senior-spectrum.com - Joey Franklin

Riding Out a Three-Day Case of the Blahs

I'm an "A" personality. I can't sit back and relax when I know there is something that needs doing. And when there isn't something that needs doing, I look for something to do.

Occasionally, however, I will wake up in the morning with the "blahs," or perhaps it's my mind and body giving me an excuse to do nothing and not feel guilty. That happened last month, only this time it lasted three days.

Fortunately, I had my writing assignments turned in ahead of deadline, my laundry was done, clothes were ironed, my apartment got a good cleaning when the Christmas tree and the decorations were taken down. There was nothing pressing, so I decided to let the "blahs" rule the day and do nothing, at least nothing that required physical activity other than making the bed and feeding my cat and myself.

It turned out to be one of the most relaxing three days I had had in a long while. I didn't change out of my PJs until noon. Instead, I took time to read the morning paper from front to back.

Once that was done I worked the cryptoquote and both crossword puzzles -- something I do every morning, only that morning I didn't skip over a word that stumped me, I took time to get out my big dictionary and look it up, and I felt quite smug when I solved all but a few words in the New York Times puzzle. It wasn't until then that I glanced at the clock and was surprised that almost three hours had passed since I first opened the paper.

Next, I turned on the TV to catch just a little bit of the news. But after reading the gloom and doom in the paper, I wasn't in the mood to see it re-hashed by talking heads and so-called experts getting their 15 minutes of fame.

Out of 65 channels listed in the TV log, there are a handful that I turn to regularly. Not familiar with the other 55, I decided to do some channel surfing just to see what I might be missing.

I came across a couple that I might add to my "choice" list, but there was one that really caught me by surprise.
Suddenly there was the familiar face of a quite young Gene Rayburn. I had clicked on the Game Show Network, and the show was "Match Game." On the panel were other "young" personalities like Bill Cullen, Charles Nelson Reilly, Burt Convey, Fannie Flagg and a couple of lesser-knowns of that time. I watched the whole 30 minutes and found it quite entertaining.

I wasn't into game shows when they were in their prime; I was busy raising a family and later devoted myself to a full-time career. Now my curiosity was aroused, so I picked up my TV log and looked at the Game Show schedule and found a few I wanted to check out, like "To Tell the Truth," "What's My Line," "Family Feud" and "The $100,000 Pyramid" hosted by Dick Clark who, regardless of what anyone says, does look much older today.

I also look older, but my taste is still intact, so I passed on "The Newlywed Game" and "Let's Make a Deal." I saw John Daly and Arlene Francis and Richard Dawson and many other well-known and lesser-known celebrities of that era. I even found a new game that interested me called "LINGO." It's a word game, my favorite kind, hosted by an older-but-still-looking-good Chuck Woolery.

Except for taking time to do minor chores around the apartment, talking to friends who called and watching some hilarious "Tonight Show" tapes I had gotten for Christmas, I repeated that routine for the next two days. First the paper, then puzzles and then the game shows.

Looking at all those "young" faces from the past let me believe that I still looked that good. I wish! It was a fun three days seeing all those familiar stars and the dress styles and the hairdos of that time. I don't remember ever dressing like that! I had a few laughs and my mind was off the more weighty happenings in the world today. Only a couple of times did my eyes get heavy and I nodded off for just a few minutes, but not once did I feel guilty.

So, when you have time on your hands, turn on the Game Show Network. You might like it, too. I intend to tune in the next time I get the "blahs," but right now I've got to end this, for there are deadlines to meet and things to do.

Sacramento resident Joey Franklin, retired from more than three decades of full-time work in the newspaper business, now writes a monthly column for Spectrum.

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