Cream soda, restaurants top Weaver's addictions

I have come to suspect I have an addictive personality.

"Everything in moderation" is a mantra we hear over and over, and it's something I have to repeat myself, because I would like nothing more than to do the things I enjoy into eternity, with no thought to my health or, you know, others.

This is why I can't ever start doing any of those things which might be bad for me, like drinking, smoking, doing drugs or juggling chainsaws.

I have hard enough time giving up stuff which isn't bad for me, I figure it's better not to press my luck with those things I know aren't going to be a big help in the long run.

So, in the interest of sharing, I've decided to compile a list of The Top 10 Most Ridiculously Addictive Things I'm Coping with Right Now. Because half the fun of an addiction is in trying to pass it along to other people.

1. "One Tree Hill" on DVD - Anyone who scoffs hasn't watched this Chad Michael Murray soap opera unfold from the beginning. It's got epic betrayals and family angst the likes of which would make Shakespeare envious. My brother and I recently finished the third season, and are anxiously anticipating checking out the fourth, while we go to great lengths to avoid spoilers about the current season. Plus, it's hard to choose between actresses Hilarie Burton, Sophia Bush or Bethany Joy Galeotti as far as who's cutest.

2. Half the restaurants in the Columbia Basin - Oh, man. There are some places I have to will myself to walk past or else I'd never get anything done.

3. "Unshelved" - I stumbled across this Internet-only comic strip which takes place entirely within a library setting. (How clever is this? The central character goes by the name of Dewey!) I've been a goner ever since. My day isn't complete without some kind of hilarity unfolding at www.unshelved.com. I bet my friends within the North Central Regional Library can relate to quite a few of the situations which arise. And speaking of reading …

4. Stephanie Meyer's books - On the surface, a series of books about the romance between a teenaged girl and a centuries-old vampire sounds overdone and trite, but there's something about the way Meyer puts it together that makes it go where no other version of the story has gone before. There's a reason the waiting lists for these books go into the 40s and 50s in the library system. Repeat after me: Ridiculously. Addictive.

5. My Green Day "American Idiot" CD - It's several years old by now, but still only a relatively recent addition to my collection. Still, every time I let it play, I just get engrossed in the songs, particularly "Boulevard of Broken Dreams."

6. The other half of the restaurants in the Columbia Basin - If I could afford it, I'd eat out all the time. But I can't afford it. So I have to be able to make meals at home which, at least to me, compare to the master chefs around our region.

7. Fried eggs on top of pancakes - If you'd told me even six weeks ago I wouldn't be able to stop craving this, I'd have scoffed and told you it was a ridiculous notion. Then, all of a sudden, that's all I can think about. The way the runny yolk blends with the pancake and the maple syrup blends with the egg white …

8. Community theater - I love going, sitting and, if all goes according to plan, laughing so hard the actors on stage can pinpoint where I'm sitting in the audience.

9. A& W Cream Soda - A while back, I reported this drink was one of my much-missed discontinued items, but apparently and fortunately, I exaggerated its demise, because I'm still able to find it in quite a few locations. I've never been more happy to be wrong.

10. Naps - When you sleep so hard, you wake up discombobulated and uncertain of yourself, especially when the amount of light visible through your window changes from when you went to sleep. Although, come to think of it, that's one addiction that can't really do anything but good.