8/19/2011

STRANGE HAPPENINGS

There is something strange going on here and I don’t understand it. Where I live, in Carmel, California, there is an annual Antique Car Show. People come from many miles away and show their antique cars to other antique car owners. This has been going on every year for 61 years and during this particular week we often see these old cars driving around the area as well as the fancy moving vans used to transport these cars.

The thing that mystifies me is what they classify as an "antique car." In former years I used to see old cars displayed that I had only read about. But it seems to be different now.

Yesterday I saw a car that everyone was admiring and it was the same model my father had when I was growing up. How could a 1934 Essex be an antique? We used to drive that to go on picnics. Well, actually, my father drove it.

But the first car I owned was a 1938 Buick and, granted, it wasn’t in the shape the one on display is, but it certainly wasn’t an antique. And for sure it wasn’t worth $150,000. In fact, $50 would be closer to what I paid for it.

There is something very strange going on these days as far as what people consider “old” and I’m going to make an attempt find out what it is. Maybe it’s that “Time Warp” thing I’ve read about in science fiction stories. Probably something like that.

The Old Professor
Carmel, CA
August 19, 2011

8/11/2011

IT'S NOT ALWAYS ENGLAND

I have a friend who lives in England. Whenever I mention some particular achievement that some American did he always says, “Oh, we did that in England many years ago.”

I don’t mean things like landing on the moon but rather, everyday, man-on-the-street things. For example, I might mention a recently written song I enjoyed by an American composer. He would say, “Oh, The Beatles did that years ago.”

I’m inclined to think he is exaggerating most of the time but until now I never really had a proper comeback so I just accepted his overbearing attitude thinking that someday I would be able to find something Americans did first.

The day has arrived.

I see in the news that gangs of young thugs were roaming the streets of London and Manchester destroying property for no apparent reason except they think that’s what gangs of young thugs are supposed to do.

Well, my English Friend, I have news for you. We did that with the Watts Riots back in 1965! Gangs of young thugs roamed the streets destroying property for no apparent reason except they thought that’s what gangs of young thugs were supposed to do.

Sure, it happened in London but we did it first!

The Old Professor
Carmel, CA
August 11, 2011

PS Thank you, Caroline x.