I was so beat when I got home from work the other night that I didn’t even bother to change clothes. Instead, I headed straight for the sofa in the living room. I unplugged the Atari, threw the 'Pong' cartridge behind the rabbit ears and flipped the channel on the console over to the local news. Only one thing left to do, plop my tired dogs up on the ottoman and settle back on the sofa. Or at least that’s what I thought. But as I sat there and stared at the black and white images on the tube, I just didn’t feel satisfied. I wanted more! I peeled myself up from the plastic-covered cushion, walked over and turned the television off and then made my way to the stereo. There was quite a collection of vinyl at my disposal, but no...I needed something more than that. Sometimes you just have to say, "What the hell," and go straight for the 8-track. But as luck would have it, the phone rang just as I started to peruse the titles.
It was Betty - calling for my wife. I stood in the kitchen and listened to her tell me in no uncertain terms, that my wife needed to call her as soon as she got home. One thing led to another after I hung up and before I knew it I was impatiently sliding a foil pan of Jiffy Pop back and forth across the top of the stove. But as the kernels began to pop, I started to think about the urgency in Betty's voice. A second later I was back at the phone with my finger in the dial. Then almost as quickly, I found myself wrapped up in cord as I spun back to the stove to work my popcorn.
I delivered the “ever so vital” phone message and headed back to the living room. But now with a bounty of popcorn – music wasn’t my first choice. I shut the lid on the stereo and headed straight for my Betamax collection. Yeah...that's right...it's movie time.
You want to know the worst thing about being a dinosaur? It's being extinct and not even realizing it.
Until next time, turn the lights down low and curl up with a loved one. J/W
