The Wayback Machine
I'm not sure if it's a sign of the sad state of television (thousands of channels and nothing to watch) or a sign that it's the summer rerun season, but the top three shows on my DVR schedule are the daily episodes of "Hawaii 5-0", "MacGyver" and "Quantum Leap". (Yes, I am a nerd. Deal with it.)
I think you all know about my affinity for Hawaii 5-0 (specifically The Adonis That Is Jack Lord), but only those who have known me a long time know of my secret passion for Scott Bakula and Richard Dean Anderson (especially when he wore a tank top ... *drool*). (Side note: Back when I was married, my husband knew that there were a handful of men in the world who would only have to whisper, "Come away with me!" in my ear, and I would have walked out on him in a heartbeat. Keith Hamilton Cobb, Michael Douglas, Arthur Kent (the "Scud Stud" of the first Gulf War), Jean LeClerc, and Michael E. Knight are a few of the other studmuffins who topped the list, but I'm sure I could come up with another half-dozen if I some thought into it.)
ANYWAY, when I had U-Verse installed a few weeks ago (it's great - get it), I found I now had a boatload of channels I had been missing on Comcast. Plus, thanks to having AT&T as my ISP, I can easily search for programs on my computer -- and even schedule them to record -- without having to use the annoyingly small buttons on the remote. So I started searching and found my old buddies Mac and Sam. (Jack was already programmed in, trust me.) So now when I come home I have three hours of GOOD entertainment lined up (or I save them for the weekend).
But that's not why I brought it up.
You see, ever since "MacGyver" first appeared on TV years ago, I've used the term "MacGyverism" to describe an ingenious way to fix a problem. However, after the show ended and the years passed, fewer and fewer people understood the reference. Just last weekend, when I was having my new garage doors installed (the old ones were only 27 years old; I don't know why the Yard Nazis wanted me to replace them), the young man who installed them came up with quick and innovative way to solve a problem, and I told him, "Wow, you're like MacGyver!"
Blank stare.
"You know, from TV."
Blank stare, headshake.
"OOOOkaaaay.... um, good job. (uncomfortable silence) How bout them Astros?"
So I was convinced that no one younger than, oh, 40 would know the reference.
Until last night, when I was watching the new USA show "Royal Pains". The ER doctor is making a housecall (I didn't say the show was based in reality) and needed to do emergency surgery. He asked the teenaged girl to go get him a bunch of strange stuff -- vodka, a sharp knife, a baggie, duct tape.... And the teenager says, "Who are you, MacGyver?"
I almost threw the remote at the TV.
I think you all know about my affinity for Hawaii 5-0 (specifically The Adonis That Is Jack Lord), but only those who have known me a long time know of my secret passion for Scott Bakula and Richard Dean Anderson (especially when he wore a tank top ... *drool*). (Side note: Back when I was married, my husband knew that there were a handful of men in the world who would only have to whisper, "Come away with me!" in my ear, and I would have walked out on him in a heartbeat. Keith Hamilton Cobb, Michael Douglas, Arthur Kent (the "Scud Stud" of the first Gulf War), Jean LeClerc, and Michael E. Knight are a few of the other studmuffins who topped the list, but I'm sure I could come up with another half-dozen if I some thought into it.)
ANYWAY, when I had U-Verse installed a few weeks ago (it's great - get it), I found I now had a boatload of channels I had been missing on Comcast. Plus, thanks to having AT&T as my ISP, I can easily search for programs on my computer -- and even schedule them to record -- without having to use the annoyingly small buttons on the remote. So I started searching and found my old buddies Mac and Sam. (Jack was already programmed in, trust me.) So now when I come home I have three hours of GOOD entertainment lined up (or I save them for the weekend).
But that's not why I brought it up.
You see, ever since "MacGyver" first appeared on TV years ago, I've used the term "MacGyverism" to describe an ingenious way to fix a problem. However, after the show ended and the years passed, fewer and fewer people understood the reference. Just last weekend, when I was having my new garage doors installed (the old ones were only 27 years old; I don't know why the Yard Nazis wanted me to replace them), the young man who installed them came up with quick and innovative way to solve a problem, and I told him, "Wow, you're like MacGyver!"
Blank stare.
"You know, from TV."
Blank stare, headshake.
"OOOOkaaaay.... um, good job. (uncomfortable silence) How bout them Astros?"
So I was convinced that no one younger than, oh, 40 would know the reference.
Until last night, when I was watching the new USA show "Royal Pains". The ER doctor is making a housecall (I didn't say the show was based in reality) and needed to do emergency surgery. He asked the teenaged girl to go get him a bunch of strange stuff -- vodka, a sharp knife, a baggie, duct tape.... And the teenager says, "Who are you, MacGyver?"
I almost threw the remote at the TV.