M*A*S*H
I remember watching this show with my Dad. That may not seem like appropriate viewing material for a small child, but I treasured that time and I still treasure the memory. As a young adult I started watching the reruns out of nostalgia and fell in love with the show all over again. The characters are so fantastically written and acted. It was such an influential and thought provoking show with great comedic and raw emotional moments.

The influence of M*A*S*H can still be seen in some of today's programming. Tonight's Grey's Anatomy is titled "Suicide is Painless" (which was the M*A*S*H theme song) and is centered around the character of Dr. Hunt, a war vet. It is my belief that the premise of 24 is rooted in the Season 8 M*A*S*H episode, #180 "Lifetime", where a timer ticks off the minutes the doctors have left to save a soldier's life.

There are few characters created that will rival the brilliance of Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce and the rest of the 4077th. Thank goodness for reruns!

I LOVE to read. I always have. I have significantly increased my waking hours in life due to my inability to put a good book down, no matter how tired I may be.

That being said, I could not (could not!) get through "The Unbearable Lightness of Being." I won't, won't, WON'T try again. I can't even begin to describe the agony that horrid novel put me through.

Suffice it to say, we parted ways bitterly, no better for having met.

However, I can introduce you to a slew of wonderful novels. Books so amazing I can't imagine my life without their influence. Life is to short to force yourself to slog through the books you don't enjoy (unless it's for school, and then it's good for you!)