Archive for the ‘retro’ Tag
I’m spending this rainy morning in bed for at least another hour because watching old reruns of Sports Night has become part of my morning routine. It was a show I enjoyed watching back in 2000 even though I’m really not a sports guy. The show still holds up pretty well and the inane patter between the characters still makes me smile.
Have any of you noticed just how many of the old shows seem to be resurfacing on such a large number of channels. It started two years ago for me when I stumbled upon reruns of Sgt. Preston of the Yukon. I never missed that show as a kid and thoroughly enjoyed watching all of the episodes once again. Is it a little lame? Absolutely! Is it an easy and relaxing half hour? Absolutely! Then followed Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Roy Rogers, The Lone Ranger, Dragnet, One Adam 12, and a host of others. I began to wonder why it was happening so frequently.
Can it be that the networks are beginning to see a change in viewing habits? Is it possible that the ratings for these old shows are higher than those of the half hour long commercials that seem to be on every channel? Is it more fun to spend a relaxing half hour watching a show where the good guys always win and the bad guys always lose? Can it be that people are sick to death of watching hour long shows about corrupt politicians, corrupt police officers, heroic serial killers like Dexter or pedophiles who aren’t responsible for their criminal behavior and blame everything on society? It’s a politically correct "No-No" watching those old shows where it’s celebrated to be patriotic, honest, religious, and a responsible citizen.
God forbid anyone should love their country and voice it out loud these days. We wouldn’t want to piss off the media elite who decide what we should be watching and how to think. How can the Mainstream Media possibly maintain control of the masses and continue to dictate our politics, morals, and outlook on life when we’d rather watch Joe Friday or the Lone Ranger doing the right thing no matter what. I think our kids would certainly benefit from a stream of positive role models, don’t you?
I find myself drawn to those simpler and more honest shows even though they aren’t up to speed with all of the politically correct crap we’re being fed these days. Maybe it’s time for the people of this country to once again hear some positive messages instead of the constant in-your-face drumbeat of commercials, reality shows, and just plain crap that’s filling the airways.
Find that cable channel that’s decided to step back and regain some simple and positive programming and support them. When their ratings begin to climb the advertising money will soon follow. More money begets more of the same type of programming and all of us and our kids are the winners.
This is the day to celebrate. My remodeled room is for all intents and purposes completed. I’ll be adding all the pretty little bells and whistles over the next few weeks like a new fan, outlet covers, a closet organizer, and a new heater cover but the tough stuff is done. It’s been a long winter working on this room but I succeeded in getting it done on time and within budget. All of you will also be glad to know that I won’t be boring you with any further bitching and complaining about it, a Win/Win for us all.
In order to celebrate this accomplishment my better-half came up with a perfect solution. She felt it was necessary to make the rounds of area antique shops to look for a few things to put in the new room. Since this room was remodeled primarily for her use she desperately needed one large piece of furniture and a number of smaller decorative items. Who was I to argue?
We didn’t go very far from home for our first stop and while I’m not a big shopping fan I entered the building with the best of intentions. It was filled to the brim with just about everything you could think of making it a long drawn out effort to see everything in one short visit. I may not be a career shopper like my better-half but I can still spot a good item from a distance. I saw a small desk that must have been close to eighty years old being used to display many other smaller items. Since we both decided we would be decorating the room a little more eclectically, I thought it would make an excellent vanity for all her lotions, jewelry, and the ton of other female accessories she owns. Normally when I make these kinds of suggestions, she will just smile, pat me on the head, and tell me it’s just not her style.
She stood there for five minutes checking it out. Without saying a word she walked around it, touched it, smelled it, and then told me to measure it. She walked away to another area of the store to look at something and said nothing further. I measured the desk, she nodded, but continued her shopping. I figured that was an unspoken "No thank you".
Then I was dragged nearby to look at a 1955 era dinette set. It had an oval table, four chairs and a leaf to extend the length of the table. I love Retro but I didn’t think she’d be all that interested in that sort of thing. This dinette set was in almost new condition and would fit perfectly in our kitchen’s breakfast nook. She had me measure the table size and when I was finished we walked to the main checkout area to talk with the store’s owner. In five minutes she talked the owner into dropping the price of the dinette set fifty bucks and then told the women we were going home to do a few room measurements but would return shortly.
We drove to our house, took the required measurements, and immediately returned to the store. We bought both items without any further discussion and after a couple of trips later had everything back at our home. To say I was stunned is a huge understatement. I’ve known her for more years than I like to admit but this was the very first time she made this kind of decision in such short order. Her usual decision making process is to not make a decision. Over the years on a number of occasions we missed out on really good buys because she wanted to wait and think about it for a while. We’d return the next day and find the items purchased and gone.
In my opinion any progress made in these matters is a good thing. It was a huge shock to see her so taken with something that she could deny her urge to wait. It’s nice to know that no matter how well or how long you know someone, they can still surprise you.
It was a great day, we made two excellent purchases, and we’ll be enjoying them for years to come. Good for us.
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