T.V.

I'm sure it comes as no surprise to anyone who had read even a few of my posts when I confess that I love television.

I have always loved television.

I remember having SUCH a crush on John Travolta during his Vinnie Barbarino days. And I wanted to BE Laura Ingalls. I begged my mom to braid my hair just like Laura's every Monday night just before Little House on the Prairie came on so I could play along with the show.

My dad and I bonded over Star Trek. I still have a fondness for William Shatner, even though he's a big ham. I love that he seems to know it too.

I remember summer afternoons with my cousins, all play would stop at 3:00 when Gilligan's Island came on. And at four o'clock, The Bionic Woman or The Six Million Dollar Man. We loved those shows SO much.

My teenage years were all about the sitcoms. That's the 80s for you. We did enjoy the occasional episode of The A-Team or Knight Rider or even The Incredible Hulk. I always wondered how Bill Bixby's skin stretched so much so quickly for him to turn into Lou Ferrigno. Hey, I was young and sort of stupid.

During college, a couple of friends I met every Sunday afternoon to watch about five hours of recorded television. We watched Earth 2, Star Trek: Voyager and Animaniacs. I once asked the girlfriend of one of the guys I watched with if it bothered her that I had this standing date with her boyfriend. She was a very good friend of mine. She hugged me and said, "No way. If you didn't watch with him, I'd have to." And then she shuddered delicately. I've never shuddered delicately.

The three of us (the above two tv friends and I) also watched all nine hours of the the original V without stopping (except for potty breaks, of course.) It was AWESOME.

These days, television is still my escape of choice. I watch way too much.

Yet, I don't apologize for that. It's what I do.

And when Tom makes fun of me, I remind him that when we met, I told him of my television addiction and he was okay with it. Can't go back now and change those deal-breakers, right?

When we met, I was all about Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It was on it's last couple of episodes. But I watched them as faithfully as I'd watched the first few seasons. During those seasons, I was living in Chicago and my best friend and I took turns calling each other each week so we could watch 'together.

We don't have cable or satalite here at home. My mom has it and it's enough for me to know that if we did have it I would never leave the house because, holy crap, all the food shows and home improvement and Say Yes to the Dress!! I'd never get anything done.

As it is, even with regular 'free' tv, I could watch several hours of television every night of the week if I let myself. And quite often? I do.

Let's see. On Sunday night there is The Amazing Race. Ohh, Phil!! But that's it for Sunday, so yay, just one hour.

Monday: Dancing with the Stars. I will say that I've never been a Bachelor or Bachelorette fan. I do have my standards, afterall.

Tuesday: Dancing with the Stars: The Results.

Wednesday: America's Next Top Model. Just because, wow, Tyra is insane and that's just fun to watch.

Thursday: Used to be Survivor but they moved it to Wednesday and brought Russel back for a THIRD time and I couldn't bring myself to watch him again, even with the lure of Boston Rob. So instead, we watch The Big Bang Theory because Sheldon is awesome, Leonard is pathetic, Howard is creepy and Raj is just silly.

Then, if it's a new episode I'll stay awake for Grey's Anatomy. I sobbed quietly to myself last week as the doctors worked to save the life of Callie's twenty-three week baby. Oh my goodness, the reality of a baby born that soon, whether due to traumatic events (like on the show) or other, just as horrendous problems, it happens and it shouldn't and it broke my heart for every single parent out there who has stood over their tiny baby who is hooked up to tubes and monitors, fighting for his or her life. Heck, I even saw big ol' Olivia (at 5lbs 2oz, she was a giant compared to some of those micro-preemies in the hospital) in her isolette, screaming her tiny little cat-cry as one nurse after another tried to start a new IV.

Anyway, whew, Thursdays are often wrought with emotion.

Fridays? Ever since they canceled Ghost Whisperer and ended Medium, there's bee NOTHING decent to watch on Fridays. So I've settled for Who Do You Think You Are? I found it amusing that Steve Buscemi found that one of his ancestors was a dentist. His parents were adorable when they said they needed a dentist in the family.

Saturdays: I cound the hours until 8:00 when my two-hour back-to-back episodes of House begin. I didn't watch this show when it started in primetime and I'm so sorry for this because it amuses me so much. He's such an ass and everyone lets him be an ass and it's great. I'm so glad the reruns play this way.

And there we go. I've just documented for all of posterity how I waste my time each and every night of the week. I should be ashamed. But...shamefully, I'm not.