Things I Don't "Get"

People who leave up to a week's worth of newspapers, unread (still rolled up in their bright orange plastic sleeves), lying in their driveways.
Walking my dog through the neighborhood nearly every day, I see this at quite a few houses and always wonder why.
I know they must have left the house for work or errands at least a few times. I hear them in their yards and houses, even, so it isn't as if someone is away on vacation.
How do they not pick up their daily newspaper? And if they are not at all interested in reading the newspaper, why do they subscribe and pay to have them delivered? They just roll over the newspapers with their car every day? As a newspaper junkie and a person who checks the front step first thing in the morning for my weekend paper, I just don't get how some neighbors ignore their newspapers like that.
This always leads me to another thing I don't "get"--how some people can have a dog, and never ever walk it. Just leave it fenced in a backyard or on a deck all day--every day. But I won't even go there......


Melinda Dillon's hair in "A Christmas Story"
Dillon plays the kindly mother in the now classic holiday movie, set in the 1940's. I just don't get how all the other period details in that film are so spot on, from the bulky snowsuit Randy has to wear to the retro interior touches and the clothing. But her hair is a frizzed out, permed 70's style mop (that if it weren't in this movie, I would normally like) and which even if someone back then truly had frizzy hair like that, I don't think they would ever have worn it like that. Whenever I see the hairstyles of the 40's in pictures and movies, women wore their hair in a rolled pompadour style--no bangs. The conventions of the time would not have allowed Ralphie's mom to let it all hang loose like that. Maybe it is silly of me, but it always bugs me when I watch the movie--how her hair is the one thing that sticks out as not right!
This observation is related to my annoyance with 1950's historical and Biblical movies where the women all have cone bras under their dresses or togas, and red lipstick on(and the male characters all seem to have stepped out of a barbershop with a neat 50's style comb-over).




And lastly......

El Caminos--the combination truck/car
I don't even remember ever seeing these hideous cars when I was younger (in the 70's and 80's when these were made by Chevrolet). But now, I notice them all the time. There was one parked in the lot at work yesterday(which triggered this topic in my brain)--a shiny purple one. It looked in mint condition, and I suppose these cars with the pick-up back have their fans. I just think they are one of the ugliest cars ever made--half car-half truck. Ugh--a bad 70's idea (actually, according to Wikipedia, these started being made in the 60's). They just bother me.
The thing is, I am also oddly fascinated by them. Like a perplexing trainwreck, I stare and stare whenever I see one.
Besides the purple one, there is another particular El Camino I see around town a lot. It is dark grey with the words "El Conquista" on the back, in black Partridge Family style lettering. This one also has a custom black top for the truck bed, so it looks like a hearse to me. The older man who drives it either spends every morning at the town beach or is employed there. I see it near the beach or parked at the main beach building often when I drive past there on my way in to work.

So there ya go! A few of the trivial things my brain ponders over from time to time. I never said I would blog about deep, philosphical things here.