Daily reality

I'm on vacation at the moment, but it's a working vacation. I have had a ton of work to do over my break, so I spend a lot of my time on the couch with my laptop in my lap as I immerse myself in really boring material. I couldn't do it without the wonders of reality television playing steadily in the background. It helps prevent me from getting burned out on my work.

This is also why I just spent three days reordering our garden. I spend most of my week watching TV and working on my computer. Somehow, ripping out weeds and spreading mulch seemed like fun after that, especially since I can see the beautiful results.

Anyhow, these are my five favorite reality shows to watch during the day:

1) Bully Beatdown on MTV2. Jason "Mayhem" Miller finds grown men and women who are the victims of adult bullies who physically and emotionally damage these poor, gentle souls. He then brings in a professional MMA fighter to kick the crap out of these rotten bullies. Two three-minute rounds, one with only ground fighting, and one only on his feet. He starts out with $10,000. Every time he taps or is knocked down, the victims get $1,000 of that money. What I love about this show: It teaches us that no matter what your mom told you, eventually violence does actually solve every problem.

2) Supernanny on Style. At least during the day it's on Style. Jo the polite British nanny comes to your house, teaches you how to manage your unruly kids, and goes home. I like this show because it reminds me about why I don't have kids, while also allowing me to judge people who do.

4) It's Me or the Dog on Animal Planet. Victoria the polite British dog trainer comes to your house, teaches you how to manage your unruly dogs, and goes home. I like this show because it teaches me that my dog is awesome in that she does not eat our furniture or my friends, but also how to keep her heeling on the leash and stuff.

5) Wife Swap on Lifetime. A wife from one extreme kind of family switches places with a wife from an opposite extreme kind of family. Halfway through the exchange, she changes the house rules to make the place more like hers. Chaos ensues because both wives are nutjobs. I like this show because it makes me glad I'm not like those people.

So there you go. My daily shadenfreude.

On a later day I will profess my undying love for Tool Academy, which deserves its own post.