Eep, Opp, Ork, Ah-ah! (Jet Screamer/The Jetsons)

(In case you’re wondering, “Eep, Opp, Ork, Ah-ah” means “I love you.”)

There’s a lot I could say about this classic love song, particularly surrounding the appeal of futuristic affectations blended with (what are now) historic stylings, but the salient fact about it for you is that this phrase still spontaneously enters my brain, even on mornings like today when I probably hadn’t heard it in at least 15 years.

Eep opp ork ah-ah

Eep opp ork ah-ah

Eep opp ork ah-ah

And that means I love you

Jet Screamer

First Encounter:
I’m pretty sure we had a Jetsons VHS tape containing this segment that I watched a few times as a kid.

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/ is a website about books, which, being one of my favorite subjects, makes it an attractive topic for a website. It’s a useful resource for information and reviews about books, and, what’s more, it’s a handy place to keep track of the books I’ve read and when I read them. I would not be able to recall 90% of the books I’ve read if I weren’t recording them, and this is an easy place to do it. I used to have a website (link withheld) where I’d record this stuff, but I like being able to link my record to the master catalog of book data.

How we met:
My first memory of Goodreads.com is that a long-lost good friend of mine had been using it. I remember asking her if it was any good, but I don’t remember her answer. In any event, I signed up for it after that, ported my former book log to it, and began capturing new books as I read them and old books as I recalled them. At this point I’m sure I have captured 99%+ of the adult books I’ve read, but every once in a while I’ll suddenly remember a book, look it up, and find that it’s not in my “Read” list. (On the flipside, sometimes I’ll encounter a book that I don’t remember reading, look it up, and find that I have already read it.)

Bernie Rhodenbarr (Lawrence Block)

As of this writing, I’ve read the first five in this series. Light, fun, and playful, they detail the exploits of Bernie Rhodenbarr, gentleman burglar, as he gets himself into almost exactly the same trouble every book, and predictably, yet somehow surprisingly, scrapes himself out of it again and again.

One of the ancillary features of these books, and one of the main attractions for me, is the late 70’s/early 80’s zeitgeist it conveys, ineluctably, straight into my consciousness.

How we met:
Browsing Hoopla for short, easy-listening audiobooks that would hold my attention and also help me defeat my dumb Goodreads 2020 reading challenge.

The Callahan Chronicals (Spider Robinson)

In a culture where pessimism has metastasized like slow carcinoma, that crazy Irishman was backward enough to try to raise hopes, like hothouse flowers. In an era during which even judicious use of alcohol has been increasingly bad-rapped, the man who came to be known as The Mick of Time was backward enough to think that the world can look just that essential tad better when seen through a flask, brightly. (As long as you let someone else drive you home afterward.) Above all, he — and his goofball customers — believed that shared pain is lessened, and shared Joy increased.

Spider Robinson

What’s really amazing about these stories is the warmth of Callahan’s fire, which still warms my heart (albeit faintly at this point) three years after reading these tales. I don’t remember the specific plots or characters very well, but I remember the atmosphere and the feelings in this book. I remember that “Shared pain is lessened; shared joy, increased,” and the bittersweet comfort that comes from observed empathy (please can’t I visit this place in reality?). Will certainly reread one day, along with all of the sequels.

First Encounter:
I’d seen the Callahan books in our basement library as a child many times, but never cracked one open. It wasn’t until many years later, as an adult, that I realized what I’d been missing out on, when I finally happened to read a Spider Robinson book. Since then, I’ve sought them out.

Bub-Bubs (Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!)

the miracle of life

This beautiful reenactment always reminds me of the birth of my own children.

How we met:
Watching Adult Swim