End of an era. I just cleaned out our home-taped VHS collection today. The last seasons of Buffy and Angel tapes were designated to be taped over as needed. Gasp. It's amazing how much that hurt, considering we finally got all the seasons on dvd.

Now if I could just find somebody to buy all six seasons of commercial VHS Highlander for pennies on the dollar I could fund a season or two of that on dvd.

I could never give up the next episode promos from the first two seasons on my original broadcast videotapes. Or those "Let 'em eat stake!" commercials for AT&T.

Remember the great ads before the first showing of "Surprise" back in 1998?

Next Monday, everything you know about Buffy and Angel is going to change. [Buffy!] It's a story so powerful, it takes two nights to tell. [I love you. I try not to, but I can't stop.] Starting Monday January 19th at nine, eight Central, all Hellmouth breaks loose. [You haven't seen anything yet.] Then the exciting conclusion on Tuesday January 20th at eight, seven Central, is just the beginning as the Slayer stakes out her new night and time. [Now you can have your nightmares a whole hour earlier.] For the premiere of the WB New Tuesday... [Things are about to get very interesting...] someone Buffy knows, someone she trusts, is about to turn on her. [NO!] The Buffy 2-night event begins next Monday.

Back when they could write/make proper promos...

I tossed all of my tapes except for the copy of Earshot & GD2 that I got from the Bronzer tape tree. It felt too much like tossing away a piece of history.

Marshmallow.

You know what, Kristen? Mine is archived in a hallowed inviolate location away from the run of episodes I taped myself. I still have that tape.

Arggghh, Matt. I'm prevented from reclaiming episode tapes by the fact that I sent my early seasons of tapes to a Canadian convert. The only promos on these tapes are the crappy ones of Buffy S7 and Angel S5.

It is amusing, though, to go back and watch the commercials that were running at the time of the episodes. They, and the promos for contemporary shows, are like jewelry, a setting for the episodes.

Oh, dang, stop talking about how great it is to keep the commercials! I'm this close to being able to finally throw out about 500 home-made VHS tapes.

"I've got two words for you: blue.berry."

"I don't care what your friends do. Eat."

"You're not leaving this house..."

"It's rec-TANG-gular."

Blueberry Pop-Tarts, c. 1994. IJS.

I still have that tape.

YAY! It's not just me! This marshmallow does not stand alone!

Oh, I still have my tape of "Damage" that snapped the first time I tried to re-watch it. Nothing with a Mutant Enemy copyright ever gets thrown away in my apartment.

Of course, the combo of overwork and inertia probably means I have crappy 1995 vintage WB sitcoms and old MTV Spring Break specials from even earlier on tape somewhere in my collection.