Where is Mister Rogers When You Need Him?
It has been said that I am easily amused. Little things fascinate me. I like to know how things work. I like factory tours and behind-the-scenes stuff and those specials on Discovery Channel. I was definitely brought up this way: I remember my brother telling me about a conversation he'd recently had about "Jet Puffed Marshmallows." Topics covered were: What does "Jet-Puffed" mean? How big-a-jet are we talkin? What keeps the marshmallows from exploding when "jet puffed"?
Several weeks ago, the girls and I caught an episode of the rarely aired Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. In that one episode, the inimitable Mr. R shed light on two very interesting processes when he visited a sleeping bag factory and a dollmaker's workshop. Have you ever thought about how a sleeping bag is assembled? Me neither, but now I know, and I am a better person for it.
So here are a few jobs I would like to shadow for a day (or watch Mister Rogers shadow them), because every experience I have with them is one of wonder.
1. The U.S. Postal Service. Particularly the job of a letter carrier. The fact that any mail addressed to me shows up at my house is mind-boggling to me. And that it only costs 41 cents a piece. I see the guy walking around, sorting stuff as he walks...how does it happen?
2. The Dry Cleaner. Not so much how the clothes get clean, but how is it possible that I get my own clothes back? I drop a heap of clothes on the counter, they scribble out a tab and slide my heap over to make room for the next person's heap. How in the world?
3. The Blood Lab. Unmarked stickers + various colored tubes of different sizes = accurate results. Or so they say.
What's on your list?
Comments
Until they do...enjoy:
http://pbskids.org/rogers/
Mr. Rogers is on EVERY WEEKDAY at 1pm on chanel 42!
Hill
John
Massechusetts
actually made it to John Underhill of Andover, Mass. Those people are amazing.
I second the vote for a behind the scenes post office visit.
You're saying there are box sets? I have been looking and all I can find are single episodes? Please do tell where said box sets can be found! : ) and yes that was Just Mom. Finally making an appearance!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007LPSUO/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&seller=
i would love to have the sweatered one! They do have old school Sesame Street box sets on Amazon though!
Hmm...do you think my kids will be warped if they are only allowed to watch these two shows, and only the episodes made in the 80s? ha
Autumn - I would be sooo up for that! I'm sure I could drag a kid along.
I really like Mr. Rogers as a kid. That show made we want to build model trains, but I never did. :(
Cheers.
stock up on on forever stamps!
(nice name by the way!)
Levi - YES, that is a great show. I caught one of those on how they clean organ pipes and it was fascinating. No cable in the house means I have to have good timing at someone else's home to catch the good stuff. So, I rely on Mister Rogers and my 3 trusty PBS stations.