This is a great little sales film peddling the Futuramic 1948 Oldsmobile. I cut it down to its best bits. Enjoy!
Friday, November 25, 2011
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Nostalgic Flashback Of The 1950s Era
Since I grew up in the 1950's it is fun for me to reflect on some
of the nifty things during that era.
Drive In Theatres
Known then as the "passion pit", Drive In Theatres bring back
many happy memories!
My birthday being in July was the prime season for Drive In
movies. I would invite all my friends over to celebrate my
birthday complete with my mother's homemade barbeque sandwiches which was my favorite.She would make it from sliced rump roast and then lay the meat in an electric skillet smothered in barbeque sauce. Just before dark we would all pile into a car and head for the drive In. I still remember the intermission jingle "Let's all go to the lobby" with the hot dog, soda drink and popcorn dancing across the screen.
The Drive In was the favorite place to go on a date and the after
the show we would go to the Steak n Shake for a hamburger and
fries.
At that time you stayed in your car and your food was brought to
you. A tray holder was placed on the drivers side window to hold the food. It was just brought to my attention from my teenage grandchildren that "going steady" is no longer used.
I asked them what do you call it now? They replied just "going
out". Makes no sense to me, but that is how times change. Back in the 50's and 60's when you were "going steady", the girl would be given her boyfriends ring to wear. Because they were always too big to fit, we would wrap the back with white bandage tape and then cover that with fuzzy angora yarn in different colors.. way too cool!
The only place you could buy the angora in my town was a
department store downtown and I can still remember that they did
not have cash registers at the counters, but instead the clerk
would send your money through a vacuum tube that led upstairs to
the cashiers office. It was much like the drive in
banking tube that is used today.
Rock n Roll
The summer of 1955 with Bill Haley's song "Rock Around the Clock"
changed the music we listened to forever. I was hooked.
Then came Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, and
the rest is history. Every Saturday I would walk downtown to
Lindstrom's Record store and listen to the latest hits and always
come home with at least one new 45. In my bedroom next to my bed
was my radio that I would listen to every night just to hear the
newest songs. Radio at that time was AM only and at night with
less interference in the airwaves I could pick up a station from
Little Rock which was about 600 miles from where I lived. The
commercial that I will never forget was for White Rose
Petroleum Jelly. I was so excited the night I heard the song "Sea
Cruise" that I ran down to Lindstrom's to buy it only to find out
that it wasn't available yet.
My parents did not like Rock n Roll and would say it sounds like
noise. They did however "put up" with it and allowed me to play
my record player as loud as it would go which was not very loud
when compared to today's stereos. Now we have a stereo in the
living room, a portable stereo in the garage complete with
subwoofer, subwoofers on our computers and a subwoofer in the
car. My love for music has stayed with me and the music and the
equipment to play it with just keeps getting better.
Clothes
Cuffed bobbie socks worn with suede "buckskin" shoes or saddle
shoes that came in all color combinations and styles from light
weight to the original heavier oxford in black and white.
The sleeves were always cuffed and rolled on the girls short
sleeve shirts, and finished off with a scarf around the neck.
Wool skirts with the length at the middle of the calf with a slit
in the back. The favorite hair styles were pony tails, and
shoulder length hair that was rolled at the ends with bangs and
usually a side part. Barrettes were often used as decoration and
to hold the hair away from the face. The boys typical clothes
were blue jeans with cuffed legs, a t-shirt with rolled sleeves,
or a shirt with the back of the collar turned up. They wore
various short hair styles ranging from the butch to slightly
longer Elvis style that was combed back and held in place with
VO5 Hair Dressing into a duck tail or DA as it was called.
Going to church on Easter Sunday was a sight to behold! All the
women and young girls (me included) wore a hat adorned with
artificial flowers along with white gloves.
Toys and Hobbies
I wasn't much into dolls as a child because I preferred to be
outside exploring or making something with my hands. The one doll
that I did enjoy for a short time was the Ginny Doll that is
tucked away in a closet complete with all the clothes,
accessories and furniture along with a Toni Doll still in the
original box almost untouched. The Toni Doll was a Christmas gift
and I was evidently at the age that it just didn't interest me
much.
Easy Bake Oven has been around for 50 plus years as I was given
one for Christmas when I was 8 years old and made and ate all the
cakes the first night. Needless to say, I got very sick later
that night!
One of my weekly downtown stops was the local Hobby Shop that
sold Paint by Number products. I would sit at a desk in the
sunroom and paint for hours. I painted a black tole waste basket
and Kleenex box holder that was given to my Mother as a gift.
They also sold magic tricks that fascinated me and I would give
magic shows at home on the piano bench covered with a black
antique crazy quilt. Two other toys I have fond memories of was the Hula Hoop and the Slinky.
Burma Shave
The old motels are now a thing of the past having been replaced
with travel hotels. More rooms in a smaller space, but not as
convenient as the motels where you would park right in front of
your room.
When our family would take car trips we would see the Burma Shave
signs along the road and read them out load as we passed them.
DON'T TRY PASSING, ON A SLOPE, UNLESS YOU HAVE, A PERISCOPE, BURMA-SHAVE.
If computers had come along 45 years sooner, I think my life would have been very different. Oh well, better late than never.
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Monday, November 14, 2011
Infuse Your Cottage With Charm And Personality Through Interior Design
The whole point of cottage style living is unpretentious enjoyment of home, friends and life. Unlike the big manor houses for which cottages originally housed servants, cottages not only are absent of dining rooms where 24 people can enjoy a regal 12-course meal, they rarely have dining rooms at all! In short, cottage style is about the way most of us live today, not about wanting to live the way the very rich lived yesterday!
Since cottage style derives from servants' cottages, which were usually furnished with pieces cast off from the manor house, cottage chic unabashedly turns discards into desirable objects by reclaiming and re-presenting them in a new context. This is good news for those of us on a budget, and who among us isn't?
Flea markets, garage sales and thrift stores are Mecca for cottage style decorators, who train themselves to view the merchandise they find there in light of what it can be, not what it was. An old painted bench can become a stylish cottage coffee table, an old mahogany corner cabinet can keep soap, towels and other bath necessities at hand, a piano stool with a wrought iron base can serve as a small end table, a largish piece of wrought iron can be affixed to the wall behind the bed to serve as a headboard.
Turning pieces from different eras and styles into a harmonious decorating whole by simply appreciating them is the heart of cottage style. Here are a few ways you can achieve a chic cottage look using decorating rather than renovating:
o Think white: White paint can cover a multitude of architectural sins. A too-small kitchen with dark, dated wood cabinets feels more spacious the moment the walls and cupboards are painted white. Inexpensive white slipcovers on furniture with stained or damaged upholstery unify different styles and brighten the living room. Even white sheets can be artfully draped over sofas and chairs to achieve the cottage slip covered effect.
o Showcase collections: Go through your belongings and select the ones you most love and enjoy. Even if you only have one or two items in a category that gives you pleasure, such as antique wicker baskets or wide-brimmed summer hats, put them out to enjoy. What you collect matters less than how you display it: Even three small antique bottles will appear charming on your kitchen windowsill when each bottle holds a single flower; a hat collection displayed on a wrought iron wall rack near the door lets you enjoy viewing your chapeaux even when you're not wearing them. Removing doors from upper kitchen cabinets allows you to easily showcase pottery and china in a very charming manner.
o Focus on comfort: When buying upholstered furniture, look for pieces that appear "overstuffed" and inviting. Ignore inappropriate upholstery and finishes. A little white paint and a slipcover will change them instantly!
o Use accessories: Pillows covered in floral prints, vintage tablecloths and pillowcases, brightly colored Fiesta ware dishes and old china pitchers used as vases are just a few of the things that make a cottage feel homey. Again, don't worry about using things that match; a floral throw pillow can coexist happily with a checked or striped one, and mismatched dining chairs look fine together when painted the same color. Remember... in cottage style, anything goes!
If you are lucky enough to have a weekend retreat or summer getaway cottage, keep the interior décor light, comfortable and whimsical. After all, the reason you purchased a cottage in the first place was to retreat from the stresses of everyday city life. Your cottage should never be a mirror of your home in the city. The country is a place to let your personality shine through in your decorating.
For unique, different and quality wall and home decor products like abstract metal wall sculptures or elegant wrought iron wall grilles shop at Wall Décor and Home Accents.
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Friday, November 4, 2011
Bicycle Touring Saddles - What Is the Best Bike Touring Saddle?
Just what is the best saddle for touring? Drum Roll, please. The best saddle for touring is the saddle that fits your behind and allows you to ride in comfort!
Chief out touring
Okay maybe that wasn't the answer you were looking for, but it is the best we have to offer. No two people are shaped the same therefore no one saddle is going to be the end all saddle for every person.
The Bike Hermit used to tour on a Brooks B17, as to be expected, over time the saddle relaxed and had a bit of "splay" He punched holes in the sides (like the Brooks Imperial) and threaded the saddle with leather (from the Tandy leather store) and that solved the problem. About two years ago he switched to a Gilles Berthoud Aspin. This saddle was stiffer in the beginning and now has molded to his shape just perfectly. He easily has 3,000 miles on that saddle with no issues. Aha, you say, I will go research and purchase a Gilles Berthoud. Well, Sky King did her best to love the Gilles Berthoud Aspin spending hours adjusting height, position, angle etc but was never comfortable. Finally she measured her sit bones and realized between the shape and width of the Gilles Berthoud Aspin, it was never going to work for her. She went back to her older Fizik's vitesse tri and problem solved. She is back to all day, day after day saddle comfort. She does plan to try the Brooks B17 Narrow as she misses not being able to carry her Zimbale 7 liter saddlebag but for now the Fizik's Vitesse Tri is just fine.
Here are some very important things to consider when selecting a Saddle.
Shape:
Your shape and the saddle shape need to be happy. Most Saddles tend to be either a pear shape or a t-shape. The Gilles Berthoud Aspin and the Brooks B17 and Flyer fall into the pear shape category, the Brooks Swallow, the Zimbale leather saddle, the Brooks B17 Narrow and the Fizik's Vitesse are considered a T shape.
The Flyer does not narrow as quickly as the Zimbale
The width of the saddle across the widest area and how quickly it widens from the nose to the back will affect saddle comfort. Add to that the saddle position or the saddle tilt (nose down, nose up, nose level). Of course don't forget to factor in the entire bike fit.
Too Much Pear-Shape for your shape typically causes chafing in the inner neighborhood of the lower fold of the buttock, top-of-the-leg, panty line, hamstring attachment (however you want to describe it) because the saddle is too pear-shaped for the motion of your hip joints. If these are issues you have with your saddle, perhaps a T-Shaped style would work better. If you feel like you are sitting on a narrow, painful 2 X 4 a pear shaped saddle could be what you need.
Let's get back to saddle width and length. The size of your hips or the size of your behind has very little to do with the size of your saddle, wide hips do not mean you need a wider saddle. The width between your sit bones is what matters. Where those sit bones connect with your saddle makes the biggest impact in saddle comfort. Too wide or too narrow for your sit bones and the end result is pain and chafing. Sky King has a wider hip measurement than the Bike Hermit but he has a wider sit bone measurement.
Each saddle has "cheeks" on the wide back part. Sometimes the cheeks are even domed up a bit. Your sit bones are meant to land in the high part of that dome to take advantage of the padding and the overall architecture of the saddle. Saddle without domes still have a cheek area, the widest part of the saddle is where your sit bones should be resting. Measure the saddle from center of cheek to center of cheek. The saddle's center-to-center should match the center to center measurement of your sit bones.
Next measure the saddle's overall width. Generally the saddle's overall width should be, at minimum, the same as the outside measurement of your sit bones OR slightly wider but NO more than 2 centimeters wider than the outside sit bone measurement. You want to be able to shift around to power up hills or use body-english around corners or just to give your butt a break, and STILL have the bones land on the saddle.
In the case of a many leather saddles your saddle must be about 2 cm wider than your outside sit bone measurement so you do not have bones contacting the metal cantle* plate.
(*rough description - the horseshoe shaped metal plate under the back of the saddle that holds the rails in place)
Measure your sit bones:
We could get all fancy and purchase memory foam or drop some dollars on a fancy gel seat specifically designed to measure sit bones and assist in determining the proper saddle width but we hate to spend money when things at hand will work just as well.
Three inexpensive options for measuring Sit Bones:
The Flour method
Take a gallon size zip lock bag, fill with enough flour for about a two inch flour cushion when the bag is lying on a flat surface. Place this bag on a hard flat surface - table or chair (we use a piano bench) Sit on the bag (preferably bare skin), mimic your bike position. Now stand up without disturbing the bag. Those two dimples/impressions in the flour are from your sit bones.
The Play Dough method
To make your dough:
One part salt, two parts flour, mix with water until it's right for modeling.
Roll about an inch thick, cover with aluminum foil to keep it from being sticky, place dough w/ foil on a low bench, once again sit on dough (bare skin is best) and lean forward to approximate riding position since the sit bones become more narrow as you lean forward. Remove foil and allow to dry a little. The bones impression will become white first.
The Measurement
Take a millimeter tape measure and measure the impressions, recording your findings.
1. The inside edge to inside edge
2. Center of depression to center of depression, if easier, place a marble in each depression and measure the marbles.
3. Outside edge to outside edge
Center-to-center measurement correlates with the spot on a saddle that bears the weight of the sit bones. The saddle "cheeks".
Outside to outside measurement is a consideration for some types of saddles, such as the Brooks that have metal rails, you do not want to have your sit bones resting on the metal rails. General rule of thumb - your saddle width should be about 2 centimeters wider than outside sit bone measurement. Again, you want your sit bones resting on the "checks" of the saddle and you want some wiggle room for movement as you are touring.
Inside to inside may be necessary if you plan to use a saddle with a cut out, to ensure the sit bones clear any large center cutout in the saddle. The inside bones falling into the 'moat' so to speak, causes a lot of pain in the bones surrounding the "soft tissue" area. To clear the cutout, you need about 20 mm extra space in between the inside distance of the sit bones. So, if the cutout is 60 mm, your inside distance is 80, then you have just enough clearance.
The Hand Method(s) of measuring
Sit on your hands, and feel for the two bones of your butt. They feel like elbows poking down into your hands.
Put the tip of your index fingers right under the part of the bones that is pushing hardest into the chair. (squish the very tip of your fingers between the chair and your sit bones)
Lift your butt from the chair leaving your hands on the chair, and have your assistant measure the distance between your fingertips. This is pretty much your center-to-center.
Then put your fingertips against the outsides of the bones. Push them right into the bones so they are on the outside of the bones. Lift your butt from the chair and have an assistant measure the distance between your fingertips. This is pretty much your outside.
Some people have sit bones that angle a lot from front to back. The "sits" are heavy thickened portions of the rami area of the pelvis and can have unique personalities of their own. You can measure again on the forward part of the heavy "elbow" bit if you can feel that yours have a definite angle. The forward portion of the heavy thick part of the bone is what your weight rests on more when you are in a more aero position. DON'T measure the thin blade like portion that is in your crotch, that is the rami and you do not want a saddle there. Measure from your backside.
Repeat your measurements a few times, average them out if you want.
You can also get these measurements by lying on your back with your knees to your chest holding a measuring tape and poking around for landmarks.
The Cutout
Cut Out on a Brooks B17 Imperial
Purchasing a saddle with a cut out can be beneficial if you have soft tissue pressure. An easy way to help determine if you might be a good candidate is to sit (commando or in thin underwear)on a very hard surface, feet flat on the floor, pedaling distance apart. Lean forward from the hips, keeping your back straight and place your elbows on your knees. If you soft tissue is feeling overly squished you may want to try a saddle with a cut out. Do some forum research, some people love them, others find the edges of the cut out equally irritating. Assuming you have a good bike fit and proper saddle height, consider adjusting the angle of your current saddle as well to see if that relieves soft tissue pressure.
Length
Years ago some saddle manufacturers started adding a short version to their line. Historically the short version came about for women riding in skirts and dresses, the longer nose would catch on the dress, making mounting and dismounting more challenging. Now a short version is more about personal comfort. Reading Forums and blog post about saddle fit there are numerous opinions about both. Sky King's Fizik Vitesse Tri is a "woman's" saddle but it isn't any shorter in the nose than a Brooks Swallow.
Conclusion
We agree that finding the right saddle can be tough. Sometimes despite the best research, trial and error ends up being the answer. Taking your measurements and understanding your riding style are the beginning of your quest.
For more great info on choosing a Saddle read other blogs and forums. Sky King took the measuring suggestions from posts on the Team Estrogen Forum. Don't be afraid to ask questions. We both ride day in day out without saddle pain on two entirely different saddles.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
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