column – Eyes Quite Shut

Since I’ve started this blog back in February, I’ve seen the numbers of visitors grow over the months. Just a few readers at first, then a daily dozen and eventually many, many more. It felt good being able to write about something I’m very passionate about, and finding out along the way that many of you enjoyed reading what I had to say. To all of you: thanks a lot, you’ve really made this a worthwhile and fun experience for me. Sadly, for now, I’ll have to dial my efforts back quite a bit; I used to post at least one review a day, but starting now I won’t be able to make that work any longer. Why, you ask? Well: a job and a new city demand my attention.

Fun fact: I started Pop Eye as some sort of portfolio. I figured that, while I was looking for a job, I should be productive and do something I loved doing. Since I’ve always loved to write and I am so passionate about movies and TV shows, this seemed like a logical step. Sure; I already wrote monthly reviews for a national magazine and enjoyed doing that, but that wasn’t enough. I wanted to write more, see more, improve more, and that’s exactly what this blog allowed me to do. To be honest: I didn’t expect it to grow as fast as it did. Or be noticed as fast as I got noticed: AMC mentioned my weekly Halt And Catch Fire reviews on their site right next to the professional outlets, I was sent a signed picture by someone involved with a show’s production and I even got approached by an international press organization, just to name a few things. All in all starting, maintaining and expanding my blog has led to many pleasurable experiences and I wouldn’t have wanted to miss any of it.

Soon I’ll be starting my new job, working for an online retailer where I’ll be responsible for the movie side of things. It’s something I really look forward to and a position that seems almost tailor-made for me. Meanwhile I’ll be moving to a city I don’t know because of this job and I’ll sort of be starting a new life there. It’s exciting, a fruitful conclusion to a long period of job hunting, finding vacancies and mailing out dozens of letters of application for many very different professions. But working full-time also means that I’ll have less time for some other things and of that Pop Eye is a prominent casualty. Does that mean that I’m done with my blog altogether? That’s doubtful; I know myself and know that there are just some things I can’t stop doing. Writing and watching movies and TV series are some of those things. I just know that I can’t keep doing it like I used to and I also can’t make any promises regarding Pop Eye’s future.

What this column means is that I’m very appreciative of all your visits, the kind words and the quality films and shows (and occasional music album) this blog has been dedicated to. I can’t tell you how much I will be posting my thoughts in the future, or if ever, but I can express my hope that this isn’t really a goodbye; it’s a “I’ve enjoyed the times we had, let’s do it again sometime” kind of thing.