For whatever the reason, I find myself in a somewhat lugubrious mood this morning. Feeling like the Kris Kristofferson must have felt when he wrote “Sunday Morning Coming Down.” Don’t get me wrong, my nature is usually about as far from melancholy as one can get. But sitting here early on a cool, crisp Sunday morning. Enjoying a freshly brewed cup of hazelnut coffee and watching the sunrise with my dogs has me in this pensive mood.
I am 51 years old or 10.5 celcius (which some might agree, at least mentally). Hell, I never thought that I would make it past 30, much less live beyond my forties only to get to a place in life I am the happiest that I have ever been.
But that doesn’t stop me from reflecting on the past. When I read things in the news, watch TV, see a movie, listen to music I realize just how much things have changed in the 51 years that I have been alive.
Like all Old Farts, I gotta start with, “I can remember when”:
Rolling Stone was cool, when it was cutting edge, when it’s writers felt not just the music, but the climate around the music as well and they conveyed this with a passion.
Celebrities actually had to have talent and be able to act or sing or dance or all of the above. There was much more to it than being able to crap out a bunch of kids or being rejected by a has-been rocker and/or rapper.
TV shows actually had plots, albeit they were occasionally stupid, but plots nonetheless.
Men were something more than pathetic, vacuous. whiney little airheads and women were...well, women were more than pathetic, whiney, vacuous little airheads too.
MTV stood for Music Television and yes, kids, the bilk of their programming was music.
Cars were made out of metal.
NASCAR actually raced “stock cars.”
Michael Jackson still had a flat nose and smart money was on Jermaine.
Feeling safe at school.
Howard Stern was actually funny and relevant.
The actually sang songs.
Live bands (glad to see more of them coming back).
Pong.
4 TV channels.
5 TV channels.
20 TV channels.
90 TV channels.
When satellite TV actually picked up transmissions from around the world.
8 track tapes.
Betamax!
Looking down and seeing my feet.
Family vacations.
Family dinners.
OK. I think I’ve gone far enough down memory lane this morning. Besides, I’m getting hungry so I think I’ll pop something in the microwave and watch football while I DVR Myth-Busters.
Yeah, so maybe some of the changes aren’t all bad.
