Category: Life with Pratts

Strong influence on the weak-minded?

A few days ago I was on my last disposable razor when the shaving cream ran out, so I went to Target, intending to buy the same combination of Gillette Foamy and Bic Comfort 3-blade razors that I’ve been using for over two years…

… but then I decided on Barbasol shaving cream and Gillette Custom Plus twin-blade disposals. I thought I had based my purchase solely on price, but today, while going through last week’s New Yorker, I spotted something in an article I’d already read. Hover over the picture to see what it was.

Coincidence, or the power of iconography?

Bamboo and Bambu

What’s this?? What’s this?? Baby Boomers and Seniors being lumped together, for the New England Boomers & Seniors Expo, as if these two very distinct groups are now one and the same?? So it’s come to this at last. Say it ain’t so, marketeers!

I had to go to the dentist Wednesday morning. The office is in a neighboring town. When they were done with me I recalled there’s a CVS somewhere around there, and while walking around looking for it I spotted a small True Value hardware store with bamboo rakes on display out front. Yay! I needed a new rake, and Home Depot and Lowes only carry plastic and metal, so I grabbed one and went inside.

Oh. My. God. The place is a hangout for old, retired guys, futzing around. Most of them look like they’re about 70. They’re the same age as the Beatles! How did they turn into their fathers?? Is this the future that’s fated for all of us Boomer men?? They should be getting stoned and hanging out at a record store, going through bins of used vinyl LPs!

Pulling on a Poulan

I’ve had a Weed Eater gasoline leaf blower for 10 or 12 years. The spark plug won’t come out anymore and the muffler is rattling around loose under the partially melted plastic body, but last fall it still started and ran. Knowing that its days are numbered, and with the New England autumn coming on fast, I’ve been looking for a replacement. Today I bought a Poulan Pro BVM210VS, on sale at Lowes for $90.

I got it home, installed the tube, put in some 2-stroke gas, and followed the starting instructions:

  1. Set the choke lever to “start”
  2. Press gas primer bulb 6 times
  3. Pull the cord five times
  4. Click the trigger to make choke switch over to “run”
  5. Pull the cord until it starts… or the cord comes out in your hand

Huh? That last part wasn’t in the instructions. I stared at the cord in my hand, no longer a part of the leaf blower. So I poured the gas back into the can and drove back to Lowes to return the Poulan Pro. When I got home again I saw that the old Weed Eater — also a Poulan product, by the way — still had some gas in it, and the thing started right up.

Phil Shepardson, R.I.P.

I owe Phil Shepardson a lot. When I was a senior in college he lined up an internship for me at the local radio station. I must have done all right, because it turned into a job when I graduated. By happy accident, that was how I met Bismo, who called the station when I asked a Star Wars trivia question. “What color is Darth Vader’s light saber?” Bismo said “blue” and I’ll never let him live that down.

Tonight I learned that Phil Shepardson passed away a few months ago. Here’s an obituary. Five years ago, I wrote a bit about Dr. Phil, as we called him at Westfield State College, before there was Dr. Phil.

“As Schools Match Wits” host dies: wwlp.com

You know the tirelessly upbeat, fun, and engaging personalities of Cousin Brucie and Stan Lee? That’s what knowing Phil Shepardson was like. He was a true multi-media man and a kindred spirit. Phil loved cartooning, and he would challenge me on my definitions of art vs. illustration, and films vs. movies. When The Empire Strikes Back came out, I happened to run into Shepardson at a supermarket, and he wanted to know what I thought of the movie. We had a lively discussion about the phenomenon of blockbuster movies merging with fandom, which he didn’t particularly welcome, and he wanted me to explain it to him. Was it a generational thing, or a commercial response to the excellent films of the early 70’s? That was the sort of discussion that Shepardson loved to have. Here’s to you, and farewell, Dr. Phil.

Avoid Precision Garage Door!

One of the garage door torsion springs broke. Yesterday I called the local office of the Precision Garage Door franchise. The technician is here now, and he seems like a good guy, but the price he quoted was outrageous. The whole job should cost about $250, taking into account that we live in an expensive area, but they wanted $350 just for the springs! None of the cars are in the garage, so the work doesn’t have to be done immediately. I told him I’d pay the $75 service charge and he could leave. He called his boss and I got a better price, and it’s still way too much, but I can live with it to get the work done on a Saturday. Anyway, watch out for this outfit. I’ll never use them again.