Strange Things | On the TV

On the TV

erratic_prophet | 02 June, 2005 16:47

Russian television...

It was a strange thing to me. My Russian family did what most American families-- mine included-- do. They kept it on all of the time as background noise. If something interesting came on, we'd stop and watch. Usually though, it was just on and no one watched.

I became quite addicted to the very strange and melodramatic Russian dubbed Mexican telenovelas. We'd drop everything the moment they came on and watch. My cousins would catch me up on the backstory and all of its twists and turns during breaks.

I was also rather enamored with the Russian dubbed Duck Tales. Since I'd seen most of the shows back home, I wasn't completely lost. It also helped me learn some-- a really ridiculously small amount, really-- of Russian.

I spent many evenings playing cards or checkers while the tv babbled on. There wasn't much of anything interesting on tv. Not anything that we hadn't already seen about 5 times already. That day. Yeah, reruns were a common thing there.

I recall the almost obsessive playing and replaying of this folk dance group during one week there. Neither Den nor I paid it any attention. I don't think I ever gave it a glance, really, until one night...

We'd been playing checkers. Den was putting way more thought than necessary into his next move and I grew frustrated and bored. I turned and glanced at the tv and saw... Well, I was quite sure I'd lost my mind because I saw someone I knew from back home. On the tv. In Russia. I even made a joke about it to Den. He didn't listen to me because he was sure I was trying to distract him into making a bad move. (Yes, he really was that overly competitive.)

I shrugged the whole thing off. Sorta. I kept half an eye on the tv while playing a very distracted game of checkers. All of which Den thought was some strange plot on my part to lull him into a false sense of security where in I'd totally anhilate him. (Yes, he was really that paranoid.) That's when I saw yet another person I knew from back home. This time I blurted out, "Den, I swear I just saw so-and-so! I'm not crazy!"

This, according to my competitive and paranoid cousin, was yet another plot-- because I spend so much time hatching plots to win games of checkers-- to distract him so I could move the pieces around the board and win the game. Since my other nefarious schemes hadn't come to fruition. That's when I smacked him upside the head and demanded he stop being an idiot and look at the tv...

In time to see the camera pan out and get a shot of the entire troupe dancing. I didn't know whether to laugh or scream at the timing. Den was quite sure I was making the whole thing up. The only thing that would convince him that I was serious was the forfeit the game and insist he watch the tv until they came to close ups again. Which, eventually, they did. That's when he saw that, yes, friends of ours were actually on the friggin tv.

We found out from another cousin that the dance troupe-- that our friends were in-- were actually in the area. Or at least they were at the beginning of the week. This made Den sneak out one night and not return until midnight-- we were sure he was dead or being held for ransom or something-- with our friends. Turns out they were still in town and just as shocked to see us. They, too, had taken the train down from Moscow, but one of them had left his window open and was robbed at a stop. He said he'd kept the window open because the room got too cold at night. That started off a round of "Who's Had the Worst Travel Experience?" and a discussion on how surreal our trips had become.

It also means that you can go to the other side of the world, but you still can't get away from home.

[Reply]

You had it easy. My parents were addicted to Lawrence Welk. We kids would have preferred dental surgery.

I must tell you how much I've enjoyed visiting your blog. It is never boring. When you get a chance, stop by my place and say hello.

Nickie Goomba — 03 Jun 2005, 01:30

[Reply]

See R, i keep telling everyone, even if i moved to the moon, my mother would STILL find me!!

Michelle — 03 Jun 2005, 02:26

[Reply]

My family does that with ESPN - LOL

Marie — 03 Jun 2005, 13:01

[Reply]

Nickie- Lawrence Welk.. That brings back memories. I feel a story coming on.

Michelle- I wish it were just my mother..

Marie- I tend to do that with Food Network. I'm addicted to that channel.

Erratic Prophet — 03 Jun 2005, 14:54

[Reply]

no matter where I go - it's like murphy's law - I'll bump into someone I know. Usually it's someone I don't want to bump into and it's usually when I've thrown on sweats to run to the grocery store for 5 minutes... Always.

Edana — 04 Jun 2005, 04:24

[Reply]

Edana- It's almost always when I look my worst. Life is evil that way.

Erratic Prophet — 04 Jun 2005, 20:59

DUCK TALES [Reply]

woo OOOO!

chris — 05 Jun 2005, 09:32