I was going to save writing about the legendary Mister Rogers later in the summer, but my plans to do so were changed immediately after the two PBS stations I follow on Facebook (I warned you in my first post I’m a news junkie) linked to a YouTube video featuring an auto-tuned Mister Rogers called “Garden of your Mind.”  The video, composed by John Boswell for PBS Digital Studios, combines Rogers’ words of wisdom from several episodes neatly mashed together into a catchy song.  If you haven’t seen it yet, I urge you to click on the link after giving your full, undivided attention to my blog post.

After viewing Boswell’s ingenious creation and shamelessly playing it repeatedly the other day like radio stations do to Carly Ray Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe,” I was taken back to my childhood when I was his “television neighbor” for approximately an hour in the afternoon, or until I fell asleep for my nap.  I remember his visits to the numerous shops and factories, his reassuring outlook on life, and most of all, his closet full of colorful sweaters.  Even though he passed away several years ago, I am amazed at his posthumous popularity in the Pittsburgh area (I love alliterations), from his statue at the North Shore to the observance of “Won’t You Wear a Sweater Day?”  I also find it amazing that, despite the fact that WQED has two digital sub channels in addition to the main PBS feed, they can’t find room to air episodes of “Mister Rogers Neighborhood,” but that is another story. 

Why the interest in Fred Rogers even though I am at the age where I should be watching Adult Swim programs instead of PBS Kids programs?  It turns out I am related (distantly) to him.  No, I’m not kidding.  I’m not sure of the exact lineage, though with the 1940 census released online recently, I plan on doing some research.  I unfortunately have never met Mister Rogers personally, and even if I did have the chance, I would have been too little to remember.

I’m listening to his auto-tuned melody right now as I’m writing this, this time being endlessly repeated on iTunes.  As I listen to the chorus, “It’s good to be curious about many things / You can think about things and make believe / All you have to do is think—and they’ll grow,” I find it astonishing how words originally written for preschoolers can be applicable past one’s potty training days.  As I’m approaching the halfway point of completing my internship, I’ve realized how much I’ve grown during the short duration of time.  I’m independently exploring the city and going to events I would have never thought of going to before.  Every day brings new experiences, new things for me to be curious about.  And I cannot be happier documenting the events I cover for you, my Internet neighbor. 

With that being said, it’s almost time for me to leave for my next event.  The play count of “Garden of my Mind” is approaching 70, and I’m convinced the lyrics are permanently etched in my mind.  There’s so much more I can write about Mister Rogers, and pending that I can get further approval to use this space to go slightly off-topic, I will write more about his legacy in the future.