Can one raise the bar too high?

In terms of outside expectations, the answer is invariably YES.

Take film for example; after I saw Watchmen, I was screwed. Cerebral action, the likes of which I hadn't seen since The Matrix (which is a decade old? I don't believe it!), was only going to fuel the craving for more of the same. Fortunately, the wait was short lived, given the Temporal Mechanics in the new Star Trek I was a happy boy. But what now? How long will I have to wait before once again finding such a harmonious blend?

Granted I'll be transiently sated by comedies like The Hangover, but even in this genre I'm met with the same bar raising phenomenon -and after watching Forgetting Sarah Marshall 10-or-so times in the past month (it's on cable), I'm in dire need of respite.

[Great, now I have that "Infant Sorrow" song stuck in my head.]

From this, when it comes to outside expectations, I think we can take the Jackie Chan saying to heart: "Expect the worst and hope for the best."

Well-said Mr. Chan. Well-said indeed.

But for yourself, as always,

Raise The Barr!