I tend to go through phases of obsessions. There are the things that remain constant (like Harry Potter) and things that will spike at certain points and then level out later on. I can never know at the beginning of an obsession (or that obsessive level/fandom feeling) whether it will taper off in a few weeks or months, or if it will last with me for years and years to come. One thing is for certain, at the time of the obsession, it feels like said obsession has always been a part of my life. This is especially true if it is an obsession that gets revived (this will have more details later in the blog).
For now though, I have become (somewhat) obsessed with the TV show Mad Men. It is one of those shows that I was told by a million and half people that it is a great show and that I should watch it. It was one of the first things that I put in my Netflix Instant Queue (speaking of obsessions, I could probably ramble on about how Netflix is awesome for hours) and about a week and a half ago, I started to watch it. I originally thought I would be able to watch all of the episodes before the new season began, but I think it is unlikely that I will be able to fit five seasons into two and half weeks. At least, that is what I thought at the beginning. At the rate I have been going (aided by being sick and just wanting to sit around and do nothing all day because of it), it does seem that I will be caught up before the new season premieres next Sunday.
Whoops.
But, the speed in which I watch a particular television program is not the only indication that I have hit obsessive levels with something (although it is a good hint). I have started obsessing over the look of the characters and appreciating the history of the 1960s more so than before because of this show. I have googled so many public figures mentioned on the show just to get the timelines and the public feeling that should surround that time portrayed in the show. It makes me see that even though we try to claim that 'times have changed' there are a lot of things, truly too many things, that remain the same. I don't know if there was some influence from the show or if it is just the cyclical nature of some fashions but a lot of the dresses and the pants cuts are resurfacing and of course, I keep thinking that I would look great wearing that same sort of clothing. I am wrong though because it only looks good on the show because the actresses would probably look good wearing a sack.
This show has triggered another obsession that has been floating towards the top of the normal obsessions and that is the idea of moving to New York City. Obviously, the show is set in the 60s and the city is not like that now, but I think the excitement that surrounds New York is still there now, at least it is for me. The idea of moving to New York is one of those obsessions that has gotten revived recently like I mentioned at the beginning of the blog. It has come from a combination of things. The Europe trip made me realize how much I love public transportation, constantly set in New York, and this feeling of wanting to do something exciting in a place that is exciting all lead to New York City.
I realize that it is not entirely realistic for me to move to New York unless I land a job, which I have been trying to do. But the New York thing has started to become intertwined with another obsession of mine that has been revived lately (and has lasted a surprisingly long time this time around) and that is the obsession with sitcoms and good comedic writing. I remember starting to watch late night television when I was about 10 or 11 years old. I regularly watched Saturday Night Live and stand up specials throughout high schools. Like any good college student, I watch The Daily Show and The Colbert Report religiously throughout college (and into my post school/unemployed life).
This past year, I started watched a series of sitcoms starting with 30 Rock, followed by Park and Recreation and recently The Mindy Project and Community. These shows all have such strong writing and most of them are written, created, produced, and starring a female role (it's ok that you're different Community, you're still meta and quirky enough for me to love). I have watched sitcoms for a long time but the combination of these four, well really the first three, with all of the other comedic writing that I intake through other sitcoms (like I am keeping up with 6 sitcoms at the moment, it's a little ridiculous), political satire, and late night shows, I am seriously considering working solely on my writing and finding my way on to a show (or a web series, anything really) and write for a living.
The first time someone told me that I should do some sort of political satire was when I was in a friend's dorm room in college and she thought that I had enough political awareness and sarcasm that I could do something like The Colbert Report. At the time, I thought that it was something awesome that I could do but it was unrealistic so I should not seriously consider it. I wish I could go back in time and slap 18 year old me. But, I can't dwell on the past. So for now, I will continue to write comedically or otherwise. Maybe I will take a few writing classes in the future or maybe I won't. One thing is for sure, I am never going to think that something is 'unrealistic' for the future, because that is the sort of thinking that can hold me back.
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