But more importantly, my Netflix queue reflects my summer goals. I have ambitiously added six different television series with hopes of watching pretty much all of them. Now this either reveals my lazy summer lifestyle or my ability to go through t.v. shows at an alarming rate, the latter of which I consider to be the lazy-man's superpower.
In addition to my addiction to t.v. shows, I have also decided to enrich my movie experience with what I like to think of as "educative" films. These include A Single Man, The Last Station, and even some of the classic films like The Graduate that I have somehow managed to not watch. Any films that have won an Oscar I consider a must see--yet they sit at the bottom of my queue waiting to make it up to the top.
The worst part is, I feel guilty about not wanting to watch the movies that are truly well-made classics. Instead of having truly touching and moving films at the top of my queue, I have movies like Shooter and The International. Maybe it is just the summer craving for action and adventure that puts me off watching films like Kramer vs. Kramer, but I know that I should be a better movie-watcher and have more refined tastes.
To me, the cheesy comedies or romantic movies like The House Bunny or Baby Mama find their way onto my queue just the same as easy-read novels make their way into my reading list. Instead of reading the rest of Jane Austen's novels, I find myself reading cheesy fantasy books, the titles of which I am often embarrassed to admit to people who are not my sister. Even though I should prefer high-class novels, especially as an English major, I still find myself choosing the fun, easy reads over the classic literary works.
Come to think of it, I have the same issue with music, except for me it is the reverse: I always listen to classy music and only occasionally indulge in what I consider trashy mainstream. While Sinatra is a regular on my iPod, other artists like Lady Gaga, and countless others that I enjoy dancing to at a party, somehow don't make the cut.
I guess it all comes down to what we want to surround our lives with, and for me, how I change with the season. For, once summer ends, I will most assuredly be watching better movies, reading better books, and listening to crappier music in the Fall, most likely attributed to being back at school. Therefore, while Netflix will only last this summer, (as my parents will end it when I am gone) my current queue is an empire constructed by my personal habits, obligations, and guilty pleasures toward film.
