Going Internet Dark

I will be leaving aside all blogging duties for approximately the next month. Not only that, I will not use the Internet during that time. More than that, I will not even use my computer lest I get lost in the time suck of Minesweeper again. That means no Facebook, no Twitter, no email, or IMDb, movie times, NY Times, news, blogs, banking, credit cards, etc. Everything I read will be printed on dead tree. The only exception to this will be my work schedule, which is now all done through an online service. There is no longer a paper schedule posted at my job. So the only way I can possibly know my schedule week to week is by logging onto that website.

This does not mean I'm leaving off movie viewing. That will be alive and kicking, but without reviews for most of what I watch during the break. And so we're clear, watching movies through Netflix instant doesn't count as going on the Internet. I will be accessing directly through my Blu-Ray player.

Why am I doing this?

I hit upon the idea in mid July, I think. I was growing increasingly frustrated by my inability to keep on top of writing reviews. I seemed to constantly have a list of four or five reviews to post in order to maintain my regimen of writing a review for every movie I watch be it new, old, classic, crap, previously seen by me, or not. This has meant I have not made the time to do other activities I also enjoy doing. There are several new books I have that I'd like to get into.

Frankly, after more than two years of writing about nearly every movie I've watched (more than 300 full length reviews in that time), I kind of need a break. My goal was always to reach the point that it felt like second nature that I would write about a movie I watch. Now every time I watch a movie I'm already writing in my head. A few days later I'm sweating about finding the time and energy to get it out. I'd like some time away from that feeling. In fact, I've already started in a way. The last several movies I've seen I watched already knowing that I wouldn't write about them.

I will return at the end of September with a list of everything I've watched in that time and if I'm feeling up to it, I may provide a paragraph summing up my reaction to each one. I will be writing some full length reviews during this time for a special project I'm planning in October.

I just really hope the month doesn't turn out looking something like this graph: