Epilogue

Two blog series under my belt. Wow, I would have never thought at the beginning of the summer that I would have 108 days of posts. I can't say it wasn't at least a little difficult, but I've really found a passion for this. And it was incredibly fun to take a look back on such a big part of a year of my life.

As I get further from Sandlerfest and time marches forward, I look back at my our challenge so much more fondly than when I experienced it. Of course everything seems better in hindsight, but to me, even if I had to watch a whole bunch of terrible movies, I always had a great time doing it. There's something about being able to watch something with friends that everyone can put in their two cents about. It's not always about the movies, it's about the commentary. 

Still, both Sandlerfest and my blog recounting it have given me newfound respect for Adam Sandler. How many actor filmographies could be this memorable 3-4 years later. And you know what, I think I've become a wholehearted, unironic Adam Sandler fan. Of course there is also the ironic part of my enjoyment, but what can I say is that the more you see of this man, the more he grows on you. Like an irregular mole. Maybe it's Stockholm Syndrome a bit, but I don't care.

Something I've realized while watching all of these movies is that Adam Sandler rarely makes incredible movies in theory, but what he can do is make special movies, entertaining movies, heartwarming movies, funny movies, enjoyable movies. And It's not like every movie you need to watch needs to be one of the greatest movies ever made. Sometimes the best thing to watch is just going to be what you have the most fun viewing, and it doesn't need to be a fantastic movie to give you that. I gained so many memories of watching these movies, way more than I have watching DiCaprio, Dinero, Tom Hanks, or Streep movies. And isn't that what matters most.

A lot of people don't get why I went on this movie marathon. "Adam Sandler? Aren't almost all his movies terrible?" A little bit, I might say, but what they don't realize is that I got to go on a journey of fun, laughter, love, growth, and perspective change. And I don't know how many actors could give that to me.

In the time period since we started Sandlerfest, I had started and completed my internship at the Washington State Legislature, I graduated college, I had moved to a new house, I went through 6 months of unemployment, Kosuke started grad school, and after all that, I had a new job. Sandlerfest kinda saw me as a transitioned into adulthood in a way. And through all that, what stands out to me more than almost everything was all these stupid Adam Sandler movies.

With my growth throughout the year, I also got to see Sandler grow as a person over the course of his career. And realized just how strong perceptions can change. I really did not like Adam Sandler as an actor at the beginning of 2022. And by 2023, I was one of his biggest fans. If that doesn't show my growth, I don't know what does! Don't judge a book by it's cover. It might end up really surprising you. And I think it is that that I have carried in the years since then.

I am so glad I decided to revisit Sandlerfest a few years later. I don't even think I realized until now how impactful this was for me. This isn't me playing it up to make my blog seem more philosophical or anything. It's just sometimes you don't know how important something that seems so silly could be until you're long past it.

So where do I go from here. Well, the blog is continuing! My next series is going to be incredibly different from this. As many of you know, I will be going to Japan next month, so I figured it would be an excellent opportunity to try out a travel blog. So tune in starting October 13th as I will give you a daily recount of my adventures in Japan! Heads up that the blog schedule might seem a little screwy since I'm on the other side of the world, so the uploads will be based on the Japanese calendar, but my posts will still be daily nonetheless.

Me and my first time in Japan

But that's not all! I'm planning on starting a new series to go alongside all blogs in the future called "Autumn Thought 'Em" where I will do a dive into something that's been on my mind as of late. These posts will be sporadic and could happen at any moment, so make sure to sign up for email updates that will go out when I make a new post to any blog series. My first installment of "Autumn Thought 'Em" will be a reflection on my five month journey living in Montana. I'm really excited to share it with you all so stay on the lookout for that post in a week. In the meantime, I will be taking a much needed break. See you soon and love you all!