Why Can't I Watch Normal TV Anymore?

I'm going to make a confession ... I am a television addict.

Yep, I am. I love it all ... sitcoms, dramas, soap operas, made-for-TV-movies, talk shows, games shows. I'm not really crazy about reality TV, but I'll watch it.

But I've got a problem now that's even bigger.

Thanks to the advent of DVR, I can't sit through a show with commercials. I mean it ... I literally can't. It drives me insane. If I can't fast-forward through the commercials, I don't want to know about it.

I've gone so far as to pause a show for half and hour, then come back and play it when I can avoid the advertisements.

My DVR is always at least half-full. I tape all my soaps, saving up three to five days' worth at a time so I can curl up on the couch at night and watch them for a couple of hours after my son goes to bed. I've set series recordings for "Friends" and "Roseanne," even though I own all the seasons of both shows on DVD.

I browse the guide a week in advance and record Lifetime movies I've already seen.

I hate that I am so spoiled by technology. I'm ashamed that I am so impatient I can't just sit down and watch a half-hour show, commercials and all, anymore.

When we were discussing cost-cutting measures for our household, my husband suggesting dropping the DVR.

I started to sweat. I told him I would work a second job before I'd do that.