Month: July 2019

I don’t watch a lot of TV. At least, I used to not.

It’s not a statement or anything. I just find my evenings get packed with other things that keep me away from regularly tuning in to shows. I do tune in most every night for Jeopardy!, which is a tough thing to include in any written form because of the exclamation point in the title, as those who are not familiar with the official title think I am just REALLY excited about a game show.

I used to watch lots of shows. My wife and I would tune in regularly for Friends, Melrose Place, Seinfeld, etc. I can fairly well identify the time I quit watching shows on a regular basis. It’s Aug. 6, 2000. That’s when our first child was born.

Throw in the reinforcement date of March 17, 2003, when our second was born, and that sealed the deal on not being tuned in to TV.

For the last 18 or so years, most of my evenings have been geared towards doing things with them in the evenings. And if that included TV, it was things that were family friendly. So a lot of pop culture passed me by.

I’ve started catching up on some shows that are relatively new. I’ve enjoyed The Umbrella Academy and The Good Place. Fun stuff. But when I harken back to the early 2000s, I realize I missed some shows. And apparently I have missed A LOT of classics. Sopranos. Breaking Bad. One of the shows I heard about often was The Wire. One reason that is resonated in my circles was that the fifth season has a good bit set in a newsroom, where I spent a good chunk of my professional career. 

My kids are now teens, and they often are doing their own things in the evening. A few months back, they were both off doing their own things, and I had a quiet evening at home. So I decided I would fire up the old TV machine and watch an episode of The Wire. And man did I get hooked quick.

Even though the newsroom part was still four seasons away, the show drew me in. I watched the first episode and told my wife that it looked like I’m in for the long haul. She asked me how long the series ran for. I told her that it was five seasons, so I had about 60 hours in front of me.

And now, a couple of months later, I have run the gauntlet, and I have logged every bit of The Wire, and it is probably my favorite show of all time. A few thoughts:

• It’s definitely not for everyone. It’s hard hitting. It’s raw. It’s coarse. 
• The storylines are tough to swallow, as it presents a part of the world that we often don’t see, and I think that’s healthy to see that part of the world.
• When I made it to season five, the newsroom scenes resonated with me in a way I’ve never experienced. While I never worked at a newspaper the size of the Baltimore Sun, it’s clear to me that all newsrooms are kinda the same. 
• If you’ve watched the series and (a) if Bubble isn’t your most cherished character and (b) Omar isn’t the most fascinating antihero character of the series, I don’t know what to say.

So I’ve put The Wire to bed. I guess I need to go and find some new shows to catch up on, all the while trying to stay current on new shows. Please let me know of any shows I’m missing. Otherwise, next stop, Sopranos.

Mike Gibbons was born and raised in Aiken, S.C. A graduate of the University of Alabama, he now lives in Mt. Pleasant. You can e-mail him at scmgibbons@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @StandardMike or at www.mikeslife.us.

Sometimes, you’ve got to unleash Operation Scuba Steve.

For those of you who are wondering what in the world I am talking about, Scuba Steve was a fictional action hero in the movie Big Daddy. He is the favorite toy of the young man who, in the movie, suddenly becomes left in Adam Sandler’s character’s charge. When the youngster is refusing to take a bath, Adam Sandler comes to the door in a scuba costume, and tells the kid he’s Scuba Sam, Scuba Steve’s dad. The five-year-old is wide-eyed and listens intently instructs him that he needs to take a bath, etc. Mission accomplished.

My son has never seen this movie, and I am fairly sure he’s never seen this scene. Which makes me all the more proud that he initiated a similar tactic while watching two youngsters recently.

My son is 16, and he is great with kids. He loves to teach them things such as fishing and throwing a cast net, and he’s super patient when playing games or sports with them. We have some friends with a four- and six-old, and Parker will often visit them to spend time with them to provide a little distraction action for the boys.

Recently, he was at their house around lunchtime. I got a text from my son. It read, “Pretend to be Aquaman when I call you please.”

I was busy cleaning my garage at the time, but I knew anytime you are called on to be Aquaman, garage cleaning could wait.

A few short moments later, the phone rang. Channeling my deepest, superhero voice, I answered and said, “Hello, this is Aquaman. Do you have an aquamergency?”

My son was on the other end. I could tell he was on speaker phone. He said, “Yes, Aquaman, Jude doesn’t want to eat his lunch, and I was wondering if you eat your lunch every day.”

Well played, son.

I responded. “Why, lunch is one of my most important meals! Please tell Jude that not only should he eat his lunch, I make my personal Aquaman policy that without eating my whole lunch, no swimming, fishing or pool time. That’s how superheroes do it. And I’m sure Jude hopes to be a superhero some day.”

My son said, “Thank you, Aquaman. Have a great day.” And he hung up.

A few minutes later, I got a text. “Thank you so much! It worked!”

I know there is a small window where this type of subterfuge will work. But having had kids that age, I am fully in favor of anything that can get a child’s attention and get them to do the right thing. I know there are plenty of folks who believe you should never utilize this kind of trick to get a child to eat or dp something, and that it is just lying. Fine. You be you. Go try and have an earnest, logical debate on the merits of a four-year-old eating all of his lunch. And I wish you the best of luck with getting a four-year-old to stop and say, “You know, when you put it that way, you do have a point. Pass the peanut butter and jelly, please.”

The rest of us will let superheroes save the day.

Mike Gibbons was born and raised in Aiken, S.C. A graduate of the University of Alabama, he now lives in Mt. Pleasant. You can e-mail him at scmgibbons@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @StandardMike or at www.mikeslife.us.