Summer (De)Programming: Reclaiming My Mind, The Summer Reading Project

May 30, 2007 at 2:43 PM
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Monday passed by with relatively little pain. It didn't hit me until yesterday that all of my TV shows are done and over with for the season. This realization was made all the more harsher, after I compelled myself to sit through The Oh in Ohio. You don't think things could go wrong with Paul Rudd, Parker Posey and a cameo by Liza Minnelli channeling a kinder and gentler Alexyss Tylor, but you'd be sadly mistaken. I watched a bit GSN, hoping they'd honor CNR with a Match Game marathon. No. All I get are the idiots on Chain Reaction.

Puzzle: Electric- S______-Jock. Hmm?
Contestant: Electric? Jock? How are those two words connected.
Me: Shock! You Dummy.

So I decided to call it a night early and came up with the bright idea of replacing my programs with books that are similarly themed. The only problem is I still got a few blanks in the scheduled and some of my suggested choices require a bit a heavy lifting. Plus I'm looking for a few nonfiction books to take the place of my reality shows.

Sunday

The Simpson/King of the Hill: White Noise by Don DeLillo

Desperate Housewives: Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

The Sopranos: It's not ending. I'm still in denial.

Monday

Prison Break: Andersonville by MacKinlay Kantor

24: Don't think I'm eager to pick up any Tom Clancy. So I'm thinking of something that sort of focuses of a day in the life (and I'm trying to stay away from James Joyce's Ulysses, but it's the only thing coming to mind. I've read The Hours and Mrs. Dalloway)

Heroes: The Watchmen by Allen Moore or The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon

Tuesday

American Idol: Bessie[Smith] by Chris Albertson

Wednesday

American Idol: A Lifetime To Get Here: Diana Ross: The American Dreamgirl by Thomas Adrahtas

America's Next Top Model: Model: The Ugly Business of Beautiful Women by Michael Gross

Lost: Think I need to brush up on my philsophers.

Thursday

Survivor: Lord of the Flies by William Golding? The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brook Any real life survival tales I need to check out?

My Name is Earl/The Office/30Rock: As an angst-filled youth, I remember searching through the book stores for hours looking something to devastate me. Now when I go into the bookstore, I'm looking for something to make me laugh. So I have no clue as to who to turn to fill this block of time. Maybe I need to squeeze the new Palahnuik or Youth In Revolt into this time slot.

Friday

I'm usually able to free myself from the television around this time. If I watch anything, it's Dateline: To Catch a Predator or some bizarre true crime story.