I’m easily amused but not as easily entertained & get frustrated at the number of channels available and yet the lack of interesting programming (except on Thursday night when Scandal comes on – I stan for Olivia Pope & her lip quiver).  The interwebs now has become my go-to source for entertainment, and thanks to Netflix – I don’t even have to deal with regular TV.  Take that Comcast!  I’ve rediscovered the classic ‘The X-Files’, a show which freaked me out as a kid (even the theme song is creepy) but is intriguing & satisfies my “whodunit/mystery-solving/kept-on-my-toes” proclivities.  I can easily see myself becoming a fan & I’m only 3 episodes in 🙂  I’m also now drawn to finding shows/movies that maybe I wasn’t quite ready for 20+ years ago.  Ok….I was a little (as in a lot) afraid of a few things as a kid.  Which leads me to the topic of today’s random post, a show that really scared me at the tender age of 8: Rescue 911.

For those of you who don’t remember this gem of a PSA turned program hosted by Mr. Priceline himself, Rescue 911 was an informational reality-based TV series that ran from 1989 to 1996.  My fond memories of this show primarily span sometime during the years 1991-1992.  I was in the third grade and for some reason, my then teacher (Ms. Walker) thought it was a good idea to show her class of precocious third graders ‘Rescue 911’ on a weekly basis.  I’m sure her intentions were good, in that she wanted to promote safe behaviors among her students.  But from my 8 year old perspective, it made me afraid of being the victim of a freak accident – like a garage door falling on me or becoming trapped on an escalator.  On top of that, I’ve never been a fan of blood & gore (& I’m still not…..waited until Kill Bill came on cable before I would watch it), and even though Rescue 911 was arguably rated G….it still was pretty scary to my young eyes.  I actually remember crying in class on a few occasions because I really didn’t want to watch the show…

After facing my fears & watching (and actually liking) a few episodes of  ‘The X-Files’, I mustered up the courage to search for ‘Rescue 911’.  Youtube did not dissapoint, and as an adult the show actually proves to be informative on important issues like safety, accident prevention, and the loudness of the colors worn in the early 90s.  Go me for punching fear in the face *insert fist pump*!  So the lessons I’ve learned on my brief trip down memory lane are:

1. Things can take on a different perspective over time (I might want to revisit all of those old movies that I was scared to watch as a kid, like ‘The Terminator’, ‘Jurassic Park’, anything with aliens, and the list goes on….),

2. Youtube & Netflix are amazing resources for locating classic 90’s shows and movies,

3. Parents, for the love of all things sacred, PLEASE watch your children around escalators.  Erase that….just watch your kids…period, and

4. I’m not going to let fear make me it’s punk!

To conclude today’s random posting, I’d like to share a more positive childhood memory from one of my (still) favorite movies of all time: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: The Secret of the Ooze.  I so had a crush on Michaelangelo, and I’m not ashamed to admit that.  (Note to self: must raid Walmart bargain movie bin for a copy of this movie…)  Love how they break it down at 5:14 – Go Ninja, Go Ninja, GO!  Have a great Thursday 🙂