This morning, I decided to indulge a little in some modified nostalgia. Growing up, I spent Saturdays watching cartoons in the morning while eating a bowl of cereal. I would get up around 7am, go to the living room, check to make sure mom’s door was closed, and turn on the TV. I would change the channel to whatever cartoon happened to be on and run to the kitchen to fix a bowl of cereal.

I would return to the living room to eat cereal and watch cartoons. I tried hard to be quiet because mom worked nights, so I’d get closer to the TV and keep the volume on low. Those Saturday mornings were filled with low-key laughter and life lessons. There I would sit until something adult came on, like American Bandstand or Soul Train. That meant it was time to go outside to see what friends were doing.

Yesterday, I got my car out of the shop. It’s so nice to have the freedom to cover large distances in a shorter time. When I woke up at 6:40am today, I decided to go get some donuts and coffee from Lincoln City Donuts and Coffee (LCDC). I got a vanilla glazed donut and a chocolate-drizzle, strawberry whipped cream donut.

Normally, I would take those donuts and sit in front of my computer planning out my Saturday: Clipping coupons for the grocery store, accomplishing game tasks at Disney Magic Kingdom, watching Facebook reels, which are currently filled with Kids Incorporated clips. Today, I put the donuts on the table in front of my TV and turned on Dungeons and Dragons, the cartoon. That half hour was heavenly.

The Dungeons and Dragons cartoon still holds up, at least the first episode does. They put together the introduction to the story in the opening credits. The end credits featured a tour of the amusement park that sent the characters to the realm of D&D. The vanilla-glazed donut was amazing. Phil was right when he said it was underrated. The suns still out here on the coast. I should go outside and see what my friends are doing.

If you want to read more about my childhood, My Life in the Projects is available on Amazon. Or check out my newest book: Gen X Teaches: Don’t Get Scammed!