I’ll miss you, despite everything. Good finale, and great premiere. Sigh.

You will forever be, to me, like a hot girlfriend who is also insane.

I have always been loathe to let opportunities pass. My philosophy has always been that one should do as much as possible, and there’s usually always time for one more commitment. A person can always finish everything if he just sleeps a little less. It turns out that last statement is not true. Sadly, as I’m now nearly half way through my twenty-thirteenth year, my body is insisting I be more realistic about scheduling. As much as I believe one needs to keep several irons in the fire in order to succeed, especially in this freelance gig and entertainment industry wannabe existence I’m living, I’ve found myself writing three letters in a row turning down an opportunity or lessening my commitments.

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Has anyone else noticed this new feature on Netflix that lets you watch movies directly via your computer? It arrived without much fanfare for something that could revolutionize home entertainment.

A friend had forwarded me an article a few months back about how Netflix was planning this feature, and how you could opt into the beta release, but I was busy at the time and didn’t follow up. Then I came across an ad that you could get 2 movies a month via mail and 3 via your computer for $5. I was curious, so I logged in to Netflix and discovered that there’s a new button in the upper menu that adds to my existing plan. Maybe it’s not available for everyone yet. I would have expected an announcement e-mail, at least. All I know is it works for me now.

From what I can see, they’re delivering on what so many have promised for so long. You watch the movie inside your browser (sadly, only IE seems to be supported,) but a full-screen mode makes it like watching TV. The first time you use it you have to let the browser install a little bit of software. After that, it works each time with a few clicks to agree that you want the digital rights to watch a movie.

The image quality is not quite as good as a DVD, but it’s close. From a few feet away I don’t notice a difference. I was able to watch a movie with subtitles and didn’t have any problems with the lettering. I’m guessing that users with stronger internet connections than mine would get an even sharper image. I have a large monitor, set to 1600 x 1200 resolution, and my system can play movies pretty much live. The player automatically evaluates your connection speed and plays movies at appropriate resolution. I have also experienced a message telling me if my connection speed slows down, which causes the player to reset itself for playback at a different rate.

So far the selection is less than phenomenal, but it’s nothing to shake a stick at, either. They say it’s 3,000+ titles.  You won’t have a problem finding a movie you’re interested in, and the “Watch Now” page will show you available movies that you’ve already placed in your queue, anyway.

The system works by allowing you to watch a number of hours of movies each month equal to the number of dollars you spend on your subscription plan.

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So I wrote earlier this month that the new Transformers movie was doing nothing to arouse my inner geek, and I meant it. A friend insisted I should stop overanalyzing things like the probably quality of the story. I should just relax and just enjoy the summer blockbusteryness of a tentpole franchise destined for sequels.

No thanks.

It was hard to say why I wasn’t excited, until an article in this month’s Wired summed it up for me. Spielberg: good. Robots in disguise: good. Michael Bay-ification of a childhood touchstone: scary.

Then I saw this clip of Optimus doing battle. And while it sports all the substanceless flash and sparkle that marks the worst of Michael Bay’s moviemaking “skill,” it nonetheless promises about sixteen flavors of awesome. My inner geek has perked up his ears.

But THEN I heard something that put me over the top.

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School is out, and so I have no tutoring. (I start back doing some summer stuff in a week, but for now, nothing.) Plus, there are no web jobs on my to-do list at the moment. Plus, invitations for the sketch troupe audition have been sent. I have to get ready for Sunday’s gathering, but for now I’m pretty well set. All told, I have NO RESPONSIBILITIES!

I’m going to devote this week to absolutely nothing but writing my Earl spec. No disturbances, no focus but writing. Sorta like a grown-up writer.

Unfortunately, that includes blogging responsibilities. It only makes sense not to let posting to this little corner of the internet distract me, either, so I’ll be back after Sunday to let you all know how the auditions went. Until then, I’ll be in Camden County with Randy, Catalina, Joy, Darnell, and Earl.

Wish me luck!