I lead what I think is a busy life. I go to school on Mondays and Wednesdays, and work just about every day that I’m not in school. Occasionally, I’ll get days to myself here and there, but generally I’m just jumping from one responsibility to the nest. I have bills to keep up with, friends to consistently socialize with, and homework to stay on top of. All of these commitments keep me on my toes during the day and knocked out in the deepest sleeps at night.
Except for Tuesdays. Tuesdays? Those are my nights. I clear my schedule on Tuesday nights. As nine pm slowly rolls around, you can bet that I’m home from work, and I’m fed and showered. On a typical Tuesday night, my homework is done and I stop sending rapid fire text messages to all my friends. At this time, my room is cleaned and my bed is made just how I like it, with the blankets pulled back just enough to allow me to slide in and curl up.
At nine pm on a Tuesday night, my shows are on.
First, I watch “Teen Mom” and something on the Food Network. After that first hour, I flip back and forth between “Chopped” on the Food Network, “If You Really Knew Me” on MTV, and “Rescue Me” on FX. For those two hours, I am a captive of my idiot box. I am forced onto this emotional rollercoaster of teenage mothers whose daily lives are literally NOTHING I will ever be able to relate to. I find myself commenting on their lifestyles and passing my judgment and criticism on these young females who made what I consider to be heartbreaking decisions. Shortly after the teenage tear jerker, I’m watching master chefs compete. “Chopped” has been one of my favorite reality TV competition shows ever. I listen with what I believe is a trained ear to the critiques my favorite and not so favorite judges make. My heart stops for a moment when I realize the underdog I was rooting for might be eliminated. I know the rules of the game like the face of my lover. I sit in a trance for an hour, letting my heart soar and crash with every word said. On commercials however, I watch “If You Really Knew Me”. Now, this show is merely time filler. I truly have no care for it. I see it as a reminder of how difficult my high school years were, and how I’m never going to be offered an exercise like this.
My life doesn’t revolve around my shows. I do set aside a single night a week for this practice, but I usually don’t deviate much or increase my reality TV watching. I don’t watch the “Jersey Shore” or anything like that. Sure, I did often when I was younger. But now? I don’t have the time and I most certainly lack the energy to keep up with the lives of anyone but myself.
