It hung on for as long as it could, but the VHS tape is now officially dead.

We had some good times together, VHS and me. Hundreds of recorded Simpsons and X-Files episodes, some home movies, stacks of cheap movies filling my cabinets. Fast-forwarding and rewinding over and over and over, trying to find the right spot. Frustration at pulling a jammed tape out of the player only to see black tape spooling out. My never-broken habit of never, ever labeling my tapes so that finding a specific episode of anything required perseverance, a lot of fast-forwarding, and inhuman memory skills. Frantic runs to Wal-Mart for more blank tapes because Something Important Was Coming On, which would never be watched again. Good times, good times.

Fare well, VHS, in landfills and Goodwill stores across the land. And if you go on to a better place, always remember those timeless words of spiritual wisdom:

"Be Kind. Rewind."