There are things that I think most of us might agree with. Like after a great meal of perfectly yummy tacos most of us have said, “Man I could eat nothing but tacos for the rest of my life.” I know I’ve heard something along those lines by others over the years. Like having chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and really cold milk for every meal from now until the end of time. I would bet your memory of something really delicious you have indulged in just skittered across your mind. A dinner, a steak, a dessert you like sooooo much you would never get your fill of it. What if I changed the food to a book? Or a television show or movie. That was the topic not long ago around my table. Oh and the chitty chat got rousing. Just how many times is too many times to re-read a book or watch a movie again, and again?
Of course we will always read our little ones in our lives all the Mother Goose and Golden Books. That will never go away. I would however bet that there are times when a parent just doesn’t want to turn another golden page. It’s probably a good thing that just as the parent has their fill of the three little pigs, the youngster learns to read for themselves. So it goes without saying that nursery rhymes and fairy tails will forever be read and re-read until the end of time. That’s heart warming. But!
Yes a twice seen and heard “but.” How many times do you read a book? Me? Once. Well of course unless I have written it. HAHA Really though I have tried to re-read a book or two. But as soon as I know who the culprit is, or if it has a happy or sad ending? I’m moving on to the next story. It was surprising to me to hear that there are people that read a book not once or twice, but time and time again. The Bible not withstanding. Some will read a book, put it on a shelf and pick it up years later and dive right back in. I think I’m a little bit green with envy that someone can do that. I keep the books I have bought or been given and have read each one. Some good, some just “ehe.” The ones I like I have gone back to a few times, I thought would give me the same good feelings I got when I read it the fist time. My head thought skips to the next part of the story before my eyes get there and then I loose the passion to read it all. Yes I am a bit green that someone enjoys a book over and over again.
From the book shelf talk we moved to movies. You know, is the book or the movie better. Consensus was about half and half. I’m amazed when I read a book then see the movie when the story line is held tightly. One of the best things I have learned along my writing path is to “show don’t tell.” It’s harder than you think until you learn how to feel with your fingers and turn that feeling into words. The books that are turned into movies when the writer can show instead of telling. Those are great movies. Still. I do not enjoy seeing movies from books more than once, maybe twice.
Ah but then we talked about TV re-runs. Here the overall vote was overwhelmingly watch, watch and re-watch them all. Television is so much different today than pre satellite/cable. Then new programs came out in the fall and then they turned into reruns in the late spring. Worked well because we were all so busy having fun in the summer that we didn’t care what was on television. Then fall would come around and new shows were on, just in time for school to start and we all came indoors to tough out another winter in front of the “boob tube.”
Now we even have channels that tout they are all re-reruns, all the time. Westerns, family, comedy, dramas. In one day you can go from a brand new episode of Law and Order to watching an episode of Law and Order from 1991! What a world.
I, like some of my friends, do not get the same enjoyment out of all the re-runs that are available. Two that were talked of were Saturday night staples. The Love Boat and Fantasy Island. Somewhere along the line Captain Stubbing and “De Plane! De Plane!” lost its luster. But apparently Law and Order will live forever.
Trina lives in Diamond Valley, just North of Eureka, Nevada. Find her books on line wherever you buy books, visit her website www.theeurekacountystar.com or email her at itybytrina@yahoo.com Really!
