On my way to get my oil changed today at the crack of dawn (I become more and more like my father every day), I heard Brad Paisley's song "Welcome to the Future" again. But this time, instead of making me ponder the advances we've made, it made me nostalgic for "the way it used to be." No, I never had to walk to school uphill both ways in 10 feet of snow (I do that now to get to work...)But I swear some things were definitely better 20 years ago, the neon colors and layers of scrunchies and socks I wore notwithstanding.
On Aug. 11, the United States Postal Service will launch a set of Early TV Memories stamps featuring 20 stamps with images from the Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Dinah Shore Show, Dragnet, Ed Sullivan Show, George Burns & Gracie Allen Show, Hopalong Cassidy, The Honeymooners, Howdy Doody, I Love Lucy, Kukla, Fran and Ollie, Lassie, The Lone Ranger, Perry Mason, Phil Silvers Show, The Red Skelton Show, Texaco Star Theater, Tonight Show (with Johnny Carson), Twilight Zone and You Bet Your Life (www.iconvision.com). Through the magic of TV Land and one very old VHS tape, I have seen a lot of these shows. I definitely appreciate them for the break they provide from today's shows which are often best described as gratuitous (in violence and sex) but should probably be called fatuous.
To use an analogy borrowed from "Shrek," HMOs are like onions - they have layers (and they stink). Recently I finally caved and began the process of having the lingering pain in my shoulder checked out. First I had to get an appointment with my primary care doctor (which I actually forgot to go to for the first time in my life). So then I had to get another appointment. Predictably, she had no real idea what to do, so she referred me to a specialist, who was the one I wanted to go to in the first place. I have absolutely no idea why I have to go to my PCP first for something I know she can't fix. The only thing I can think is the insurance wants my co-pay. Which was why when I read in the New York Times that President Obama's choice for surgeon general made house calls when needed and occasionally accepted food as payment, I felt refreshed. I would not like to go back to the days before penicillin, but a little more of a personal touch and connection in health care would not be a bad thing.
The stereotype about cops loving donuts has probably been in place since the first cop shows on TV. It is parodied on nearly every show that features policemen and a sense of humor. I even found a book on the history of donuts in the library yesterday called "Glazed" which takes aim at the joke. But in one case in Michigan, reality mirrors fantasy - a group of police officers banded together and bought a failing donut shop. According to wmnt.com, a band of nine cops with no working knowledge of running a bakery, bought the 113 year-old donut shop to save it from closing.
(Image courtesy of iconvision.com)
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