As Seen on TV

Another night, another episode of Hoarders. This is certainly the latest gem in my DVR crown-- I'm stockpiling episodes alongside More to Love, Intervention and Top Chef: Las Vegas. My only hope is to get through it before the next season of The Biggest Loser starts.

I guess I am supposed to feel guilty about that--about how much money my parents spent on my private school education and how they struggled to send me to college so that I could have more opportunities than they did. But here's the thing: I can't fight what I like. And boy, I have tried. I denied myself the first season of Rock of Love. And it's not like I'm watching Kim and Khloe Take Miami.

The fact is, a lot of what I watch has to do with who I am. My boyfriend John said once that my DVR is filled with shows about food, losing weight or addiction. I think that's what he said- I was knee deep in True Life: Return to Fat Camp.

Let's take a look at my must-see TV. There's the weight loss/fatty shows, like More to Love, The Biggest Loser and Dance Your Ass Off. In fairness, DYAO only held my attention for a week or two (those outfits-- it seemed exploitative!). But the truth is, I've lost upwards of 65lbs since college. I've maintained a weight loss since 2004, and I weigh less now than I did in the 6th grade. Yes, it's true. More than twenty pounds less, and I have much better hair. So I heavily (ahem) identify with these shows.

Ditto Intervention and Celebrity Rehab. I have not had a drink since June 4, 2006, and I know how hard it can be, so I find it fascinating to watch. When I can't give myself credit, I can see how hard it actually is for other people and think- wow, I did that too. Go me.

Hoarders, I mean, that shit is just fascinating. It's insanity. But I did develop more than $26,000 in credit card debt at one point in my life, hiding massive piles of bills in a Ziploc in a drawer, and then paid it off penny by painful penny. And to accumulate that much debt I mean-- that's insanity right there. So I get it.

I watch the Real World because I was a drunken moron in college (though without the washboard abs or bisexual curiosity), The Office because my life was a Dilbert cartoon until I got laid off in May, and Mad Men because while I actually was Peggy Olson (she's even from Bay Ridge!), I really want to be Joan Holloway.

Basically, I watch TV because I am a total narcissist. And now, I've started a blog.