Thursday, September 26, 2013

What's Our Favorite Thing to Do? Review! Review!

Yes, the title does come from cheer camp, oh so long ago, when I was a wee young thing and a cheerleader. The first day of cheer camp, as we were all stumbling around in our matching shorts and matching shirts and matching camisoles and matching socks and matching shoes and matching hair ribbons with our matching water bottles, having left our matching pillowcases (red and white polka dot) and matching blankets (red, black and white polka dot) and matching duffel bags (red and white polka dot) at our hotel, we were accosted by the camp leaders who cried into their megaphones with boundless enthusiasm, "What's our favorite thing to do?"

Not knowing the answer, some brave soul deadpanned, "Cheer."

It was the wrong answer. Tragic and shocking, I know, but so it was. As the title hints, the correct answer is, "Review! Review!" Seeing as it does rhyme and repeat, it seemed worthy of a cheer leader. Many years later, this is one of the only things I have retained from cheer camp (except for all the polka dot paraphernalia. Though I did get rid of the very large red and white polka dot bow), but I have found that it is a true source in my life. I do love reviewing things. Things I've written, books I've read. And I quite like reading reviews, mostly of TV shows. There are two reasons I read TV show reviews.

1-It is a show that I ended up watching, mostly because roommates watched it and as a sophomore I felt the need to be sociable, but didn't want to waste 45 minutes watching on a regular basis unless there was something particular to recommend an episode. The review usually recapped this information and let me know if there were any scenes worth watching, and then I would know that there was a five minute clip (likely found on youtube) to seek out and I could leave the internet content, knowing I had saved forty minutes of my time.

2-And for shows and episodes that I actually did watch, I am always eager to see people's opinions about it, mostly to see if they concurred with mine. It was almost as satisfying as if I had written the piece myself, seeing my own opinion emblazoned on the web.  And then I had this great idea. I don't know if people really read blogs anymore, but I thought to myself, I would love to write my own reviews, were I could point out all the thoughtful enriching things I gained from watching the episode. If I'm waxing poetical I could refer to how it reminded me of Aristotle. If I am feeling sentimental, I could supply a childhood memory. I could analyze any bits of writing I found particularly effective, point out things I appreciated from my years of amateur acting, so on and so forth. Basically, I could express one of my many opinions about things, and feel like I'm not inflicting book reports on my poor family, as I would if I were to email them the same content.

Because really, as is the point so often with me and expressing myself, it is not so much about what I am saying as the fact that I want a chance to say it.

So I have decided, since this blog has been abandoned for two and a half years, that I would randomly post reviews of things I've read or seen. Mostly Doctor Who (because it is my favorite show and I relish the opportunity to drone on about it) but really anything. And if I ever feel witty again, then I will post a random entry about "eating, or opening a window, or just walking dully along" (that line comes from W. H. Auden in one of my many memorized poems).

The point is not to have been read in this case (I have many other things I deliberately want someone to respond to), but rather for me to have a place to express my feelings.

So, in between writing my many papers (ah the life of a college student) and playing my various instruments (very ill indeed) and occasionally cooking one of my few breakfast foods I am actually capable of cooking, I hope to write semi-regularly on this blog. Or maybe not. I abhor routine so I'm not going to flat out to commit to anything too drastic.