What is it about a television show that can suck you in? You end up waiting patiently each week for a new episode and then they go on hiatus' for the winter and summer; thus, making you wait months for that new episode because the last one was a cliff hanger and you absolutely must know what happens next.
There are so many TV shows and movies out there to watch and, well, I can sit down to watch almost any of them. But I have a choice few shows that I watch each week... by 'choice few' I mean about 10 TV shows that I keep up with. Good thing they're on different nights and some are actually on throughout the summer, so they are spaced out. There's just something about the stories coming to life onscreen that captures my attention.
My last year of school I would work so hard throughout the week just to have 'Lazy Saturday' with one of my roommates, Amber. She was finished school, but working two jobs and normally had Saturday off, except during tax season. We made the deal of setting aside part of Saturday to, on occasion, order take away and watch a couple movies. Always a horror followed by a comedy and that was just the way it was. Granted it normally wasn't a full day of sitting in front of the TV, we both had other things to get done. I'd help her with the house work and then move on to my endless amount of research papers, even after they were finished I'd always be wondering if it was the version I wanted to hand in.
Yet, guaranteed we would sit for about half the day on the couch. It was a way to distance ourselves from all the craziness around us and just relax. We could get caught up in absolutely anything we watched. Even if it was terrible we wouldn't shut it off early, which we often questioned why we watched some of the horror movies we did. We always watched to the end.
Now I do this with books too and it doesn't matter how long it takes me either, I will eventually finish it. Currently 'Anna Karenina' by Leo Tolstoy is taking quite a bit of time; however, I find most classics are difficult to get through. Coupled with the fact that Tolstoy is Russian the book is a translation, which also makes books more difficult to read. But, I will eventually finish it!
Books, however, can be labouring to get through when you are doing so much with reading and writing already when it comes to school or work. I love reading, but I only finished a couple books throughout my schooling that were just for fun. Reading, researching, and writing became labour intensive. I chose thusly to partake in 'Lazy Saturday.' Where we could shut off our brains for a little while, which is exactly what we did.
My friend, Chelsey, and I have had countless discussions on which TV shows are good, how we look forward to certain ones, and how we can't actually say why we keep watching others. Sometimes the acting is terrible; yet, we continue to go back each week. Certain ones we use as time fillers, while others are genuinely good shows such as Criminal Minds. Genuinely good shows are those with good acting, original storylines, and relatable characters.
Now I do realize that TV is not the best way to spend a majority of time; so, I do devote time to learning Russian (as I have been working at this since last year), gardening, teaching myself guitar, finishing 'Anna Karenina,' and visiting with friends and family. I also stay active which is made easier with summer coming! There are so many more activities that you can fit in when you're not bundled up to keep from freezing. For example, I can't wait to get out golfing. I've been a couple times this year to the Carlyle course and it was wonderful! Next up will have to be the Kenosee and White Bear courses, as I've never played them before and hear they're fantastic as well! With nice days ahead, despite there being a good TV show or movie on, make sure to get outside as there are so many exciting events coming up for the summer in the area.
