The lowly cigarette is what eventually ruined the party.
Archive for August, 2009
Pass The Cocktail Shaker
The Atomic Ranch was uniquely American. The Atomic Ranch had a slanted roof with an open beam ceiling, colorful O’Keefe & Merritt appliances, linoleum flooring, a brick fireplace, and a paved driveway for two cars. A teak hutch and matching coffee table was a must have. A long slender sofa with tiny wooden legs, usually green or yellow, gave your guests a comfortable place to sit while you prepared cocktails.
For two decades, from 1950 until 1970, Americans enjoyed a semi-luxurious lifestyle in the face of total atomic destruction. American children ate their boxed cereal in the morning and learned to sit under their school desks in the afternoon.
The Atomic Ranch was part of the great post WWII housing development boom, no pun intended. Americans didn’t want the old Victorian mansion or the two-bedroom frame house. Americans wanted to be modern, like the French. People wanted to eat TV dinners and eat pizza from a box. Pizza delivery had not evolved yet, they had to drive down and get it. The original American pizza was an unflavorful melted cheese contrivance with hamburger pieces.
Americans wanted to own a hi-fi and have the neighbors over for cocktails. Atomic Ranches were very popular in Orange County California and near prestigious institutions like Stanford University and Cal Tech.
Americans discovered style. They wanted to listen to understand jazz. They wanted telephones with buttons. The Atomic Ranch led the way to suburbia and white flight. They enrolled their children in private schools so they would have a better education which turned out to be somewhat short-sighted on their part.
The Atomic Ranch gave birth to the credit score and the belief that some Americans are just naturally better than other Americans and by virtue of that fact, deserve more rewards. Soccer Mom and Miss America came from the Atomic Ranch. Up and coming doctors, engineers, and college professors sought the affluence of modern America. They preferred the manicured green lawn with the definitive tree sprouting in the front yard. The concept of the backyard pool came along later.
Palm Springs California became the pilgrimage to Mecca for the Atomic Ranch. The golf course came into it’s own fruition when President Eisenhower began teeing off in the California desert east of Los Angeles. America’s elite were soon chasing down tiny white balls and meeting at the 19th Hole for ambient conversation.
America’s priorities realigned themselves. Medical professionals wanted to be paid more. Attorneys wanted to advertise. Politicians needed more scientists in order to rid themselves of the red menace. The lab coat replaced the pin stripe suit. And that is how America became the prototype for fashionable modern living in the face of ultimate planetary annihilation.
This Infinite Series continues to perplex the Religious Fundamentalist. Where does God fit into this equation? Is it Intelligent Design or just interesting architecture? Should he plot it’s demise or incorporate? Is it preparing for Armageddon or martinis on the moon?
