The Wonder Bread Trading Cards

In 1978, when I was all of four years old,  Wonder Bread came out with a set of 36 trading cards based on the new show Battlestar Galactica.

I was then, and am now,  a fan of that original series, what with the menacingly Cylon voices and the fierce Viper combat,  and in my preschool head the series and Star Wars were probably jumbled up together into a happy little sci-fi continuity.

I have a very clear memory of my parents taking me to a Kohl's (back then the company operated both retail and grocery stores,  methinks it was the one one on 15th-ish and Burnham)  because they'd called ahead and found out that location had the "specially marked" bread with the cards.  Presumably other stores ran out of the product, I was pestering my folks, and they loved me enough to humor me. 

I don't think I have any of the cards now, but the fact that it remains a short but fond memory of such a very young age,  keeps them close to my heart. 

James Earl Jones

 

James Earl Jones, the beloved actor whose career spanned 70 years, from the mid-50's until this decade, has died at the age of 93. 

He was and will always be remembered as the iconic voice of Darth Vader, but his career was much more than that; his roles on stage and film are too many and varied to list here. Jones, a fellow Catholic, was the winner of three Tony Awards, a Grammy, a Golden Globe, and a Lifetime Achievement Oscar. 

When I think of him Darth Vader comes first to mind, followed quickly by Field of Dreams, and The UFO Incident, in which he played Barney Hill, an alleged victim of alien abduction. 

RIP

A Book from my Past

In the late '80's I bought The Complete Films of John Wayne, by Mark Ricci and Boris and Steve Zmijewsky. It's a reference guide to each of the 169 feature films Wayne made in his lifetime, and I purchased it not only because I was a fan of the Duke, but because at the time I was heavily invested in watching classic movies on AMC (back when that was American Movie Classics). 

It's rather a no-frills guide, with a summary of each movie and relevant production data, but very few, if any, behind the scenes snippets and only  black and white photographs.. 

Still, having gotten rid of the book decades ago, I was very happy when my new (to me) copy arrived in the mail recently. Welcome home Mr. Wayne. 

I Think About This Far More Often Than Is Neccessary

The Big Sky by A.B. Guthrie

 I'm all for troubled heroes, but I don't like troubling ones. And Boone Caudill, the main character in this epic tale of the American West, is about as troubling as a hero can get. 

That's how a review of The Big Sky, the classic Western masterpiece by Pulitzer Prize winner A.B. Guthrie, begins on Goodreads, setand a sad testament it is to the state of the reading public. So enamored are we now of "representation" that we are incapable of immersing oursleves in a novel unless the character looks like us, thinks like us, acts like us - or, to be more precise, acts like the saint we imagine ourselves to be. 

Boone Caudill is not, by the way, the "hero" of the novel, as there is no hero to be found. He is the main character, but only if you ignore the American West itself, the true and only pure character to be found. The novel opens with Boone the victim of parental abuse, and in short order he is chased, betrayed, framed, tortured by a lawman, and made a fugitive. Caudill, a man of many internal flaws, came by them the hard way. 

Set in the 1830's, there is a narrative thread connecting the characters from start to finish, but a thread is all it is. The Big Sky is not concerned about plot or structure. It's more a tale of barely related,  self contained episodes of Caudill's life. 

Be forewarned that life can be dark.  I've already mentioned how the book begins; before it ends there will be murder,  mutilation,  rape, starvation, spousal abuse,  cannibalism, and betrayal.  No one is immune,  not the white characters, not the natives, and it occurs without judgement, just another part of the wild land the characters inhabit.

There is beauty too,  in Guthrie's pen and his insights into the world he so thoroughly and lovingly creates. 

I did NOT have difficulty reading about a troubled lead,  but I did have issues with the frequent use of the N word.  I know,  different era,  different people,  and I'm sure it's accurate to 1837. It was still jarring to read in 2024, especially as it was hard to put my finger on just how it was being used.  I could be wrong,  but I think it was only used once in reference to a black man, was more often than not to describe themselves (white), and in all its uses it seemed rarely to be an insult. Again,  jarring and confusing. 

It is a great novel,  but don't expect sunshine and lollipops.

Grade: B

Junie's Big Birthday Surprise

While Junie was gone at her birthday party, Lulu replaced her twin bed and trundle with a new full sized set. 

Like I said it was LuLu's project. Smiley contributed with some help picking up the mattress, which was donated by YaYa, I played a big role in finagling the box spring up the narrow stairs, and my sister came to help with the setup. Still, 97% LuLu's effort 

                                                                          She loved it!!!