© 2010 Aaron Atkinson

Ingenuity

1989. Monday night. 8 p.m.

Monday was the only night of the week when the parental units allowed Tim and I to stay up past our 8 p.m. bedtime. We could only drink a half a glass of water (lest we should wet the bed). We had to wash our faces and brush our teeth during the commercials (so as to actually be in bed the moment the show concluded.) And asking “why” was strictly forbidden (lest it should distract our parents from the program). Aside from dinnertime, roadtrips and church, nothing brought the Atkinson’s together like…MacGuyver.

Yeah the mullet was cool. So was the Swiss Army knife. But coolest of all was how he continually eluded certain death using only said knife and his brain (cushioned by said mullet.)

Come to think of it, I like to think of myself as a modern day MacGuyver. I’ve been known to use pocket change instead of a screwdriver in a pinch. I can light a strike anywhere match on the zipper of my fly. I can open locked doors using an old credit card. And yes, I can cut through things with my Swiss Army Knife.

Thanks MacGuyver, you were my reality TV before there was reality TV.

4 Comments

  1. Laura
    Posted October 12, 2010 at 2:29 am | #

    I’ve always wondered where your resourcefulness comes from and now I know who to thank…your parents —- for letting you watch MacGuyver! 🙂

    • Pa
      Posted October 13, 2010 at 2:11 am | #

      Laura, Mac was much cheaper than “ingenuity” classes! Besides, at that age, fishing was there as a constant proving ground for his latest, greatest idea. The new knot, new sinker/hook configuration, or retrieve sequence.

  2. Posted October 12, 2010 at 12:17 pm | #

    Man, MacGuyver ruled. We brought home the first season from the library a few years ago. It is WAAAY worse than you remember, but if you can suspend your disbelief for a bit, it’s fun to take a trip back to your childhood.

  3. Aaron Atkinson
    Posted October 25, 2010 at 3:14 pm | #

    Laura and I recently watched The Princess Bride, another classic from yester-year. Interestingly it held up to the test of time and cheesy-ness. Blog post on the topic forthcoming!

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