A cool book

I'm pleased with myself today because I upped my exercise a little bit. I've been trying to increase a little bit every time I work out, and I'm up to 5 miles on the recumbent bike, and I've been slowly increasing the weights and reps on the weight machine. Feelin' good, baby! In fact, the 5 miles was almost easy--I'm going to keep increasing on that to build up my endurance. It's also a great chance to catch up on reading...it seems like the miles just fly by.

After that, I shoveled a bit on the driveway. There is one spot that we bog down in when we're driving the Mustangs, and Ken asked me to try to make that a little better today. I didn't shovel so much as scrape off the soft layer on top...I was sort of a little walking snowplow. I hope it helps.

I was really excited to get a new book in the mail today. After reading my numerous entries lately about Googie signage, our friend Laurel (who runs Afton Station on Route 66) recommended American Signs: Form and Meaning on Route 66, by Lisa Mahar. I was missing that one from my collection, so I ordered it pronto! Laurel said she assisted with some of it, and the first thing I did was turn to the Acknowledgements section, and there she was! Very cool.

I just paged through it a little bit, and I'm itchin' to get at it. It looks fascinating, with discussions of shapes, materials, construction, etc. It seems to be in the same vein as Alan Hess' books on Googie and on Vegas signage, and it is right up my alley. Laurel, thank you so much for the recommendation. I can already tell that I'm going to enjoy it immensely!

Speaking of books, I have a question for you all. Does anyone else love blank journals? I was at Target yesterday and found one on sale and had to snap it up. I don't know what it is about them, but if I see one on sale, I'm all over it. I use them to make lists, or write notes to myself, and whenever we go on vacation and Shane takes care of Sheeba, I leave it out with a note to Shane and he writes a little day-to-day diary of what goes on when he comes over. (And yes, I've saved them all, Shane!) I just love those blank books--maybe it's the thought of all the things I can fill it with--and although I don't buy them indiscriminately, I can rarely resist one that's on sale.

Is it just me?

Googie signage

The lovely Miss Ginger wonders, "Why is it called 'Googie' signage and 'Googie' architecture?"

Excellent question, Miss G., and although I think I may have written a little about Googie before, it was some time ago and I don't think I wrote a ton about it. This is one of the finest signs I saw on our recent trip. I love the starburst/sun rays at the top, and when lit, they light in sequence. Very cool!

Googie is part of futurist architecture, and originated in southern California. It takes its name from Googie's Coffee Shop, which was demolished in the late 80's. Googie was prominent from the late 40's through about the mid-60's, and was inspired by car culture, and the Space and Atomic Ages. Frequent design elements were geometric shapes, boomerangs, atoms, starbursts, and flying saucers; roofs were often triangular and upswept, indicating speed and energy; and materials included glass, steel, and neon.

Googie architecture and signs lost their appeal in the late 60's, and many buildings and signs were torn down. In the 90's, efforts began to preserve these unique examples of a short-lived style in American architectural history. I love them because they seem happy and cheerful to me, and as you know, I loves me my retro stuff!

There is a great book by Alan Hess dedicated to nothin' but Googie (Googie Redux), and some great examples of Googie can be found at Roadside Peek. Next time you're out and about, see if you can spot some signs that you think might be Googie. You're looking for triangles, sphere, starbursts, etc. Neon is a plus, but not a requirement. If you find a good one, take a picture and put it up on your site and leave a comment here about it. I always love seeing new signs! It can be a new game: Spot the Googie! More Vegas signs to come as soon as I can get busy on a slideshow.

Lord have mercy, I'm a Bethsicle! It was cold enough when I went out to get the mail--thank goodness the postman had already come! This afternoon, I turned on the TV to watch CNN while I did a little ironing, and I couldn't get the channel. No CNN? ACK! *swoon* I started messing with it, resetting the receiver, etc., and eventually I couldn't get any sort of satellite info at all. I took a look out back, and sure enough, the dish had a whole bunch of snow piled up on it. I had to take out the garbage, too, so I bundled up and headed out. Ski suit topped with my parka. My core stayed toasty-warm, but my face was freezing, even with my hood up!

And wow, it's pretty deep. It was definitely close to my knees, so I'd say at least a foot total. I brushed off the dish, took the garbage can out to the road, and by the time I was done, I had worked up a sweat! And there was a happy ending, because I 'm watching CNN right now. Huzzah! As for the temps, we're still on track for 13 below tonight, so all I can say is that I hope that those who don't have a home make their way to shelters tonight. It is dangerously cold.

Source: "Googie architecture." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 2008. Answers.com 15 Jan. 2009. http://www.answers.com/topic/googie-architecture