Suggestions

Apparently I'm a creature of habit, and those around me are picking up on it. And making suggestions. Specifically, Mabes:

It rained yesterday, and I love rain. As I was buckling Mabes into her carseat, Mabes said "It's raining today...maybe the sun will come out tomorrow and dry up the rain and then I'll be happy." You don't like the rain, Mabes? "No. I like sun. I like to run and jump and play in the warm sun!" And sure enough, the sun came out today, and left me pining for Oregon winters. At the end of the constant 6 month drizzle, I was ready for the sun to come out in May, but come October, I was ready for clouds and fog and rain again.

So as we were driving home, Mabes was still disgusted with the rain, and I was still enjoying it. Suddenly, Mabes brightened. "Hey, I have an idea! We can make chocolate chip cookies!" I laughed, wondering if she had picked up on the pattern. "Oh really, why do you say that?" I asked.

"Because it's raining, and we make chocolate chip cookies when it rains!"

For those that aren't aware, it's a sort of family tradition to make chocolate chip cookies when it rains. My mom does it, and I think some of her sisters do, too. Maybe that's why I like rain so much--I'd be at school, it would rain, and I'd know there was a good chance there would be fresh chocolate chip cookies waiting for me when I got home. It's a tradition (or Pavlovian response) that has stayed with me, and gave my KitchenAid quite the workout after 2 1/2 years in Oregon. There are few things better than rainy days and fresh cookies, so even if she hates the rain, I'm glad Mabes has already seen the connection. Maybe she won't complain next time.

And my Tivo:

We've had our Tivo for over 5 1/2 years now. We love it and treat it like a member of the family (almost), we've converted many friends to Tivo, and it has recorded I don't know how many hundreds of hours of shows for us. It knows us. Tivo has a "suggestions" feature that records shows it thinks you may like based on what you typically record. Tivo has picked up some interesting documentaries, TV shows, news programs, and even a few movies that we've ended up watching and thought, "Hey, our Tivo really does know us!"

So imagine my confusion when I turn on my TV and see this:

Seriously, Tivo? Jerry Springer? While we don't watch any of the other shows listed, based on what we normally watch, I can see how Tivo would say those are similar. But Jerry Springer? My heavens, if I didn't know any better, I'd think my Tivo was making a joke. Perhaps after all these years, it feels like we have reached a level of comfort where it can mock me. I'll admit to watching trashy TV--maybe since I stopped recording The Bachelor*, Tivo felt it needed to compensate for the lack of trash on its hard drive. But come on, Bachelor is nowhere near Jerry Springer.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little embarrassed by how my Tivo has judged me.


*Since Bachelor conflicts with 24 and I don't have a dual tuner, we of course tivo 24. I can watch Bachelor online.