It's Wednesday, 9 p.m. And for all you fellow "Gossip Girl" addicts out there, this can only mean one thing - a whole new hour of juicy drama and scandalous happenings to help get you through the week.
Sure, the show's not any good.
The characters are over-the-top, the plotlines aren't original and each episode boils down to a bunch of melodramatic teenagers exchanging bad lines.
Yet while my dignity and better judgment try to dissuade me, I can't help but find myself glued to the television awaiting the latest updates on the lives of these Upper East siders.
So here I am, curled up in my classy sweat pants and dorm apparel watching S strut around in a pair of designer boots that probably cost more than my rent. I know I should be employing my time doing something worthwhile, like finishing off that paper that's due tomorrow or watching the spin-off of "Grey's."
But how can I risk missing Blaire and Serena's weekly catfight or Rufus, Lily and Allison''s perilous love triangle? (Seriously though, Allison needs to get out of the way so Rufus and Lily can get together already.)
Maybe it's the glitz and glamour of living a high-profile life in New York City that draws me in. Or perhaps it's the promise of cheesy teenage romance that comes with every new episode. Whatever it is, it's got me shamefully hooked to a TV show with ratings as bad as my sophomore grade in Orgo.
The show probably won't last past one season, or at best, two. Which is good, considering the amount of time I'll save once it's off the air.
But for now, I'll enjoy the short escape the show provides from South Bend and papers. It's a world where kids have retired rock-star parents and homework never seems to get in the way of weekday parties.
If you haven't seen the show, don't watch it. After all the dirt's been dished, the episode's over and it's 10:05 p.m., I find myself seriously regretting the loss of an hour of my life to this teenage soap opera (as well as the fact that I have to wait another week to see what happens next).
But, if you're hooked and can't seem to escape your craving for this guilty pleasure, well, you have company.
Maybe with finals week fast approaching I'll be able to nick this unhealthy addiction for good and "Gossip Girl" can become just another bad memory along with the likes of "Dawson's Creek." Maybe then I can get back to watching the occasional, and less embarrassing rerun of "Friends" or "The Daily Show."
But until that happens, I'll shamefully flip to channel five every Wednesday for a little homework procrastination and a little gossip.
