Beige Carpets and Foreign Crystals

Beige carpets, smoked glass tables with foreign crystals, never prevented my Saturday morning fun time.

On Saturday mornings when I awoke, I brushed my teeth and rushed to the breakfast table for cereal, waffles, and orange juice.

Gulp, gulp,gulp

Slow down on that milk, and have some manners my mom would say.

Shortly after, me and my brother would rush to the living room and plop down Indian style, in front of the TV.

Be careful, watch my crystal children, I got that from overseas, while we were stationed in Bamberg, West Germany, at the army base.

Sorry mom, we would reply.

Can we watch nickelodeon now?

My mother would turn on the t.v

Excited, me and my brother would wait for our favorite cartoon called "Doug"to begin.

Jem and the Holograms are almost over, Doug will be starting soon, my brother would say!!

When Doug began, me and my brother became more attentive than ever. The cartoon was about an average young boy named Doug, with an average, nurturing family, who lived in a semi suburban neighborhood. Doug represented a young, adventurous, little boy who often daydreamed about several different things in his life. Superheroes, firemen, police officers, basketball players, baseball players etc…

Doug often fell into a futuristic daydream, of what he wanted to become in the future, while playing outside. Often, me and my little brother would fall into his adventurous states of mind and would long for every second and every moment of excitement. Today Doug was a fireman, my brother would say to my mom excitedly, while she held our newest baby brother, lil Doug junior, who's name was identical to our favorite cartoon character.

Besides Doug's daydreaming, adventurous state of mind, his next door neighbors played an even more significant role in his child play.

Doug's balanced childhood, included a devious young girl named angelica, who was one of his close but disruptive, childhood playmates.

Angelica was known for her devious behaviors, and was considered too mature for her age.

She was often inquisitive and intrigued by things that were considered off limits. Her inquisitive character and role playing on the cartoon Doug, included misbehaving, trickery acts, and bothering things that were off limits.

Angelica was the opposite of timid femininity, instead she embraced girl power.

Often as a young girl, my physical and mental responses were heightened when watching Angelica. Though I loved Doug as the main character, Angelica's behavior would always remind me of the cookie jar that me and my brother would sneak into, during the wee hours of the night.

Often, me and my brother were intrigued by the cookie can that stood 8' inches tall, on top of the refrigerator. My mom usually rewarded us when we were good, with beige and black assorted vanilla cream cookies. She often told me and my brother not to sneak in the cookie jar at night for two reasons: too many sweets at night can give you worms, kids, and what about if you slip and fall and break your neck. Though me and my brother knew the tall cookie can was off limits, often me and my brother attempted to misbehave. After several seconds of climbing in the middle of night, I reached for the can, and suddenly, a loud boom woke my mom. Me and my brother quickly ran to our rooms, and the next morning we were scolded.

Often, while watching the character Angelica, engage in devious behaviors, I sometimes develop a guilty conscience about the 8 inch cookie can. I relate her same sneaky acts of attempting to conquer something that only slips, falls, and splatters, to be the same incident as mine.

Besides Angelica and Doug, the suburban settings and families during the fairytale cartoon were very earthy and relatable.

I will never forget Nickelodeon time on Saturday morning, and beige carpets and Foreign Crystals in my mother's living room.