Thursday, January 7, 2010

Cheers and Jeers

When I was growing up my parents had a subscription to TV Guide. This was long before the scrolling program guide or OnDemand. Obviously. Our TV was about the size of a smart car and got all 13 channels quite clearly, so it made sense to know what was going to be showing ... especially since those were the days where you had to get up to change the channel or adjust the volume. Nobody wanted to stand around turning the dial while a roomful of people yay'd or nay'd at the screen. In those days, a TV Guide was essential.

So there'd be a big fight over the TV Guide as soon as it came in the mail. My mother would be after the crossword puzzle, I liked the celebrity stories and to find "Afterschool Specials", and my Dad needed to know when all of the sporting events would be on. Sorry Laura, I don't remember if you were part of the weekly race to steal the TV guide. If you were, one of us always beat you to it.

Another feature of TV Guide that I always read was "Cheers and Jeers." What a great idea and a perfect way for me to be sure to know what was cool or not. TV Guide was there to help me! (By the way, all of this went out the window when "Tiger Beat" and "Dynamite" found their way to my Peapod!)

So in the honor of my childhood memory of the "Cheers and Jeers" column in the now all-but-defunct paperbacked "TV Guide", I will continue in the footsteps of this beloved piece of groundbreaking journalism with my own version: "Love It or Shove It?"

Here are my first couple of items:

SHOVE IT ... soy nuts. I don't care how healthy you are or what kind of flavored powder you're rolled in. You taste terrible.

LOVE IT ... the month of January. You know, January isn't such a bad month. Isn't it kind of nice to be able to relax inside and enjoy your home without feeling compelled to be out doing something? Personally, I enjoy a month of hibernation after the hectic pace of fall which avalanches into the holiday swirl. Plus, January has 2 vacation days -- always a good thing in my book.

3 comments:

Los said...

I really only like soy sauce ... that's about it. I don't like soy milk, don't think I've ever had soy nuts, but the name would keep me away.

Lori said...

I was a TV Guide junkie too. I combed through that thing each week with more attention than I gave my schoolwork. The cheers and jeers were always great. What a nice memory you brough back! Soy nuts suck, I agree. They taste like chalk.

Sandi said...

Sorry, but January is a big "shove it" in my world.