I’m not a huge TV person, though I admit the cooking station is really a favorite pastime at the moment. However, I, like many people, do have a few guilty pleasures and so last night I caught myself watching Grey’s Anatomy and it got me thinking. (Here we go again; I am thinking.)

 TV medical shows have always captured the hearts of Americans. I know it captured my heart, and I loved to watch the dramatic medical shows as a kid. Playing doctor was always fun. My sister was Dr. Kildare and I the fearless Ben Casey. I used to love to sit in front of the TV and daydream about being a doctor. Maybe they had silly plots, and the acting wasn’t so great, still, there was something about those old shows. Not that in real life I ever would want to be a doctor! Good grief, I almost faint when I see the sight of blood on TV.

 As part of my research for this article, I went to youtube and viewed some medical shows. I discovered that these shows have come a long way, instead of the poor acting and corny plots, and a sense of TV “escapism,” today we have medical TV shows that are so real you can almost taste the blood. There isn’t as much escapism in that. Actually, it’s all too real, well, except for Grey’s Anatomy which is far from real and focuses mainly on relationships and not medical issues, and then there is Private Practice, which again focuses on, oh yeah, relationships.

 Of course, I have done my research and so here is a list of the medicals shows that have come and gone. If I have left any out let me know, and tell me which show(s) was your favorite? (I have to admit I liked Emergency and Medical Center.)

 Here is a link that you can type in the show and watch some of your favorite oldie medical shows. It’s sort of fun.

http://televisionarchive.blogspot.com/search?q=Dr.+Kildare+

•  Ben Casey (1961–1966)
• Dr. Kildare (1961–1966)
• The Doctors (1963–1982)
• General Hospital (1963–present)
• The Nurses (1965–1967)
• Medical Center (1969–1976)
• Marcus Welby, M.D. (1969–1976)
• The Bold Ones: The New Doctors (1969-1973)
• Temperatures Rising (1972–1974)
• Emergency! (1972–1979)
• M*A*S*H (1972–1983)
• Doctors’ Hospital (1975–1976)
• Quincy, M.E. (1976–1983)
• Trapper John, M.D. (1979–1986)
• St. Elsewhere (1982–1988)
• Chicago Story (1982)
• E/R (1984–1985)
• Doogie Howser, M.D. (1989–1993)
• Doctor Doctor (1989-1991)
• Northern Exposure (1990–1995)
• The Human Factor (1992)
• Side Effects (1994–1996)
• Chicago Hope (1994–2000)
• ER (1994–2009)
• L.A. Doctors (1998–1999)
• Providence (1999–2002)
• Third Watch (1999–2005)
• City of Angels (2000)
• Gideon’s Crossing (2000-2001)
• Strong Medicine (2000–2006)
• Scrubs (2001–present)
• Doc (2001-2004)
• Nip/Tuck (2003–present)
• Medical Investigation (2004–2005)
• House, M.D. (2004–present)
• Grey’s Anatomy (2005–present)
• Inconceivable (2005)
• 3 lbs (2006)
• Saved (2006)
• Heartland (2007)
• General Hospital: Night Shift (2007-present)
• Private Practice (2007–present)
• Mental (2009-present)
• Royal Pains (2009-present)
• HawthoRNe (2009-present)

I have had a little chance to view a tad of the Beatles game Rock Band. Boy do I want that for my Wii. Of course folks I will be glad if you want to mail one to me. Heck I will even pick it up if you wanted to offfer me one. But kidding aside, the graphics are great and as we know the music is awesome. I will have to put this wonderful game for my Wii on hold until I pay off little things like my household bills. However, as always, this video game got me thinking. (What’s new?)

 Video games not only changed how we played games, but it changed how we live our life. Playing games meant socializing and playing with others. It meant actually inviting someone like your brother or sister, mom or dad, or gosh just some friends into your space to play fun little board games. Of course with video games you can isolate and you do not need social skills to play.

 As a kid, we did not have these games so we had to learn how to play with others and have real physical activity. We had to learn social skills and meet other people and actually move our lips and talk. We had to use our ears and listen, and we had to interact with other humans. Thank God with video games you do not have to interact with anything except for a machine.

 We also had to be physical. Gosh ADHD was barely heard of in our day and we did not have kids on mind altering drugs because they were bouncing off the wall. No we had to do things the old fashioned way and actually move and play. You know roller-skate, ride a bike, walk, run, jump and skip. All those things that our children don’t dare do now. Heaven forbid we allow our children to get out of breath. It was awful growing up without video games; we climbed trees, played baseball in the streets, rode our bikes, and actually played an occasional tag and hide and seek. It was just awful that we had to breathe fresh air and be healthy. I’m surprised us folks in our 50s survived it.

 The fact that we have video games that allow our imagination to come to life on a screen is a relief. As children we had to use our creativity and tap into our mind and imagine things. Now the computer games do that for you, and often, it does it for you in 3D. We don’t have to worry about imagination anymore and thank goodness there are just a few chosen ones who create the games that get to use their imagination and I am sure that is a hardship, and we are so grateful they have sacrificed so much for us so they can give us their imagination instead of using our own.

 Still, there is something to be said about video games. I know for me, I have had fun with them. Yes I had a pong, and an Atari, and a Nintendo, which by the way is now in spell check. Yes I have a Game Boy and an Ipod touch with games on it and I even have a Wii. I guess for me it is about balance. I play maybe a few hours a month. I use my Wii as part of a social structure. Wii bowling leagues are the best for socializing and you really have to move. As soon as someone decides to send me the Wii Beatles rock band, I will start a social group of monthly Beatles jams. 

 Oh well so stay tuned next time for the history of video games, which was what this article was supposed to be all about. It’s funny what happens once we allow ourselves to think.

Years ago I was showing a young woman how to play a Beatles song; I believe it was “Ticket to Ride.” As I was showing her the chords, I asked, “Do you know what band did this song?” She smiled with confidence, “Yes, it was Abbey Road.” What I could not get my head around was that she was only about 13-years younger than me; she had to have heard of The Beatles.

 Well, the game makers of America have a new way of introducing people to the Beatles. X-Box, PS3 and Wii will be releasing The Beatles rock band. That’s right folks, take your fake, plastic guitars, bass, and drums, and become a Beatle. For me, I do not care what it takes to introduce people to The Beatles. They deserve an introduction, even this kind of modern day introduction. 

 It might seem strange at first, I will admit, to see 7 and 8 year olds singing She Loves You and Strawberry Fields Forever, but I believe I can live with that. I don’t mind hearing the youth of our time singing real music. Maybe this will introduce them to what music used to be like.

 The Beatles, John, Paul, Ringo, and George landed on American shores in February 7, 1964 and changed the world of music. It was the beginning of the British Invasion. Who better to invade America than The Beatles? The impact of these Liverpool lads cannot be overlooked. They had playful personalities, mop-top hair cuts, and crisp harmonies that added to their musical teamwork.

 I recall the first time I saw The Beatles. It was the Ed Sullivan Show, and there they stood. I put my head close to the TV and shouted to my mother that I wanted to be a Beatle. My parents ran to Mexico and got me a five-dollar guitar, and I started teaching myself Beatles songs. To this day I still play those old Beatles songs, just not on a five-dollar guitar!

 I think the Beatles changed our world. They changed how we looked, how we listened, and how we acted. They taught us to say and believe in anything. They believed we could be defiant and on pitch at that.

When all was said and done, The Beatles had 20 number-one singles, sold over a billion records worldwide. Not bad for four boys that had a dream. The Beatles came to us on a high note and they exited on a high note as well by coming together in the summer of 1969 to record Abbey Road, then on April 10, 1970, Paul announced he was leaving the Beatles.

 I have way too many memories of The Beatles and their songs to share my most memorable Beatles moments. I have too many favorite songs to say I have one favorite song. What I do have is a taste in my mouth that is sweet and filled with memories each time I hear a Beatles song and my heart feels at peace.

 So with that said, what do you like to remember about The Beatles?