Category: Random

The List Keeps Piling Up

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I really like to keep lists for some reason. Rarely actually follow them completely, but I make a lot of them. In fact, I have a list of projects I need to post here. Obviously hasn’t motivated me to do it, because there are some things on that list I think I made last year…

That’s why I have to keep such lists, though. I would never remember what it was I planned to do by the time I actually got around to doing it. I wish I could lie and say I’m busy, but I’m just a good procrastinator. You know, my CDs really do absolutely have to be re-alphabatized every so often. Especially when I have something like folding laundry or packing to do.

All of this to say that, I really do have things I plan to share, and I will get there soon. I was going to try to have posts written to automatically pop up while I’m on vacation these next two weeks, but that might not happen. We’ll see how the next hour goes…

We Really Do Complain Too Much

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So I posted this on Twitter a few months ago:

Kinda funny, right? I mean, the brown box itself might have actually been less obvious than the doormat thrown over the top. I thought it was a silly picture to share. A few hours later there was a response:

It’s official, we have way overused Tweet-shaming. I didn’t even put @UPS in my tweet, so apparently they have some lowly intern who is required to sit at the computer and monitor tweets for any negative mention of UPS.

Really, is that what it has come to? Companies have to constantly patrol the Internet for irate (or even slightly amused) customers? Seems like a waste of resources when there are so many other ways to express dissatisfaction with a company, like those automated phone surveys that call five minutes after you pick up your car from an oil change or off-shore phone centers you can call to berate the underpaid employees who have no connection to your problem whatsoever.

Blast From The Past: My Favorite Shows That Actually Ended Before I Was Born

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Oh sure, everyone knows The Flinstones and the Jetsons. But the other day I was playing the newer Chipmunks movie soundtracks for the boy I babysit, and his mom told me to look up the Alvin and the Chipmunks theme from the 80s, thinking I had never heard of the show. I had forgotten about it until I looked it up, and then remembered it was one of my favorite cartoons growing up.

Sure it’s an 80s cartoon and I grew up in the 90s, but back then Nickelodeon played more than two shows repeatedly during the day. (Not that I have anything against the current Nick shows, but it wouldn’t hurt them to throw the Rugrats or something on at a time other than 2am.) According to Wikipedia, the show was actually in production from 1983 to 1990. Thanks to Cartoon Network (from 1993-2001) and Nickelodeon (1995-1997), this show lived on for another generation.

This got me thinking. What other shows did I grow up watching that ended before my time. Of course there was The Muppet Show (1976-1981) and Fraggle Rock (puppets 1983-1987, animated 1987), but I knew those were old. Muppet Babies overlapped into my lifetime (1983-1991), and Garfield and Friends (1988-1994) was half-new when I was watching. I also remember watching You Can’t Do That On Television (1981-1990) a couple times when I was younger. And who could forget The Smurfs (1981-1990).

Today, thanks to the magic of Netflix, iTunes, the Internet, and DVD, we can share our old favorites with new generations anytime we want. Well, as long as you can find them. (PS, anyone looking for the 90s Nickelodeon Programing: 90sareallthat.com will help you waste hours you meant to be working with the original Rugrats, Doug, CatDog, etc. You’re welcome.)

What shows do you remember when you were growing up? Anyone else grow up watching shows they didn’t even know were out of production?