Workouts on VHS: An Essay

[Guest guest]

What is is about workouts on vhs that make me covet them so? They take up lots of space compared to dvd's, and when they break or go bad it can be frustrating to untangle the tape, not to mention what it might do to your machine. What about their plastic, rectangular clunkiness appeals to me? Normally I'm a high tech, must-have-the-latest gadget girl. I just bought a set of five Windsor pilates tapes on vhs for $15, which includes shipping and handling. I figured $3 a piece was a pretty good price; as with Cathe workouts, Windsor workouts seem to be incrementally more expensive on dvd, and this is a complete new set. New vhs tapes smell good when you first take off the plastic wrap and inhale the printed paper smell of the covers and new plastic, and there's somehing

mechanical about them that makes me think they are "working", that tiny moving parts and pieces bring me my picture. I also remember in the mid 80's when my dad bought our first VHS player and how excited we all were to tape our favorite shows and zip through the commercials, and the fact we could rent whatever movie we wanted and not be slaves to a tv schedule was huge! I rented my first [horror] movie from a mom and pop store right by my high school. Blockbuster and Hollywood Video hadn't emerged just yet.. My favorite workout video of all time, Fabio Fitness, is only on vhs and was never reproduced on to dvd. My very favorite Christmas present last year was a box of vhs workouts from Stacey, mostly CIA tapes. I still haven't viewed them all and savor each and every one as I do so. I am in hog heaven and feel like a real dragon in her lair

of treasures when it comes to my vhs tapes and binders full of workout dvd's!Okay, done rambling.