I sent a friend over to the other side today.
It was my 13" Orion TV/VCR combo unit that my parents gave me as my high school graduation gift.
Sad day. In a very odd way, it was like losing a friend. I'd had it for 13 years.
The death of the Orion was slow and painful. About two or three years ago, it started to eat videotapes. Then, shortly after moving to Connecticut, it started to hum in a strange way.
A month or so later, it wouldn't turn on. The hum turned to a scarier, electric buzz. That's when I unplugged it for good.
I spent a day looking online to try to diagnose the problem. I looked at parts to fix it, but the truth is I would have no idea what to do if I did get the right pieces.
So it was time to let the Orion go. And I wasn't about to ditch it in the bottom of a trash barrel.
I strapped it into the passenger seat. Buckled it in for safety. Then I started the drive to Best Buy.
Along the way, we reminisced about the good times. The group that huddled around the television's glow for Super Bowl XXXI, when the Patriots got crushed. The mass amount of movies my budding cinephile mind watched over that tiny tube. The travels it made. Dorms. Apartments. Different states.
No more. Now the Orion was to be eCycled.
As I watched the Geek Squad tech carry the Orion away, I gave it a little salute. It's in a better place now. Maybe the plastic from its shell will become something important.
So long, friend.
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3 comments:
It's a little sad, but this is making my eyes water. Bye, little fella. Thanks for all the late-night baseball games and episodes of SNL I was too sleepy to stay on the couch for. Thanks for keeping me company when Ben was away at night and the house seemed too quiet.
From one West Hartford resident to another: Thanks for disposing of it properly and not just dumping it into the trash.
I think I watched Super Bowl XXXI on that TV.
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