My local NPR station likes to remind me that “I am what I eat” – which means I must be 25% ketchup – of course, NPR is more concerned with the media I consume.

Rightfully so, I consume colossal quantities of media from movies, books, magazines, radio, television, social network sites, blogs, art, music, websites, podcasts, and more. My media appetite is undeniable. I seek these sources because I yearn to understand more deeply the world I occupy. I wish to gain new perspectives by listening to and reading about the experience of others, and I hope to synthesize many disparate outlets of expression into a unified vision. Of course, before I get too carried away, I admit that I also consume media to be entertained; don’t we all?

Below I list select media consumed in recent weeks and my thoughts on those meals. In the future, I wish to update this category regularly. Who knows, maybe you will see a larger trend in my media consumption and help me better understand my vision.

Argo. I saw the movie on Tuesday of this week. It was by far one of the best movies I have seen all year. Despite knowing the end, you will find yourself tense and doubtful the mission will succeed. The pace never slackens. You are hurried from one scene to the next, gathering your own intelligence from the faces of the escaped Americans and the members of the crowd. The biggest shock? The story is true.

The Debate. From an afternoon showing of Argo, I transitioned to the second presidential debate. I felt a sense of pride and duty watching the debate, even though I do not consider it to be the ideal format for scrutinizing political platforms. It is an excellent arena to judge the caliber of the candidate’s charisma and ability to handle himself on a public stage. Furthermore, I watched to learn the art of public speaking, the process of Q&A, the careful placement of a campaign line – I gained from both product: their words and process: their delivery.

Catching Fire. I finished the second book in the Hunger Games trilogy two weeks ago. The author, Suzanne Collins, wrote at the end of the first novel that she is interested in the effects of war and trauma on the adolescent psyche. Knowing this has altered my reading of the books, I seek content deeper than the superficial storyline. I watch the characters struggle with tragedies beyond the scope of my experience and integrate those with others I have witnessed through media.

Mean Girls. Yes, I know it may come as a shock to some that I graduated from college before I saw the movie Mean Girls. I am afraid this is one of many movies I missed, which are now staple references of my peers. I have seen many movies, but was always drawn to the Argo’s and Slumdog Millionaire’s of cinema. For now, I am in remedial viewing, attempting to accumulate the pop culture I missed.