salute to the old shows

I've discovered a tool to motivate me to get regular exercise:

TV!

I have a fancy elliptical, as I mentioned before, and I just pop in a DVD and whoa, the time goes by quick.

I'm really excited because my dad let me borrow a DVD when we went to Maryland, and I've finally started watching it. With the advent of the DVD came the amazing fact that um, every TV show ever is now accessible on DVD. I mean, wow. In general terms, I am opposed to this. I'd have to really really really like a show to buy it on DVD, simply because there are so many seasons of various shows and we're talking lots and lots of discs, lots and lots of $$$, and lots of lots of time spent in front of the TV. I mean, seriously, I love CSI and the Simpsons but I'd never buy like 15 seasons' worth of DVDs.

But that doesn't change the fact that accessible TV is pretty cool. Some thoughts:

• I remember watching Get Smart with my dad growing up. It was released to DVD, then they made a movie out of it, and now everyone has heard of it.
• Shane and I did the Hollywood Video total access or whatever it is a couple years ago when the Seinfeld DVDs all came out. It was silly, since Seinfeld is on some channel somewhere in syndication pretty much every hour of the day, but we still rented the discs and watched them at home. It was fun.
  
• Shane got Season 1 of the Dukes of Hazzard for this birthday last year. He loves to goof off and watch it with Wesley. It's fine television, I approve!
• When Wesley was brand new squiggly baby and he took an hour to nurse (ugh!), I'd watch episodes of The Office. It's the only series I currently own on DVD. I love the commentary and trivia about the episodes.
  

The show I'm watching now is Voyagers. It started in 1982 -- I was 2 years old! -- but I remember it well since dad and us kids watched. I loved the show! Mostly because, and this makes no sense because I was 2, I remember having a crush on the star! The main characters are a 20-something guy and a 11-year-old kid, and although the kid was closer to my age I definitely remember being smitten by hunky Phineas Bogg. I must have seen the show on reruns, since there's no way I could have been 2 and 1) remember this and 2) actually have a celebrity crush. BUT regardless of Phineas Bogg's handsomeness, it's a smart show and I'm having fun watching it. It reminds me of the National Treasure movies, which are wildly popular, since it incorporates a lot of history.

Anyway, it's been fun to pop the DVD in and relive my childhood (while exercising. That makes me feel not guilty about it). When the opening credits started, I recognized the music and could almost follow along. It was like this giant memory just came surging up from the cobwebbed cellars of my brain. It was very cool.

I used to watch a lot of fun shows with my dad. I get pretty excited when I meet people who have heard of our shows. Red Dwarf, anyone? (Is that show still on? Wow!)

I also loved my cartoons when I was a wee lass, and it would be fun to see them again and have Wesley enjoy them. The new anime stuff these days is just so lame. Bring back Thundercats and He-Man and Rainbow Brite and Care Bears. I much prefer the G-rated, old-school stuff.

My friend Jeff (hey Jeff!) is doing this hilarious March Madness thing on his blog where he is pitting old TV shows against each other. I'm curious to see which will win. I didn't watch a LOT of shows when I was young, but several of the ones on Jeff's blog I remember and liked.

And soon, if not already, they'll all be on DVD! Ha!