When the progeny were in that impressionable, growing stage of life HHBL and I took pains to be careful about what they watched on TV and what we listened to on the radio. An hour of TV a day during school days. Not much more than that on the weekend. Of course if they were asking to watch a Charleton Heston movie then all bets were off. Watch “The Ten Commandments” for the 100th time? Not a problem with me. But we were careful, in the main, with what they watched and listened to.
So, of course, we made sure that they listened to Car Talk on Saturday mornings on NPR. What better way to start our morning than wasting spending a perfectly good hour listening to two men with heavy Boston verbal inflections prognosticate on all things automotive, with a healthy dose of life and marital harmony thrown in.
You did that at your house too right?
Right?
Fine! So we are a bit on the unusual side at Chez Knit. That cannot be a surprise to you.
Getting back to what I was saying before you so RUDELY interrupted my wandering train of thought. We listened to Car Talk every Saturday morning as we went about our weekend routine. And we laughed. A lot.
So I was sad yesterday when Cartoon Girl sent me a text message with the news that Tom Magliozzi had died from complications of Alzheimer's disease. As his brother, Ray, so humorously put it….
“Turns out he wasn’t kidding,” said Ray. “He really couldn’t remember last week’s puzzler.”
You may think that is an irreverent thing to say in the wake of the death of a sibling but I think it is fab. And when I die, whenever that may be, I would like others to remember the humor in my life. I laugh at myself and share my idiocy with all 3 of you because if I didn’t laugh at myself someone else would gladly step up to the plate and do it for me. Laughing at yourself, as Tom and Ray Magliozzi always seemed to do, is the best way to beat others to the punch.
Thank you Tom Magliozzi for all the laughter.
Now, your homework for today is to go and listen to some Car Talk.
** The title of the blog post is Tom Magliozzi’s self-proclaimed motto. The translation is:
“Unencumbered by the thought process”
So many great memories. When they released Car Talk in podcast form, I used to listen to it on the train. Trouble was that I would start laughing which, in a crowded car, is not so great.
ReplyDeleteHe will be missed.
We did that at our house, too, and I still spend Saturday mornings with Click and Clack. I know they've been broadcasting reruns for a while now, but who doesn't look forward to lots of laughter and maybe learning a thing or two about cars? I think Tom's estate will be handled by Dewy, Cheetham & Howe.
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