Before TiVo: I read about 3.5 books a month.

After TiVo: I’ve read six pages. Total. And that was waiting at the DMV.

It’s so wonderful to record stuff like Sleeper Cell, 30 Rock and every film ever made by Hitchcock (yeah!) — and to watch them at my leisure. Of course, I could have done the same with our dusty old VCRs. But I’ve been out of blank tapes for the last, oh, eight years. I suppose I could have purchased more blank tapes, but… what a hassle. Unless it was baseball or the news, I’ve mostly avoided TV and just cracked open a book.

But now, how can I possibly read the novel (now a coaster) on my bedside table when three thrilling episodes of 24 await me?