Day Two Hundred and Eighty-One - By Gelfing Hand Or Else By None

Before I was old enough to go to school full-time I went to a baby-sitter throughout the week. I adored her and even my mum agrees that my baby-sitter, Marg, was like a second mother to me [my mum worked a lot]. Despite [or perhaps because of] the fact that I was the only girl in the baby-sitter's house, I loved being there. They had a swimming pool and lots of board games and I thought she was a great cook - with lots of macaroni and cheese with ketchup smiley faces and tollhouse biscuits. I also liked the other four kids who were there with me - I think I was more of a tomboy than what I remember. However, there was something I did not like - the media selection. These days kids don't have to drive to the corner store without some portable DVD player blasting the latest Disney/Pixar rubbish. Back in my day - we had three films @ the baby-sitter's house and I loathed them all - Annie, Puff the Magic Dragon and - most dreaded of all - The Dark Crystal. The latter would cause me to hide behind the sofa for its entire duration or maybe even go outside [and we all know how much I hate that].

Let's just say that today has been an exceptionally trying day [it really, really has for reasons I won't discuss]. I'm exhausted and my thing du jour got thrwarted by the badness - and what does Teletoon happen to be playing? Oh, that's right - tonight I watched The Dark Crystal. Really. I don't think that anyone will get that this is a huge thing for me - that film scarred and terrified me - I think it's why I don't like birds to this day, even though I didn't remember the Skeksis birdy people. Repressed memories are still memories people. And yet, this film is not scary in the slightest. It's also not a great film so I don't really recommend it - but I have no idea why it terrified me so - like, I couldn't even look near the TV screen when it was on. I also couldn't make it through Labyrinth or Willow - I think for similar reasons - fear of fantasy films - they probably aren't scary either. And just so you don't think I'm a total wuss I watched all sorts of proper horror/thriller films even as a young kid and I was totally fine with them. I guess I should thank my new love of Star Wars for curing me of my fear of Muppets/puppets.