulation, enjoyment, harmony, and love. But the thing to remember is that driving backwards is not only risky but downright dangerous. To one's health, heart and happiness. Moving forward is a much better bet.
One of the most important lessons my teacher taught me was this: keep the horse forward moving. As she said, if he ever starts going backward, you've lost ALL control and it could be dangerous--even deadly. For, the lines or reins are all the driver has, to connect with that animal who is in charge of the movement of the carriage. And, once he starts walking backwards, the driver is no longer in control. It's an accident-in-the-making, a calamity waiting to happen, in short, a total disaster.
Like so many life lessons learned from sports or hobbies, I understand this "backing up" to mean keep your eye on the ball, keep moving, stay alert, be connected, communicative and concise, creative, un-cowardly. Get enough rest to feel in touch--with myself, the roads, traffic, mood, nuances and personalities of the horses I drive. Don't expect more from an animal (or person) than they are capable of giving, sharing or producing.
So often, in life, I feel let down, rejected, ignored, shunned or diss-ed. By lots of people. For no good reason (that I can think of). Just happens. And, I'm left wallowing in my sadness or depression. Feeling bad, sad, mad. All because I keep rehashing the slight or offense. In short, going backwards emotionally. Not letting go and moving forward---with my thoughts, my dreams, my life.
This is a mistake many of us make. Over-and-over, again. We say we "can't help it" or that something "made us" feel bad and we can't shake it. But, like the carriage-driver, the more knowledge and experience one has, the smoother and safer their connection with the horse and driving experiences will be. But, not only experience.
Just like a horse needs to "collect" itself or maintain a 4-beat gait to trot smoothly, so I need to collect myself in thought, word and deed to live happily. I need to get quiet at least once a day, to meditate, ground myself in peace and harmony so my soul will be able to handle any backward encounters that often come in everyday life---in all of our lives. Going backwards, in any way, shape or form can be hazardous to carriage drivers, highway drivers and drivers in all walks of life.
It's part and parcel of being human. To feel sad sometimes. To wish things were different. To want acceptance, comraderie, familial relations, mental stimulation, enjoyment, harmony, and love. But the thing to remember is that driving backwards is not only risky but downright dangerous. To one's health, heart and happiness. Moving forward is a much better bet.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
From The Writer's Almanac
It's the birthday of the essayist and children's writer E.B. White, (books by this author) born Elwin Brooks White in Mount Vernon, New York (1899). After a young pig he was raising got sick and he failed to save its life, he wrote one of his most famous essays, "Death of a Pig." Then he wrote a children's novel in which the pig doesn't have to die: Charlotte's Web (1952). It's the story of a runt pig named Wilbur who is saved the first time by a little girl and the second time by a wise spider. It is one of the best-selling children's books of all time.
E.B. White said: "I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day."
It was on this day 151 years ago that Charles Dickens' (books by this author) novel A Tale of Two Cities (1859) was published. It begins:
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair ..."
Fifty years ago today, Harper Lee's (books by this author) only novel, To Kill a Mockingbird,was published, the story narrated by six-year-old Scout Finch in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama. It was an immediate best-seller, a Pulitzer Prize winner, and an instant American classic. It continues to sell incredibly well, with 30 million copies still in print.
The book's title appears in a scene in chapter 10, where Scout remembers something her dad, Atticus, has said and asks her neighbor Miss Maudie about it.
"I'd rather you shot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you'll go after birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." That was the only time I ever heard Atticus say it was a sin to do something, and I asked Miss Maudie about it.
"Your father's right," she said. "Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."
E.B. White said: "I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day."
It was on this day 151 years ago that Charles Dickens' (books by this author) novel A Tale of Two Cities (1859) was published. It begins:
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair ..."
Fifty years ago today, Harper Lee's (books by this author) only novel, To Kill a Mockingbird,was published, the story narrated by six-year-old Scout Finch in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama. It was an immediate best-seller, a Pulitzer Prize winner, and an instant American classic. It continues to sell incredibly well, with 30 million copies still in print.
The book's title appears in a scene in chapter 10, where Scout remembers something her dad, Atticus, has said and asks her neighbor Miss Maudie about it.
"I'd rather you shot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you'll go after birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." That was the only time I ever heard Atticus say it was a sin to do something, and I asked Miss Maudie about it.
"Your father's right," she said. "Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."
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