Ear Ache: the Brady Bash It was Friday night around 7:30 pm or 8:00 pm. It was 1973 ish, and I was five. The Brady Bunch was our big family show on Fridays. My brothers and I would watch the show on a small TV in the den. A den is a small room for anyone under 40. And a room to send kids to in the 70s to get them away from their parents. Our den had a super smooth linoleum floor. It was great for sliding across in socks. You rocketed in from the family room and just went flying. You usually stopped right before the TV which sat on a table.
For some reason, I just wasn’t going as far as everyone else. My socks were not socky enough to slide. Of course, I was being made fun of for being so bad. There was no trophy for losing.
It was just about show time, but I wanted one more try. I ran to my room, changed socks, and raced through the living room and slid. I beat everyone! Oh, yeah! And I crashed into the TV as the opening credit: “Here’s a story . . . Unfortunately, my story ended with me slicing half my earlobe off. The piece flapped around and blood gushed down the side of my face. Some how, I didn’t wreck the TV or smash anything. I hit my head. How did I cut my earlobe? No glass or sharp edge. Occasionally, it quiet momemnts I ponder over what happened. I’ve never figured it out. Needless to say, I missed the episode and got stitches instead.