Armitage goodness when ‘under the weather’

Guy, I wish you would "look back, look back at me" like that. *sigh*

Lucas in ollve green, wearing a smile. Lovely.

Sgt. Porter and Layla visiting the memorial. "You're not going to kiss me, are you?" I really don't think Layla would have minded doing just that.

Thank you, ladies, for carrying on whilst I have been under the weather. When I reached the point I could not longer remember where certain keys on the keyboard were located and found myself leaving out important words, I thought it wise for me to step away for a bit.

I have been sleeping when I could, that is, when my clogged nasal passages would allow it. I kept waking up to discover someone had apparently taken an old jar of Lepage library paste and liberally applied it to my lips and the inside of my mouth. Hmmmm, hmmmm, good. I have had some drainage as my throat is very sore with a nice big lump in the center of it.

Still, I know this, too, shall pass, although it shall also eventually return.

I cannot remember a time in my life when my sinuses/allergies have not caused me grief. One of my most vivid memories from childhood is the scent of Vick’s Vapo-Rub and the hissing sound from the vaporizer beside my bed. It is a strangely coomforting memory.

Speaking of being under the weather–do you know the origin of that phrase? I have heard it my entire life but never knew until I decided to look it up. (I have the sort of mind that loves collecting sundry and assorted facts. When Trivial Pursuit used to be so popular, my team never lost. Ever. Well, I was rubbish at sports, so I had to be good at something. But I digress . . .)

Turns out “under the weather” dates back to the days when most passengers traveled by sea rather than air. When the ships encountered rough seas and began rolling and pitching, passengers prone to seasickness abandoned the decks and moved to spots lower in the vessel. There they found some relief as the ship’s movements were less noticeable.

So they were forced under the decks by the weather . . . thus “under the weather” was born. I have never been seasick, but having been on cruise ships encountering stormy seas, I can attest the further one gets “under the weather” the better, indeed!

Well, I must leave you with some Armitage goodness and wishes for health and happiness for you all. I hope to get caught up on replying to your comments later.

Lucas in Action Man Mode: Poetry in Motion

Yummm. Photo courtesy of RANet

I was very tired when I drafted this post this morning, or should I say, yesterday morning; so tired I didn’t managed to get it published. So here it is . . .

I have been sneezing my head off, sniffling quite a bit and coughing. Allergies or have I caught Spouse’s cold?
Not sure, but I am going to curl up with fuzzy Puddie Cat with her V-8 engine purr and try to catch some ZZZZs.
But I shall not neglect you, my darlings.

Here is one of my favorite shots of Lucas in Action Man Mode. I wonder–does he hold his hands in such a manner when he runs in order to deliver a karate chop to anyone who gets in the way? Or possibly to fend off any crazed fangurls who get too close? Does it somehow increase his speed? He certainly looks focused and determined to catch the bad guy/defuse the bomb/rescue his fellow agent.

I always felt safer when Lucas and Ros, kitted out in their cool denim and leather, were out taking care of business. Yes, even though I am not British and they technically don’t exist–the world seemed in better order with the Dynamic Duo in action.

But I know what your attention is drawn to. The Prize Thighs. So muscular they are straining the material of his black jeans. Poetry in motion, ladies and gentlemen.

Lucas,you can come speeding to my rescue any old time you like. (I know the whole Bateman thing was just a very bad dream and you are still alive and well and as hot and heroic as ever.)

Ilya Kuryakin: Precursor to Lucas North? Maybe . . .

Robert Vaughan as Napoleon Solo and David McCallum as Ilya Kuryakin.

The soulful stare of Ilya. This is the poster my oldest sister kept on her bedroom wall. My visiting grandmother refused to undress in front of it.

A screencap of David McCallum in the opening credits of The Man from UNCLE.

Blame this post on kathryngaul, who mentioned posters of hot fellows in a recent blog comment, which led me to a memory of my oldest sister’s crush on a 60’s TV star (who currently appears on NCIS). Back in the day, he was the young co-star on the Cold War spy series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. I looked up information on Wikipedia about this star and hey, presto! A post was brewing in my head. Because I saw certain similarities between this blonde spy of 40 years ago and a dark-haired spy of more recent vintage–not a physical resemblance, but the personality and character. I share some details of the enigmatic Ilya and a few photos from Google images for your consideration . . .

Scots actor David McCallum played the tantalizingly mysterious,introverted spy Ilya Kuryakin, who was assumed to be Russian, possibly married (he wore a wedding ring in some episodes)–but no one was ever quite sure about this riddle of a man. Which only made him more fascinating, of course.

Ilya was initially supposed to be a minor, peripheral character. It was after an acute reaction to penicillin landed him in the hospital for a few days during early filming that McCallum received the opportunity to flesh out Kuryakin.

His approach was to build a character based on ambiguity and enigma, with more hidden about his character and personality than was revealed. McCallum commented, “No one knows what Ilya Kuryakin does when he goes home at night.”
Kuryakin is a polymath who is self-contained, taciturn, intellectual, pragmatic, athletic and capable of showing immense charm with a flair for the dramatic which aids him in numerous undercover operations. He is also quite ruthless when necessary.

There are rare occasions that indicate a more passionate and sensitive nature lies beneath the cool exterior. Oh, he also looks really good in black turtlenecks.

So, I wonder–has Richard ever seen re-runs of this old spy series? Did the Spooks writers?

It’s fun to speculate.

P.S.
Oh, and there was an Ilya Kuryakin action figure (which looked suspiciously like G.I. Joe with yellow hair). We have Little Guy–but wouldn’t it be fun to have a Lucas action figure, completely with washable tattoos we could have fun applying . . . ;)=