Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Lost in Space


Dave and I have been going through a momentary obsession with the '60s TV show "Lost in Space." It turned up on one of our TV channels not too long ago, so we began recording it to watch in the evenings. It is a hoot.

Sometimes it's pleasantly campy, with a reasonably complex plot. And sometimes it's "perfectly dreadful, my dear," as Dr. Zachary Smith might have said in his affected theatrical accent. Seriously, some episodes are painful to watch -- like when the Robinsons encounter a traveling space circus on their planet. Really?!

The cast makes it bearable, with TV veterans like June Lockhart (who's 92 years old now!) and the always believable Billy Mumy as Will. And "special guest star" (even though he was in every episode) Jonathan Harris, clearly having the time of his life camping it up as Dr. Smith.

The closest thing I can liken it to is "Gilligan's Island," which also paired talented actors with perilously underwritten, juvenile scripts. I suppose both shows really were meant mainly for children. It reinforces the brilliance of "Star Trek," which came out just a year or two later at a whole different level of maturity.


Speaking of space aliens, this woman sat across from me on the overground train on Sunday as I took Olga to Wormwood Scrubs. What planet is that jacket from? Actually, I confess that deep down, I kind of love it -- it's either very cheap or very expensive, and given her overall look I'm guessing it's the latter.

We have marginal progress on our oven situation! A repairman visited yesterday morning and ascertained that the faulty part is, indeed, the on/off switch. He also determined that the ground wire and another wire in the plug were reversed -- he was surprised the oven ran at all and couldn't understand how that had happened. I told him it's been like that as long as we've lived here, because we haven't touched it! So he repaired the plug and will try to order a new switch. If it's not available, it looks like we get a new oven.

(Top photo: Cars on the Blackfriars Bridge, from a water-streaked bus window on a rainy evening.)
at

12 comments:

  1. Yorkshire PuddingJanuary 10, 2018 at 8:48 AM

    Yes. You may get a new oven but my money's on 2021 AD! As for the woman on the train, what a shame that she cannot afford to replace her jeans! There's a massive hole in them! How embarrassing for her!

    ReplyDelete
  2. VivianJanuary 10, 2018 at 1:49 PM

    I like that: Her look is "either very cheap or very expensive". That about sums up esthetics in the 21st century. Lordy, I hope that fur is fake -- I can't tell from the photo. But if I had to guess, I'd say she's from Andoria (Star Trek reference, Andorra being one of the four founding members of the Federation of Planets...but you knew that already).

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ms. MoonJanuary 10, 2018 at 2:07 PM

    I sort of love that whole look the woman has going on. It's...creative! And damn, that jacket looks soft. Wouldn't my grandchildren love for me to wear such a garment? Yes! Yes they would!
    So glad that the oven situation is on its way to being taken care of.
    Whoo-hoo!
    You should take up bread baking just in celebration.

    ReplyDelete
  4. eJanuary 10, 2018 at 2:13 PM

    Have a massive "Our oven is fixed" party and re-do the ham...

    ReplyDelete
  5. MartyJanuary 10, 2018 at 2:28 PM

    Good grief, Steve! I'm surprised you hadn't already lit up like Piccadilly Circus when you turned on that oven.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Linda dJanuary 10, 2018 at 2:32 PM

    You got to give her credit for not wanting to look like everyone else. FUN

    ReplyDelete
  7. SharonJanuary 10, 2018 at 2:44 PM

    "Danger Will Robinson" I just had to say that! Last night I watched the first episode of a series on Netflix called "Black Mirror" For the first 10 minutes, I thought it was some sort of campy take off of Star Trek but it turned out to be something more. I haven't decided if I like it enough to keep watching.
    I love that lady in your photo. I see that holes in the knees of pants is still a big thing in London. When I got home from my last trip there, I mentioned to several people how I noticed that women everywhere had holes in the knees of their pants. Not just jeans but every kind of pants or slacks. Here it tends to be just jeans but granted there are some I've seen that are nothing more that shreds of fabric. Those are some very interesting shoes that lady has on too.

    ReplyDelete
  8. jenny_oJanuary 10, 2018 at 2:45 PM

    I was thinking along the same lines as Marty - either electric shock or a fire. It's good that it's finally being taken care of.

    That woman surely is making a fashion statement. Not one I love, but the world is more interesting because of it! It's her shoes that I am most drawn to. They almost look painted on.

    ReplyDelete
  9. ellen abbottJanuary 10, 2018 at 2:57 PM

    you think she bought those pants with the knee torn out? probably paid extra. the coat is wonderfully horrible. if it was cold enough to wear that coat, I don't think I'd be wearing pants with a torn out knee.

    ReplyDelete
  10. AnonymousJanuary 10, 2018 at 3:34 PM

    Glad someone finally showed up to take a look at that oven. Yikes! It could have been a disaster there. I like the idea of celebrating with a finely baked loaf of bread. About fashion I've always been taken aback by the absurdity of it all... especially holes in pants. That said, I like the way this woman looks, like a Halloween costume of now in the future.

    ReplyDelete
  11. CatalystJanuary 10, 2018 at 4:03 PM

    We've had a drain problem in our kitchen sink lately and a plumber is coming this morning to do something with it.

    I can't figure out what that woman with the distressed trousers is doing: talking into a smartphone or sipping her breakfast.

    ReplyDelete
  12. The BugJanuary 12, 2018 at 2:42 AM

    I think she looks like one of those poor dyed Easter chicks - ha!

    ReplyDelete