John O’Connor August 21, 2017

PLEASE NOTE: THE ‘COMMENTS’ section of this site is not currently operational. Please email me directly [email protected] and leave your trivia answers etc there. I will put them together and reply as usual next week. Thanks!

Well, hi there, so kind of you to stop by the old Word Shack here for Week #316 of Meandering Musings, brought to you in part this week by a generous grant from the Is This Really Necessary? Foundation. Their strongly worded mission statement says it all: “That’s a good question. I’ll get back to you on that.”

It just struck me that I haven’t done any lists lately. Lists have always been popular with you (so you say), so what the heck, let’s make up another one.

I have a few driving pet peeves which I have occasionally discussed here. One I haven’t mentioned is people who don’t know what to do when they come to a four-way stop. Apparently they’re so flummoxed by a lack of traffic lights that they just freeze in place, unable to think things out.

But then, being the charitable sort that I am (did I hear laughing?) I thought, well, maybe there are other reasons for their hesitation. Herewith, the list of possibilities:

1. They have run out of gas.
2. They enjoy playing the ‘go ahead, no YOU go ahead’ game with numerous ‘go ahead’ waves even though they have the right of way.
3. They just KNOW if they go ahead, you’re gonna cream ‘em right in the middle of the intersection.
4. They are timid because their insurance rates just went up due to them creaming someone else at an intersection.
5. They are checking the Rules of the Road on Google.
6. They think you look like a cop who once pulled them over.
7. They are watching Netflix on their smartphone. Those CSI re-runs are really good.
8. They are texting a friend to ask for advice. Or to complain about the idiot driver across from them who won’t go.
9. They are waiting for their pizza to be delivered to the car.
10. They believe they are going to be abducted by aliens because the Mothership has contacted them and told them to wait right there.

Do YOU have any driving pet peeves? Feel free to elaborate in the space below. I always enjoy your input.
Meanwhile, let’s sift through the replies to last week’s effort…

Terry got the ‘ants gone wild’ question right away. Ryan agreed. Yes, it was James Arness of ‘Gunsmoke’ fame who co-starred in ‘Them,’ a great sci-fi movie about giant ants which mutated from little-bitty ants due to atomic tests in the New Mexico desert.

By the way, if you ever want to see a hilarious movie from that period, watch ‘Attack of the Fifty-Foot Woman,’ a low-budget epic about a scorned woman who got revenge on hubby in a ‘big’ way.

Kim got the doggie question. Yes, it was ‘Toto,’ supergroup of the ‘70s-‘80s and also the dog’s name in ‘Wizard of Oz.

Tiffany guessed the 1500 block of Main as the first location of Action Sports. I’m not totally sure of that, but I am sure they were in the 1600 block of Main (east side) right next to where the drive-through bank is now. I’m sure of that because our store the Record Rack was just a half block north of them, around the corner from Cinderella Shoppe on 17th, and occasionally I would wander over and buy something at Action. They may have moved to the 1500 block for a short time and then on to their longtime location on Lakin, but, again, I’m not certain of that. We’ll just put that question ‘to bed’ and move on.

Edith Ann did some serious research and came up with Sherman Adams, the Eisenhower era chief of staff who resigned because he accepted an expensive vicuna coat from an industrialist, who may or may not have received preferential treatment. Good job.

Julie guessed ‘It’s News To Me’ as the show hosted by Walter Cronkite, who did not do news on the show. Well, I learned something today! The show I had in mind was the CBS Morning Show, an early attempt to compete with the Today’ show. Cronkite didn’t do news on that one either, but was the host for just a few months in the ‘50s. ‘It’s News To Me’ was a game show hosted by several newsmen of the period including Cronkite. Nice work, Julie.

Ryan checked in, first agreeing with Terry about the ant movie and also mentioning that he had his eclipse glasses ready for the big event.

Billy Willy also dropped in and said he enjoyed our eclipse story and gave a few cautionary notes (which I forgot to do) about not viewing it straight on or with common sunglasses.

Well, you’ve taken of my questions. Let us begin again…

Where was the last place in GB where you could get an authentic cherry phosphate (or name your flavor) at a for-real soda fountain?

The eclipse got me thinking of ‘spacey’ things. What astronaut landed on a farm and scared the locals until they found out who he was?

What actor with an ‘other-worldly name uses his mother’s maiden name instead of his own?

What Kansas space wizard barely out of high school made an important discovery?

And a music question: Philadelphia was a hotbed of pop and soul music in the ’50s and ’60s. What two guys put it back on the map in the ’80s?

Have a magnificent week. We’ll visit again in about seven days, or one week, whichever comes first.

John