tv, why have you betrayed me so??

since not much of note has happened this week, i'm going to rant about television.

i happen to love tv. love love love it. i am more obsessed with television than anyone i know. i believe that i am somehow more predisposed towards attachment to characters and relationships of the fictional nature than other people. hence, my love of books and tv. there are 2 reasons why i watch tv over reading sometimes: 1) tv gives me pictures as well as a story and (more importantly) 2) you can do other things while watching tv. plus i find it easier to walk away from tv for a moment than books. books are much more of a commitment for me.
now, i don't want to give the wrong impression. i spend about 2-3 hours reading every day and read at least a book a week. since the average american (when polled) does not read ONE book for an entire year, i think i could be considered an avid reader. i don't understand people who don't like to read (i can only assume they've not found the correct genre). but in addition to reading, i spend a lot of time watching tv. back to tv.
happily, my realization of tv love has coincided with the prevalence of tv-on-dvd (henceforth referred to as tod). tod is the most amazing thing to happen to tv viewers everywhere. tod saved me in barcelona when i was incredibly homesick. tod has allowed me to catch up on shows that i didn't watch since their advent and can now watch in real time. which brings me to my current predicament.

tv schedule
how do people live having to keep up with television shows in real time?? i have never actively watched more than one show per week that i kept up with. the l word, 24, and sex and the city were the only ones. until.....
gilmore girls came along. ok, i handle two shows. not a big deal. that's tuesday, at 8.
but what about weeds? caught season 1 on demand last year one day when i was sick. watched all 10 episodes from the first season (which is only 5 hours). now we have monday, at 10 or 10:30.
veronica mars. my newfound love. well, it's on tuesdays, right after gilmore girls. no reason not to just sit for another hour. tuesdays at 9.
caught up with lost on dvd, so gotta tune in for that. add wednesdays at 9.
was convinced to give jericho a try, wednesday at 8. (it's kinda lame, but i am getting sucked in)
the nine sounds amazingly like a combo of reunion (was i the only person to watch that last year?) and 24, so replace project runway once the finale airs. wednesday at 10.
project runway, shockingly good. believe me, i was skeptical too. right after lost, so we have wednesdays at 10.
l word will start in january, so there's sunday night at 10.
and 24, so add mondays at 9.
now, granted, project runway ended this week. weeds finale is next week. that should take some of the pressure off. however, i already have replacements for them either immediately or come january.
couldn't i find something more worthwhile to do with my life than watch these shows? sure! i can get a hobby (as long as it's free) or hang out with friends (as long as they're available) or read (although i do a fair amount already) or bake (which i have been doing a lot more of) or any other number of things. but tv is so easy! and now i'm stuck where i am either greatly attached to characters and relationships (gilmore girls, veronica mars) or i've been suckered in to find out what happens (lost, jericho).

my tod complaints
now, i could just wait for these to come out on dvd and buy them and watch them. but what if they're not good? here's the conundrum i've gotten into with tod.
i own the entire buffy series (7 seasons), entire angel series (5 seasons), all of battlestar (2 seasons), all but the latest gilmore girls (5 seaons), both veronica mars, both lost, l word (first two seasons), sex and the city complete series (6 seasons), arrested development (seasons 2 and 3), simpsons (seasons 7 and 8), mash (season 3), firefly complete series (just one season), and freaks and geeks complete series (just one season). now it's really annoying for me to not have arrdev season 1, so i'll have to get it. i own the first 5 seasons of gg, so season 6 is on my xmas list. veronica, lost, and battlestar #3 will be out next summer, so those will be added too. even if these seasons are not that good, i know that i will buy them. why? because how can you not have the whole collection? season 4 of angel is horrid and i can't stand it. i still own it, though, because if i decide to watch the whole series, am i really going to skip it? nope. i'll just make sure to be doing other things while sort of soaking it up in the background. season 7 of buffy sucks, but i'll never not watch it because it's the end of the series! etc, etc.

my tv viewing complaints
so far this season, gilmore girls is terrible. their writer/creator amy sherman-palladino left the show and there is a huge vacuous void where she was. but it's supposed to be the last season, so i gotta find out what happens. lorelai nowadays may be a far cry from the lorelai of yore, but i still want to know if she ends up with chris or luke or no one (although i will be really pissed off if i watched for 7 goddamn years and she ends up with chris. it's like sex and the city, except i liked big for carrie more than chris for lorelai). l word last year was terrible, but i'll still pay for my shotime subscription to watch it this year. and veronica, i need you guys to either deal with the logan thing and move on or let him have some airtime. i'm on pins and needles over here.
and don't even get me started about project runway! what is with reality tv and rewarding the biggest assholes? i just don't get it.

i don't have tivo! or a vcr!
because of my tv schedule, i don't plan things on certain days. wanna hang on tuesday? well, by 'hang out' you better mean watching gg and vm. wednesdays? i can hang until 9, but then gotta catch lost. thursdays are good for me....monday i can stay out a little later....
like it wasn't hard enough for people to make time to see each other before we got all wrapped up in this. and since i don't have a vcr or tivo or dvr through comcast, i'm stuck. i either have to sacrifice my tv world or my real world. i'm sure to many of you that's a no-brainer, but for me, that hour i spend with veronica each week is really quite enjoyable. i just wish she'd be a little more flexible with her schedule.