I Need a Good Binge

As a former fat person the word binge was not one I wanted to be associated with. For most of my life binging meant eating too much, way too much. Although I was really over weight for a while, binging was not how I got there. I was a much more steady eater.

Now as a thinner person I am happy to admit that I am a binger, but not when it comes to eating. I am a binge watcher — that is a person who watches all the episodes of one TV show at once, maybe not in the same day, but in a short period of time and definitely not interrupted by any other shows.

This binging started last year when “Orange is the new black” was first released. I had heard Jason Biggs being interviewed on NPR about the show so I found it on Netflix the day it debuted and I watched all thirteen episodes in about four days. If you have never heard of or seen “Orange” then you might have been in a women’s prison in a country without cable.

That first binge watch led to my watching all seven seasons of “Breaking Bad” in binge mode. Between Orange and Breaking I was beginning to think I was the only honest person on earth. I followed Breaking with “House of cards” both seasons and that did nothing to restore my faith in human kind, but still I was addicted.

I lay off binge watching for a good six months hoping to cleanse my soul, then the second season of “Orange” came out and I was hooked all over again. Getting my steps was never so easy because I could walk while Crazy Eyes was following Vee around.

The problem with binge watching is the let down when I finish a series is too great. Nothing fills the void unless there is a new series to overtake my brain. Regular TV does not suffice. Waiting a week to follow a story is too slow. I could DVR a series and watch the whole thing once it has aired, but that would take more storage space than I have. I really don’t like reruns no matter how much I liked the show the first time with the exception of “Seinfeld” and “I love Lucy.” But comedy is not a great walking distraction.

So now I’m walking to Jeopardy and the tension is just not there like “House of Cards.” Each step seems slower, every mile takes longer. I’m craving a really good show to binge on. I need it for my exercise. Yeah, that’s the reason.