As late-night talk show host Conan O’Brien would say, “Keep cool my babies, keep cool.”
This is the motto I am trying to follow right now as I am going through a withdrawal. No, it’s not what you think. I am not going through a withdrawal from alcohol or anything of that nature. But I am going through a withdrawal from that popular yellow lever, the lever that plays “Walker, Texas Ranger” clips.
Other “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” fans are probably going through the same thing I am. For those not familiar with this yellow lever, let me explain. Every so often, O’Brien would set aside a segment of his show to dedicate to “Walker, Texas Ranger” clips. Every time he would pull on the yellow lever, “Walker” clips would be shown.
If you’re familiar with “Walker, Texas Ranger,” you know that it is the funniest television show because of its cheesiness.
One of my favorites would have to be a clip of a child who is having trouble getting down from a ladder. Some man tells the boy to jump into his arms. After a few minutes of the man telling the little boy to trust that he will catch him, the boy jumps. Guess what happens? The man does not catch the boy and he falls to the ground. Some of you might think, “Oh my god. That is so sad.” But if you watch the clip, you will be laughing so hard that you cannot breathe. I am laughing right now just from remembering it.
Anyways, about a month or so ago, O’Brien announced that he was retiring the golden lever and that that night would be the last night he would play “Walker” clips. As soon as I heard those words and my brain began to process them, my heart sank. Not being able to watch “Walker” clips is equivalent to not being able to eat. After awhile, you can’t live without them.
Yes, I can watch the actual “Walker” show, but it’s not the same. What makes the clips even funnier are the added comments O’Brien makes.
When O’Brien announced that he was retiring the yellow lever, I went through my first “Walker” withdrawal. That was until he made another announcement. O’Brien announced that because of popular demand, he would be bringing back the golden lever. At that moment, I felt like I won the lottery.
But my happiness would not last long. After playing “Walker” clips everyday for a few weeks, it came to an end again. But, this time, without an announcement. I’ve been waiting every night, but still no “Walker” clips. I don’t know if it’s on hiatus or if they are no longer playing the clips. That was when my latest “Walker” withdrawal began.
However, I am not going to give up. I will be watching and crossing my fingers every night, hoping that the yellow lever comes back. I keep telling myself that it will one day. Maybe they’re just trying to find more clips to show. Or maybe it’s a sign telling me to move on and forget this obsession.
I think I’ll give it a few more weeks or maybe even months before I cave into the realization that it has ended. Maybe this is just me in denial. What would help right now are some self-help programs for this. If they did have them, I would probably be the first one there. I think the best thing for me to do right now is to try and forget about it. If I don’t think about it, I can’t really miss it. The only other thing I can do is to follow O’Brien’s motto, “Keep cool.”
Nila Priyambodo, a sophomore journalism major, is news editor of the Campus Times. She can be reached by e-mail at addicted2lnknprk@aol.com.
