Was it coincidence or karma that Sunday’s edition of The Seattle Times devoted over two full pages to a topic I had broached in this column only three days previously?
The article opened with a reference to Seattle columnist Emmett Watson, his supposedly tongue in cheek campaign for a “Lesser Seattle” and his mythical organization, KBO (Keep the Bastards Out).
Normally, I’m too cheap with my money to make a bet, but in this case I feel sure of winning — if I put my money on the writer of the story being someone who moved to Seattle from someplace else.
There was only one brief reference to the idea that rents in the city were getting so far out of sight that long-time residents were having to leave. The rest was Chamber of Commerce rhetoric at its finest.
Now, on to a more pleasant topic: Have you ever had the feeling that life is pretty ordinary, dull and drab and then, by mere chance, find the smile once again stretching the corners of your mouth? It happened to me recently, by accident, as many turning points in our lives do.
Bored by Channel 5’s constant coverage of the Winter Olympics, I started clicking my TV remote at random, and on a channel that isn’t even on my list of available entertainment (690) was taken back almost 10 years to a series that was my favorite as it switched from one network to another. Maybe it was one of your favorites as well — “Scrubs.”
It had everything that I always enjoy in a TV show: no laugh track (either studio or recorded) telling us what was funny and what wasn’t, but it did contain a mixture of humor, love, drama and irreverence, made palatable by pathos and operating room drama. It even had two characters who were unbelievable at first but became softened and darn near loveable over time. The second season the show moved from NBC to ABC and somehow the charm slowly oozed out of it.
I watched four episodes in a row before I started getting sleepy. All the while, Zelda looked like she couldn’t understand what those funny snickering noises were, coming from the vicinity of my recliner.
Another show I liked almost as much was also an NBC treasure, “My Name is Earl.” I don’t remember it having a laugh track, either, but I could be wrong. Its humor was certainly not as sophisticated as Scrubs, but it did have what I’ll call “charm” for lack of a better word. It lasted for four seasons but was cut at the end of the 2009 season.
These days my TV viewing has dwindled to little more than NBC news, channels 9 and 12, Seahawks football and individual sports such as tennis and golf. I’d rather read or reread a good book.
I can’t remember how many times I’ve gone through “A Simple Song” by Russ Mohney. I think you almost have to be a male of advancing years to really appreciate that one but, oh, how those of us who fit that category enjoy it. I get no recompense for mentioning this, but it’s still available for sale in the lobby of this newspaper.
Another book which has gone through more than one reading is the three-volume hardbound set in a slipcase of every “Calvin and Hobbes” comic strip ever printed. I was wise enough to tell my wife that it was the only Christmas present I wanted that year.
I’m glad I didn’t wait another year because I recently saw an ad for the paperback edition priced at $150!
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Bill Moeller is a former entertainer, mayor, bookstore owner, city council member, paratrooper and pilot living in Centralia. He can be reached at bookmaven321@comcast.net.
