I finally subscribed to Netflix, and now that I'm a member and the DVDs are rolling in, I'm astonished that I never tried this earlier. I think I know why I waited so long, however: I just moved into a new apartment where I'm living on my own, and Netflix is much better geared towards solitary viewing than watching movies with friends. Usually when you make plans to watch a movie at home, it involves coordinating times and preferences, and you need to have the movie ready at a certain time. With Netflix, by contrast, the nature of the DVD-by-mail service (although it's very reliable and fast) means that you're never quite sure when your movie will arrive. Hence it's much better geared towards a solitary, casual movie at the end of the day, which is precisely the sort of thing I'm doing all the time now. (No Internet, no cable…there isn't much else to do at the moment.)

In case you're curious, my first three selections from Netflix were three classic movies that I've always been embarrassed to say I'd never seen: Bonnie and Clyde, Sunset Boulevard, and Grand Illusion. Next week, unless I'm mistaken, will be Double Indemnity, On the Waterfront, and The Conversation. The only recent movie currently in my rental queue is American History X, which suddenly seems to have become essential viewing. Any futher suggestions, as always, would be much appreciated.