When I was growing up on the farm we didn't have cable TV. What we had was an antenna in the attic that provided us with the major networks of NBC, ABC and CBS and lame old PBS. It also provided a very fuzzy and questionable FOX. And what is on FOX, might you ask? In the 90s, it was the Simpsons and Vikings football. It became a Sunday evening ritual at our house to have a loud game of telephone throughout three floors of our house as someone moved the antenna in the attic in an attempt to get the best picture we could on FOX. We finally got a satellite dish when I was in 8th grade and being able to see the weekly new episodes and daily Simpsons reruns in their full, clear glory was the best part. I know that when the Simpsons became popular in the early 1990s a lot of parents immediately banned it from their homes and I am not sure why. I suppose it has to do with the famous "Eat My Shorts" line Bart spouted early on but compared to what I see on the rare occasions that I watch whatever DOA sitcom the networks try to push every season (they are getting very vulgar!) The Simpsons seems quite wholesome. I think it was probably a hysteria thing kind of like the Harry Potter witchcraft freak out where many of the people who are upset by it have never actually watched or read it for themselves. Fortunately, I didn't grow up in a censorship type of house and my brother and sister and I spent many evenings laughing at the subtle humor and cultural references that are regular features of the show. And we were all very respectful kids who never had a stain on our records during parent/teacher conferences so there censorship people! In fact, my lame brother was so respectful and well behaved that teachers and coaches still tell me how awesome he was (apparently more so than myself). Yes, this show was for us like "Leave it to Beaver" was for my dad. Just the thought of it gives me the feeling of being a kid settled in for the night to watch some good TV without a care in the world. When I was a freshman in college, I returned from class one day to have my roommate tell me that some guy had called for me but he didn't leave a message. I didn't know of any guys who had recently received my number or who were interested in me at all and I was kind of weirded out and fascinated about the mystery man. Well, I found out that it was my marginally articulate fourteen year old brother calling to inform me that FOX was no longer going to play syndicated Simpsons reruns. Oh, the horror! As the years went by, seasons of the show started being released on DVD and they were frequent Christmas gifts between the S. siblings.
Before I close the computer and focus on the TV for my brief afternoon fix, I have to share something about Allan. Yes, the forgotten Allan who used to be my #1 subject. He has become obsessed with finding pairs of our thick ski/boot socks and carrying them around the house. It started because I store mine in a container under the bed that is so full that it doesn't close and the lid just sits on top. I started feeling like those damn socks were never where they belonged even though I put them away and then we realized what he was doing.
We were gone for the weekend and when I came upstairs I found this scene:
That weirdo kitten had brought five pairs of Justin's boot socks upstairs from where he had them lined up in the basement (he is packing for a big trip that I will discuss in a few days) and paced them all on the couch on a blanket that we had spread out. At first I was really disturbed because the bedroom door was closed and I didn't know that Justin had his socks in the basement. I thought he did some sort of weird voo doo or something.
Oh, and some bonus trivia: Did you know that the composer of the Simpson's score, Alf Clausen, grew up in Jamestown, ND? When I was in middle school we played a Simpsons medley in band in his honor.
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