I must admit I was glad to see Alicia receive her comeuppance, (a bit of SCHADENFREUDE on my part) after how good Diane and Will had been to her, the ungrateful wretch! I understand it's a good plot twist to have Alicia break away from the firm, BUT...
Christine Baranski can do ANYTHING--comedy, drama, music--what a talent. I just love it that she has a Mary Matalin/James Carville ass-backwards type affair with Gary Cole (OMG! they gave that right-winger Timothy McVeigh's name to him--Kurt McVeigh)! She was extraordinary in the scene where she had to decide whether to vote against Alicia, knowing full-well the judgeship hung in the balance. Just that ONE look and hesitation--now, that's acting, my friend!
I've been a Josh Charles fan ever since Sports Night, and he's also good at comedy and drama! The ensemble cast: Alan Cumming, Chris Noth, etc.--all excellent! I love the character David Lee and oh, how I adore Kalinda!
My favorite non-regular is ELSBETH TASCIONI. What a delightful, kooky character! Her name is Carrie Preston. I also love Michael J. Fox's appearances and Mamie Gummer was in a few episodes.
You know, I sound just like my mother--exclaiming about The Young And The Restless!
Miss Digman was very influential to me and each time I hear T. S. Eliot's name I always recall her saying "Thomas STEARNS Eliot"; she was an admirer of his; I detested him because of his being an anti-Semite; Miss Digman said that didn't diminish his "greatness"; I countered with, "And Mussolini made the trains run on time!" Once, with a very patronizing tone, she said, "My dear, MISTER Eliot was the recipient of the Nobel Prize." I said, equally condescendingly, "AS was MISS Pearl S. Buck!" Miss Digman said, "TOUCHE!" She would preface nearly all of her private remarks to me with: "My dear..."
Miss Digman subscribed to The New Yorker and I felt honored that she would entrust me to devour them after she'd finished! [When I went to work, the first luxury I afforded myself were subscriptions to The New Yorker and The New Republic and I am still a subscriber.] Murial Spark's The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie was excerpted in the magazine; when I read it, I told Miss Digman that she was as "autocratic" as Miss Brodie. Miss Digman told me, "Oh, my dear, but I am neither charismatic nor a Fascist!" It was the first time I'd ever heard the word "charismatic" used, although it became commonplace the following year in describing President Kennedy. Miss Digman was nothing like Miss Brodie other than her total assuredness about her subjects and opinions. Years later, seeing the movie, I told Gerald, "Miss Brodie would never have allowed me to hate Thomas STEARNS Eliot as Miss Digman did!"
Last night, watching Jeopardy!, I thought of Miss Digman and it prompted this reminiscence. One of the correct questions was: "Who was Adlai Stevenson?" When I said, "Adlai EWING Stevenson the Second", Gerald gave me a look and I shrugged and said, "Miss Digman lives." Les asked, "The Second?" I answered, "He was named after his grandfather!" I don't understand the predilection of our saying the three names; Les says it's showing-off, but I know that it isn't; it's just MY THING! I always have to say "GAMALIEL" when referring to Harding, "BIRCHARD" with Hayes, and "ABRAM" with Garfield!
I worked with a man named Jeff Davis, who claimed to be a descendant of Jefferson Davis, and he fancied himself an expert on the "War Of Northern Aggression". He was a walking compendium of knowledge of his ancestor and his hero Stonewall Jackson. In our numerous discussions he would always refer to "Jefferson FINIS Davis" and "THOMAS JONATHAN Jackson" to which I would always counter with "Ulysses SIMPSON Grant". [I guess I will admit to a little showing-off that I know that Grant's original name was HIRAM Ulysses Grant but he was embarrassed by the HUG initials, and he changed it.]
BEAUREGARD CLEOPATRA DIGMAN would have appreciated the colloquy!
I admit that my certitude has sometimes caused uncomfortable moments in discussions. The only people I might defer to, when in a discussion requiring recollection, would be my brothers who also inherited the blessing/curse from my mother! Of course, my brothers will insist that I have never deferred to anyone! When I am too full of myself, Les will put me in my place by saying, "O. K., Ms. Proust!" Gerald says that he never lies to me because I remember everything. Of course, I do not remember everything and I wish my mind were not cluttered with trivia. I often say that I know that I learned about the Theory of Relativity, but I can't explain it! I have long been fascinated by WHAT people (including myself) do recall and WHY.
One of my husband's classmates is married to one of my former classmates. The last time we were together, we talked about school and I asked what books she'd been reading lately and I commented that the reading requirements were much different today than when we went to school. I said, "Miss Digman would turn over in her grave." She said how much she had disliked Miss Digman. I laughed and told her that was no surprise because Miss Digman had corrected her term paper; she had written about the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and she had the word Mormon written as "Morman" throughout the text and Miss Digman had encircled the word each time with red ink! Although I thought it was an amusing anecdote, she was obviously irritated that I had said it, because she asked, "How the Hell do you remember all that shit?" I said, "I also remember what she did to my report on Lady Chatterley's Lover!" (CLICK HERE to see BLOG article)
Another time, at a class reunion we were discussing President Kennedy and one of my classmates said that he had been "for him". I said, "No you weren't; you were for Nixon in the mock election." He looked shocked. I said, "There were only FOUR of us who voted for Kennedy; all the rest of you voted for Nixon; isn't that right, Mike?" Mike had been one of the four who had voted with me for Senator Kennedy. Mike laughed and said, "I know who I was FOR back then and I would never doubt Phyllis!"
At the same reunion a woman who'd been a "Mean Girl" in high school was telling how fond she was of one our classmates who had died. I told her that she had NOT been fond of her in school because she had refused to share a room with her during our Senior Trip. She protested, "Oh, that's not true!" Obviously, those were fighting words, and as much as I hated the need for "back-up", I said, seething with anger at having been disputed, "Let's just call Joan; she's STILL alive and she's also still mad at you for doing that because she was among the three with whom you refused to share!"
Yesterday, an acquaintance told me about a problem she was having but she obviously had forgotten that she had told me about it previously. As she was distraught, I didn't tell her that her story had changed somewhat in the intervening months.
Les says that I am "self-righteous". Guilty as charged!
My friend Patty wrote to tell me she was glad that my brother Bode's "hair whorls" were on his chest and not his back. (CLICK HERE to see DOUBLE CROWN) I remember seeing a survey which showed that most women do not find back hair appealing.
I hope that Bode will forgive me for telling THAT about his chest hair whorls and for also telling THIS: at age 18--before Bode went into the service--he had only ONE hair on his chest. After he'd been out all night and did not want to get up in the morning to go to work, Mother would threaten to pull that ONE hair from his chest! After returning home from the service, Bode was indeed proud to show off the hair on his chest.
I can remember my brothers--as little boys and their seeming rite of passage--trying out my father's Gillette Safety Razor, shaving brush and Williams Shaving Soap in the shaving cup, and of course, the much-needed STYPTIC pencil for the predictable cuts! I still remember the scents of the shaving soap and styptic pencil! I remember the "Look sharp, be sharp" Gillette commercials on the Friday night fights!
Recently, Charles, the older friend for whom I have Power Of Attorney, told me that he wanted a safety razor and blades instead of the electric razor. It was the second electric razor he had dropped and broken. I went to several places to try to buy a safety razor and the clerk at CVS told me the safety razors were no longer available although they still carried the blades. Gerald said he would go online to find one but I knew that my father's razor was in the upstairs bathroom medicine cabinet. Les cleaned it up, and I bought the blades at CVS, and took them to the nursing home, but the nursing home would not allow the razor and blades; the reason: with Charles' condition, he cannot shave himself, and the the aides do not know how to use the safety razor! I realize it's a highly technical process to open and close the razor and install the blades; thus, I was relieved when Charles announced he wants a beard and an Afro hairdo!
Watching Modern Family, the character Cameron was busy choosing businesses for the upcoming wedding and mentioned that he preferred businesses with punny-names such as FLORIST GUMP and FLORAL & HARDY!
I have also always liked the use of clever punning for businesses, as long as one is able to "get" it! I've written before about business names which one couldn't tell what the business is! (CLICK HERE to see article)
My favorite local cute pun is BACK-EN-THYME which is a floral shop.
I also like the following ones from other areas:
THE LONE HYDRANGEA (floral shop)
CURL AND DYE (beauty salon)
AL'S CLIP JOINT (barber shop)
ROCK AND SOLE PLACE (fish and chips restaurant)
BEST LITTLE HAIR HOUSE IN DENVER (beauty shop)
AWARD WEINERS (hot dog stand at Disneyland)
THAI ME UP (Thai food restaurant)
PANE IN THE GLASS (glass repair)
The article by Richard Nordquist here shows 200 punny-named businesses which he states are STILL in business because of (OR despite the fact) the names!
William J. Brown was elected Attorney General of Ohio in 1970 and served until 1983. During his tenure he created the first Consumer Protection Agency and he sued General Motors because that company had installed Chevrolet engines in higher-priced Oldsmobiles. That suit resulted in a large settlement for consumers.
When Brown ran in the Primary for Governor in 1982, I was a Brown supporter but he was defeated by Richard Celeste. He retired from politics and became associated with the law firm of Kegler & Brown in Columbus. He died in 1999 at the age of 59. The William J. Brown scholarship is endowed at Ohio Northern University, Brown's alma mater.
Bill Brown was the world's biggest M.A.S.H. fan. When he learned that Jamie Farr was scheduled to be in Columbus to perform, Brown invited Farr to visit his office. When Farr went in, Bill Brown got up from his desk wearing a black taffeta dress, in honor of Corporal Klinger! This was especially amusing because Brown was a conservative, though quite a dapper dresser!
See an article from The Deseret detailing Farr's version of the encounter (CLICK HERE).
