Recently I got a new TV– one with a mute button. “Don’t all TVs have a mute button?” you may ask. Well, yes, I imagine they do, but the one on my new TV actually works! I’ve known for some time that I needed a new TV. I noticed that often Pat Sajak was only half a person at the edge of the screen, or people would be looking off to the side at something I was unable to see. For the amount of time I watch TV, it wasn’t really a big deal. After all, I know what Pat Sajak looks like, and I know that if I can’t see what’s off to the side of the screen on NCIS it’ll soon be made clear. But the last straw was when the remote stopped working. First of all, the up and down arrows wouldn’t work to scan the channels… Read More »
Even the Trash Man feels sorry for me
It’s not enough that my doctor’s staff, the checker at the market and the lawn guys treat me like I’m an old lady, add the trash man to that list. Honestly! It’s one of those days — no, one of those weeks. You know — lots to do, no desire or energy to do any of it. Two days ago I spent with a friend at the passport office, waiting in line, waiting for an interview, waiting, waiting. Yesterday I woke up with a queasy tummy and spent the day pretty much lying around. This morning started out much better. Woke up early, fed the cats, made myself a big breakfast (hungry after not eating yesterday) and took off to feed and walk a friend’s dog while she’s on vacation. I’d been home only a few minutes when I heard the trash truck coming down the street. I ran out… Read More »
Phyllis Diller and Groucho Marx
A couple of weeks ago I received an invitation to speak at today’s television class at UNLV. Since Phyllis Diller didn’t do a lot of television I wasn’t sure how well this would go, and racked my brain for her television-related appearances. Turned out I needn’t have worried. The instructor, Kevin, started the class by showing the clip of Phyllis’s appearance on “You Bet Your Life,” which was hosted by Groucho Marx. I remembered Phyllis saying she had not been happy with that show; it was only a couple of years after her debut at the Purple Onion in San Francisco and she was still very much a house-wife, still struggling to make it in show business. www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnzT46uTQ0s As I watched it this afternoon, it was clear that Phyllis was very nervous. In a PBS interview many years later said she hadn’t been nervous — she had been petrified! But still, there was something sweet… Read More »
