The adventure is in your mind...

Three days in, and I'm already considering this blog a minor failure. Not only did I fail to post an adventure on day two (note the "daily" in the title - this is a major lapse), but the adventure I'm going to share with you now requires a lot of metaphor and mental gymnastics to really qualify as one. 

That being said, I will do my best to rectify both of these mistakes by posting a second adventure later in the day and making this the most thought-provoking, laughter-inducing post ever. So prepare yourself.

Today's adventure stems from the main reason no post happened yesterday: I was busy watching television. A short-lived series that I enjoyed, largely for its inclusion of James Van Der Beek playing himself, is airing its remaining, unaired episodes on Hulu for the next week or two. I want to finish them all as quickly as possible, in case some cruel internet god strikes down my internet or freedom or ability to watch them.

So I spent every free minute of my Wednesday evening propped up against pillows on my too small bed, eyes fixed on the tiny screen that brings so much joy to my life. Previous thoughts of the gym were quickly banished, relocated to a night when there's not precious internet t.v. to consume.

That's a night that's unlikely to come, given the imminent return of one of my all-time favorites (along with most of the web community's): Arrested Development. To get in my daily dose of pretentiousness, I am an original run AD fan, not one of you Netflix hop-ons (no offense). I did not watch the first season in real time, but starting with the second, I was on board for every episode.

But even though I have always dreamed of a follow-up movie or more episodes, I'm not quite sure how to feel as we approach D-Day for new episodes. I've devoted a lot of my life to enjoying this show, spreading its humor to others and incorporating as much of its dialogue into my lexicon as possible. Now, though, I wonder, do I have the emotional wherewithal to devote myself to another string of episodes? Do I have the time? What if it's not funny? What if I'm disappointed? What if I can't watch it as quickly as everyone else, and I can't resist reading recaps, and things get spoiled, and I don't laugh, and...

I don't know what I'm saying. (AD joke, for those of you who aren't on board)

By now you're probably wondering what this adventure is, and are angry at me for failing to make you laugh or provoke thought. I guess the adventure I'm reflecting on today is one of the most internal possible: the choice to emotionally devote yourself to fictional characters, plot lines and conflicts. 

Why do we do it? From novels to movies to books, we allow ourselves to commit to and connect with people who really only exist in the minds of their creators. When I complain about Ron Weasley or identify with George Michael's feelings about the eye doctor, I'm really responding to a figment of someone's imagination. But it's vitally important for me to follow that person's adventure, to understand their decision-making, to get satisfying answers to the question "what happened," even though the real, literal answer is that nothing happened.

If you don't like the end of a book or a movie or a television show, you can just choose a different ending yourself, theoretically. I can pretend these remaining Arrested Development episodes don't exist and "choose my own adventure," as it were, for all the remaining characters.

But I don't do that with these shows I commit to. I'm not sure why. This is going to be an unsatisfying blog post, because it's an adventure on which I'm still reflecting. I'd appreciate some thoughts from my readers (all two of you) in the comments, although I'm quite certain you've given up reading now after my complete inability to craft a satisfying, hilarious, thought-provoking blog post.

Or maybe you're committed now and you'll stick around, just to find out what happens in the end.