What gets me about Reality TV is how much it is simply marketing.  They find what people watch and they recreate it over and over and over again.  Hence one of Lisa’s favorites, “I Love New York.”  They got lucky when they put this crazy ##### on Flavor Flav’s show (which was also insane…an ex crackhead gets his own show).  She would fly off the handle at a moment’s notice….a timebomb if you will, which equals Reality Gold.  So if you’re that crazy…why not give you a show too?  And what, 3 different seasons now or something?  Ridiculous.

What is it about Reality Television that get’s so much attention?  Is it like a train wreck – you know you shouldn’t watch but you do?  I admit, when other shows are on commercial I’ll end up watching a few minutes and even I find myself watching for more.  Real World you say Lisa?  Yup – you put misdiagnosed psycho on TV and it’s another one of those trainwrecks.  Watch Brooke from the Real World – need I say more?

Lisa about nailed the few reality shows I actually watch.  I prefer to watch sports, history, travel channel, Family Guy, and movies – but I do watch a couple.  The Deadliest Catch is something I find so dang interesting.  I can respect the frigid conditions, after all, I have lived in North Dakota my entire life.  And I don’t think I’d really consider The First 48 to be Reality Television, it’s just a highlight of a criminal investigation.  It’s actually what I feel is one of the best shows on television.  Watch the first 10 minutes and you’ve got a 99% chance of watching it until the end (I hate it when I’m flipping right before bed and see it come on…..Lisa always moans b/c it means another hour of TV).

All in all, I just think television has actually lost a lot of credible ground instead of gaining it.  It seems that there’s so much marketing and propoganda to the networks that it’s really like one of the magazines you see along the checkout at the grocery store.  And I don’t see it ending any time soon.  I think we’ve just scratched the surface of Reality Television.  And just for kicks, here are some of what I consider the worst Reality Shows on television:

Worst Reality Television Shows

• Flavor of Love – As stated earlier, it’s obvious garbage.  And I liked Public Enemy growing up.  But come on – it’s a crackhead.  You know he spent all that Public Enemy money.  Why are these girls beating each other up like he’s Brad Pitt?
• I Love New York – Also one of Lisa’s favorites….and I already took my shot.  That girl is flat out nuts.  I can’t believe she keeps getting shows.
• Fantasy Island – This is the show where they put unmarried couples together with models on an island, and try to get them to cheat.  It’s just all too obvious and pathetic as only reality TV can produce.
• Room Raiders – This was an MTV show where potential dates trash everyone’s rooms, while looking for clues as to who they are.  And every show the girl puts a black light to the guys’ sheets.  Seriously guys, if you know you’re going to be on TV, wash your sheets if you’re a freak.
• Tool Academy – A bunch of guys and their girlfriends go on a show.  The guys think they are on a “Mr. Awesome” show, but really they’re the joke.  The guys have to be actors, there’s just no way guys can be that big of toolbags.
• The Simple Life – I pretty much think anything with Paris Hilton is annoying.  If I want to watch her on a screen, it’ll be under a green glow home video.  Enough said.
• The Newlyweds – This was the show with Jessica Simpson and Nick something from some boy band.  All was great until they got divorced, what a shocker.  What’s even more annoying is the fact we own all of the seasons on DVD.  Seriously Lisa, I think we could’ve done without those.
• America’s Next Top Model – Tyra Banks is crazy and she keeps getting signed to new gigs.  And all I gotta say is look at this guy…I get really uncomfortable when he’s on TV.  If this is Realty Television, I don’t get it.

So when the time finally came where Lisa and I agreed on getting our first sheltie, I pretty much knew I would be attached to her (even though I claimed I wouldn’t). Mia was a blessing in our house. It was our “training child” if you will, a way to get used to the responsibility of another between myself and Lisa. While mom likes to talk about the oddness of Mia, I kind of have an understanding with the dog. Since I work out of the home, we spend a lot of time together. She’s almost always laying by my side, or at my feet under my desk. When I get up to do something outside my office, she comes with. When I’m gone, she’ll wait near the door waiting for my return. She makes a wonderful companion, even though she doesn’t retrieve waterfowl.

Sophie's ears tipped naturally - a great sheltie trait

Sophie was another great addition to the house. From the day she arrived, you could tell she was going to be one of the special dogs that only comes around every so often. Out of the dozen or so dogs I’ve had in my life, she’s probably the “sweetest”. She’s a cute dog, and she knows how to milk it. She’s always starving for attention, and likes to lay near you whenever possible.

So this leads me to the question about whether or not dogs should be in the bed.  Despite the damage from chewing, the hair, and the scratching on the bed post; I still consider their presence worth it.  The dogs have learned to “adapt” to sleeping in our bed, and seem to know how Lisa and I sleep and our tendencies.  They typically stay on my side of the bed, and more often then not, Sophie is around the middle of the bed and Mia on the pillow next to me.  Mia never growls at me at night (if she has, I didn’t wake).  She lays peacefully up against me like she did as a small puppy (she could fit in your hand).  I call her my “snuggle puppy”, and I don’t feel I lose an ounce of my manhood admitting it. The dogs are comforting in what can be a stressful world. That’s the best thing about a good pet, they help you relax and take your mind of your day. It’s another way to give unconditional love in a way you do a child, and as a parent, it’s one of the most rewarding feelings.

One day in the future, Lisa and I will purchase our final home along the Missouri River in Bismarck. And if I get my way, the dogs will always be welcome on the bed…we just might have to get a bigger bed.