Having to plan your schedule around a TV show you wanted to watch — because if you weren't home, you'd have to wait until summertime for it be shown as a rerun:
Also, while watching TV, timing bathroom breaks to commercials because there was no way to pause what you were watching:
Being dropped off at the mall (pre-cellphone days) by your parents and them literally having no way to reach you:
Using a pay phone any time you were out and needed to reach someone (who you hoped was home):
Having to wait for your local radio station to premiere a new song by a band or artist you liked:
Having to wait — sometimes for hours — for MTV to play a music video that you loved:
Having absolutely nothing to do on a car trip but stare out the window if you forgot to bring your portable CD player or books to read:
Only (usually) being able to learn/see the correct lyrics to a song by reading them from the album's liner notes:
And only being able to listen to special remixes or exclusive B-side songs if you bought pricey import CD singles:
Joining a fan club for an artist or fandom THROUGH THE MAIL and getting things like pins and newsletters mailed to you periodically:
Leaving the phone number for any friend's house you were going to so your parents could call you if they needed to:
Being able to drop off or greet friends and family members (without any type of plane ticket) at their gate inside the airport:
Having to watch whatever movie was playing on your flight ('cause there were no on-demand movies or TV channels):
Having to look up a direction in an atlas (that was always in the car) if you were helping one of your parents navigate while they drove:
Having to get to the video store early if you wanted to rent a newly released movie, or else risk not being able to because all the copies were rented out:
Having to rewind a movie before you watched it because the last person to watch didn't rewind it:
Having to adjust the tracking on your VCR (sometimes even when you had auto-tracking) to make sure you had a clear picture:
Knowing the phone numbers of family members and friends that you called often:
And having an address book (or your parents having one) that listed the home addresses and phone numbers of family members and friends that you didn't call often:
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Well thankfully that doesn't happen anymore, MTV doesn't play music anymore...