Sad as it may be, one of the perks of my life right now is the gritty crime drama The Shield. It is my favorite cop show, second only to Homicide: Life on the Street. My favorite character is Dutch, the dorky and bookish detective. I thought last season's Armenian mob moneytrain storyline was riveting, but this season is shaping up to be quite explosive as well. My mom is two hours ahead in Wisconsin and always gives me a heads up on the show. Tonite's hint: "Aceveda has really gone off the deep end." How true Mom, how true.