Reality television never attracted me much. When friends were all about "The Bachelor," I kept asking, "Doesn't that seem unnatural to you?" Of course it's unnatural! Stop the fucking philosophizing and get hooked! Some shows I've seen from time to time make me cry, like "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" where audience members are manipulated horribly into crying - sobbing sometimes - during the last five minutes with the music and the family's situation and the new theme-based rooms. Because my mother works in public housing I know that the gritty truth of poverty in this country is best not left to Sunday night programming, but still, even if I only catch the last 20 seconds, the tears flow. I'm not going to be able to watch the new season of "The Biggest Loser," because just the commercials get me emotional. Reality programming is something I hear about rather than watch regularly so far. It just seems such a huge investment. So when J and I settled down to watch some non-cable programming the other night and caught, by chance, "Average Joe, The Joes Strike Back," I just expected some one-night-only entertainment.

Then this one guy said that despite his tough appearance he had a cat named Rachel and I felt real love surge through my body. I hope that no Joe's heart is too badly wounded over the course of this saga because I do not think I'll be able to take it.