I borrowed “A League of Their Own” from the library the other day. I say this when I’m feeling punchy and my nieces get whiny. hahaha.

I was feeling really crappy and antisocial for awhile now, until I read an article about Mr. Rogers on ONTD via Mental Floss. My entire mood lightened. I start crying as I read it, and it felt so good when I did. It had been awhile since I have had a good cry and I’m glad to just get it out. I’m happy I wasn’t the only one who did as evidenced by the comments in the thread.

I think you’d have to be a cold, emotionless, unimaginative, heartless bastard with a shitty childhood if Mr. Rogers never touched you as a kid. This goes for Americans only. I don’t think anyone outside of the States has heard of Mr. Rogers in their part of the world.

Everyone needs to be told they are special. Everyone is entitled to feel this way, period. Anyone who tells you otherwise is a big meanie. Because if nobody tells you that you’re special from head to toe, how are you going to believe it? Just hearing his calm voice tell me that made me believe it. I don’t think I’ve ever been told I was special by anyone other than Mr. Rogers. Shows what an emotional train wreck I grew up to be. But knowing that Mr. Rogers considered me his good neighbor will always brighten my day.

Video time! This is when he went up against Congress about funding public television. Not once did he raise his voice and he spoke with such conviction.

This is when he won his lifetime achievement Emmy award. In that calm voice of his, he went up against Hollywood and showed them a thing or two in his special way.

I was so sad when he passed. I felt like a bastion of my childhood had died with him. It’s been almost five years, and no one has come close to him. I don’t think anyone ever will. I’m glad that he lives on in public television though. I remember watching the fundraising drives they would have every year on TV, and I remember thinking, “If only I was old enough to donate.” They only air him on Sundays here in town, isn’t that crappy?

Anyways, when I was still feeling crappy and antisocial, I wrote a piece about the daily annoyances at my job. To protect what little anonymity I might have, I won’t post it here. If you are my friend on MySpace, feel free to read it there.

?: “What did you watch faithfully on TV when you were a kid?”