11/29/2004 Entry: ""
Posted by Maynard @ 11:23 AM MST
Reflections on the Passage of Time
I love Lileks. Who else can write the "word" griswalded and have instant comprehension?
For those of you reading some Internet Archive in the vast, far-off future, who have no instant comprehension, let me elaborate.
Many moons ago (from my perspective, and even more so from yours) there was (is?) an organization called National Lampoon. It was, for lack of a better term, a comedy factory. They had a magazine and every once in a while put out a movie. Alas, the early days of the factory were more productive than the latter.
One of its workers was a guy named Chevy Chase. Don't confuse him with the car company - you pronounce his name with a hard 'ch', not the soft 'shevvy' associated with the cars. His real name is Cornelius Crane Chase. Anyway, he did a movie about the Griswold family called Vacation in 1983. Its a story about the classic American road trip to a far-off, wonderful amusement park called Wally-World. Various troubles occur along the way, including the death of Grandma and the discovery that the day they arrive at the park is the one day its closed for renovation. Best line: "Sorry folks - the park's closed."
Anyway, Clark Griswold returned in '85 for European Vacation, and again in '89 for Christmas Vacation. It was from this movie that the term 'griswalded' (yes, its misspelled) derives. In this movie the family stays home and the relatives come to visit. Clark has a scene where he gets out the decorations for the Super Light Extravaganza. He gets one box, reaches in, and pulls out a tangled ball of lights as large as his ample ego (about a foot and a half in diameter). He looks at it, then hands it to his son and tells him to untangle it. Hence the term "griswalded".
It just occurred to me that those younger than 15 wouldn't know what Christmas Vacation was either. Damn I feel old. You see, I turned 28 yesterday.
[curmudgeonly old coot from the peanut gallery] "You isn't old, little feller! I'll show you old! Old is when yeh can't feel yer teeth in the mornin' and start ta panickin' cuz' yeh fergot yer dentures were out even though yeh had 'em fer 20 years, that's old!"
Yes Dad, it is.
Anyway, yes, I feel old. It is a sense that has been growing on me for some time, that more and more people don't know where the following image came from:
That more and more people think of Columbia when the hear the phrase "Shuttle Disaster".
That more and more people think of a Baghdad statue falling when they hear the phrase "US vs. Saddam Hussein".
That more and more people think of the dot-com bubble instead of 1987 when they hear the term "stock market crash".
That more and more people's only exposure to Ronald Reagan is a casket on TV and not his time in office.
That more and more people think of political talk shows when they hear the term "Talking Heads".
Anyway, I have less than two years until the Dreaded 30, and already I have a house and a wife. My hope is that before that number comes I will have a child, but the Lord determines that time.
The past year has certainly been better than any before, which is all you can really hope for in your time here on Earth. So here's to another year, and here's to hope. Keep in mind another little gem from Lileks: "Every duty and obligation is really a blessing, an opportunity." Remember that at least once before your next birthday.
Replies: 
(1)
Ah, 28
I remember 28...
*Ironic that I have the "Sand in the Vaseline" by Talking Heads in the MP3 playlist right now.
Posted by Jeremy @ 11/29/2004 12:29 PM MST
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