Since I am on vacation this week I managed to get caught up with all the programs that I had recorded on my DVR.
One of the programs is "Alf", one of the quintessential television programs of the 1980s, which is now shown regularly on WGN out of Chicago. I had seen is advertised and set it to record, but I had not watched it up until now.
Just hearing the theme music set off a series of brainfarts that threw me back in time. All I could think about during my time of watching the several episodes that I had recorded was all the good times that I had during the '80s. Don't get me wrong, though, I had more than my fair share of bad times in the '80s and some of that crap came back to the forefront of my memory, too.
Back then, mother was married to Douchebag number 2. Since he was a douchebag, she would send me nearly every weekend and practically all summer to live with my grandparents. My mamaw and I would spend lots of time together, mostly going to the grocery and garage sales or watching TV.
I vividly remember arriving Friday evenings and we'd plop down in front of the TV. Our favorite program to watch together was, of course,
Star Trek: The Next Generation. Friday nights were also watch
Dallas and
Falcon Crest. I am almost ashamed to admit that guilty pleasure! Friday nights was also when I would watch some "late night" educational TV on Discovery channel. A program by the name of
Beyond 2000, out of Australia was on, as well as a program from England which I can still find on occasionally
The Secret Life of Machines. I know, I'm a nerd.
Saturdays we would watch copious amounts PBS programming.
This Old House,
The Frugal Gourmet,
The Victory Garden,
Hometime and of course we would watch Bob Ross paint a picture or two. There was also a great technology program on called
The Computer Chronicles.It was not only the weekend that I would watch some of this great '80s programming.
Alf was on through the week, as well as other great shows like
MacGyver,
Family Ties,
St. Elsewhere,
Hill Street Blues,
V,
Webster,
Benson and, of course,
Mr. Belvedere.
One program that I remember vividly, yet not fondly, was
Too Close for Comfort. This was a pretty good show, but it always seemed to be on when there was some sort of really bad weather out. I have my grandmother to thank for my fear of bad weather. I would have a panic attack whenever I heard thunder or saw lightning. So bad was my fear of storms that I would cover my eyes in bed and listen to a headset radio all night long to tune out the noise from the storm.
The local TV stations would often have a little graphic in a corner of the screen depicting the current bad weather. I remember channel 2 here in town would display a stylized "w" in the corner with either a little lightning bolt if there was a storm watch, or a little tornado if there was a tornado watch. The little "w" would turn bright red if there was a warning. I was so afraid of that tornado symbol, just thinking about it would send me in to a panic attack! (Thinking of it right now is making me a bit edgy!) I have, however, almost outgrown these irrational fears. Note that I said "almost".
I have often longed to go back to the '80s to relive some of the good times. Back when my mamaw was still alive, back when TV was actually pretty decent. But then I remember that you have to take the bad with the good and there was more bad for me, it seems, back then. But if I could go back knowing what I know now...
