For those who don’t know, House is a television series on Fox.  It is a hospital drama centered on a medical genius named Dr. House played by Hugh Laurie.  It is actually quite good albeit terribly repetitive: each week someone comes in sick, winds up having some bizarre malady that is near impossible to diagnose, House ultimately chooses correctly how best to heal the patient by identifying the root causes and proper treatments, and finally the sick person leaves cured — or at least successfully remedied.  Despite this, the program is rather compelling in that House is a sarcastic cynic, a believer that humans generally are up to no good, and he suffers from a forlorn life he distressingly inflicts upon those around him.  Nevertheless, he is ultimately thoughtful, terribly logical, rational to a successful fault, witty to an insulting degree, wholeheartedly impudent, and admirably his own person irrespective of the carnage it leaves in the lives of anyone who comes into contact with him.

The detriment he visits upon his friends, although they are few and far between because of his personality, is ignored by those most faithful to protecting the companionship they share with him.  The main character’s abrasive self reeks of uncomfortable seductiveness, and it is this trait which endears him to the show’s audience, people envious of his sharp intellect, intrigued by his stimulating interaction with others, and generally fascinated with the hope of one day being like him without being like him.  A master of the unsolvable by way of the unacceptable, he represents the egotistical whim inside each of us.  He’s also an atheist.

If you are unfamiliar with the show, it may be difficult to express a sound opinion on this issue, although watching it only once will certainly provide a definitive explanation of what being called “House” truly means.  If you watch the show religiously or are at least acquainted with the character and premise, you certainly are invited to chime in.  You see, I have been accused of being the personal House for several people, not the least of which are xocobra and LD, although they represent a fraction of those who have said this to me.  I now must wonder if that is the correct general impression of others, if I simply must assume those voicing such an opinion are insane and in need of significant psychological care, or if there is some area betwixt them in which the majority of folks live.  Sadly, I can not ask the question without appearing solely interested in self and image.  I’m gay; how can that not be the case to at least a certain degree?

So, why do I have a House reputation?  Do you really see me that way?  Am I prone to offer deprecating responses to even menial queries?  When you ask a question, do you expect belittlement and inarguable rejoinders?  Or are you just flattering me by calling me House in the hopes of receiving personal favors?  Not that I’d think that a bad thing, of course.