Where have all the Flowers …
The short story by Lehane that I meant to write about yesterday, before I got sidetracked, was called Running Out of Dog. Great story with an underlying tale of a small town mayor who hired a man to kill stray dogs who might wander onto the interstate highway and repulse tourists with the resulting collection of road kill.
The center of the plot is a charismatic, beautiful, sexy woman named Jewel (reminiscent of Lorraine in A Love Song For Bobby Long). As I read the story just after watching that movie, the two left me in a rather weird mood. But what really bothered me was her name – Jewel.
The name Jewel appears frequently in books and movies, but given some serious thought, I cannot remember having ever known, or even meeting anyone named Jewel. Somewhere in my peripheral memory there must be one, but I sure can’t focus on her. I have known a March, some Aprils, Mays, Junes, even a July, an August and in the gem catagory a couple of Ruby’s, a Sapphire, Amber, Opal, Pearl, Beryl, and a Garnet. With the wave of “Hollywood” induced names we now see, I am sure that there are additional gemstone names, perhaps even a Dioptase or a Spodumene (look ‘em up), but I’m talking about the ones I have met or known – again, no Jewel.
Again, as the name Jewel appears with some regularity in books and movies, but fails to appear in real life, I am beginning to wonder if the real Jewels have changed their names for some reason or other.
Was there originally a couple; Brad Pitt and “Jewel” Jolie, attempting to be the first to complete a set of ethnic children?
Or a first family; Franklin and “Jewel” Roosevelt?
And was it really a “Jewel” Hamm who led the US woman’s soccer team to the gold in the 1996 and 2004 Olympics?
Have they all changed their names ?
Just where have all the Jewels gone?
March 15, 2009 at 8:34 pm
There are several girls with the name of Jewel.
Jewel Staite an actress who played Jennifer Keller in “Stargate Altantis”.
Jewel Kilcher a singer and songwriter has won 3 grammy nominations and has sold over 20,000,000 records in the US.
Jewel Mische an actress from Manilla, Phillipines who stared as Agent Vickie in “Fantastic Man”. She also stared in “Kamadag” playing Jenny. Of course who wouldn’t remember her on the cover of the December 2008 issue of UNO magazine.
That brings us to a couple of other Jewels. Jewel De’Nyle and just plain Jewel who were both porno stars
(all information from Wikipedia)
March 16, 2009 at 7:51 am
I am both disappointed and satisfied (appointed ?) When I wrote this, I just knew that you would send me the name of some long forgotten, visiting Jewel that possibly came one day to Sunday-School in 2nd grade and was never seen again – or some such.
I came within an inch of adding that expectation to the post, but. . .
Your Google and Wikipedia bogging down? In my research for the article, my search also came up with the Jewel Tea Company and the Albertson’s, Inc., Jewel-Osco stores.
You may actually know – or have heard of some of those people, (Oops! Porn stars?) but being in a Jewel store one time was the closest I’ve been to any of this.
Sorry – no reward.