We didn’t have a TV

3 on Thursday

A weekly newsletter sharing songs, stories, and other things I’m working on.

November 30, 1996

Dear Daniel,

Do you love living in California? Sometimes I think it would be strange to not live in a place with snow this time of year. I don’t imagine you drinking hot chocolate with marshmallows, and in a way that makes me sad. But you also probably get to go swimming if you want, so that’s a decent trade-off.

One of my favorite movies this time of year is Christmas Vacation with Chevy Chase. I can only watch it at other people’s houses, though, because we don’t have a TV. Even if we did, my parents wouldn’t approve. There’s too much inappropriate stuff, like when the lady shows her underwear to Clark in the mall scene. It’s not terrible, but my parents are pretty strict when it comes to Hollywood.

I guess we used to have a TV, but my mom got rid of it when all we would do is watch it. This was before I could remember, but the story she tells is that she couldn’t get anyone to even come to supper because we were always glued to it. Now we sometimes rent one from Frank’s TV and Repair for special occasions like the Olympics. My dad sets it on a chair in the dining room just at the edge of the living room. I think this gives my mom some peace of mind, knowing it isn’t in the center of the house and it looks like a temporary situation.

I think the last time we rented one was for the Gulf War because my dad wanted to keep up with the news. It was kind of weird watching Operation Desert Storm in our living room because my parents normally don’t let my sisters and me watch violence. So it was strange to sit next to my mom and dad and watch real bombings on the rented television.

Anyway, I’m kind of glad we don’t have a TV because I probably wouldn’t practice the guitar as much as I have been. There’s not a whole lot to do since quitting hockey. I walk home from school, then shovel the snow off of Ed and Vi’s sidewalk and Cephus and Evelyn’s. They’re my neighbors and they’re pretty old. But then I come home and there’s not much to do, so I grab my grandpa’s guitar, and guess what? My dad’s office in the basement is so nice!

I told you last time I was going to ask him if I could borrow it. He said sure. He never uses it anyway, not since he was into ham radio. It’s this whole setup with a microphone and headphones and this thing that looks like a stereo receiver. There’s a bunch of antennas.

One time he talked to somebody in Russia, I think, or maybe it was Alaska. I don’t remember. But he showed us and it was a little hard to hear the other person, but it was still cool that he could talk to someone so far away without using the telephone.

But he either got bored with it or didn’t have enough time or maybe he just ran out of stuff to talk about with strangers. I don’t really know. So all the equipment is still sitting there on the desk and in boxes. I moved some stuff around so I can have a stool and a place to set my music stand.

My mom got me a guitar book when she went to Thief River Falls. It’s a bigger town about an hour away and they have a music store called Poplar’s. She goes to buy piano books for her students. Anyway, so now I have something besides just the hymn books my grandpa gave me. This book’s got old folk songs in it and has a lot more music theory.

Mainly I’m trying to play “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver. It’s not like I love that song or would try to impress my friends with it, but it’s at least the first non-church song I’ve been learning. I’ve been trying to sing it and play at the same time with more than just a downward strumming pattern, which has been getting boring. But it’s so difficult! The problem is, when I start singing, my right hand wants to stop the pattern and start moving with my singing. It’s like it has a mind of its own. I don’t know how you do it! It makes me really appreciate your talent.

Sometimes I wonder how much of this stuff comes naturally and how much you just have to work at it. I guess I’ll just keep on practicing because there’s not much else to do. I’m probably going to apply to Wally’s Supermarket as a “carry-out boy” soon because I’d like to make some money and buy my own guitar so I can give my grandpa’s back to him.

I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving.

Love,
Aaron

Memoir in Progress

Earlier chapters:
Chapter 1: Quitting Hockey →
Chapter 2: Quitting Hockey (for Real) →
Chapter 3: The Guitar Lesson →
Chapter 4: I hated singing in church →

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