I'm in a Wistful State of Mind.

Nostalgia

Nostalgia is more commonly referred to not as a medical condition or a field of study, but as a feeling that any normal person can have. Nostalgia can often be associated with a fond childhood memory, a certain game or a treasured personal object.

Studies show that many people believe that years or decades past people were better off than they are now, and that there had been a higher standard of living then, even if this is not always the case. This belief can be very characteristic of nostalgia, of the "good ol' days." Items in Pop Culture can often trigger a strong feeling of nostalgia. TV shows like Lost In Space and Moon Pies can bring back memories of the space age. *

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As of late I'm in a nostalgic mood. Songs & visuals that usually did not evoke any response from me are somehow triggering or firing the medial temporal lobes (MTL). The fireworks of emotion are palpable. Sometimes the memory is pleasant conjuring aromas, sounds, sensations, places & people from my past. Others would best be left submerged in some murky neural sconce. Still I suppose that they are part and parcel. Here is some of the baggage that I still carry for better or worse:

25- Gilligan's Island : You'd figure that seven adults would be able to get off that island what with all the traffic of persons we saw from week to week.

24- Gomer Pyle: "Shazaaaaam!"

23- Mission Impossible: Gotta like that theme music & the self-destructing envelopes.

22- Honey Mooners: " Alice!!!..." & "You're a riot, Alice, a regular riot. "

21- Dark Shadows: Just like the name: Barnabas Collins - for some reason. Vampiric Soap Opera.

20- Invaders: "The Invaders - Alien beings from a dying planet Their destination - The Earth. Their purpose - To make it their world "- As far as I'm concerned, as long as they depose Bush they're welcome to it. Come to think of it doesn't Bush have a crooked 4th finger.

19- Man From U.N.C.L.E.: "Man From UNCLE" a spy show featuring Napoleon Solo & Ilya Kuryakin which begat "The Girl from UNCLE" which thankfully did not beget "Aunt From UNCLE".

18- Bonanza: Four bachelors & a Chinese cook. No wonder Hop Sing was always skittish.

17- Ed Sullivan: Where else could you see the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Jim Morrison, Tiny Tim & Topo Gigio all on the same stage "tiptoeing through the tulips".

16- Lost in Space: Warning!...Warning!!...Warning!!! -Robbie the Robot was ostensibly the best actor in the cast.

15- Batman: Holy ""Same bat time. Same bat channel!" , Batman!

14- Hogan's Heroes: You gotta hand it to the writers - turning a World War II Nazi POW camp into a comedy sitcom is either very gutsy or very stupid.

13- Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Alfred Hitchcock Quote -"Television has brought murder back into the home - where it belongs".

12- Avengers: Introducing a TV audience to a notable fetishistic undercurrent in many episodes - black leather, a whip & "kinky boots".

11- Green Hornet: Bruce Lee as "Kato" was well worth the price of admission.

10- M.A.S.H.: Hawkeye, Hotlips, Klinger in drag et al...Gotta Love it!

9- Bewitched: Any of the original episodes makes the Ferrell & Kidman vehicle look bad.

8- Secret Agent: Johnny Rivers rendition of the theme song & Patrick McGoohan's deadpan delivery hit home.

7- Twilight Zone: Do you want to see something really scary?

6- Outer Limits: Please do not adjust your sets.

5- Munsters: Talk about marriages that last - Herman & Lily Munster have been married for 100 years.

4- Addams Family: When "Cousin It" started making sense I got worried.

3- Beverly Hillbillies: I think I'll "set a spell" around the "cee-ment pond".

2- Get Smart: "Missed it by that much."

1- Star Trek: "Live long and prosper."