Ira Glass is my new best friend.

So on a special edition of "This American Life," the public radio show featured stories around the theme "What I Learned From Television." This particular show was unique in that it was live - taped in front of a lively, appreciative audience on a 6-stop tour.

On the bus home from work last night, I turned on my Ipod and selected the new "This American Life" podcast (If you don't know podcasts, you'd better get to know! They are especially helpful for pathetic souls like myself who get carsick when they read in a moving vehicle...or even think about reading in a moving vehicle). In the best show I have yet heard, sex columnist Dan Savage confesses his prudery and Ira Glass admits he sings the lyrics to "The OC's" theme song whenever the show airs. But my favorite of the four acts was David Rakoff's painful rediscovery of television programming. Having sworn off tv after college, Rakoff agrees to watch 29 hours of television - the very amount the average American watches in one week.

Usually my bus rides are relatively uneventful, at worst punctuated by a drunken passenger, meth head, or obnoxiously loud cell phone chatter. But last night, "This American Life" made me shriek out loud with laughter, drawing the attention of my fellow bus riders. I tried to smother the laughs, giggling into my hand and twitching about in my seat. But David Rakoff's attempt to watch "My Super Sweet Sixteen," "America's Funniest Home Videos," and other cultural gems sent me over the edge.

Thank you, sexy radio hipsters. Last night you made me look like the crazy one on the bus.

http://www.thislife.org/