For those of you too young to remember when television stations stopped broadcasting every night, the above picture is called a "Test Pattern".

Yep - since folks actually went to be at night so that they could get up the next morning (because they had to do something we called "work" - see, the only people allowed to stay up that late were ADULTS, and they went to work in the morning, so nobody would be up late watching TV), the TV stations would go off around midnight every night. First, of course, we would have to hear "The Star Spangled Banner" (because, back then, TV stations weren't ashamed of being American) - in addition, there might be video of military pilots cavorting in the clouds while somebody read the poem High Flight (because being American included, rather than excluded, the idea of patriotism and believing in God).

Then, after all was said and done, the TV station would either show a test pattern, or they would just pull their plug and all you would see was static - until around 4:30 the next morning, when you would again hear the Star Spangled Banner, and they they would begin early morning programming (the Farm Report or similar Neilson-generating excitements).

The reason you see the test pattern above is because I'm forced into a similar sort of situation - I ain't pulling the plug on Fat Charlie's Diary, but I won't be supplying meaningful content for some time.

It's pretty simple, really - I don't have anything nice to say, nothing true...honest..of good report.....worthy of praise.... So, in keeping with what everybody's mothers have told them, "if you can't say anything nice, then don't say anytyhing at all".

In addition, I can't complain until Easter (Ethel gave up listening to whining for Lent).

So, until I can pull my mood out of the sewer, I"ll just sit here and stare at this test pattern : )