Just a junkie (of sorts)

I am a junkie, it's true. When I wake up in the morning, there it is. On my lunch break, a quick fix. After work, I have to have it. It got me through the rough times. It helped me bond with my parents. Grandma even calls me at night to make sure I'm getting it!

I admit it: I can't live without my television! And it's not just TV. I think of myself as an entertainment junkie. Music, movies, and the boob tube have all played a part in molding (and warping) my psyche.

As a kid, it never really seemed like punishment to be sent to my room. At just 7 or 8 years old, I was already spinning records, if only for my own enjoyment. In junior high, I lived for Tuesday nights when "Roseanne" helped me forget my disdain for school. For ten years in my early adulthood, I never missed my "Friends" on Thursday night.

The tapestry of my life is woven with records, CDs, and VHS tapes. Well, the latter is more piled than woven, but that's beside the point. At any given time, it's as if someone has pressed "Shuffle Songs" in the iPod of my mind. Or on my actual iPod.

Just the other day, I was listening to Cho reading a poignant excerpt from her audio book "I'm The One That I Want." She was recounting the life lessons she learned from her high school friends Alan & Jeremy. The teenage drag queens had taught her to believe in herself. They also schooled the diva-in-training in many other things not for the faint of heart!

And then, with blaring horns and loud guitars, the tender moment was over. Frankie Valli took the wheel of the nostalgia car with the theme from the movie "Grease." The contrast of the spoken-word memories and the '70s soundtrack song made me laugh out loud! But as Margaret's mom would say, "I guess you had to be there."

(I guess it wasn't such an odd juxtaposition after all, since the autobio's title is a twist on the closing number from the movie musical.)