Welcome to Small Reflections


"Nothing is ever achieved without enthusiasm."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Duck photo source: Lisa's Chaos
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Giraffe Journal

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rather than under a
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I've not had much time for posting or blog visits, but if you're interested I hope you'll find time to check out my new blog, Giraffe Journal or my Labyrinth Journal website ... both self hosted at WordPress.

Thanks for your visit and have a delightful day ;--)
Hugs and blessings,

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

HoTs #12 - My 'off-beat' association to Line


Hosted by Skittles at Head or Tails

The theme/prompt this week is HEADS - Line

One of my favorite authors is James Thurber who illustrated many of his books with line drawings resembling cartoons. In 1969-1970 My World and Welcome To It aired for a single season as a TV series starring William Windom ... playing John Monroe (a Thurber alter-ego) based on Thurber's articles and cartoons. I never understood why this wonderful show didn't last longer because it was an imaginatively creative combination of real people and 'line drawings' ...

Thurber (and this TV show) came to mind when I read this week's theme so I did some searching and came up with this 90 second introductory 'clip' that gives you a quick idea of the flavor of the show. There's also a 6 minute piece from one episode entitled 'The Human and the Dinosaur' (Addendum: 7-5-08 ... I just discovered that the 6 minute Dinosaur clip has been removed by the user and is no longer available) and two 9 minute clips entitled 'The War Between Men and Women- part one' and part two (comprising a single episode) ... (sorry the one brief commercial is still there in each, but the ads are sort of nostalgic). I couldn't figure out how to embed them here, but that may be for the best since I've made significant changes recently designed to make the site load faster, and embedding the videos would probably slow things down agai ... however the clicking the links will take you to them on YouTube. Whether or not you remember this show, the clips (in my humble opinion) definitely worth checking out when time permits.

Next week's theme prompt is:
TAILS - Share a Summertime memory

Here are a few one-liners from Thurber himself:

"With sixty staring me in the fact, I have developed inflammation of the sentence structure and definite hardening of the paragraphs."

"I am not a cat man, but a dog man, and all felines can tell this at a glance -- a sharp, vindictive glance."

"Progress was all right. Only it went on too long."

"He who hesitates is sometimes saved."

"There are two kinds of light -- the glow that illumines, and the glare than obscures."

"You can fool too many of the people too much of the time."

"Old age is the most unexpected of all the things that can happen to a man."


"It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers."
and my favorite is ...
Thought for Today
"Let us not look back in anger or forward in fear, but around in awareness." James Thurber

21 comments:

Mom Knows Everything said...

The thought of the day is amazing!!!

Anonymous said...

For some reason those clips look familiar, but I don't recall the show.

However, the one liners were really clever..especially the thought of the day.

My HoT is at my place:
http://bevies-place.livejournal.com/#bevies_place29322

Anonymous said...

nice post.

mineis also up! hope you can visit. thanks.

Forgetfulone said...

Very clever. Mine is up too.

Hootin Anni said...

I like the one on progress.

This was an excellent idea for the prompt this week. EXCELLENT!! Now I'm off to read your Fun Monday too.

storyteller said...

Tammy – Thanks. I’ve used it before, but it definitely is one that bears repeating.

Bevie, Milet, and Forgetfulone – I’ll be visiting folks later this afternoon because I have my Photoshop class this morning, but I’m taking a few minutes this morning to check email and respond to comments … so I’m pleased to find yours and appreciate you leaving the link to yours.

Hootin’ Anni – Why thank you! Ya know I do try my best each week to come up with something unique and worthy of sharing … and it’s great to remind folks of James Thurber’s work.

To all - I’m always delighted to discover comments and today is no exception. I’m STILL waiting for my new laptop (that is apparently ‘in production’ … sigh), but I’ve put the time to good use creating my NEW blog and hope you’ll drop by there too.
Hugs and blessings,

Ivanhoe said...

I have to tell you, I never heard of this guy but will check your liks out when I get home. And what a difference in loading speed of your blog, you did a great job on it!

Barb said...

Hurray for thinking outside the box! Good quotes.. I like the last two best. :)

Akelamalu said...

Those are great one-liners but I really like the Thought for today.

Susan Demeter said...

Great HOT post! I did check out the intro, and this is the first I have heard of this show.

Thanks so much for stopping by! :)

Momisodes said...

I must agree, your thought of the day is wonderful :) You always seem to find the most amazing quotes! Some of these are exactly what I needed to read today.

LA Nickers said...

Love the one-liners! And your duck line-up photo is amazing.

MANATEE OF VANITY, at Nickers and Ink

Blessings,
Linda

PS: Don't forget to play at SIMPLY SNICKERS this week . . . posting new poetry prompts every Sunday.

Anonymous said...

It is a post like this that brings James Thurber back to life. Such a classic and the "lines" are great.

Betty said...

Love your one-liners. Hope your week is going great for you.

Unknown said...

Fun quotes. I really like the first one. :)

storyteller said...

Ivanhoe – I hope you enjoy the links as much as I did. They brought back memories and made me wonder anew why this show didn’t return for a second season. I own ALL of Thurber’s books in early editions and have read them multiple times.

Skittles – (Smiling from ear to ear)
I appreciate the ‘kudos’ this morning and am delighted you enjoyed my HoTs post. I didn’t get home until late yesterday so I had no opportunity to visit many participants, but I hope to catch up today.

Akelamalu – Thanks … Thurber DID have a way with words and a distinctly unique view of the world I've always enjoyed.

Sue – Hmmm … I don’t recall how old you are, so perhaps it was before your time? It’s a shame the shows aren’t available on DVD. I suspect it could develop a ‘cult following’ of sorts because it was so cleverly filmed … especially for the ‘time frame’ of 1969-70.

SandyC – Why thank you. I’ve always relied on ‘intuition’ to use "Quotes in my own life' (and my teaching) … so it’s a tradition I’ve enjoyed continuing when I publish a post. It’s cool to know they ‘resonate’ with you (and other readers).

Linda (at Knickers and Ink) – I wish I could take credit for more than ‘finding’ (and sharing) both the ‘one-liners’ and the ‘duck photo’ … but I’m delighted you enjoyed both. I’ll have to check out ‘Simply Snickers’ because I enjoy writing and reading poetry. Thanks for the link … and the heads-up!

Jean (at Penny Lane) – What a lovely comment … thanks! I’d love to see a Thurber resurgence ;--)

Betty – I’m glad … and so far my week’s been busier than usual already, but I slept well last night and feel rested (sort of). I awoke with a bit of a sore throat this morning, but I’m hoping to get things done around home and perhaps catch up on some blog visits (while watching the recorded Wimbledon matches from yesterday I wasn’t here to watch and recording today’s … though I have no idea HOW I’ll catch up unless there are rain delays).

Lisa Marie – Thurber loved to ‘play’ with words and language. One of my favorite books by him to share with kids is ‘THE WONDERFUL O’ in which Thurber uses LOTS of ‘Os’ at the beginning of the story and none once they’re ‘banned’ … subtle yet powerful strategy in his writing, and an excellent lesson for all of us.

To all - I enjoyed reading and responding to all of your comments this morning and apologize for not visiting anyone yesterday. I left home at 7:30am and arrived back here around 4-ish … took Molly for a much needed walk … and just felt too tired to think. I didn’t even watch more than a few minutes of yesterday’s tennis matches, so I’m playing ‘catch-up’ big time this morning with Wimbledon (as I record today’s matches to watch whenever) … but I’m going to be around most of today, so if the old laptop cooperates I’ll be visiting today once I post something for Wednesday. I hope you all have a delightful day!
Hugs and blessings,

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the beautiful images and wonderful thoughts.

Anonymous said...

Very nicely done, again. Creative take on the theme. :)

storyteller said...

Randall – You’re most welcome, and that YOU for dropping by ;--)

Maggie – I appreciate the ‘kudos’ and hope you enjoyed the Thurber clips and quotes.

I hope you’re both having a delightful day!
Hugs and blessings,

Tina Coruth said...

Storyteller,

I love James Thurber, too. Your choice of quotes is excellent. I enjoyed them very much!!

hugs,
Tina

storyteller said...

Tina – Wow … you were BUSY catching up today indeed. I’d almost forgotten about this Thurber post. It was fun to take time to watch the clips on my NEW laptop. They worked so much smoother than with the old one … and the machine didn’t lock up!!! Yea!!!!
Hugs and blessings,

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