New Invention

Been getting out a bit lately....seeing what's been going on in the "real" world as opposed to the impressionistic views offered by t.v..  Not that I'm always in front of the tube; it is on often enough to sometimes be an intrusion. 

I remember when t.v. only offered three channels...no remote control....everything in fuzzy black and white.  The first one my folks had was a round screen thing; I wasn't around yet but did hear stories.
We weren't the first ones on the block to own a set, not by any means. But it was still a big deal to the family.

By the time I came around, the t.v. was a firmly established member of the family. It was, much to my mother's relief, an afternoon babysitter. My older sister enjoyed things like American Bandstand.  We kids had the Mickey Mouse Club and would even parade around the dining room table during the opening theme song.

I was an infant and toddler at the time; some of those memories are more audible than visual when at 18 months my eyes decided to stop looking straight ahead.  They seemed to be more interested in either crossing or rolling up toward the ceiling.  The condition was slowly corrected with exercise, drops and glasses thanks to Will's Eye Institute and a very patient, persistent mom.

I still remember bits of the old theme songs to shows like "Spin and Marty," "Rin Tin Tin" and "My Friend Flicka." Jeeze! Even the titles of t.v. shows back then had an air of innocence about them!
And the televisions themselves! Weren't they classy? Some were built into wonderful wood cabinets with fine cloth over the speakers. Others were made to look futuristic, like they were sent from Mars.

My favorites were the consoles with stereo systems as part of the furniture.  When Diane and I got settled into our apartment at the Marathon, we bought one second hand and it still worked great! We were dirt poor but still had t.v. and music; life was good.

Television isn't anything like it was when I was a kid.  I wonder if the inventors of the medium had even the remotest idea what would become of their original ideas....could they have envisioned things like satellite t.v., portable video units the size of a wrist watch, the internet.  We live in amazing times.

Just like t.v., we've all reinvented ourselves through the years. Would we recognize ourselves today if seen through the eyes of our childhood? Would we be happy or disappointed, perplexed or pleased?
Personally, I've got a lot of work to do on a very incomplete project!
 
So for today, Fifty Five is the New Invention.....made new every day through living life and learning as I go along.