"Come to Sirpilla and you will see..."

While I readily admit that I have guilt whenever I feel like I am using the TV to "babysit" the princess- and even the doctor!- the truth is that I used to watch a lot of TV and in truth, I love being 70's and 80's TV "literate." I can still sing the themes for such classics as "Love, Sidney" and "The Greatest American Hero." I have fond memories of my brother trying to be MacGyver, or even further back, the medics on "Emergency!" At times I still have a moment of silence in memory of the cancelling of "It's Your Move." My greatest celebrity meeting was with Mr. T. (Tony C.'s recent blog entry (http://www.tony-c.blogspot.com/) reminded me of how many TV related memories I really have, and how many are shared by those in my generation. Whether it is sad that we are bound by TV memories or not, it is a fact.)

And it wasn't just the shows- it was the commercials, too. I still find myself singing the jingle for the "Snoopy Brusha Brusha Toothbrush." (I never got one. Perhaps having to hear the jingle all the time without me even owning it was prophylactic for my parents.) The tune from a local RV dealership circa 1983 is also an ongoing favorite, so much so that my husband now knows it, too, even though he's never seen the commercial. (The title of this entry is the opening line. If we could add .wav files, there's a chance I would include my version.)

Perhaps my fondest "what could have been" TV memory is: I could have been a kool-aid kid.

Yes, it's true. (Or at least it's true according to family folklore.) I was invited to be one by my cousin who was the ad director for the campaign (good ol' nepotism!) BUT...and here's the catch...I had to be in New York 4 weekends in a row to shoot them. Cleveland is not THAT far from New York, but it was too far for my mom to justify flying back and forth just to have me yell, "Hey, Kool-Aid!" over and over again.

Bummer, 'cause then I would not only share the TV memories but would actually have PARTICIPATED!

Maybe they'll do a remake, and have a casting call for moms who have to call for the big red (or orange or whatever) pitcher to come crashing through the wall to quench my family's thirst...as they sit in front of the TV....