What I'm Watching

I changed the category in the left-hand column today from "What I'm Reading" to "What I'm Watching."

I suppose that this is a much more honest representation of how I --- and the public at large --- get my fill of fiction these days. Most of the things I actually read are short non-fiction pieces --- the largest share is media articles, along with short opinion pieces, message boards (I seriously limit my use of these). There's just no time for longer novels anymore. It's been the natural progression of the American attention span for quite some time.

But it's also because some television and movies can do so much more now. They can turn a rather dull tome of black on white into great pieces of drama and show. Creating whole worlds that had been impossible is now done with CGI to a high degree of quality. And there's now enough sources that one can pretty much be assured of finding something that grasps the mind.

Take, for example, the comic book industry. Post 9/11, it was really a dying art form. And now, there are several superhero movies released each year that are making tons of cash, as Marvel and DC are trying to resurrect their brands via Hollywood. Why pay for paper when there is reality, or something close to it? What really turned superhero movies from throwaway flicks into something like real art was Chris Nolan's "Batman Begins." It showed a gritty brand of reality without so much campy dialogue and cheeseball fight scenes.

But, anyway, I've been watching several series over the past several months. Usually I play an episode or two on my laptop which is propped up on the counter while I'm handwashing dishes, which makes that chore seem to go by a lot faster than just staring out the window, often at my reflection against the black contrast of night. I've gone through the current run of the British series "Doctor Who" and as the picture indicates, I am now starting "Breaking Bad" after a long time of hearing people talk about how good it is, and Bryan Cranston winning three consecutive Best Actor in a Drama in the Emmy Awards.

So there it is. My dirty secret. I'm not a very dedicated reader of the long form. I can do it if I have to, and I am committed to finishing Shakespeare, but there are so many other forms of media that are so much more accessible now. I'd hate to see this progression kill the novel, and I don't think it will --- to wit, sales of e-Readers are through the roof, and novels are often the source of this new media landscape. But the days of sitting propped up in bed paging through a hardcover are mostly over. Vive le difference!