That good ol' Netflix binge

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For the first time in almost 5 years, I have re-activated by Netflix DVD membership.  It's not just streaming anymore, even though that's what I use 98% of the time.  I didn't realize how much I missed having a DVD in my hands;  putting the disc in the player (which has transformed into the boyfriend's Xbox One), and pressing play.  No buffering!

The reason for this change is in part because of the weekly AFI movie screenings -- not having access (through friends, my own collection, or streaming) to 50 out of 100 titles will prompt a girl to fork over that extra $7.99/month.  Alright.  $9.99/month, because I want Blu-Rays, duh.  And the nearest Los Angeles Public Library branch is like... way over there.  

Getting that red and white packaged disc in the mail the other day got me thinking.  A lot of memories, all pretty silly and linked to that nostalgic pang in the gut.  I've been a Netflix member since 2003, as a high school junior, and those little red packages quite literally got me through my college film program at Chapman.  I devoured movies and TV like it was my job, because essentially, it was!  When "binge-watching" meant plowing through three discs at a time, and then waiting patiently two whole days for the next batch of "House" Season 1 episodes (or, god forbid, driving all the way to Hollywood Video) ... a lot has changed since then.  My recent binge of "Orange Is the New Black," part of Netflix' brilliant original programming, is evidence of that.

So what do you guys remember binge-watching back in the day, or as we used to call it, "marathoning"?  Or did the advent of streaming kick-start that in you?  Or are you in a significant minority that has no idea what I'm even talking about?

For me, it was "The West Wing," "The X-Files," and of course "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (check out the re-vamped listing of my top 10 "Buffy" episodes here).  Whether on DVD, or recorded VHS tape -- I was an expert Pause-to-Remove Commercials Recorder -- I've been a pro marathoner since the '90s.  It might be my favorite past-time.