Sleep Deprived…but Saving the World
I’m tired. Usually, I’m tired because I’ve been working diligently on my latest book, staying up into the wee hours to squeeze the last bit of brilliance from my brain. (Which undoubtedly will need serious editing in the morning because after 9pm, my brilliance is pretty much shot.)
However, I can’t claim that excuse today. Nope. I can blame the Justice League.
Okay, before Superman and Batman and my personal favorite, Hawk Girl, come after me, it’s not really their fault. Not entirely.
On Friday night, my nieces came over for a sleepover. Three little girls. Up until nearly midnight, watching Annie. Not the new ABC version with Kathy Bates as Miss Hannigan, either. I love Kathy Bates, but she’s no Miss Hannigan. Not in the wake of Carol Burnett. And Carol Burnett comes with Tim Curry, so of course, I stayed up with them and watched.
And of course, they were up at dawn.
On Saturday night, my dog decided to throw up at 3:30 in the morning. Keep in mind that she sleeps on my bed. After much cleaning and cooing over tummy-aching puppy–and getting up with my husband at 6am for his eight o’clock flight, well, I was starting to drag.
So for Sunday, with the husband-man gone and my body so seriously sleep deprived that my mother-in-law (who unlike the stereotypical mother-in-laws actually loves me) proclaimed that I looked tired, you’d think I’d get to bed early.
You’d think.
No. I stayed up. Until nearly 1 am. Reading a good book? Oh, no. I was watching The Justice League.
Yes, the cartoon.
On Cartoon Network.
You see, it was the very first episode that explained how Superman and Batman, who really don’t like each other much, end up working together and assembling the team that includes Superman, Batman (not an official member, btw), Wonder Woman, The Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern, Flash and Hawk Girl. I didn’t even get to see the whole episode as I had to shower and get ready for bed. But then the next one came on where Superman dies! He dies! I have to watch! So I roll around to bed after one o’clock in the morning, noticing what an idiot I am when I set my cell phone alarm clock for only five hours in the future.
It’s no big secret that I love cartoons. I’ve loved them since childhood, beginning with Underdog. But the Justice League has always been a favorite, and this new(er) version is cool. Flash is hilarious. Hawk Girl and her mace is someone I can love. Wonder Woman is a little inaccessible, but even in cartoon form, I can imagine Michael Keaton as Batman. (I know he’s not classically sexy, but he was a perfect Bruce Wayne–even, dare I say, better than Clooney.)
Anyway, it’s easy for me to drop what I’m doing and watch Spongebob with my daughter. I think Fairly Odd Parents is hilarious and I’ve seen just about every animated Disney movie more than once–even the ones from before my daughter was born. I miss the Powerpuff Girls. And the Warner Brothers…the one that Steven Speilberg did–Animaniacs? LOVED THEM.
And don’t get me started on Bugs Bunny. He’s the king, bar none. I often say, “what a maroon” when someone ticks me off.
It’s a sickness, isn’t it?
Okay…maybe you all wouldn’t lose sleep to watch cartoon superheroes save the world…again, but which cartoons make you stop and watch, even for a second, when flipping through the channels. Who did you dress up as for Halloween when you were eight? Come on. ‘Fess up.
Just don’t lose sleep over it.
Luckily, my husband is home now. Maybe I’ll finally get some sleep.
Julie,
BIG HUGS on this blog. You know why. I LOVE it!! Current cartoons watched every morning before my daughter goes to school - FAIRLY ODD PARENTS. Embarrassingly I ask my daughter questions about the episodes each morning. She knows all the answers which makes me wonder if they ever do new ones and not just repeats! COW AND CHICKEN killed me b/c they were siblings. :o And of course good old SPONGEBOB. He’s so dumb it’s funny.
OLD cartoons that were my favorites - Bugs Bunny - I LOVE Taz, Bugs combing the monster’s hair … The Flinstones, I’m blank. I hope I think of more later!
Comment by Carly — April 25, 2006 @ 6:30 am
I like watching SpongeBob with the kids. (Love the voice of Patrick. I think it’s Dobber from Coach.)
As for cartoons I watched as a kid, Bugs Bunny, Speedy Gonzales, Road Runner. Those were my favorites.
(And I love all the animated Disney movies–Beauty and the Beast, Mulan, Aladdin, etc…
Comment by Rhonda — April 25, 2006 @ 6:55 am
Hey I’m in my 30’s and I still love Bugs. Nothing out there now can compare - you’ve got the Roadrunner, Taz, Pepe le Pew…classic stuff.
Julie, you cracked me up! My mom says “what a maroon” all the time(when she isn’t swearing like a sailor, that is). Thanx for the memories…
Comment by Stacy ~ — April 25, 2006 @ 7:19 am
I love Foghorn Leghorn and that crazy dog. Those were my fav’s. My kids love them, even though they’re getting into more of the Disney sitcoms. At least heaven help me it isn’t Barney or Teletubbies… I certainly don’t miss those days.
Comment by Madison — April 25, 2006 @ 8:49 am
I love Pepe LePew and all of the Warner Bros. characters. I grew up with them and they are still my favorites. I, too, enjoy Justice League and the new Batman on Cartoon Network. I like Kim Possible and Totally Spies. I have two daughters and we watch cartoons together. Avatar is another good one that my older daughter, the 7 year old likes and my younger daughter, the 4 year old is into Dora and the Little Einsteins.
LindaC
Comment by LindaC — April 25, 2006 @ 9:43 am
Oh, my gosh, Janelle, a girl after my own heart. I LOVE the old Looney Tunes cartoon. Have you seen the DVD collections with all the classics? Amazing.
I was never much of a Justice League girl, though…my favorite as a kid was Wacky Racers. I actually watched it recently on Cartoon Network and immediately wanted to be Penelope Pitstop just like I did when I was 8.
We’re all Spongebob fanatics in this house and I love Fairly Oddparents, too. I really miss The Angry Beavers and whenever there’s a marathon we all stop what we’re doing to watch.
Tooooo funny…
Leslie
Comment by Leslie Kelly — April 25, 2006 @ 10:12 am
ACK! Of course, I meant Julie, not Janelle.
Les
Comment by Leslie Kelly — April 25, 2006 @ 10:13 am
Great blog, Julie! I think cartoons are good for the soul. We all need laughter in our lives, and they certainly provide that!
I love Spongebob. He’s such a dork and it’s hilarious. I used to love Cat/Dog, too, but don’t see that on TV anymore. Now that my girls are teenagers, we don’t have the cartoon channel on as much, but when I’m in my office on a Saturday morning, I’ll put them on in there for me to watch, LOL!
Comment by Janelle — April 25, 2006 @ 10:18 am
Julie,
Great topic today. (y) I love cartoons too it seems like forever. My favorite old movie cartoon is Walt Disneys Sleeping Beauty. I have all the Disney Videos and I am slowly replacing them with DVD as they become available. I just bought Lady and the Tramp this past February.
I grew up with the Bugs and Tweety Show. I married during the X-Men years in the early 80’s. My husband and I would come home from work and have to watch the XMen. I fell in love with Wolverine then and I certainly enjoy watching Hugh as Wolvering in the Xmen Movies.
8 years ago I found Rugrats with my youngest daughter when she was diagmosed with Type 1 diabetes. We spent a week in the hospital and watched Rugrats. Those cartoons helped me fing laughter again when I thought that the world around me was falling apart.
Thank you Julie for bring back the memories.
Comment by Gigi — April 25, 2006 @ 10:55 am
Great topic…I love cartoons. I still remember getting excited about watching The Smurfs or The Care Bears. Then there was The Snorks (anyone other than me remember them?). I also loved the classics like Disney films, Warner Brothers cartoons, The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Yogi Bear and Huckleberry Hound. Now I don’t watch them as much, but Spongebob is one that I have found myself watching many times.
Comment by Jennifer Y. — April 25, 2006 @ 11:13 am
i know how you feel
Comment by kim H — April 25, 2006 @ 11:32 am
Wow…cartoons. I never missed the Flintstones or the Jetson’s when I was a kid. Watched HeMan and SheRa with my daughter almost everyday. If I turn on the cartoon nework channel I’m hooked for a while still.
Comment by Vicki — April 25, 2006 @ 11:53 am
Uh, I’m watching Sponge Bob as we speak! And I love the Fairly Odd Parents too - there are a lot of jokes in that show for us parents. Like a street sign I noticed. One street said “Hall,” the other said “Oates.” I thought that was hilarious. My daughter thought I was weird.
Bugs and all of his friends (except the Road Runner - someone from Acme please smash that bird!) are great. Classic stuff. “What a maroon,” my mom and I just talked about that line and how funny it is.
I’m also a big Scooby fan. And yes, Julie, I used to get up extra early to watch the Superfriends on ABC. Gotta love the Hall of Justice!
Thanks for taking me back. Memories!
Comment by Karen — April 25, 2006 @ 11:59 am
I love cartoons! I love the Looney Tunes. Bugs, Elmer Fudd, Porky Pig, Speedy Gonzales, Yosemite Sam and Sylvester. Boy have you brought back good memories!
I can sympathize with you when it comes to pets getting sick in the bed. ;(
Comment by Susan — April 25, 2006 @ 12:15 pm
Julie, what a great topic, and thanks for the walk down memory lane, this has been for me this morning.
I have to agree with the posts that have named Bugs Bunny and friends, Flintstones, Yogi Bear, and how could I have forgotten the Smurfs. I remember both my kids, having all the smurf characters, and trappings, some of which I discovered still in the garage when I had my Grandson living with me last year, and he was intrigued.
My all time favorites are the Disney Classics, and I have all the movies on tapes, I was buying them even after my kids had grown and moved away.
My excuse was I will have something for the grandchildren to watch when they come here……….yeah right……..but it was a good cover story.
Last year, I used to sit with my Grandson and watch his Scooby Doo movies, and again such good memories. Thanks it was what I needed today…….
Comment by Cryna — April 25, 2006 @ 12:26 pm
We are Tom & Jerry addicts! We watch every night. Also, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Dexter! My son says I’m DeeDee. Flighty. Out there. And much too girlie for his tastes. My son, on the other hand, is classic Dexter. Much too smart for his own good, and mine. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one watching cartoons. I try to do the intelligient, Discovery channel stuff like my husband, but there are only so many insects a girl can watch without wanting to barf. That, or the Outdoor channel. But I get extremely tired of listening to grown men practically have an orgasm when they fire off a good shot (no pun intended) or hook a big fish.
Comment by Kimberly Raye — April 25, 2006 @ 12:33 pm
I am also in my 30’s and STILL love cartoons too. I can vividly remember about 3 years ago when we first switch from cable to a dish. I couldn’t sleep and sat up in bed going through all the new channels. (I didn’t have to worry about waking hubby up because his shift was the grave yard shift) Anyway, I am home alone and come across the Boomerang channel but I didn’t subscribe to it. Well, Hong Kong Phooey was coming on in 1o minutes so I called and ordered it just in time to watch it!! LOL! Oh and by the way, during the holidays I am ALWAYS watching my holiday cartoons. Has anyone ever heard of or seen Ray Bradbury’s “Halloween Tree” ? And at Christmas time I (l) “The Year Without a Santa Claus” The miser brothers crack me up with their singing and dancing.
I do watch cartoons with my 2 year old now, but it is mostly Max and Ruby, Dora, Oobi and of course Spongebob. But my favorites are the classics. The Flintstones, Bugs Bunny, Mighty Mouse, Underdog etc….and don’t get me going on Disney movies!! I think my favorite Disney cartoon has got to be Cinderella.
Comment by Kelly — April 25, 2006 @ 1:39 pm
Oh, my gosh, Kelly…Hong Kong Phooey, we love you-ey…ooh, ooh, ooey!
I loved that show, too.
And I actually have the videos of Halloween Tree and The Year Without A Santa Claus…(I’m Mr. Heat Miser, I’m Mr. Sun. I’m Mr. Heat Blister, I’m Mr. 101) Love that one, too. Those Rankin & Bass holiday shows come on and I just instantly transport to childhood. Including Here Comes Peter Cottontail which we have on video & watched a couple of weeks ago.
Love this topic…
Leslie
Comment by Leslie Kelly — April 25, 2006 @ 1:42 pm
Cartoons! The only time I have watched in years was with the grandkids. In my day!! I loved the cartoons they showed before the feature movie started–Bugs Bunny, Mighty Mouse & a host of others. My dad loved Tom & Jerry & it was so fun when he really cracked up laughing–ah memories. He passed away in 1980 & I can’t see a Tom & Jerry cartoon without thinking of my dad. When I was in my early 20’s a bunch of us use to go to a tavern where the guys hung out after work especially to get together & watch Yogi Bear & Boo Boo–that was so fun! Again, ah memories! My favorite Disney movie is Bambi, it gets to me every time & I’ve seen quite a few times. I gave it to my younger grandson on his 1st birthday so he would have it when he got old enough to watch it.
Thanks Julie for a fun subject for the day.
Donna M
Comment by Donna M — April 25, 2006 @ 3:27 pm
P.S. Julie, I hope you get some sleep soon.
Donna M
Comment by Donna M — April 25, 2006 @ 3:29 pm
I absolutely loved Michael Keaton as Batman! I am so with you! Even though I think George Clooney is hot as hell, MK was the best Batman, IMO.
And as for cartoons that I love…Bugs and friends are the best. Love’em. Especially What’s Opera Doc?
And by the way, Julie, I sat extra long at the restaurant table at lunch today, where I was reading Dirty Little Secrets ’cause I couldn’t put it down…had to finish it right there! Can’t wait for the next one!
Comment by Colleen G — April 25, 2006 @ 5:11 pm
Me, I’ve always loved Josie and the Pussycats, and the Archies!! Though I do have very fond memories of Yogi and Boo Boo and Mr. Ranger.
Comment by Barbara-Jo — April 25, 2006 @ 6:25 pm
I am with Barbara Jo.
love cartoons! I love the Looney Tunes. Bugs, Elmer Fudd, Porky Pig, Speedy Gonzales, Yosemite Sam and Sylvester. Boy have you brought back good memories
Comment by Cheryl — April 25, 2006 @ 8:02 pm
Your husband just got home after being away and you think you will finally get some sleep? (u) (u) (u) (u) (u)
Comment by Karen — April 25, 2006 @ 9:02 pm
Comment by PattiF — April 26, 2006 @ 12:29 am
Julie! LOVE Justice League! I suffered from a stroke over 3 years ago and for speech therapy I decided to bring my own reading material (those medical terms in the medical magazines were just too much!) and I brought Scooby Doo and the Justice League. AND, I was just going through my son’s books and I asked him to separate which ones he wanted to keep and share. He put the Justice League books in the share pile and I put them back on his shelf! Of course he caught me and he tells me to put the on MY shelf since I like them so much…LOL.
Comment by Arlene — April 26, 2006 @ 1:16 am