Technical Difficulties

We appear to be having some technical difficulties in your area, the recorded cable tv voice told me cheerfully,

Technicians are working hard to restore your service and we appreciate your patience.

While I am a person who enjoys - nay, treasures - her solitude, I am not a person who likes silence. The television is my friend - I rely on it for company, to lull me to sleep at night, to comfort me with the sound of human voices and familiar themes, dialogue I know almost by heart, jingles and news flashes. Without it, I am edgy and distressed, a far cry from the way I was raised. To finally arrive home and be without it for an entire evening rattled me almost as badly as being completely without power.

I was in grade school when television arrived in our house, an oversized, cabinet model with rabbit ears to aid the reception. The screen was small and the picture grainy and low contrast but suddenly Ed Sullivan, Jackie Gleason, Search for Tomorrow, Howdy Doody, Captain Kangaroo and American Bandstand became staples. There were movies in the afternoon - Dialing for Dollars made random calls to viewers and if you knew what movie was showing, you won cash - local and national news at 10 and 10:30 and then The Tonight Show with Steve Allen. John Cameron Swayze advertised Timex watches, They take a lickin' and keep on tickin', Katie Winters and Bess Myerson were names everyone knew. We were all, save for my daddy who still preferred to read, instantly and totally seduced and once she discovered Liberace and Lawrence Welk, even my staid grandmother gave in. On Saturday mornings, I discovered Bugs Bunny and learned everything I know and love about classical music. In a matter of weeks, none of us could imagine life without this small and fascinating device.

Much later, I came to realize that having a television in the house, meant that there was no need for family members to interact or engage each other except in the matter of program choices. We could all be in the same room for an extended period of time without having to exchange a single serious word - the threat of "No Tv!" had a remarkable effect on disciplinary problems and squabbles turned almost friendly. It was a strange and wondrous peace - drawing us together and driving us further apart all at the same time.