Tonight, I found myself at a defining moment.
Let me tell you one thing. I love nostalgia. I absolutely love discussing, or even better, watching something that I haven't seen since my childhood. Case in point: tonight, I sat in my comfy armchair recliner, with Amy in my lap, watching a DVD of Astroboy. Not fancy-pants neo Astro, no, but OMG its 80's Astro, with the Atlas storyline and the whole Goliath plot. I'd recieved the Astroboy DVD's for Christmas a year or two ago, but hadn't watched them until tonight. The end credits with the flip-book animation and the wacky amateur singing brought back a flood of memories from my very early days, and almost (I said almost ) a tear to my eye.
I remember the exact time in my life when I realised that my generation had ended and the next had begun. That was Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (closely followed by Pokémon). I just didn't get it. I thought to myself "If this is what they think is going to replace Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as the 'next big thing', then forget it. I dont wan't any part of it". The era of Saturday morning cartoons was over.
Fast-forward to the Internet era (which for me was around 1995-1996, not counting BBS-based dialup-services) and the realisation that people all round the world, just like me, were reminiscing of their glory days. Remembering playing the latest Megaman/Alex Kidd/Creatures game on the NES/SMS/C64. Rembering that kick-ass episode of Danger Mouse/Monkey Magic/Degrassi Junior High. Remembering what I was doing when I first heard that Guns'n'Roses/Starship/Crowded House song. The Internet was full of memories. When a good friend ordered a copy of the Mysterious Cities of Gold on VHS from a collector, I knew that the Internet was truly the greatest invention known to man. Up until this point, I'd always wanted to grow up to be on TV (the greatest invention known to man, until then).
Which brings to to my current predicament. I'm sure that, no doubt, the Internet can help me relive nearly all of my mainstream childhood memories. What worries me is that I have more years ahead of me than I do behind me. Should I go full-on and soak up as much nostalgia as I can? Should I portion it out in digenstable chunks so as to increase the happiness effect? What if I run out of cool nostalgia in the next couple of years? Then what will I do? WHAT WILL I DOOOOOOO!!!?!?!??
For all of you children of the 80's, knock yourself out!
