TV

When I was growing up with my five siblings, we often gathered around the TV and shared in a show or a movie together. I remember several Sunday nights, gathering around for the Wonderful World of Disney. We had our regular shows - the Cosby Show, Knight Rider and MASH reruns, to name a few. Not to mention Saturday morning cartoons. Back when Saturday morning cartoons were cool. (You know, Muppet Babies, The Real Ghostbusters, GI Joe, etc.)

But most of the time, my mom would come in, turn off the TV, and tell us to go play outside. We would usually moan and groan, complaining that there was nothing to do outside, but we were obedient children (because we knew what would happen if we weren't obedient), and headed outside. Of course, we always ended up having fun, but the result was that we often didn't see some of the shows that everyone else was watching.

I remember one time I was on a school fieldtrip and everyone started singing the theme to The Brady Bunch. I had heard of the show and seen it a couple of times, but I couldn't have sung the song if they'd paid me (which of course they wouldn't have). I still couldn't sing the song.

Of course, if someone is willing to pay now, I'd be happy to learn it...

I was embarrassed on that bus ride so many years ago. (Not so much any more - now that I've actually seen the show, I'm actually quite grateful.)

But, as I said, we did have our regulars. To this day, the theme song to MASH makes me hungry - it was on every day at 5, when dinner was being made. My mom loved to watch TV, and she passed that love onto most of her children. Of course, nowadays it doesn't matter if we need to go outside and play (or, you know, go to work). We can just record our shows on a DVR. Or wait for a few months and buy the whole season on DVD. All the joy of watching our show, and no commercials.

Ah, the wonderful world of technology! Allowing us to keep up on the important things, like who got kicked off of Survivor or why Grisham left CSI. You know, the stuff that really matters.