Found Around the Shelves: The Simpsons

I've been meaning to write this post for ages, and the recent Every Simpsons Ever TV marathon motivated me to finally do so. We all have our fandoms, and I've been a part of The Simpsons' even before I knew what a fandom was. It's a love that's endured for about 25 years now; sometimes that number just seems crazy to me because really—where have 25 years of my life gone?!

If, like me, you're a Simpsons fan of a certain age, then you probably remember when Fox was a new network and the Simpsons were featured on The Tracey Ullman Show. Even at the age of 10, I thought those shorts were awesome, although the animation wasn't anything fancy. I also remember when the family got their very own half hour Christmas special, and shortly after that, they had their own series.

If ever there was a television show that I was obsessed with, it's this one. Through elementary school, high school, and college, it never mattered how much homework I had; I never missed a first run episode. And those were pre-DVR days! I could have recorded an episode on a VCR back then, but I made it my business to catch the show every week. In more recent times, grown up responsibilities and the convenience that is a DVR mean that I don't always catch the new episodes when they initially air, but if I'm home on Sunday night, you know what I'm watching at 8 p.m.

I can't even begin to explain how much I love this show. I mean, I have Simpsons Christmas ornaments. That's right—ornaments. Plural. I own the CDs that have been released with songs from the show. I've played the various video games they've starred in. I had a Simpsons screensaver on my computer at one point.

So it's no surprise, then, that there are some Simpsons-related books on my shelves. That giant encyclopedia-looking tome contains summaries for 20 seasons' worth of episodes, plus load of background information about each episode, including every chalkboard and couch gag. These episode guides were originally published in smaller volumes, which you can also see in the photo. With the show still going, it looks like the massive compendium will eventually need an update, which I'll obviously have to add to my collection.

I am an unabashed Simpsons nerd. I have been for a good chunk of my life and always will be. If you randomly approached me on the street and just started quoting lines from the show, I wouldn't think that was weird at all. In fact, you'd be my new best friend! The Every Episode Ever marathon was something directly out of my dreams, although I missed more episodes than I watched. *shakes fist at need to go to work and earn income for things like food* I hope the marathon becomes an annual event; I'd totally take vacation days for it, and it should be quite obvious from all the fangirling in this post that I'm not joking about that.