Saturday’s theme – frightening fashion trends – continues.
My husband’s favorite television show is My Name is Earl. If you don’t know this surrealist comedy, it’s about a lowlife ne’er-do-well named Earl Hickey who wins the lottery and – at the instigation of the universe – now spends his life trying to atone for all the bad things he’s ever done. As Earl puts it, he’s “karma’s bitch.”
Frequently, while lying on the floor laughing, my husband says things like, “This so reminds me of where I grew up,” and “It’s just like my teenage years,” and “God, this show is about China Lake.”
Two points:
One: If you want to picture the setting of China Lake without flying to the Mojave desert, watch the show. Add fighter jets, and you’ve got it.
Two: Imdb lists plot keywords for the show as: Beer, Hillbilly, White trash, and Witness Protection. My husband’s fondness for all of this alarms me.
In fact, I think he’s close to going overboard. He recently asked where he could find flannel shirts like Earl wears. They’re classic, he thinks. I wonder why.
(Photo of The Husband in his China Lake days, courtesy of… I don’t know. Possibly somebody in witness protection.)
That’s the husband? Ve-e-ery nice. Does he still play a mean mandolin?
I have to admit I wear those shirts a lot, and not just around the cottage. Worn open over a tank top, they’re the perfect post-Big M accessory. Take it off, put it on, take it off….
I don’t think I’d encountered a flannel website before yours, Susan. I assumed it was all about ambiance. Turns out it was stricly practical!
As for The Husband’s reaction to Earl, I’m right there with him. Joy is my niece who dreams of working at Hooters one day. Earl is my cousin that was in jail. Randy covers the rest. Sorry to say I never knew Catalina or Crabman.
strictly
Now I know why Meg had that mischievous grin on this morning when she was blogging. Yep I do love Earl and the whole Earl gang would fit right into the Ridgecrest/China Lake scene.
Oh and Susan, I still play Mandolin
Here you are Paul, for the discerning British shopper:
http://www.nextag.co.uk/flannel-shirt/zzukzB1z0–search-html
Earl’s funny, but it’s Randy who makes me laugh (& he’s lost a heck of a lot of weight since appearing in Evolution with Fox Mulder).
Thanks DJ. Cool, now I have a source for the shirts – if I could only get that Fabio hair back!
I agree with your Randy comment. Our sons tease each other all the time by saying ‘you’re Randy, I’m Earl.’
Oh and lastly our introduction to Ethan Suplee, Randy, was in ‘Remember the Titans’, an awesome flick about American High School Football. It brings back memories.
DJ, DJ… what were you thinking, providing him with an online flannel source that takes orders 24 hours a day? God help us all.
Hmm, I hadn’t even realised that my website background matches my favourite shirts. Clearly, I’m so caught up with tartan, it’s just second nature.
And then there were all those tartan kilts I used to wear when I did time in corporate hell, one of which (Gordon) I’m actually entitled to wear.
Thanks for the flannel link, DJ. But these days, I generally score (on shirts) at Good Will, Garage Sales, and deceased relatives’ (yes, more Gordon) house clear outs.
I’m sorry Meg, but even Evan would know not to stand between a man and his flannel.
I was going to suggest L. L. Bean for the flannel shirts, but I live in Maine so I’m required by law to mention them.
Wanted The Husband to know that My Name is Earl is one of our favorites also, but we hee-haw the most over the character of Earl’s wife, Joy. At Thanksgiving when I made the green bean/cream soup/fried onions casserole at the behest of a relative guest, my husband commented on my “white trash casserole”, one that Joy would be proud of! Here’s to building up good Karma…
Dang, that sounds good, Hiker Chick. Do you fry the onions in butter, or do you use onion rings?
I finally Got all five of your books and have plowed through China Lake and Mission Canyon and am a third of the way through Jericho Point. (Maybe I should pace myself?) They’re amazing! Better than advertized! Madam you are a scholar and a saint! I thank you!
PS: I’m the guy who posted a while ago asking order to read them in. So far reading them in order has proved to be a good choice.
Ummm, onion rings. Now there’s a good, greasy idear. To raise myself above the white trash casserole label, I went to my local Whole Foods (whole rip-off, the locals call it) and used cream of potato and leek soup (organic, no less) with imported French fried onions to try and elevate the green bean dish. Didn’t matter. Hubby still labeled it as something Joy would have thrown together. Glad to hear you rustled up a Thanksgiving the kids could sink their darlin’ little teeth into, oh ye disciple of Peg Bracken’s I Hate to Cook Book.
Hi, Matt – thanks for letting me know you’re enjoying the books. I’m glad you’ve been able to read them in order.
Hiker Chick – *French* fried onions? My, oh my, aren’t y’all fancy?
Meg,
Any thoughts on the Amazon Kindle and the future of reading??
I googled it Matt. It sure won’t win any beauty contests!
Interesting question Matt.
Meg- you should throw this out to the readers and see what they have to say. Would they like to read your new novel on an electronic book?
I work for an Internet company. In fact, I’ve been around the Internet and PC revolution since waaaay back when. Recently, I was fortunate enough to speak at an event at Cambridge a few weeks ago and this subject came up. I gave them my honest opinion – electronic books are coming and they will have an important place in publishing soon, very soon. But electronic books will not replace the good old fashion tactile experience of reading a bound book especially when it comes to leisure reading. And it will never, IMHO, replace the ultimate reading experience – teaching your children to read. Nothing is better than sitting down with a little one, struggling through your first chapter book, sounding out words, referring to the picture, figuring out the punctuation marks and when you get to the bottom of the page- letting your child turn the page. Whew glad that’s done! ……. My turn dad. I would not have missed that for the world.
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I agree that nothing will replace the paper book. I mean there’s just something about paper, glue, and the experience of turning the pages yourself.
That said E-books do appeal to me in some ways and as far as I can tell the kindle seems to have preserved the “book experience” to some degree. And the 200 plus book strorage appeals to my wife.
We’ve got stacks and stacks of books around here. And 9.99 for a bestseller is hard to beat.
I think you’re correct E-books ARE comming. And once the prices come down (and here’s hoping the will) I think they just may be worth embracing.
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