The Burden of Gratitude
Posted at 4:57 AM on January 27, 2009
by Dale Connelly
(29 Comments)
Who says today's youth aren't grateful?
Dear Mr. Connelly,Geez, thanks, I guess. I sure learned something.
I found out a guy can get too much help.The reason I took a class in the History of Media Communications was so I could watch all my assignments on the tube and wouldn't have to read so much.
I didn't know that asking for a few memories about the prehistoric days of TV would get your blog people all wound up and they'd write a book for me anyway. Gol!
It must be like working inside one of those Ken Burns documentaries over there - every time you turn a corner there's a crowd of people lugging around their memoirs.But don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining. Too much.
The stuff I read is really good and Mr. Teeterbald is gonna go for it big time.
He'll especially like the part about Winky Dink. It'll get him started on interactive media and how pioneers always "push the envelope" on the latest technology and there's really noting new under the sun and after he gasses on about that for a while he'll bring it around to the cave people and how they did the first blogs by writing on rock walls with wooly mammoth blood. That'll kill a whole hour, so thanks.
I actually do appreciate what your group did, but don't let that get back to my friends at school. A guy has to maintain his cool.In fact, if the creatures from your blog lagoon are feeling bored, how'd they like to form, like, a "Bubby's Homework Club"? I'm always finishing up at the last minute and having a bunch of helpers who aren't my parents wouldn't really be cheating very much. Mr. Teeterbald says the way of the future is in doing teamwork stuff and group projects, and my dad says that's the only way I'm going to have a future, getting other people to do the work for me.
To do the work WITH me, I mean.So thanks to Sherilee, Gail, Barb, Michelle, Beth-Ann, Cynthia, Irene, Donna, Kathy, Elinor, Linda, Anna, Teri, Kris, Kate, Mary and Kristi.
And thanks also to Mark, Dave, Ken, Steven, Don and Mike.
What is it about your show that men don't like it? That's weird.
Maybe you should talk about sports sometimes.Sincerely,
Your friend,
Bubby Spamden
I agree with Bubby on two things - Winky Dink is an amazing story.
And Bloggingwomen outnumbered Bloggingmen by almost three to one on yesterday's entry.
Anyone have an explanation for that?
Comments (29)
Morning bloggingwomen and bloggingmen! Maybe men as a group are more reluctant to admit warm, fuzzy memories for a guy with a bowl haircut who hangs out w/ dancing bears and bunny rabbits who drop ping pong balls? If so, then congrats to Mark, Dave, Ken, Steven, Don and Mike for being so brave right out in the open! The real question is "is the three-to-one bloggingwomen to bloggingmen a verified trend, or was it just yesterday?"
Good mornin' RH'ers,
There's a great song to match Dale's question about Bloggin'women saving the day for Bubby yesterday. Bubby was in "Trouble" (Ray Lamontagne).
Thank you Dale for the Winky Dink link. So much to learn, so little time!!
I think the uneven response has something to do with Dale's intellect and good looks. Men feel threatened - except for Mark, Dave, Ken, Steven, Don and Mike - whereas Sherilee, Gail, Barb, Michelle, Beth-Ann, Cynthia, Irene, Kathy, Elinor, Linda, Anna, Teri, Kris, Kate, Mary, Kristi, and I don't mind that at all. Also, WE'RE GIRLS. Talking makes us happy!
Two mornings of Bubby - I love that kid - I just wanna pinch him! Could you play the CRAYOLA song again sometime? Winky Dink made me think of it.
Hi Radio Heartland
Our family consists of 4 males and 3 females including Ma and Dad. When we are all together, females dominate the conversation. The men tend to retreat to Monk reruns and sports. Is there a pattern here?
Hi Radio Heartland
Our family consists of 4 males and 3 females including Ma and Dad. When we are all together, females dominate the conversation. The men tend to retreat to Monk reruns and sports. Is there a pattern here?
Very funny entry. I'll be sure to sign up for Bubby's homework brigade. In the meantime, perhaps he could reach to songs such as "Why Does the Sun Shine?" by They Might Be Giants or Tom Lehrer's "The Elements" for assistance, though "The Elements" isn't current and won't keep him 100% informed.
Hello It is my mothers birthday today her name is sheila (from ada) she is turning 45 and I was hopeing you could play a song for her. Thanks and we both think you need your own radio station.
Men don't talk much...
Good Morning Dale:
Thanks for the Michael Doucet "Everything's got to Be Funky" and "Funky Liza" -- fun songs. I remember you played Michael Doucet for me as my Hail to the Chief type song. I had fun slinking in the room again and pretending I was wearing feather boas, sequins and a tiara!
Joanne J
Good Morning!
Sorry for the terse response but it seemed to fit the theme :-)
As one of the few men on the blog I feel privileged and honored to be in the company of the feminine throng. The stereotype of course is that men are either less in touch with their feelings or less willing to discuss them. Most stereotypes contain at least some grain of truth.
Throat singing - YEA! Now back to the story...
Some things, like throat singing in fact, seem to be in the domain of men but communication is rarely at the top of the list. Observing a mixed group of junior high kids will show you that the girls are generally socializing to a much greater degree than the boys. Generally anyway. I don't know why I ended up with the chatty gene but I'm OK with it, I mean it's a good thing to fit into the company of women!
Two songs come to mind for no particular reason; We're the Mesopatamians (only not spelled like that...) and Into the Fire. They seem to go together and they're about men so perhaps that's the connection.
Not as many men posted yesterday because it was Monday morning and, well, most of us were feverishly finishing up on our homework we didn't do over the weekend.
I'm with Michelle - the men in my family don't stand a chance of getting a word in edgewise if more than 2 of us women are around. Fortunately, we all married men who are a bit more introverted than we are, so they don't have too much of a problem with that. However, when our men DO speak up, it would pay to listen - they come up with some amazing comments, and some very sly humor.
I'm glad Bubby admits to needing help sometimes with his homework, and I'll be glad to help out when I can. (Sorry I didn't chime in yesterday, but I was having a Monday.) But then again, for quite a bit of my formative years, we didn't have a television at home, after our little black and white TV mysteriously stopped doing anything but black and white snow. Turns out that we'd had a young and curious guest at our house, and with the back of the tiny TV (probably a 9"?) exposed, had turned all of the knobs to see what would happen. Kids, gotta love em!
Good Morning Heartlanders:
I guess I can't give a definitive explanation as to why more women than men share their thoughts in this blog. Mark seems to be on the right track, though. My 14-year old son is mature, but quiet and rather shy with girls, same as my older son in Marines. I'm a woman of few words myself (in person), but my husband is the one who can be rather chatty.
We both work at the local grocery store, and he's the one that knows the gossip and knows most of the other employees by name. Of course, he's also quite the flirt with the young girls, who probably think he's sweet and kind of kooky old guy (which is true). I tend to keep to myself and read while I'm in breakroom.
Just my thoughts ...
Women talk more than men? Not in the bookclub I belong to...about half men and half women with the men dominating the conversation. Perhaps I belong to a strange group of book lovers?
Off the topic... does anyone know if an HD radio will reach to Winona area?
wow - i missed Ondar while i was in the barn. but just got some pipes - good consolation.
Mark - even in throat singing there are no absolutes. The Tyva Kyzy (Daughters of Tuva) will be at the Cedar Cultural Center on Feb. 22. - an all female band of throat singers.
i'm glad the men persist in commenting , even though we outnumber them, because they CAN get a word in edgewise on this blog and it's fun to read every thought.
Wow, Winky-Dink! never heard of it before! as a kid in the 60's, i guess i missed out while watching the Captain....(for years as a teen and twenty-something, i carried my keys on a big ring like the one Captain Kangaroo had :-)
re the women-to-men blogger ratio---there could be a shyness and/or introversion factor there....maybe the women are lonelier, or more eager to create a connection...glad we have both....although they don't blog, i'd like to point out that there may be more goats and other creatures listening than humans of either gender!
(p.s. i'd like to propose a field trip for the homework club to the goat barn!)
Good Morning...
Way off topic..................
The Yma Sumac song remided me of the Big Lebowski, which made me think of the Gypsy Kings version of Hotel Califonia. Of couse if you're familiar with the movie you know how the Dude feels about the Eagles.
Speaking of dudes.....guys? Where are you? The girls are out numbering you as much as yesterday.
Is Bubby right? Not enough sports?
All the talk of old TV shows caused me to look up 'You Tube' videos of Captain Kangaroo... how fun! So many long lost memories...
How about 'Bart's Clubhouse'? My wife and I remember watching that as kids. Originated in Mason City I think. Well, it was on 'Channel 3' from Mason City anyway...
You Tube doesn't even have it!? Does that mean it didn't really exist?
Barbara,
Unfortunately, I don't think HD radio signal from the Twin Cities will reach Winona. The broadcast range of the HD signal on 91.1 is limited by the broadcast range of "regular" 91.1 (and is sometimes slightly smaller than the analog signal). As you can see on this map, the blue circle around Mpls/St. Paul (indicating the broadcast range of analog 91.1) just barely makes it to the border of Goodhue and Wabasha counties, not down to Winona. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news... =]
Morning all you Chatty Kathy and Ken's.
Statistics show that women tend to talk out there thoughts and feelings, where men tend to think about it all before saying anything. "Me Like Hockey" by the Arrogent Worms tends to come to mind when talking about Men. (sorry, recently divorced)
I vote for a field trip to the goat barn.
Lordy, but those tv blogs make me feel old. Our neighbors 2 doors up got the first tv on the block in 1947 and all the kids gathered there every day to watch Howdy Doody Time. We got our own set in the early 50's. There were a lot of cowboy shows (the Saturday movie matinee stars) and variety shows. My little brother watched Winky Dink and I helped him with the plastic for the screen. When he misplaced it, I covered the screen with waxed paper.
Growing up without tv in my early years meant I spent a lot of time playing outdoors or reading. Even after we got the tv, I was more likely to be reading than watching. I still get wrapped up in a book and forget to switch on the tv for shows I planned to watch. If I want background noise, I turn on the radio. Any other dinosaurs out there?
Back to the old TV shows, so good to hear mention of Car 54 Where Are You?, and Howdy Doody details. Does anyone remember Hey Jeannie -- think it was only on a couple of years in early 60s... It, like Car 54, had this great theme song. I don't know if it's possible to get TV theme songs for the show, but if so I'd request Car 54, Hey Jeannie, and Hennessey!
p.s. I've been gone for a couple of weeks; did JASPER replace HAL?
Hi, Jennifer (and all you closet and un-closeted goat aficionados)
a field trip to the goat barn would be lots of fun! we (and maybe Cynthia from Mahtowa?) could host a RH potluck picnic on our farm some warm summer day and Dale could broadcast the program outstanding in the field (or outstanding in the barn if it rains)
we'd have goat kids by then (hope, hope) and we could invite all fans of RH and maybe Jim Ed would even come up. trouble is, we are about 130 or so miles from most of you. that's a way to go for 5 to 8 goats, but i'd make deviled eggs..........
A while ago i had a conversation with my mom about the early morning cartoon that you'd participate in, by putting a special covering on the tv and drawing on it. Neither she nor my sisters remembered it.
I know the kids on the other side of the block had gotten the "kit" to get the secret messages, and thinking they were so special to be in on the show. Now I know it was "Winky Dink".
I also remember straws put in your milk to get chocolate flavor. and honey bees and spacecraft advertising cereals. All these had to be before 1957.
When I think about Captain Kangaroo, I remember songs like Alfred the Airsick Eagle, and the Horse in its Pajamas, and the characters that went with those songs.
Bart's Club House? I remember that, Ben! Thanks for jarring my memory. How about "Captain 11" out of Sioux Falls? Anyone remember that??
"...with the wisdom of Solomon and the strength of Atlas...YOU...are...CAPTAIN ELEVEN!
Barbara in Robbinsdale,
I'm happy to tell you that JASPER is HAL, renamed and re-imagined by our blog readers.
HAL was a bit dark and Cheney-esque. JASPER is warmer and more approachable, but sometimes disorganized and impulsive. I think he / she suits our vibe here at Radio Heartland, and I am grateful I don't have to schedule the 19 daily hours that JASPER controls.
Thanks for asking!
Regarding local TV shows. I grew up in St. Paul, and the local kiddie shows that always intrigued me were those that had a group of 15 or so children as guests, such as Captain Ken (later Grandpa Ken) and Popeye and Pete (later Dave Lee and Pete). It was an early genre of the reality show.
I remember going on Captain Ken for my birthday one year in the early 1960s. I must have been 6 or 7 years old. The show was filmed in Minneapolis, which was a very exotic and intimidating place for a kid from St. Paul. It was probably my first time in Minneapolis. My little brother, who is about three years younger than me, came along. All of the kids got bags of treats, and ours included a Fizzie, which was a tablet you were supposed to drop in a glass of water to create a rather pungent soft drink. My brother ate the Fizzie during the show, which nearly cost him his lunch. I also remember being profoundly embarrassed when my brother was asked to state his first name to the microphone but instead buried his head in the lap of the kid next to him. I'm not even sure he knew that kid.
But my moment of humiliation was to come. On Captain Ken's show, the kids with birthdays got to leave their seats and go up to Captain Ken's drawing pad and draw anything--a squiggle, a shape, a line--and he would make something recognizable out of it. I wanted to be creative and challenge him, but I panicked and drew a jagged line. He looked at me and said, "That's it?" I was sooo humiliated. I knew I couldn't draw well, but to be criticized by Captain Ken on a TV show for my lack of drawing skills was almost more than I could bear. The sharpness of the memory still pains me to this day.
Yes, Mike! Captain 11 was a half-hour program that began in 1955 and ran for almost 42 years. Kids frequently went for their birthdays - they were briefly interviewed and permitted to flip the colored jewels on the captain's time converter control panel. He wore a blue jumpsuit, gold boots, and headphones. Cartoons took up the majority of the half-hour. Here's the rest of the opening narrative: "One man in each century is given the power to control time. The man chosen to receive this power is carefully selected. He must be kind. He must be fair. He must be brave. You have fulfilled these requirements; and, we of the Outer Galaxies designate to you the wisdom of Solomon and the strength of Atlas. YOU are CAPTAIN 11!"
- Become a Member
- Member Connect Accounts
- Leadership Circle
- Sustaining Members
- Member Discounts
- Become a Sponsor
- Tax Information
- Planned Giving
- Vehicle Donation
- Donate Stock