The Inmates Run the Asylum

I think it's no secret that my TV viewing habits are decidedly retro. If it's been off the air at least ten years and repeats are plentiful, I'm inexplicably drawn to it. I've OD'd on reruns of M*A*S*H since junior high, I've watched the Golden Girls at least twice a day for a year now, and I acquired all five seasons of the A-Team just before TV Land stopped showing it.

My latest rerun addictions are Perry Mason, Hawaii 5-0, and Barney Miller.

I've flirted with Perry Mason before (enough that I have the theme song as a ringtone on my phone), but when choices had to be made, it got sacrificed. Well, it's back on at 1pm here in the cornfield. Hawaii 5-0 follows it. It was laziness that got me to watch Hawaii 5-0 and now I can't stop. The questionable taste in fashion, the pretty backdrops, the WTF storylines, and Jack Lord's hair have mixed together to form a kind of crack that I can't say no to.

And they're both on five days a week.

Now Barney Miller is only on Sunday nights, but they do show four episodes. It's one of those shows whose reruns haunted my childhood (it went off the air when I was two) and I know all of the characters and whatnot, but I don't actually remember the episodes specifically. At any rate, it makes me laugh so hard that Stella glares and growls from the next room.

Now, I'm telling you all of this because I don't have a real job or a real life and I got all of my writing work done very early this month, so that means I've got some time on my hands. And I've been meaning to make some new icons, but never really had the time.

Do you see where I'm going with this?

Yeah. Let's not be surprised if some blasts from the past in icon form show up.

I'm dangerous when I'm in possession of free time.

DaLette stopped by tonight. She had a program to promote her book here in town and she stopped by with a suitcase full of late 1800's/early 1900's clothes and boots (If you'll remember, she wore one of outfits at Apple and Pork).

She brought out each piece and explained what she new about it. It was really kind of cool to be holding something that was a 100 years old.

There were skirts, nightgowns, petticoats, knickers, baby clothes, aprons, a bib, a child's apron, a bed jacket made from a terry cloth towel, even a sewing kit and some spare handmade lace.

DaLette said she had more stuff at her house like dressers and a buckboard. We'll have to go see it sometime. It sounds really neat.

The one thing DaLette can't figure out is why the woman hung onto all of those things. She died in 1967, never married, and had no children. Carrie thought that maybe it all came from a great time in her life that she wanted to remember. I think it was a comfort against mini skirts and hippies.

Whatever the reason, I'm glad she saved it and I'm glad DaLette stumbled upon it and I'm glad she shared it with us. It's really hard to describe what it's like to hold silk opera gloves that were made before my grandparents were born.

"Oh wow" is as close as I can get.