The Rosie O'Donnell Show

In the 90s, I had a favorite TV show, which came on after school, so I had to rush home to catch it every day.  I was completely hooked on The Rosie O'Donnell Show and I never missed it if I could help it. I loved the opening theme song (which had a different line at the end each day), I loved all the guests that she had on and I loved her Koosh Ball shooter!  I even loved her complete obsession with Tom Cruise, even though it was way too much and I've never even liked Tom Cruise.  I loved it because I can DEFINITELY relate to being 'too much' when it comes to fangirling.  'Too much' is like my natural state. 

When I was a senior in high school (1999 this was), my drama club went on a field trip to New York to watch plays on Broadway.  While I was there I started my coffee cup collection, and I came home with close to a dozen souvenir mugs.  It's strange, but somehow I've ended up with around 100 coffee cups (I would've guessed 50 but I just counted them and... WOW.) but the only one left from that trip is my Rosie Show mug.

Here it is!

The reason that show occurs to me now is because my favorite episode ever was the one where Kerri Strug, who basically won the Olympics that year, came on.  My sister and I were watching the Olympics the night Kerri Strug won our country the gold by totally nailing her second vault... after she'd BROKEN HER ANKLE on the first try.  I watched the medal ceremony bawling that night.  I watched Kerri Strug on Rosie bawling later on.  I watched her on a lot of shows and interviews and documentaries, bawling every time.  And now that there's YouTube, I watch that vault over and over again and cry every time.  It's what ridiculous old ladies do, right? Seriously though, I cry over everything.  I really do.  And every time I think of the Olympics, Rosie O'Donnell, gymnastics or anyone named Kerri, Carrie or Cary I push back an urge to tear up.  Because that is easily the best feel-good story I've ever heard, and I watched it unfold in real time.  Then the heroine went on my favorite show and talked about it.  That was a good year.