My name is Luis Merino, and I watch Soaps.

No, not hand soaps, dish soaps, or bath soaps, but Soap Operas — you know, the lame, over-dramatic, under-acted, poorly-written rubbish you find on TV in the afternoon — those Soaps. I figure it’s been a long time coming that I should come clean (pun, intended) about my watching of Soaps.

There is one Soap in particular I tend to gravitate to (although I’m in the know about a handful of other soaps and what’s going on in their worlds, while not really watching them). I can acknowledge that Soaps, in general, tend to constitute a big waste of time, considering there’s new episodes every day, and they all tend to – what word can I use to describe them — suck. Even though they’re awful I am still (somehow) captivated by them.

Natalia is usually around as I “watch” All My Children… (I use the term loosely because I fast forward through about 75% of it). I always complain saying “snooze,” or “give me a break,” or “shoot me in the face,” and she asks me, “Why do you watch this if you don’t even like it!?” To which I respond, “I don’t know.”

I was raised on watching Mexican Soaps (telenovelas) with my mom, so this type of storytelling has always had a place in my heart. And I will say this, American Soaps are awful. Mexican soaps are much better, and I even actively watch 1 British Soap which is actually quite good.

SO, there, I said it… I watch Soaps. Feel free to make fun of this silly pastime; I’m just glad that it’s now out in the open.