In these days of violent entertainment, it is refreshing to hark back to days of yore, when our parents and grandparents were regaled by such innocent fare as a love triangle between a bulldog policeman, the androgynous cat of his devotion, and the vile-tempered mouse the cat adored, who returned that devotion with a heartily heaved brick to the head. Good, clean, gentle fun. (As #4 daughter said when she was very wee, “I’m speaking sarcasmly. Don’t you know sarcasm when you hear it?”)
Krazy Kat by George Herriman featured these characters and more, all played out against a surreal background that made it not only unnecessary for its readers to try dope but probably ill-advised.
Wikipedia has a nice article on the Krazy Kat comic (or komic) strip, and Yoe! Studios has a beautiful site devoted to George Herriman, replete with “c” words spelled with “k”, just as the master would have wished.
I would love to illustrate this post with a Krazy Kat picture, but the net has been fluttering with talk about bloggers being sent Cease and Desist orders for posting pictures from other sites, even if they link back, so here is a picture of a brick, instead. I took the picture, and I own the brick so, unless Rameses II or whoever invented brick-making wants to sue me, I should be okay.
Which brings me to my next subject: PACKAGED, by Leslie R. Lee, probably my favorite book ever, is FREE at Smashwords until the end of July 2012. Here is the link: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/132678 Go buy it (It says it costs $2.99 and worth every penny, but it’s free). At checkout, enter the coupon code SSWIN. Here is the post I wrote featuring the book and why I love it: https://marianallen.com/2012/03/bizarro-or-what/ .
Red Brick is one of the main characters in the book. He also runs a restaurant/club named Red Brick, and the menus are inscribed on … You’re way ahead of me … red bricks.
My short stories, except the latest one, which I haven’t Smashworded yet, are also free this month. Go to my profile page (https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/MarianAllen) scroll down to the short story collections, “buy” them, and enter SSWIN on checkout.
A WRITING PROMPT FOR YOU: A character is sent a Cease and Desist order. By whom? For what?
MA
Helen Ginger
July 28, 2012 at 8:41pmI remember Krazy Kat!
But I do have a bone to pick with you. I believe that is my brick. I don’t know how you came to have it, but I went and looked and, yes, my brick seems to be missing. Clearly, I shall have to sue you. You will soon receive my Cease and Desist order. I’m not sure how I’ll get it to you. Ordinarily, I’d send it via a brick, but then you’d have two of my bricks. And I need at least two bricks to hold down my pile of unpaid bills. So, never mind. I’m only going to send you Cs and D-sense, even though you deserve As and Bs.
Marian Allen
July 28, 2012 at 9:04pmHelen, I do believe we’re each a brick shy of a load. Wait, that didn’t sound right…. lol!
Indeed, it is my brick. I’ve had it since I was in college. It was part of the Carriage House, home of The Carriage House Players, a company that performed free Shakespeare plays in Central Park in Louisville, Kentucky. I volunteered there one summer, between high school and college, and a year or so later they moved elsewhere and the building was demolished. A friend snagged a brick for me and painted Carriage House on the other side from the side I photographed.
Either that, or he totally stole your brick and lied to me. That rat! Let’s go get him, Sistah!