Wasteland….the vast kind

This is how Newton N. Minow (then chairman of the FCC) described television forty six years ago….. well, sort of

First he said it was good…the best actually
Then he pulled the ‘vast wasteland’ curve ball…..with qualifications


All in a speech titled “Television and the Public Interest” on May 9, 1961


read it here

1961….back when there were only THREE channels (networks)
Wonder if Newt new how vast that wasteland would get, or how amazingly wonderful

Roots on ABC Jan. 30, 1977 seen in (36.38 million homes)

third highest viewer ratings from 1950 - 2000

the highest?..................................... last episode of M.A.S.H and television has only gotten better

When television is good, nothing is better. When it's bad, nothing is worse.”
-Newton N. Minow

Wahoo! happy dance

I got most of my music library back.....


Received an email from an anonymous reader and they included a link to restore from my ipod...

took some figuring, but I did it....... THANK YOU.... anonymous...(and you shall remain so)

okay... maybe I'm not that happy

but I'm definately

tickled

happy

Wrong Turn

So....... while I was running in circles tearing my hair out a seeking solace in the freezer compartment of the frig a lamenting my computer tradedy to strangers in the supermarket a










<Dad...decided to take the car out for a spin

And I knew it....because, I was driving onto his street as he was driving out....

interjecton:

We are on the brink of some serious role reversal... Dad and I..... it is an uneasy transition. The car is a big issue, sort of the last bastion to his independance.

So I say...."Dad! what are you doing?

and he says....."Going to breakfast with '________' (buddies)

and I say......."Dad, we talked about this......driving.......thing

and he says......"okay honey!" see ya later.... waves me off....drives....away

I won't go into the sorted details of the ensuing hours......because.....he didn't show up at the diner for AN HOUR AND A HALF.........it should have been a five minute drive. he must have driven to the next town before he turned around.

So now, I'm the new Sheriff in town, the car impounded, the rules layed down...... I told Dad that we had both made an error in judgement, we both had made a wrong turn and that ..... 'two wrong turns, don't make a right' and he said

"unless they are left turns....."

Whoa da Machine

see this.... This...............is............the BLACK (not blue) screen of death

not good....

This causes involuntary jazz hands.. and utterances of words (not befitting a kindly grandmother).... and as if in a bad slo-mo nightmare the five stages of grief take hold and consume the next 24 hrs of your life.

• Denial: the initial state "This can't be happening"(how many reboots with the same screen does it take to figure out "it's happening baby)

• Anger: Why is this happening "looking around wildly for someone to blame"

• Bargaining: Oh Hell! just let me get my Quickbooks back! I don't care about anything else....(Oh yeah? wadda 'bout those ten thousand photos....)

• Depression: Wandering aimlessly around the kitchen periodically opening the refrigerator door, helping yourself to 'yet' another ice cream sandwich, waiting for the techie guy to call for a "computer update".

and last...

• Acceptance: Highly jubilant acceptance, looking thru the Dell flier that has been littering the computer desk for weeks. Hmmmm, that certainly is a fine looking lime green laptop with a 17" in screen.... Just the thing to help one thru a tragic computer disaster.

Cell phone rings while making a purchase at the local Farm Supply store. Techie guy in need of Norton's Utility password to load it back on my computer.

"You fixed it?" I inquired.....

"Well, I got your Windows OS back, but everything else is gone"

So there you have it.....I have my trusty (old) Toshiba laptop back . A pristine, blank-slate, little program-less virgin......

as visions of a shiny new greener than green, 17" screen, bad boy named Dell, fades to

well, black

Winnah!

What could be more thrilling than spending an afternoon playing boardgames with a 3 year old and a 6 year old?


Unless it is rounding up action figures to replace lost player markers. The 3 year old was into it.... and quickly claimed 'Buzz Lightyear' for his own. The 6 year old (first born...tidy...perfectionist) wasn't so convinced... Afterall, it was a DORA the EXPLORER game, it didn't seem right to be using a motley assortment of other figures! But when it was agreed that he could use the GIANT superman, which easily took up three spaces at a time, we were good to go.

It didn't take long for us to figure out we had been hustled... Up against a couple of Candyland sharks, interjecting mysterious new rules as they loomed close to various perils. And then, fate stepped in.... karma took charge..... all the good juju landed in Grandpop's hand, with one draw of the magic card, sending him straight to the Candy Castle and the end of the game...

The looks of astonishment on those two faces was too good not to enjoy, then some hidden communication between them signaled the attack. Grandpop was pounced on.... in a flurry of arms and legs and exclamations of foul play.

I was just glad the dang game was over

.....good times.........

Well Enough Alone

Pretty Picture... has nothing to do with blog subject

I've been messing with the template again and managed to get it aaaallllllll screwed up. But I think it is just about back to normal and as there is not time to pull something out of the blog part of my gray matter............. today you get a run down on my blog links.

First up is my niece

1. KT and her husband "J" are attorneys in LA (el A) but J doesn't practice law anymore so I don't know if one could say he is an attorney...but I do. KT is also a foodie but nobody sez "foodie" anymore so she is more a fledgling gourmet and writes a pretty darn educational and (lots of time fun) food facts and recipes blog.
2. Loves Hello Kitty is the daughter my mother always wished she had. One can tell by her posts that she might be borderline OCD about cleanliness and order. She brings us some great product reviews (for us girlie girls). Her very best posts are her people observations and it gets even better when she throws in candid photos... Her obsession with all things "Hello Kitty" is waning but I hope she keeps her title.
3. W Style Magazine....gets a little 'out there'....but fun. I actually found this link exactly as it is, on another site and had to add it to mine ....because, well, you know.
4. The Pastorsbride A must read.... She is a laugh riot, and because of the nature of 'google', I think she (more often then she should.....) gets her share of self-righteous readers that do not understand her vernacular. They are looking for wisdom and recipes and instead get hilarious snippets of the ups and downs of marriage to a hunky pastor with ready made kids. Stop in and give her some love.
   

So that is the run down on my links..... I'd love to add Captain Corky but he might bring the birdman over here! (kidding....just kidding:D...birdman most welcome) besides I'd be stealing him from Femmetopia (aka Still Loves Hello Kitty) and Heidi on Vashon (one 'full of life women') ...I'm living her life...vicariously! I should link Dan also 'cause he left a comment once and we have the same coffee maker...he already has about a hundred girlfriends, he probably needs a break, but lulu* could use some props.

As for you other three readers, too shy to comment... Maybe I'll link you too... just

......Come on down.......

*click on Dan's link to find out who lulu is....

Wedded Bliss

Jackie & Jack
.

I wish I had the writing acumen to accurately describe what a happy sweet couple ...

these two are

a lovely wedding ... a perfect 7.7.7 day.

Jack is my nephew, the last of the 'kids' to be married. He is my brother's son, he will go far in this world because he is loyal and oh-so-smart and charming and has Jackie at his side.

Jackie and Jack's wedding was a step into a day of magic...where friendships were reinforced, families rejoiced and

one 'Kah-ray-zee' wedding planner flitted around in a flurry of intermittent hissy fits. He might have been the very best entertainment of all.

The photo booth was pretty cool though, everyone got a photo souvenir to take home.... and one to leave in a wedding book. But the very best thing for me?.......

dancing with this guy......

Robert

three yrs old

my youngest grandson

the boy can boogie......