Date: 3-23-2014

Due date: 3-23-2015

Resolution: So far my media based resolutions have been made in order for me to appreciate movies, shows, and music from the past. What about what's happening now? A new version of Carl Sagan's television show Cosmos just started airing on Fox and I really enjoyed the first couple of episodes. 

Since I spend the majority of my free time working on this blog, I'm going to resolve to stay caught up on this show as new episodes are released. I figure making it a resolution will not only justify watching the show over working on another project but also work as a reminder to check for new episodes. 

In recent years, since switching to an on-demand viewing style I often forget about television shows that I like because I no longer have to plan to watch anything at a set time, or set up a VCR to record said anything at said set time. Many programs that I really enjoyed having just disappeared to the safety of, "Oh I'll get to watching it when I have time."

To make sure this doesn't happen with Cosmos I am going to set that time. Well, not exactly but within a week of each episode's original airing.

Result #82: I Didn't Realize This Was Only A 13-Episode Run… But… Successfully Kept Up And Watched Them All…

Update #1: Episodes 1-3…

Date: 3-26-2014

Last night I watched the first three episodes of the new Cosmos series hosted by Neil Tyson Degrasse. This was my third time watching episode one, second time watching episode two, and first time watching episode three. Up until I turned watching this show into a resolution I would have the show playing in the background as I worked on other projects. Because of this, I ended up missing a lot. That's part of the reason I decided to turn viewing Cosmos into an actual project and not just casual entertainment.

I’ll probably treat this resolution like I treat my Muppet watching resolutions. Rather than break down each and every episode I'll just chime in when I feel inspired. Having seen three episodes in one night I have a couple of things to say.

Episode 1

I love science documentaries so I'm very happy this show is back on the air. I watched episode one the first night it was available on the internet. This episode was a great introduction to the series. Some people pointed out on social media that the show was taking an impressive stance on Atheism, so I went into my first viewing hoping to see some controversy. After watching it I just felt they pointed out the history between the church and science. I thought everyone was aware of this and didn't think anything was said that was all that outrageous. Either way, I liked it and knew that I would continue to watch the series whether or not I turned it into a resolution.

Episode 2

Even though episode one jumped back and forth between the history of scientific thought and the universe, I still thought this show was going to be all about outer space. I was kind of surprised that episode two spent so much time on evolutionism and life on Earth. I didn't see this as a negative thing, but I did find myself having to adjust to the type of learning experience this show is going to be. Once I figured out that this show’s going to be all-encompassing when it comes to science I felt it was is going to be an even better show than I had imagined.

Episode 3

Episode 3 felt like the end of the introduction. There seemed to be less setting up of how information was going to be shared and more focus on the topic of the week. This was my favorite episode so far. Up until now, all I knew about Isaac Newton was that he’s important to science and that an apple fell on his head. All I knew about Edmond Halley was that he discovered a comet. I had no idea that these two had such a fascinating working relationship and just how much more they both contributed to our knowledge of the universe.

Being that I've seen so many science documentaries, I'm kind of surprised that this information about Newton and Halley was brand new to me. Because of this surprise, I can't wait to see future episodes.

I watch a lot of science documentaries. I may not be able to share all the information that I learn or explain how things work, but I feel there is a part of me that sorts through the incoming information and says, "Okay, that makes sense to me," and since I'm not trying to be an expert I feel confident that I've learned enough for what I need, and then I move on.

One more thing, last night I made this observation on Facebook that people seemed to like.

"Just watched episode three of Cosmos. I find it interesting that there is not only the battle between the Christian fish and the Darwin fish but also because of the book The History of Fish we almost didn't have Newton. I'm beginning to think these fucking fish are up to something." - Me

Update #2: Episode 4…

Date: 4-2-2014

I don't have much to say about this week’s episode other than it was great as always. Part of this viewing was to fulfill Humility Day from my This Book Will Change Your Life Resolution. No matter what the topic of the episode is, Cosmos is a good source for feeling Humility.

Right after I watch this week's episode I fired up The Shawshank Redemption. This was a pretty interesting combination. It was pretty amazing to go from a show about how expansive the universe is to then jump right into a story about how confined prison is and how the soul urges to be free.

I can't wait for next week's episode.

Update #3: The Conclusion…

Date: 3-23-2015

Hm... apparently I gave up on giving my insights on each viewing after episode #4 but I promise that I did watch them all and probably wouldn't have if it wasn't for this resolution. I really liked the show but at the time it was on I was living alone and had a real hard time keeping up with both movies and television without having someone to share the experience with.

I heard rumors of a season two. If there is I will be right there every week to watch it.

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