Rocking to tons of summer TV ... Mmmmm, Mad Men

In May I get sad. I love TV, and in May, network TV ends its seasons of shows, and I'm left with the warm outdoors to entertain me. Boooooo.

Just kidding. I do love this time of year, and I do love taking my dogs for walks and to the park. But, sigh ... TV. It's been a love affair since birth. Literally. My mom was quite young when she had me. Just 21 years old. And a new 21. My birthday is exactly two weeks after hers in December. So, as a young mom, the TV was always on and was often tuned into MTV. In the early 1980s, MTV was brand new, and my mom was their target age and audience.

My mom discovered early on how to keep me occupied. She put me in my chair swing, cranked it up, set me in front of the TV and let me swing and watch, swing and watch, etc., etc. My first complete sentence was "Coke is it," the slogan for Coca-Cola in 1981-82. That should give you a good idea of how much I watched.

...Incidentally, guess what I'm doing right now, at the age of 29? I'm sitting in a rocking chair -- addicted to the things my whole life -- and watching TV. Not much has changed in 29 years.

So, I have been mourning the lack of good programming lately. I like watching reruns of Food Network shows like "Ace of Cakes," or any house-hunting/repair kind of show on HGTV. But it's not the same as a good drama you can follow from week to week, wondering what will happen next.

That's why I was so psyched today when I realized a ton of summer shows are about to kick off on the premium channels!!
Here's what we've got coming up:

Sunday -- "True Blood," HBO. When we left Bon Temps last, Bill had just been kidnapped, oh my! Right before he was about to propose to Sookie!!!

June 16: "Top Chef," Bravo. ...OK, not a drama, but still good TV.

June 27: "Entourage," HBO. Will Vince be riding Hollywood high this season, or back in Loserville, a ala post-"Medellin"?

July 25: "Mad Men," AMC. Dear god, where to begin ... We ended with a total cliffhanger. A new firm, a divorce, a completely new ballgame. Can't wait.

Aug. 18: "Weeds," Showtime. OK, well, I don't know. I'm sort of excited, and I will watch this season, but "Weeds" has gotten so out of hand. Remember first season? Mary Louise played a suburban mom selling pot to feed her family after her husband dies. Simple, intriguing and funny plot line. Now, her son just killed somebody, she's married to a Mexican drug lord who wants her dead, she had his baby, and her brother-in-law is in love with her. It's just so far out there. But, as I said, I will still be watching.

Gah! So excited. What shows are you psyched for this summer?