TiVo is an evil thing.

About two or three years ago, I bought a TiVo box for Jeff's birthday. I rarely buy him anything technological, either because I'll get the wrong thing or because the tech stuff he wants is wayyyy expensive. He tends to be an early adopter and as such has definite opinions on what he wants. I decided to take a leap of faith, though, and got the TiVo anyway. It took him about a week, but he finally decided he liked it. Now, of course, we can't live without it.

I used to watch very little television. All of the good shows were either on during the time I'm putting my kids to bed, or they're re-aired in the middle of the night. I did make sure I could watch ER every week, but that was it. On the nights when I'd be up late with a baby, I usually ended up watching reruns of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air on Nick at Nite. My kids didn't watch much TV, either. I'm pretty restrictive about what they're allowed to watch, so if we missed Zoboomafoo because we were out running errands, that was just tough cookies.

Once we got TiVo, though, all that changed. I discovered a whole new world of television, one I'd been missing out on for the last eight years. Shows like The Dead Zone, Deadliest Catch, and Third Watch. I got sucked into their web; the next thing I knew, I was recording every episode I could find. I wanted to know every detail of what was happening in these characters' lives, fictional or not! The longer we had it, the more shows I got attached to. Soon I was recording two episodes a day of Judging Amy just so I could get caught up on the seasons I'd missed.

It only got worse from there: Mythbusters, Bones, Ace of Cakes, Heroes, Psych, Friday Night Lights, heck, even Kyle XY. Over the summer, I added Traveler to my list, as well as the recent adds of Army Wives, Burn Notice, and Side Order of Life. It wasn't until this week that I had my first ever removal-from-my-Season-Pass-list-'cause-it's-not-worth-my-time show.

So I now have Season Passes for ten, that's right, TEN, one-hour shows that are currently airing new episodes. That doesn't count any of the shows on summer hiatus. If you count the shows that I'm recording in reruns, you can add another hour or two...OK, who am I kidding, an hour or four. Per day. And no, there is no way on earth that I have an extra twenty hours a week to watch television! But I can, because it's there, so I do. Heaven forbid I should miss an episode, because what if it contains some vitally important detail that I just HAVE to know or else the whole next show won't make any sense? My bedtime has moved from 10:00-ish to 12:30 or 1. I can't even use the whole "I'm nursing a baby to sleep" excuse, because Lily's a great sleeper and is out cold by 10:30 at the very latest.

And sadly enough, my kids' television watching has since doubled as well. We now have Noggin, which means that I have at least two episodes of Little Bear available at all times (to go along with the two episodes of Bob the Builder). My older three love Planet Earth, as well as Mythbusters, How It's Made, and Be the Creature, and who am I to deny them educational television? Instead of hearing "Sorry, kids, there's nothing on you can watch. We should play Uno or something," they get "OK, but only one Little Bear and one Be the Creature and then you're done."

If there's a TiVo 12-step program, sign me up. I'm an addict and I admit it. I'll start going to meetings right away so I can get away from this black hole I'm being sucked into.

But I can't start until after Friday. There's a new episode of Psych on. Oh wait, make that Sunday, because I have to catch the next Army Wives...