“Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy night.”

The Movie: All About Eve, 1950 (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, screenwriter and dir.)
Who says it: Bette Davis as legendary actress Margo Channing
The context: Margo prepares to make a scene at her own party.
How to use it: When you’re ready for a ruckus.

At the time of this movie's release, most people had never worn a seat belt unless they'd flown on an airplane. Ford was the first American auto company to install seat belts in the factory, in 1955 (for the 1956 model year), and they didn't become mandatory equipment until the 1968 model year. My twin sister and I (born in late 1965) were probably in the first generation of children to grow up with the rule that the car didn't go until seat belts were fastened.

Now, of course, most small children in cars are better protected than astronauts. The Lechners gave me a ride home last night from Anna & Tarren's, and their Gracie has a booster seat that could probably survive a drop from a skyscraper.

Today's quotation doubles as a prediction for my evening, because I'm going over to Gardiner High School tonight to play field hockey -- for the first time in more than 20 years. A group of women play every Sunday night, and it sounds like fun. My new insurance card arrived in yesterday's mail, and I bought some new cross-trainers with excellent treads, so I'm all set.