Thursday, July 26, 2012

Remember SCTV's "Chariots of Eggs"?

Does anyone remember SCTV's hilarious parody of "Chariots of Fire" called "Chariots of Eggs"? The sketch starred Daryl Hall and John Oates in an old-timey foot race (accompanied by the requisite soaring Vangelis soundtrack) competing against Andrea Martin and Catherine O'Hara -- in an egg-and-spoon race.

It popped into my head while compiling this morning's All the Rage Fashion News report and ran across the fact that the egg cups are among the Olympic-themed merchandise being offered at the 2012 London games.

Wouldn't you know, the sketch is still alive out there on the interwebs, so I've embedded it above for your viewing pleasure.

-- Adam

Friday, July 20, 2012

"Real Vermonters" via a 1985 article in the L.A. Times

Searching for "Vermonters in Los Angeles" this morning, I ran across an April 21, 1985, Los Angeles Times article titled "Content Vermonters Keep Clock Turned Back," written by Charles Hillinger. It begins this way:


EAST BURKE, Vt. — It was a cold, snowy, mid-April Saturday morning and the three-story, yellow, weathered, century-old East Burke General Store was stirring with activity.


Dairy farmers, maple syrup makers, old timers and others were buying groceries, picking up mail at the back-of-the-store post office, exchanging greetings and the latest tidbits about local happenings.


You can read the article in its entirety here, but those two paragraphs describe just about the scene at my folks Wayside Country Store when I was there earlier this month for some down time (minus the post office part -- since the 05250 has a genuine, freestanding P.O. all its own.)


-- Adam

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Pantone, Watch Your Back: A Colorful Look at UVM

This clever piece, which appears at the end of the Summer 2012 issue of Vermont Quarterly, the University of Vermont's alumni magazine, captures some of UVM's colorful nature in a series of paint chips. Some are obvious ("October," "Puck") and some can only be appreciated by those who have spent a good deal of time there ("Nectar's Fry," "Flying Diaper").

In honor of my etymology professor, Robin Schlunk, a free half point goes to the first person who can explain "Flying Diaper."
-- Adam