I am definitely a Twilight Saga fan. I don't consider myself a sick, crazed mom, stealing cardboard cutouts from Nordstroms, but maybe it's not far off since I did go to the premiere last night at midnight.
I haven't loved any of the movies completely, the facial expressions were rather awful for me in the first movie, though it's awkward shaking camera direction intrigued me way more than the stupid New Moon. God, that was a long, drawn out movie made even more painful by the pauses carried out minutes longer than necessary. So given the movie's track record, I could wait, but I didn't.
Because it's all about the experience. Where else are you going to see 50 year old moms in overdone makeup, boobies hanging out of their "Team Edward" shirts and ten year olds in toe? Or feel so old since the average age of kids there is 14?
It's hard to watch anything but the people around you. The 40ish woman simulating orgasms everytime Bella and Edward kissed who sat near me in the theater actually slapped her eight year old who was sitting next to me rather hard in the face for asking a question about who someone was. I would have said something but the kid sort of had it coming for picking his teeth and flicking the scum on me throughout the movie. (Don't worry, I've been sterilized!) Going to a Twilight movie on opening night is a better show than all the Star Wars nerds who lined up for Episode One (and I would know, since I was there, light saber and all, even if I'd never actually seen Star Wars).
All that being said, while I do love the indie feel of the first, Eclipse eclipses all the rest. It's well written, well acted, and the trailers don't do the action scenes justice, they're pretty visually awesome. Plus Edward is somehow better looking in this movie and makes a bit more sense to me. Goose is also really into Metric right now, and the above song underscores the film via piano and guitar riffs, but hits it home during the credits. It's a great song. And Eclipse is a great movie.
For Goose on Her Birthday: A Post that Should've Been Here a Week Ago
You're big, Goose--not just in the tower-over-your-classmates sense, you're magnanimous.
You love completely and faithfully. You're enthusiastic and kind (mostly). Friends are lucky to have you, even if you have issues with forcing them to do your bidding. You'd make a good leader of a gang that way. Or maybe I should have said leader of the free world or something, but I doubt you have the underhandedness required for that.
I'm ashamed to admit I didn't read everything on my list. I've yet to dive into Wuthering Heights, arguably the one my mind told me I should most definitely read first, but what was exciting won out. I also didn't read Nurture Shock yet, so the kids will just have to continue on with my being a horrible mom and praising them too much (umm...do I have a bias going into this one?)
The Women - Never have I wanted a Kindle more than for this book. I probably worked off a whole frappaccino getting up to grab the dictionary for this book. But now words like "rubicund", "excoriating", "loggia", and "tourbillion" are in my aresenal so watch out. The novel itself read a bit like The Great Gatsby in that it used the main character's eye to view the flamboyant one. In this case, that's enigmatic Frank Lloyd Wright. Nick was replaced by the Japanese-American, Tadashi Sato, who was perhaps the most likeable of all, and a perfect way for Boyle to keep with his usual themes of racial/social inequality to have a person of Japanese decent's voice during WW2 and the period of internment camps here in the states.
I did find myself relating to Wright's mistress (the one who was gruesomely offed by the help) “She did the best she could, but she began to feel as if she were out of breath all the time, as if dusk followed dawn without an interval, without surcease, and the first thing to suffer was her writing. She simply didn’t have time for it. Or for reading either. Or reflection. Or even walks over the hills or a swim in the lake or anything else, her every waking moment focused on keeping the household from collapse while Frank ran to Chicago and back again.” (399). Talk about how it is to be a mom! Needless to say, this novel was an enjoyable insight into Wright's life, but didn't make me change my opinions about much.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - Wow was this book well written. It was so much like Austen's style of writing that you'd think Kitana blades and burning a freshly killed "mankey dreadful" was in the original. Mr. Darcy is forever attractive and Elizabeth even more the strong warrior as she battles her emotions and brain-feasting zombies. I highly recommend! Beware though, there's a litany of novels following in Pride's footsteps and I have no idea if any could live up to this one, maybe start with those?
The Wordy Shipmates - I'm about halfway through this novel and I can say that author Sarah Vowell is the rock star of Early American Lit Analysis. She's not only hilarious, insightful, and relative, she has taught me in a small stack of pages, everything that four months of ENG 257A (Early American Lit) taught me, but she's infinitely better. I understand political discourse and Puritanical sermons aren't for everyone, but every American should be somewhat familiar with it since it's the foundations of our country and the spin that every politician likes to break out for his own end. This a great intro into that world.
I added The Help by Kathryn Stockett. All of the stories are extremely provoking, and while a good read, I don't know that it was so original that I would call it a must read. Maybe it's a bit more personable for moms and caregivers, and it'll certainly make you laugh and cry at points, but reminded me of too many other books and movies about Civil Rights.
I also added the Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephanie Meyer. What can I say? Meyer isn't a great writer, she doesn't blow my mind with ideas, but she can turn out a story that leaves me craving more and Tanner didn't disappoint. Plus, it lays the ground rules for how vampires can repair themselves in times of amputation (it's the venom spit, but of course!)
Kid-wise
100 Cupboards wan't great at first. Baseball? Midwest? Groan! But it got good and fast. I think Goose might not be ready for some of the later ones and I can't imagine jumping into the second or third books without having read the first. The idea is delicious, though, and makes for imaginations to run wild (though for magic doors to other worlds my favorite is still C.S. Lewis' The Magician's Nephew.
The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey- Geez! These just keep getting better! They're such engaging, exciting stories. I really hope that this series continues. The plot reminds kids that there is nothing that they can't do and the adults aren't completely absentee or helpless either, even if they are MIA fairly often.
We added two Dahl books. They're rereads and intrinsically linked to being a kid for me.
We also added the Eddie Dickens series by Phillip Ardaugh. Not only are these funny, they're extremely informative. Ardaugh's style of silly plot and slipping in facts is a bit like the Lemony Snickett Series but Britain set and wonderful. Stoats, Love Pumpkins, Queen Victoria, and McPheeeeeee! are constant conversation points for Goose now. This should be read by all kids!
Oh and that pile of magazines? It's bigger. Dwell and Lego magazine have been added to my subscriptions, and while Lego magazine isn't something I actually read, it does get thrown atop the pile to make my stack of mags so intimidating that I'm contemplating getting another Guinea Pig just so that the pages aren't wasted and can be used as cage lining for it's lifespan.
In summation, the one book I read that I think everyone should read, knowing it's not for everyone is the Wordy Shipmates. The Kid's genre is a toss up between Mysterious Benedict Society Perious Journey and any of the five Eddie Dickens books we've read thusfar.
This week's Weekly Worth A Listen is all about Exes. If you want to check out some other great songs go visit our host, Chelsea.
Dyer Maker - Led Zepplin Still this song bugs the heck out of me. The lyrics are ridiculously stupid--Goose could write way better rhymes. But Zepplin is intrinsically linked to an ex and I can still picture his face as he over exaggerated the "oh, oh, oh, oh, oh"s to annoy me.
Over the Hills and Far Away - Led Zepplin The only one that doesn't make me gag.
We Can Work it Out - The Beatles Same Guy, different song. He hated the Beatles, or at least thought Zepplin and the Stones were better, but where's their Rock Bands hmmm? I would think of this song whenever we'd have arguments "Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friends"
King Nothing - Metallica This guy isn't an official "ex", but he was a great friend and I was terrible to him. He taught me quite a bit about metal and Metallica paved the way for the heavier Gwar, Tool, Anthrax, Korn and all that jazz.
One Week - Barenaked Ladies The first guy I was head over heels for wanted to learn every lyric to this song. I will always remember when we figured out "Birchmont Stadium, Home of the Robins"
Going Away to College - Blink 182 I used to listen to this over and over when thinking about him. I still love this song, but it doesn't really make me think of him anymore. "Don't depend on me to ever follow through on anything but I'd go through hell for you" might have been written for me.
Think of Me - Phantom of the Opera My first official "boyfriend" though we were eleven, so it doesn't really count, took me to San Fran to see Phantom. Eleven Year olds shouldn't be left to see a show by themselves. At intermission we went outside and then got lost and missed half of the second act but it was still beautiful.
So over the weekend I was going through Ziggy's stuff from when he was a kid because his mom doesn't want it in the attic anymore and he is fine if it all goes in the trash. Being a packrat and wanting the kids to see something from that time in his life when they're old enough to appreciate it, I stepped in.
There were a bunch of get well soon letters, since Ziggy had his tonsils and appendix out at various times in his practically one room schoolhouse education.
That's where I found this gem: Your eyes do not deceive you! That is a mowhawked dinosaur and man smoking huge cigarettes next to a building shaped like those cardboard McDonald's fries. There's also a delicate guitar overlay. If it didn't cheer Ziggy up at the time it certainly gave me a laugh.
