J and I, I'd estimate, watch an average amount of television. While we aren't into any particular shows (because, I don't know, maybe neither of us has the attention span for that) we do like to turn the TV on and just gawk at all the possibilities from time to time. Celebrity news, old movies, dramas...despite not having any particular current favorites, we can and will sit down and watch an episode of "Law and Order SVU" at any time, day or night. Whenever it is on, and luckily, it seems to be on an awful lot. There are a couple of shows that I like because they never fail to make me incredibly happy. I'm talking majorly happy, happy-that-I-live-on-this-incredible-planet happy.

"The Girls Next Door" on E! is one of these. If you haven't seen this show, it chronicles the lives of Holly, Bridget and Kendra, three of Hugh Hefner's live-in girlfriends at the Playboy Mansion. They do things like celebrate one another's birthdays, travel to Europe and skinny dip, all while proclaiming their love of Hef, the man who made them what they are today.

And, I know, you could say something along the lines of, "That show is trash," but hear me out. First of all, I realize it isn't the most moral show or whatever, and that some feminists might say Hugh's need to be constantly surrounded by attractive, young girls, never practicing any form of monogamy is no good for society, blah blah blah, but if you really watch, the show is not only clever (often poking fun at the girls' rather ignorant/obvious/naive banter directed at the camera) but sort of heartwarming. On a rerun I caught the other day, Holly gave Hef an anniversary card (they were celebrating five years of, I don't know what you'd call it - being together "sort of"?) and she started crying right there at the dinner table. Because she loves him so much. And she didn't care that he has other girls in the house, girls he regularly goes to bed with and all. Holly was just happy that she has such a great life with the man she loves. So if Holly can find that kind of happiness in the world, with pajama-wearing, 110-year-old Hugh Hefner, I'm pretty sure this world is a great place. It's a simple equation.