TV was as real as a relative who came to live with us

TV was the most important visitor in my family.  I was five when we got our first one, and my father made local TV commercials.  He once drove the family Pontiac onto a television lot so he could slap its front fender to punctuate his pitch:  “Now YOU can trade this jalopy for a new Chevrolet from Ellis Brooks, on the corner of Bush and Van Ness.”  I remember watching and thinking, “What a star!” as his voice rang out on our tiny little black and white TV screen up high on a table in our living room. Continue reading “Why we’re different from our parents” »