Couch Potato

As new a member of the unemployment line, I have been trying to stay very active as a means of not going completely crazy and get my life on track. I get up everyday at 6am, eat a well balanced breakfast of fruit and various grain. I then proceed to run 6 times around my development, which comes out to about 3 miles. After my run, I do 30 minutes of strength and core training to build up my abs. Usually it's about 11 o'clock by the time I'm all through. After that I run any errands and go on the slew of interviews that I have lined up for the employers who are dying to hire me. I read a book a day and also write until my fingers hurt. Every day, I make my family a 3-course gourmet dinner, clean the entire house and oh yeah.....find the cure for cancer. Very, Very productive days.

Yeah, right.

Obviously, the entire paragraph above is bullshit.

Here's the real deal: I sleep as late as I want (which I haven't been able to do in years, so that in itself is great), I wake up and move my sorry ass to the couch and channel surf for the majority of the afternoon, I think about getting up an exercising and sometimes I even attempt it ( I borrowed the Jillian Michaels DVDs from my best friend and have actually gotten about ten minutes in and given up. She is a nasty, nasty bitch), I spend a lot of time on the internet searching for new jobs and opportunities, I try to write but get so frustrated with the crap coming out of my brain that I give up and revert back to the television, I wait until my friends are home from work and either try to coax them into hanging out or beg them to, I read (so that's not bullshit), and I wait to go to bed.

The end.

Pretty pathetic, I know. But I'm still getting used to this whole unemployment thing--I'm honestly not used to having a hectic and full schedule. I've been running on all four cylinders for years now, and not having to do that is very weird to me. I feel like I'm in a constant weekend frame of mind and my psyche is all messed up from it. Like I'm in this never ending vacation in my head and I don't need to do anything but relax and be lazy. But in reality, that's not the case. I need to be doing more. I know I need to get myself onto a set schedule and start doing something constructive with my days because I don't want to be a sloth. Or a "hermit" as my mom calls it.

I'll get there, I promise. I just need to get my head on straight first.

So that's my rant for the night, now onto the point of this post!

I have obviously been watching an obscene amount of TV out of pure boredom. And as I've heard my Dad say repeatedly while flipping through channels, "500 channels and not a damn thing on." Yes, Daddy you would be correct. TV programming has seriously gone into the crapper over that last few years. Instead of supporting quality shows and writing, networks are pumping cash into shit programming--case in point the Kardashians. I heard a few weeks ago that this talent-less family got $40 million to continue taping with their NBC affiliate. $40 million for a show that was launched based off of a sex-tape scandal? If nothing, the Kardashian's were geniuses to cash in while the fire was hot.

That being said, I have become OBSESSED with the following reality shows. To the point that I feel like I go into a daze when there's a string of episodes on at once, and I only realize hours have gone by once a different show comes on.

Mountain Men

 This little gem was introduced to me by my youngest sister and Dad--one night they were talking like the Mountain Men for hours and I won't lie, their drawls and grunts made me very intrigued. On the History Channel, the program follows the lives of 3 men who live solely off their land in Alaska, Montana and South Carolina. These men literally live for trapping and living in the woods (as foreign as that may be). Seriously, it's addicting. Made me want to pack my stuff and move to Alaska. Well not really--I'd much rather watch from the comfort of my comfy bed, then have to worry about skinning beavers for meat or deal with frigid winter weather--the one guy Martin in this show had to walk 10 miles to his cabin because his snow mobile broke down. Yeah, it was -10* outside. No way!

Animal Cops Houston

This show is literally my crack. Not even kidding you. Animal Planet is a constant on my TV just because I love the animals. But this show takes it to a whole new level. It's all about the Houston SPCA and the above pictured badasses cracking down on animal cruelty. At times it is really sad--especially when animals are rescued from awful living conditions or need to be euthanized because they are in such horrible shape--but it always ends on a good note with the animals finding loving homes. It has made me want to drive down to Houston and adopt a horse. Not even kidding.

Deadliest Catch

No, I am not late to this party. I've been watching this show for years but I've recently become more obsessed. If you are living under a rock, this show follows the crab-fishers (is there another name for them?) of Alaska, who go out into the farthest parts of the ocean to fish for king-crab and opis (again, is that how you say it?). But this is no joke--you fall into the Arctic Ocean and you are dead. The show amazes me just because of the brute strength of these guys--they work like 20 hour days for days on end and at the end of their 3 week stretch, each crew-member usually walks away with $20,000.00. Like holy crap! If I didn't get horribly sea-sick, I'd sign up in a second. Hey.....maybe that's my life calling.....

Kinda funny that my favorite shows these days mostly revolve around real burly men. Is someone trying to tell me something?

Anyway, check these shows out. Trust me, they're awesome! And will totally fill your reality TV fix, without having to admit that you actually watch the Kardashians.