August 22nd – For everyone there is someone; or at
least we like to think there is, don’t know about you but I do love a happy
ending. The thing to do, of course, is not spend too much time looking out the
window, but that’s difficult when that’s where most of your dreams are playing.
With that as bait, we do have to spend a little time watching
over them (our dreams) but maybe not several hours a day. Just think of all the
people we pass by each day, all those people, living all those lives and all
looking for…? Well, most of the time they’re looking to get home safe before it
starts to persist down, but my guess is that the majority are looking for the
same things we are. Some of us have found them, or him, or her, or it, and
happy we are about that (I think) but others are still searching for whatever
it is…crikey, this is positive chat from me, providing the answers to life, the
universe and everything.
What it is, you see, is our passage through life has become
more distant from those around us…I mean, the number of people killed or maimed
by walking into a passing Volvo whilst they’re texting is growing year-on-year,
more than 20 this year so far; and that’s just walking and texting. One step up
to the platform of stupid than texting whilst you’re walking is texting whilst
you’re driving?! That’s got to be the most idiotic thing in the world,
next to creeping up to a sleeping lion and poking it in the eye with a short
stick. Wasn’t there a lass killed in her car on her first solo trip out just
recently? Her car was hit by a truck that she had pulled out in front of whilst
she was texting her friend to say she’d be slightly late…? Well, my dear, better to arrive a little late
than dead on time; got that one as wrong as wrong thing then, didn’t she. But,
OK, put this stupidity aside for a second, what about this delightful idea
we’ve got now of putting DVD players in the back of seat headrests so the
little darlings don’t have to look out the window at the boring old countryside
now but can, instead, watch their favourite cartoon characters which is, as we
all know, so much nearer the real world. What’s that thing about the video-gamer
who went outside once but the greens were very ordinary, the blue of the sky
was insipid and as for the trees…hopeless. We seem to be so wrapped up in the
technology that is rapidly overtaking us that, mark me, 20 years time, folk’ll
be wandering about with those stupid wrap-around dark glasses on as they
meander through their chosen landscape oblivious (even more) to the people,
events and tactile, interactive world around them.
So, what do we think would’ve happened if these sorts of
blinkers to real living and interaction had been around in the 1930’s? Well,
I’ll tell you one thing, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers may never have met; and
just think how the world would’ve turned out if that’d been the case! Doesn’t
bear thinking about, does it? On this day in 1938, their picture appeared on
the cover of Life Magazine. With something like 10 movies already
done and dusted as a duo they had re-written the standard of dance. I know Mr.
Astaire had other partners (Cyd Charisse and Barrie Chase amongst them…and was
Ann Miller more than a match for him or is that just my imagination) but his
partnership with Ms. Rogers yielded the richest seam of quality dance routines
west of the Pecos.
So, switch off that iPhone, unplug those earphones and
damn-well pay attention to what’s going on, or you could stand a chance of
missing your own Ginger Rogers/Fred Astaire moment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtBv6EZjT_0
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