It has gotten out of hand

At my previous job, we all used to watch Days of Our Lives together during lunch. I've never been a huge soap opera person -- though I did enjoy Another World growing up -- but it only took about a week of lunchtime story-watching and I was hooked.

As I learned the histories of Salem's inhabitants and relished each predictable character development, I vowed that I would only ever watch Days within the confines of the office conference room. I would not, nor could I ever, stomach sitting through daytime drivel at night, when each day's episode is aired again on SOAPnet. I could never stoop to that level.

Then I stooped to that level. I left my last job and started a new one at a place that doesn't have TVs in its conference rooms (or a built-in cadre of ravenous Days fans). So I started catching the reruns on SOAPnet, but only when I had nothing better to do. I would never TiVo the show -- nope, just casually tuning in is enough for me.

But then I started to become disappointed when I'd miss a day here or there. It's not the most difficult story to follow, mind you, but I need to know all of the details because how else am I to know exactly how many times Mimi nearly told Shawn that he is the father of Belle's baby but then chickened out because she is an insecure Lockhart and is terrified of losing him? So I started TiVoing Days. And my husband really started to make fun of me.

That's OK, though, because I'm still not the type to read Soap Opera Digest or check online for plotline spoilers or cast information. Except I just spent 20 minutes reading about Days' writers' intentions of bringing back the DiMeras. And I am quite disappointed in the new actor portraying Shawn Brady, as though I should care about such things. (For me, Jason Cook is and shall always be Shawn Brady.) And yesterday I found myself at the grocery store checkout staring at the cover of the 'Digest. But I didn't pick it up, or purchase it.

Yet.