Lost doesn't return until 2009.
Does that sentence alone cause you to break into a cold sweat? Can you feel your stomach clenching and your heart racing at the thought of not seeing a new Lost episode until sometime after the new year? Are you dreaming of smoke monsters swallowing Kate and Jack? When you drive to work or school, do you hear whispers in your car? Do you wake up at night and think Ben moved the island into your bedroom?
Then you're not alone.
These symptoms -- and many like them -- form an ailment known as PTLD, or Post-Traumatic Lost Disorder. The disorder, while rarely fatal, can be quite debilitating during an especially long hiatus.
To help you overcome this disorder, I'll be sharing weekly tips about websites, books, and communities you can visit to get that periodic Lost fix.
To start off, here are a few bloggers' ideas on how they deal with withdrawal.
Kate, of the blog All Five Horizons:
Dealing with my Lost withdrawal has been quite tricky… I have been stuffing my face with daily doses of Gilmore Girls and The Hills (the latter being somewhat of a shameful admission). I have gorged on One Tree Hill and Dawson's Creek. There is no end to the depravity. In a moment of improved taste, I devoured both seasons of Friday Night Lights in the matter of a week. Some shining lights have helped me through -- Prison Break returning for instance -- but on the whole, life is just a little but more ordinary without our favourite time-travelling island.
Aaron White of Maple Grove, MN:
I've started watching the Sunday newspaper ads to see if last season is on DVD anytime soon. Heck, in the last few months, my wife and I acquired a kitten and decided to name it "Sawyer." Oddly enough, she's growing up to suit her namesake, even though she doesn't share his gender. Hasn't started calling us mean nicknames yet, but she probably would if she could.
As to the interim, I'm planning to enjoy a new season of Survivor, plus get back into Heroes. It also looks like J.J. Abrams has a new show on the way called Fringe that I definitely want to check out. If he's involved, it's got to be worth a look.
Adam Riggins of Atlanta, GA:
Between seasons of LOST, I normally watch the previous seasons a few times to keep myself fresh and also to see if anything new and revealing jumps out at me. And yes, something usually does. Also, I spend a lot of time at Dark UFO (an amazing LOST website) reading juicy tidbits on the upcoming season, theories, and other good stuff.
I also find myself trying to weave LOST quotes into everyday conversation to see if anyone notices. For example, I was taking a subway train with a friend of mine, and at one point we didn't know where we were. So of course I said "Where ahhhh we?" in my best Charlie voice.
Hope this helps! Until next time, why don't you check out this interesting Dharma watch? And yes, someone actually made this. Talk about an entrepreneur!