Don't get me wrong. I can quote The Real World San Diego with the best of them. And I'm not ashamed to admit that I find the cinematography and editing in Laguna Beach both challenging and beautiful. But reality television has sucked the life out of me ever since the first season of Survivor. I didn't even know I had a problem until I did without television for six weeks in England. True, missing all new episodes of The Real World was a large price to pay for freedom. Some would say too high a price. But it really wasn't all that bad after the first week or so. And I came back to the States a self-proclaimed intellectual beast. For I have rediscovered the book.

I'm sure there are some studies somewhere that show how people learn more by reading than by watching television. Honestly, I don't really care. I just like to see that bookmark move a little bit every day. I prefer books with pictures, but I'll read a book with words if push comes to shove. Now that I've settled back into my normal American routine I have found myself reading a smidge more than normal. Not as as much as I'd like to, but I've at least been able to resist watching reruns of Blow Out on Bravo. Though I do miss watching crazy people.