it's christmastime.

I don't know about you, but I love Christmas music. I LOVE IT. I have a Christmas playlist on my iPod in the car, I listen at work (when I can) on the computer, I randomly sing it just to annoy my coworkers/husband/random people at Target.

So I thought I'd share some songs that I just so happen to LOVE during Christmastime.



Mariah Carey: "All I Want For Christmas is You"



Britney Spears: "My Only Wish (This Year)



Various: "Baby It's Cold Outside"



Various: "Santa Baby"



Josh Groban & Brian McKnight: "Angels We Have Heard on High"

Also, I found Gap's "Merry Mixed Carols" pretty entertaining this year, as well. Jon Heder dancing makes me laugh.

ice + skating.

We didn't break any limbs last night. It took about 4 goes around the ice skating rink to feel as if I wouldn't fall flat on my face, though. =)

tweenagers, angst, and vampires, oh my!

So I went and saw Twilight yesterday.

Okay, no, let me be more specific. I saw Twilight yesterday afternoon at a fairly decent showing time where I wasn't expecting there to be much of a line of crazy screaming teenagers at a moderately awesome theater with three girlfriends of mine who had previously read the first book of Stephenie Meyer's series. Two of us had our "I heart Vampires" shirts on, the other two were bundled up to endure the cold theater.

The line was decent -- we arrived at 12:15 and only had about 20 or so people in front of us also waiting for the 1:00 showing. There was a healthy mix of guys, girls, teenagers, moms, and boyfriends. Of course I had the bright idea to wear my high-heeled boots only to stand in line for 30 minutes. Smart move.

We shuffled in a bit later, and sat through some trailers. One trailer, might I add, almost scared the pee out of me. It was for the 2009 release The Unborn. Who puts a horror movie trailer in front of a movie whose audience consists of grannies and 8-year-olds watching? Sheesh. I almost had a stroke at one of the scenes and had to look away for the rest of it.

Right as the lights started to dim, one of the girlfriends squealed and said, "All right girls, this is the moment we've been waiting for!" and there were comparable squeals throughout the theater, closer to the front. I glanced at my friend on my left and she made a funny face.

Yes, what my friend had said was right, to a certain degree. My previous post revolving around the book-turned-movie claimed that I had my reservations about the film. And now looking back to that entry, I have to correct myself. When I wrote it, I was pretty disappointed that they were making this film. There are so many elements that involve the other senses besides sight and hearing that the novel deals well with. The translation to screen would be an abominable undertaking.

So while I sat in my seat as the movie was about the start, I can honestly say my expectations still remained pretty low. I wasn't concerned that the movie would not live up to the expectations of its overall dedicated and wildly faithful fan base. The fact that Meyer felt good about the movie sealed that thought for me. These people who had poured over every word would be able to follow the movie easily and intensely, feel the chemistry between the two leads, and probably be able to recite the dialogue if it was pulled directly from the novel.

And for the most part, that was true. But this fan of Meyer's Twilight didn't walk away from the theater feeling wholly satisfied.

*spoilers ahead*

I should start from the beginning. If you have no earthly clue what Twilight is about, you've been living under a rock, so this link should help you with an accurate synopsis. I'm not sure what's going to cure the whole "living under a rock," thing though, so I can't help you there.

One of my biggest disappointments with the film has to do with its writing and pacing. The movie felt as though it was cramming way too much information into its 2 hour time slot and trying to please its fan base audience a little too much. In the book, it's internal dialogue, detail, detail, internal dialogue, dazzling Edward, detail, internal dialogue, detail, emo-ness, detail, and angst. (Yes, in that order) In the film, they jammed more of the "we need to get this in there to make people happy" plot points and sacrificed the progression of a natural story arc. An example of this was when I was completely let down with the "I don't want to be stuck here like Mom did!" line that Bella delivered when she was trying to leave Forks. All the internalizing in the book of her mom and dad's relationship history was summarized in one line in the film.

Before seating ourselves in the theater, I asked my girlfriends who I should sit by, because I knew I would be snickering at the really over-the-top ridiculous parts. I probably did this around 10 times throughout the film, which wasn't bad, and didn't get me shot, but here's a partial list of what made me stifle a laugh:

The first third of of the film's score
Okay, so I may not be hip to the game on film scores, but I know that it's not necessary to add lingering guitar riffs to fill awkward character moments. Luckily, they redeemed themselves with the last two thirds of the movie and it didn't make me want to stab knives into my ears.

Edward's facial expressions
I recently watched an interview where Robert Pattinson (who plays Edward) talks about his most difficult scene to shoot. It was the scene where he rescues Bella (in his mini hot rod Volvo, at that) from a group of thugs in the town of Port Angeles. He doesn't point a gun at them, he doesn't physically manhandle any of them, he just...pulls up and...glowers. Yes, he glowers. And in the film, he glowers badly.

When they hop into the car and peel away and he asks Bella to calm him down, he also has a wild expression on his face, which reads naturally in the book. On the screen, he looks like he's refraining from upchucking. That wasn't pretty, either.

The Bad Guy Vampires' entrance
Even as far back as the first trailers, I wasn't a fan of the way the vampires "floated." The execution was laughable, but I can't honestly tell you how I would've liked to pull it off if I were translating the book, either. In any regard, this opinion carried over to having to watch a full thirty seconds of it in the movie.

Charlie's moustache
I'd seen it several times before watching the movie, and don't worry, I laughed then, too.

Kristen Stewart's head-shaking
I really hesitate to say that Stewart actually acted in this film. I know I'm being judgmental, as I've only seen her in the critically acclaimed In the Land of Women, and she did the weird head-shaking then. I've also seen her in several interviews for Twilight, and I'm not quite sure if acting for this film was really natural, so natural that she didn't actually act...? Regardless, I thought she was going to go into a full-on seizure at any moment in the film.

The very non-threatening feline Cullen family pose in the baseball scene
As the Bad Guy vampires made their way onto the field at the end of this scene, I had expected a threatening stance, something scary, wicked, intimidating, from the Cullen side. It ended up the exact opposite -- it was very anti-climactic with not even a puny growl in sound editing. Or at least not big enough to make me notice. Sad.

Like I said, that's only a partial list. I'd be a hypocrite if I said I was secretly judging the "Woo!" girls in the theater, but I certainly had my well-restrained-internal "Woo!" girl moments. There are several moments that the film did just right. Here are all the things I managed to remember without writing any of them down (which is pretty impressive with my feeble brain):

The Kiss
They partially gave it away in the trailer, but it was sheer bliss on screen. It was a one-way ticket to TENSION CITY, folks.

The Meadow Scene
Although I had imagined a brighter, less green and more golden hue, the scene where Edward describes his strength and power in the meadow and flits around like the crazy vampire he is, was spot on.

When Bella Fell on Her Butt
That was just funny. I LOL'd.

The Cullen Family Uber Dramatical Entrance
Floaty, white, vampirical goodness. Even if Jasper looked like a crazy that should be an an asylum for about 99% of the movie.

Any Time Carlisle (Peter Facinelli) or James (Cam Gigandet) was on Screen

Vampire Baseball!!!!!
I know that it's not worth the $8.25 (or so) for a movie ticket, but if I could sell someone on watching this movie, it would be because of VAMPIRE BASEBALL. The music, the camera movements, the speeding up and slowing down in post, and the environmental thunder and crack of lightning made this scene my absolute favorite. I grinned like an idiot throughout and immediately wanted to rewatch it as soon as it was over. But I couldn't, and that also made me sad.

Yes, the movie had some hiccups, and besides the pacing, the other disappointment I had after leaving the theater was that the non-readers won't enjoy this movie. At all, sadly. As a fan of the book, the film did things better than it did worse, for sure. As a fan, I enjoyed it. I'm glad that I did read the book first, though. The sparkles turned out a lot better on paper.

i've been hiding.

I'll be back soon. I promise. And not in the form of a scarecrow, either.

a visual follow-up.

Only a week later, but pictures as promised. These are just a few -- the exciting ones I'm trying to hide from a certain someone, because I'm trying to get them framed. ;)

A special visitor.


They had some interesting conversation...
Kyle: Oh really? Battlestar Galactica, Sarah Connor Chronicles, Buffy, Blah Blah Blah?


Jen: Yeah, no kidding! Angel, The Office, Max Payne and Numb3rs!




After Starbucks we went to reserve this at GameStop. Hooray. (Not really)


The brothers at Foghorn's, home of some amazing wings. The older they get, the more alike they look.


The leaves are starting to turn on Fayetteville's campus. Beautiful.









There were a bunch of beautiful sculptures on campus, as well. This is one of them.

the apple "bean counter" ad.

Wow. Are there really any words for this?



Well, actually, there are words, and they were said by Michael Arrington, my favorite technology blogger.

Suddenly, Apple looks a little elitist. I mean, they were elitist before, but in a way that made you want to be a part of the club. Now, they just seem a little snobby.

At the time, Arrington was referring to a new Apple ad in the NYT, nearly a month ago, but stated plainly that these ads simply aren't funny anymore.

Erick Schonfeld, also of TechCrunch, made some pretty valid points about the two new ads as well.

I'm still a happy Apple user, but I'm exasperated with the petty picking already. It's time for a new campaign.

3 years weekend: a play-by-play

I'm not one to post exactly what I did in a day. In most posts, I'd rather waste my time constructing sentences that have to deal with hating Hello Kitty, talking about some bit of technology, work, or the something like that. But this weekend was so spectacularly awesome, I just thought I'd spread the love by sharing every little detail. Okay, I'll hold back...But just a little. ;)

Thursday evening

Kyle and I had already budgeted and planned for dropping some dough on a serious dinner. We decided on 1620 in West Little Rock. Everything was YUM. And yes, I explicitly use "YUM" as an adjective. We started out with the calamari (okay, which was only 50% YUM), I had braised short ribs, and Kyle had a 14 oz. steak. We even held out for a souffle for dessert - oh, so delicious. It was a weekend started off right, for sure.

Friday

Friday started out in a pretty interesting fashion. Kyle & I had planned on meeting Jen Abrams (of The Hydra Cooler Podcast and Fringe Dwellers Podcast), who was making a trip from Texas to Tennessee. We ended up meeting at a Starbucks near our house. For the most part, it was enjoyable conversation. Until they started to talk about sci fi and I completely tuned them out and started taking pictures with the camera. Pictures (with my own personalized captions) to follow in a post, soon. =)

After our chat with Jen, we headed to get both of our cars' oil changed. That meant me driving to the Toyota dealership where we purchased my Camry, and then we headed over to what I've always called the "Bad Karma Wal-Mart."

No joke. Every time I go into this Wal-Mart, I have a terrible experience. Someone has been shot at this Wal-Mart. Enough said, right? Luckily, this experience was painless. We picked up a few snacks for our road trip, and Kyle got his oil changed. Then a friend of ours picked us up and drove us to the GameStop nearby where they reserved their copies of GOW2. (I have pictures of this experience as well)

Then about an hour later, we headed up to Fayetteville.

Part of our anniversary weekend was an agreement between Kyle and I that I would attempt to catch up on the one billion episodes of Heroes that I still haven't watched. I sat content in the passengers' seat during the short 2.5 hour drive and watched a few episodes. Almost to season 3, folks!

Our hotel was modest and right off the interstate. It was the only hotel in the city with a whirlpool tub, or at least it was the only one I could find after 20 minutes of searching on the internet. We dropped off our luggage, and decided to eat simple and familiar - at a P.F. Chang's in Rogers. Calamari, honey chicken, and wok-seared beef. YUM.

We shopped at a few places before watching the glorious and awesome film, Max Payne.

And by "glorious" and "awesome," I mean "sheer and utter poo." I appreciate Mark Wahlberg's acting chops (he's not hard on the eyes either), and I enjoy a video game action-filled flick, but it wasn't enough to carry me through the movie. I wasn't familiar with the game, so I'm curious to see how the film held up with the video game fans.

But, I have to poke fun at this film. I just have to. Every time I saw Mila Kunis, I almost laughed out loud. And Ludacris? And NELLY FURTADO? Okay, okay, I'll stop now.

Saturday

We lazily slept in until late morning, which was nice. It's nice to not have to worry about the 8 million things we normally have to do on any given Saturday. =)

We met up with Kyle's brother for lunch at a Foghorn's, a wing place that he recommended to us. I'm a wing fan, and they had 50 different sauces to choose from. 50! I settled with sweet lime and Jamaican jerk, Kyle had Oriental and Gold (mustard/barbecue). Sweet lime won. =)

Then we had a personal tour of the University of Arkansas campus. This was my first trip to Fayetteville (ever), and I was excited to see the stadium and campus. We parked and walked around for a bit. We took tons of pictures, walked, and took more pictures. The trees were turning, and the campus was absolutely beautiful. I had no perspective of how big the campus was -- I went to a university that sits on a pretty small-to-average-sized campus, but UofA is huge. And a lot more pretty than I thought it'd be.

After our tour of campus, we went to locally-famous Rick's Bakery to buy some petit fours and chocolate covered strawberries. I had a black and white cookie, which, in retrospect, I should have bought a dozen more of. And yes, you guessed it, they were YUM.

After parting with Tyler, we headed out to another mall (I think NWA mall?) and bought a bunch of new clothes for Kyle. It's nice that I can dress him up now and then. I was proud of him -- he very patient with me as I picked stuff out and rejected stuff and couldn't make up my mind about sweaters and shirts, etc etc etc. =)

After our shopping success, we drove around for a little while, then headed back to the hotel for a short nap. Or what we thought would be a short nap. We were supposed to be at a show on Dickson street (Needtobreathe/Gavin DeGraw) at 7:30. We fell asleep around 5 and didn't wake up until 7, so dinner was out of the question.

The concert was probably the worst experience (for both of us) of the weekend. I'm a live music fan, and Kyle is not, unless the venue includes such headliners as Michael Buble or...Michael Buble. We ended up standing and waiting for a total of 3 hours, only to hear 1 hour of music. Needtobreathe was awesome, but I can't say as much for Gavin DeGraw, unfortunately.

Sunday

Today wasn't quite as lively. We had another late night/morning, so we had lunch as soon as we checked out of the hotel under the advice of Tyler once again -- at Slim's Chicken. They had some amazing chicken tenders, with an awesome Slim's mayonaisse-based sauce. Oh yes, and seasoned fries, and sweet tea please.

We got back to Little Rock early evening and took care of some chores around the house -- yard work, steam cleaning the carpet, unpacking, sweeping, you name it. It was a good productive end to a relaxing, but filling weekend.

The entire time, I kept staring at Kyle and thinking how much it meant to me that we were together, married for 3 years. It's still exciting. He still makes my heart flutter. He still makes me smile, and he still makes me laugh until it hurts. It was nice to hold hands and walk and talk together, just the two of us. It wasn't even as though we were just a 2.5 hour drive away. We were in our own little world that we were discovering, and the only people that mattered were us and each other.

Okay, my mush break is over. You know those silly surveys people forward to each other, and you fill them out just to pass the time? I haven't done one in...years, but thought it'd be a nice re-cap of our trip before I call it a night. =)

"3 years anniversary trip to Fayetteville"

Music listened to: Jennifer Hudson, Needtobreathe, Kina Grannis, Gavin DeGraw, Leona Lewis, Robbie Seay Band, Vampire Weekend

Snacks consumed: Me -- Cheetos, dried mangoes; Kyle -- sour patch kids, dried mangoes

Media consumed: Heroes, Fringe, House, Gossip Girl, Life

Favorite Meal: 1620

New Favorite Smell: Black Amethyst bubble bath from Bath & Body

Wish I Could've Spent a Ton of Money at: Any clothing store Kyle would let me enter, and Sephora =)

Favorite anniversary gift: Kyle's personalized shirt he bought for me online -- pictures in my next post =)

Favorite new snack: Cheetos Puffcorn

Biggest waste of time: Me -- Max Payne, Kyle -- Waiting for Needtobreathe/Gavin DeGraw

Favorite picture: Kyle and I sitting on the stairs of Old Main on the UofA campus

Okay, time for sleepy. Can't wait to edit these pictures and get them posted! =)

disturbia.

When Rihanna's "Disturbia" music video debuted, a friend tried to show it to me but I made her shut it off because it freaked me out.

But Kina Grannis's cover is totally do-able. =)

the thing about freelancers...

As mentioned in a previous post, we had 4 shoots last week, which wrapped up yesterday afternoon around 5PM. Needless to say, today was definitely a day of rest and relaxation (read: I slept from midnight until 10AM).

On our bigger-budget shoots, we have the luxury of hiring out freelancers in our market, which I always enjoy. On our shoot on Friday I had the pleasure of meeting two new guys. One works frequently with the bigger production companies in town, and the other was fairly new to the field, but still a hard worker. He reminded me of a more scruffier and scared-looking Ryan Eggold from 90210.

And then there were the other two freelancers who we've hired out for every bigger budget shoot -- Bob & Amy, whom I love. It's neat working with a husband and wife team who simply get each other and work together flawlessly. Bob is a quiet, easy-going guy and Amy is his much more energetic counterpart who is great at rounding up crowds, directing, and is constantly on her toes.

The thing I like about freelancers is that they show you a different perspective to your normal flow of things. Last week marked my 2-year anniversary with my current job, and I've gotten very used to the way things work within our company. It's nice to have a different and unexpected perspective on how to set up a shot, how to light a scene, when and why to move schedules around. It's nice, fresh, and it keeps me grounded and constantly learning.

Tidbits from all 4 shoots:

1) One of our testimonials from our shoot yesterday was an 8-year-old named Diamond. For real. I met a girl named Diamond.

2) I noticed one of our new freelancer friends wore grip gloves with everything he did. I don't think he ever took them off.

3) Our talent from our shoot on Wednesday sliced his arm open on a desk he was standing at. Okay, he didn't really slice it open, nor was he bleeding profusely, but it was funny because he had hardly even noticed it.

4) There's no point in slating if you don't slate after every cut. I'm still trying to get my boss to understand this. You can't "half-way" slate your shots.

5) Shotgun Dan's doesn't accept AMEX. Neither does Community Bakery. These two facts proved to be very cumbersome this week.

6) A 2007 Camry's inflated birthday balloon capacity teeters at 13-15 balloons. Just in case you were wondering.

groooaaaan. she has an album.

This is the first time I've ever posted on this blog about my deep distaste for Hello Kitty, but I was browsing iTunes today and happened upon this monstrosity of an album that was released recently.



There are only a few things that I actually hate on, to be honest. But these are for good reason: roaches (they're gross), boiled cauliflower (also gross), and Maggie Gyllenhaal's smirk of a smile. You know, shallow things of that nature.

However, as far as Hello Kitty goes, she's been on my bad list ever since my elementary school days. Shopping at the Sanrio store in Hawaii was a rare treat, but I remember clearly how my beloved Pochacco was slowly being replaced by his cuddly kitten counterpart.

My middle school years were no better, especially when we moved to Japan. She was everywhere. Her face was plastered on vaccuum cleaners, coffee makers, trains...

And now she's got her own album. Heaven help us. Is no method of marketing safe?

random check-in.

It's been an interesting past several days. Work has me really crazy busy, among other things. Or maybe just crazy. I think I'm going to write in short blurbs tonight. Ooh, I think I'll throw in some bolded headlines for good measure.

Check Off The Lazy List

Paid Bub's car tax. Hooray! (finally paid it) Boo! (I don't like taxes)

Work, Work, Work

4 big shoots this week. Not one, which is manageable, but 4.

Musings

I've been letting go of the little things lately. The impact of little things can morph into a big ol' waste of time when you let it, I realize.

Bub has been making me laugh more and more lately.

I want to start writing music. This might be a little overkill for me, though. (looks over at untouched ukulele)

New Habits

Bub and I have been on a jalapeno chips kick. Those within a ten foot radius are disapproving.

Purchases

I got a Skype wifi phone. I like it. It even works better than my getting-crappier-by-the-day cell phone. And I bought it used for $15. Score.

I also like to purchase things on clearance from Target. I bought a pair of cute pink sleep shorts with hearts all over for $3.50. Double score.

Wait, triple score for hearts.

real life mario kart.

Last week, three pairs of hard-working hands put their blood, sweat, and tears into a real life Mario Kart for a derby race.

The following pictures document the fruits of their labor.

The star would have been better, if I hadn't been so high off of spray paint.



It wouldn't be complete without Bob-Ombs, right?

It's also important to note that Kyle and Joey stuck a stereo in the car with the driver and blasted the Super Mario theme song (NES) as the kids rolled out with the kart. Nice.

eagle eye: alternate taglines

Just so we're clear, Eagle Eye's official taglines are:

Walk. Don't Run. and If you want to live you will obey.

Just thought I'd throw that out there. After watching it at the IMAX last night, I came up with a few new ones. These are spoilerish. Read at your own will.

Eagle Eye: Because no one should EVER wrong a divorced mom.

Eagle Eye: Because one movie with exploding 18 wheelers is never enough for Shia Labeouf.

Eagle Eye: Where you can watch Rosario Dawson play a white woman.

Eagle Eye: Who knew playing a trumpet could be so dangerous?

Eagle Eye: For those curious about what it would be like to ride on a conveyor belt in a packing facility.

Eagle Eye: Where police car chases and continuity don't necessarily need to collide.

Eagle Eye: Where 51% confirmation does NOT make it right.

a blurb about the g1.

I've been waiting all year for the release of the first Android phone, and today, I was presented with T-Mobile's G1.



I'll keep this to "blurb" minimum, but after watching a few videos on the web, and reading some reviews, I'm pretty satisfied with this first generation model.

Some notes:

1) It certainly looks like a first generation model. Mostly made of plastic, it definitely looks cheap compared to the iPhone. Let's just be honest, the iPhone is pretty darn...pretty.

2) The G1's response time is faster than iPhone's when it's flipped to landscape or portrait mode.

3) Open source. Need I say more?

4) I'm still not a fan of that chunk on the bottom of the handset, but I understand why it's there.

5) Push is blazin' fast.

6) I'm a Google girl. I use the Apps. Yeah, ALL of them. Maps, Gmail, GCal, YT, you name it. So, no signing up for new accounts here. But it's a perk, not a necessity.

7) QWERTY. This is basically my biggest gripe about the iPhone. And a dedicated search button? Yes, please.

8) The OS has every opportunity to morph, update, change, shift, and evolve into what its consumers want it to be, and what its hardware is capable of. I like the sound of that.

Okay, still trying to keep this all to a blurb...But what makes me excited more than anything else about Android phones is that it adds more options to the buffet of a cell phone consumer's diet. Apple caters well to its loyal fanboys, but it's still having some trouble winning over another audience -- which I'm a part of. What's cool about the G1 is that it's just that -- the first generation of an upcoming slew of Android phones from multiple carriers. I'm ready for a real cell phone war to begin, folks.

online friends < real life friends.

"Relationships" is one of those highly sensitive soapbox issues for me. There are people who can talk for days about global warming, technology trends, politics, and childhood obesity. I'm not one of those people. There are actually only a few topics that I will talk about extensively without pausing for a comedic break. I'm one of those types of people who doesn't like things to get too serious, but there are subjects that certainly lend themselves to require a different tone.

First things first.

I'm not an expert, nor am I self-proclaimed relationships expert. I'm not a psychologist, psychotherapist, counselor, or human behavior specialist. I'm actually a bit of an ordinary Jane, who, believe or not, has had some pretty screwed up relationships in her past. Friends, boyfriends, colleagues, you name it. But, like most human beings, I've learned (some of) the error of my ways. Every relationship that has taken hold in my life has obviously been purposed to do so, and I regret none of them.

You see, even though I don't often admit it, I lean toward being a people person. I like to ask questions. I like to get to know people quickly - their favorites, dislikes, hobbies, and like. I like to find out what makes them tick. This is probably 90% of the reason why when I was in college I was pretty convinced that I wanted to be a reporter. Thank goodness this never came to fruition, because I'd probably be fired after my first day when my producer learned I took 5 hours to finish an interview.

Which is what brings me to the title of this particular post.

It may seem to be a no-brainer that real life friendships trump online friendships. But, truth be told, this might actually have been a no-brainer thought from someone from 1998, not 2008.

With today's social networking sites, it's far easier to friend someone on Facebook and MySpace, and keep up via wall posts, tags, messages, photos, and status updates. It's easier to drop a "hey how's it going?" line to someone you've already established a relationship with, and still claim that as a relationship. Face it (no pun intended), it's just easier. We can manipulate these social networking sites to play as an extension of our real world relationships. Here, the tool is simply doing its job. Use a social networking site with friends you already know, and voila, you stay in the know. Instant "sort-of" relationship.

So there's one type: Previous face-to-face shallow relationships that blossom into look-but-don't-touch relationships that are basically confined to social networking sites.

Secondly, take for example a relationship that was all created via the World Wide Web. Let's say it was birthed from a tweet, a Skype call, or a comment on a blog. Next thing you know, you're having daily chats via IM. And then video convos. You're e-mailing back and forth. Your friend seems to be the coolest person you know. They quote your favorite movies, know your favorite songs, and know that you call your cat "The Devil" when she's thrown up in your shoes. For the seventieth time. So here's your second type: the online "buddy." No explanation needed.

Thirdly, is your real life friend. Sure, the first two types all involve relationships with real, living, breathing beings who walk on two legs (in most cases). But this third relationship involves human contact. It involves hugs. Eye contact. Hearing laughter in real time -- it doesn't involve a delay of streaming over the internet or being bounced from a satellite orbiting the earth and back down to your cell phone.

There are problems with all relationships, of course, because it involves one person on both ends. But when these problems arise in online relationships...I'd believe that problems can only lend themselves to be on the extreme right or left of a given situation. If things get ugly -- that's it. I don't have to call, I don't have to e-mail, I don't have to IM you. Check "block user" under privacy settings right? It's a lot easier to brush someone off and render their friendship useless. The entire give-and-take process of real life friendships have little to hold on to in the online world.

What was once just a comment on a blog, a simple Skype call, or a tweet, has been reduced to just that, yet again. This is where the issues often found in a real life relationships don't play fair with the rules of a broadband connection. If I was friends with Colette and met her for coffee every week, I can't just stop meeting her for coffee. If I discontinue seeing her, she'll know something's up, and not just think I've gotten busy with work or school or kids. She's seen me vulnerable. She knows more about me than my favorite line from my favorite movie. She's seen the good and the bad. It's a bit harder to disguise your personal issues in a conversation when you can't use a backspace to erase what you didn't mean to say.

I've gotten a bit touchy-feely over the years, I know. And I simply can't shake the human, relational part of me that wants to see, hear, and touch everyone I meet online. (I'm really hoping that didn't come out really creepy) Meeting someone via IM is not the same as holding their hand in a firm handshake and trying to hold their gaze at the same time.

This is why real life friends will always trump online friends. Don't get me wrong, social networks have proven to provide a pretty strong web of friendships. I've literally seen what Flickr friendships mean to people, and hear what podcasting friendships can do. It's networking on a different level, but I'm not sure if it holds a candle to a friendship with someone who has no care whether you're a fine photographer or that you watch their favorite TV show. And if an online relationship blossoms into a real life one, even better. It's the human contact that makes all the difference.

It's been said that tone can't always be deciphered in an IM box. And it's totally true. Neither should a friendship be confined to a protocol stack.

oh, for the love of sam cooke.

I've been binging on Sam Cooke's music lately. I'm about to OD, honestly.

So I thought I'd spread the love. Or crippling obsession, however way you want to spin it.

attack of the screen grabs.

Baby Phat Barbie--err, Kimora Lee Simmons Gold Label Barbie Doll

(Via SeenON! Style)
Someone really needs to take away Kimora Lee's right to have ideas.

Okay, honestly? If I were a 7-year-old and was given this for my birthday, I would cry after finding out that Kimora Lee Barbie's coat was made out of my pet chinchilla's fur. Oh, Mattell, give me a break.

Inspiron Mini 9

I've been known to compulsively scream, "I want that!" at shiny electronic objects, and this little number made me shriek when I saw it.


(Via Dell)
Specs: 2.28 lbs, 8.9" glossy screen, 1024x600, BT, Wi-Fi, modest SSD, webcam, $350-450. It does simple, sleek, and small quite nicely. It gets the Net job done. Wham, bam, thank you ma'am. It comes in white or black - I'll take mine in white, please.

Chuck Taylor X-Hi Canvas


I got my first pair of Chucks for Christmas last year-- the classic black Chuck Taylor All Star. Everyone and their mom (except mine) has them. I've recently become enamored with boxing shoes (don't ask), and these are like the next best thing. This pattern doesn't exactly suit my fancy, but I can always design my own!

Honestly, I'd like to try boxing shoes out as a fashion statement but I'm afraid Bub wouldn't let me out of the house.

That, and I might get laughed at.

my friends make me laugh.

I've noticed that depending on what social network you belong to, you'll find completely different ways people express themselves. On Facebook, you'll find people are always in the middle of doing something. Watching the DNC. Playing with their dog. Driving to Houston (while they probably shouldn't be texting at the same time). On Twitter, most posts are fairly witty or sarcastic. A quote of the day, a short, one-line movie review, a passive-aggressive smart aleck remark towards their coworker.

But for once, the funny stuff was restricted to my incoming text messages. Here I'll share my two favorite LOL moments of the day. =)

Back story #1: A friend of mine and her husband are expecting a child early next year, and she's found a handful of boys' names that she likes, but is having some difficulty coming up with girls' names. So I thought I'd help her out.

Me: "I'm watching America's Top Model. What do you think of Marjorie for a girl['s name]? Does that make you want to yak?"
Friend #1: "Marjorie does not make us want to yak, but it does make us want to butter our toast. :)"

Back story #2: Friend #2 works for a small agency that produces promotional material for the Air Force Base here.

Friend #2: "Hey, do you know anyone that has [Photoshop] CS3 for PC and Premiere for Mac?"
Me: "Nope. And CS4 is coming out later on this month."
Friend #2: "OMG. I AM STILL TRYING TO LEARN ALL THE FEATURES IN CS3."

The second one may not seem quite as funny, but I couldn't help but visualize my friend's blank stare, and equally interesting loud yell as she would say it. That, and for some reason every time I read the letters "OMG" I can't help but say "Oh emm gee" aloud to myself.

I love text messages. =)

i'm still alive. promise.

It's pretty lame that there are a few of my posts that begin with: "So, I haven't posted in awhile..." or "Sorry it's taken so long" or "It's been a crazy 12 years, but..."

Aha, but I won't start this post off that way! =)

My mind's thoughts are quite sporadic this evening (it could be the meds), so hopefully numbering my thoughts will be helpful.

1) I had a dream about Catherine Hardwicke, who will be directing the novel-turned-movie Twilight, which debuts in late November. (I'm a fan of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight saga) In the dream, an old friend from college and I were in a giant mansion and I was grilling Hardwicke about why she chose to shoot the vampires "running" the way she did. I told her bluntly that I didn't agree with her technique. I then proceeded to tell her that I was a little wary that it would look hokey, but she continued to listen to me ramble on with pursed lips and inquisitive eyes. I felt embarrassed then, but she reassured me that she believes she did the film justice, and I gushed with excitement that it would be coming out in a few months.

I know exactly why I dreamed about Hardwicke. I was passing by Blockbuster yesterday afternoon and I considered stopping to rent Thirteen, a film that Hardwicke directed five years ago. I opted out since I had left my coupon at home, and apparently my mind wasn't going to let that one go easily.

2) I've been playing on the Wii Fit. I first played it a few months ago at a girlfriend's house, and then felt really silly that I hadn't pre-ordered it in the first place. I don't know, dropping $90 on something I wasn't sure if I'd like seemed pretty risky to me. But now that I've snagged one of my own, it's hard to tear it away from me. =)

3) I got a head cold last night and today was a lazy day of nothingness, sprinkled with a bit of sickly whining. My morning of laziness started out with rolling around in bed, being fed ice cream (it's a hard life, ain't it?), and then a sort-of marathon of Heroes season 2. I didn't watch any of last season, and now I'm playing catch up before the season 3 premiere. Then I played around with GarageBand in the office with my newly acquired (read: "stolen") M-Box and mic, watched way too many YouTube videos, cleaned the house a little bit, and watched Gossip Girl's season premiere with Bub. Oh, and before you pass any judgment, I have to say that GG is my guilty pleasure. Oh...so...guilty. =) I'm also looking forward to the series premiere of 90210, which would boost my CW-show-watching count up to a whopping "2".

4) Speaking of TV shows, there are a few shows that I'll be watching this fall, thanks to Hulu and "other avenues of entertainment acquiring." These include, but are not limited to:

Regulars
The Office
House, M.D.
The Big Bang Theory
Scrubs
Heroes
Grey's Anatomy
30 Rock
Chuck
Gossip Girl

Newbies I want to check out
Fringe
Kath and Kim
90210

I'm sure if I had children, I'd be declared an unfit mother.

5) My poor cell phone is on its way out the door, as well. After charging my phone at night, the phone turns itself off. My battery dips down to 2 bars (out of 4) after a 30 minute conversation. Ugh...If you know my taste in cell phones, I like to hold on to my phone until I absolutely MUST get a new one. It takes forever for me to come up with a decision on a make/model, and it was no different with my current LG CU500. I do know for sure that I want my next cell phone to be a smart phone. That could be a Blackberry, Palm, iPhone, or whatever Android-based phone, if any, AT&T decides to roll out. I'm keeping my eyes peeled and ears open and I'm praying my phone doesn't crap out completely in the meantime.

6) Someone close to us has started seeing someone. I won't go much into details, but it's very different, and very new. I was both excited and nervous to meet her this weekend, but now I know why he likes her as much as he does. =)

7) I'm getting more and more excited as Christmas draws near. I can't wait to see my family again.

8) Work has been a handful. We need to hire another editor, ASAP. I don't want to rip my hair out. End of story.

9) I need a new book to read, and I think that book is "Kitchen Confidential" by Anthony Bourdain. Since our slew of restaurant shoots, I'm considering this a must-read. I've also learned that professional chefs have quite the interesting personalities. One particular local chef that I have in mind flashed me a dazzling smile one moment, then fired off a bunch of expletives shortly thereafter in the same 30 seconds.

10) A few songs I'm crushing on: "Energy," (Keri Hilson), "Crush" (David Archuleta), a cover of "Umbrella" (YouTuber Brad Doggett), and a cover of "Let Go" (YouTuber Kina Grannis).

11) I also have a few upcoming posts that I've pre-selected topics for, that I promise to kick out sooner or later:

Why I'm Hoping Twilight Won't Completely Suck
Social Networking? Don't You Mean, "Me, Me, Me"?
Confessions of a Chronic Creative

12) Link spam: I've also been watching That Media Show, a video podcast headed up by John Flowers. I love what this show is about, and I've been surprised to find that I am interested in every story in every cut. A little bit of Hollywood fluff, a little bit of compositing news, a little bit of RED details, all in the same show? Score.

Okay, I'm off to the Land of the Unconscious. The rambling had to stop at some point, right?

little green guy.

Yesterday afternoon I ran out to return a few movies, and to my dismay it turned out I had forgotten to put one back in its case. After a lot of grumbling I headed back to the house and hopped up the stairs of my front porch only to by stopped in my tracks by this little guy:



Needless to say, I wasn't grumbling any more after that. =)

so you think you can dance finale.

(Spoilers below if you're a fan of SYTYCD)

Sigh. I just watched the season finale of So You Think You Can Dance. The finale aired 10 days ago, but I'm just now getting around to watching it. Yes, some events actually got between me and viewing the eye candy that is the fabulous talent and amazing choreography on that show.

So if you didn't know it, Joshua Allen won. I have to admit, if Katee or Josh didn't win, I'd be pretty disappointed. Throughout the entire season, they never hit the bottom three. Never had to dance for their lives. Never left me not squealing with sheer delight after watching any routine they were in.

This by far was probably my favorite season finale of all three seasons I've watched of SYTYCD. I'm probably the most emotionally attached to season 2, but there were so many fun elements in this show that this simply beats the rest of 'em. Nigel Lythgoe tap dancing with kids from the Debbie Allen Dance Academy, seeing some of my favorite dancers from past seasons dancing on stage, watching Mary in her fire engine red dress do the samba across the stage with Dmitri...droooool. Have I mentioned I like Latin dancing? ;)

The choreography from this season also outshines the other seasons, and I've definitely enjoyed how the show added new genres of dancing.

I really don't know what I'm going to do to fill my dancing-watching void. =)

Below are my top 5 favorite routines from this season. How long is it until next spring? Maaaaan.

#5



#4



#3



#2



#1

a good rma is so hard to come by...

At least, that's what I always thought. Until just about a week ago.

As the Orderer of Boring Office Supplies and Mildly-Fun Equipment of my company, I'm used to having to scour the internet for deals. It's my job to say "I'd never pay that much for an LCD monitor" or "You should use this website because at least their customer service speaks your native language." It's something I do on a fairly regular basis, and thus far I've had no qualms about it.

Scratch that. I normally don't have qualms about it -- until I screw up.

I had to order a few hundred blank, printable, CD-Rs for a client for a larger-than-usual dub job the other day, and accidentally ordered the wrong type. What I needed were inket printable CD-Rs, not thermal printable CD-Rs. It seemed to be both a simple and careless mistake, but regardless, it put me in a predicament because a) I had a deadline to meet, and 600 CDs to dub, and b) I knew it was going to be a chore trying to find that type of media in-town on a day-to-day basis.

I managed to snag a few hundred from a couple of different retailers, and then realized I still had problem C to deal with: How was I going to return all of those unused CDs? Could I?

The website that I ordered from was a trusted one, Newegg.com. If you haven't heard of Newegg and you're a tech geek, I would like to think you're simply a figment of someone's imagination. From their about us site, Newegg is "an online e-commerce company offering more than 25,000 computer hardware and software, consumer electronics and communications products in stock at competitive prices and ready to ship at lightning-speed."

I've ordered blank media from them before, but never this type, so I was a little wary. As a consumable item, I was 100% sure the 6th cakebox that I'd opened would be nonreturnable. I'd have to obtain an RMA for the 5 others, which can be a lengthy process (I'd done these before). The whole idea was slightly nauseating, since at the time I was dreading running around town, and trying to box up these items to ship them back. I also was aware that Newegg charged 15% for a restocking fee (quite common for online retailers and big box stores).

After reading further into Newegg's return policy, I found out that I could talk with someone online to obtain the RMA. I hesitantly fired up the chatbox, and in a few minutes I was chatting with someone by the handle of "Dicie." I wasn't sure if Dicie was male or female (or robot for that matter), but he/she/it seemed pleasant enough.

But after explaining my screw-up of ordering the wrong type of blank media, Dicie types: "Please kindly note that this item is non-refundable."

My heart dropped a little after that.

Then: "However as they are unopened, we will make an exception to issue the refund."

I bounced a little in my seat out of sheer joy.

Immediately after: "We will also honor the opened one as a one time exception."

After I fired off several exclamations and a flurry of questions, Dicie created an RMA number for me, and within minutes I had a new invoice in my inbox. There would be no restocking fee, Newegg would accept and honor the 6th cakebox with the two ruined CDs, and the only fee we would incur would be shipping.

I understand that everyone needs a break every once in awhile, but I by no means ever expect one. But a little blessing like that definitely went a long way for me. I wanted to review their customer service and give them 5 stars in any way I could. Dicie explained that there was a rating site that Newegg used, so I quickly logged in to the site and gave a concise re-telling of my Experience with the Seemingly Non-Returnable CD-Rs.

Today, I received another e-mail with a new invoice - my shipment had been received and Newegg was refunding our cost of the CD-Rs. And for reviewing their customer service on the ratings site, I also have a free T-shirt coming my way.

I love Newegg. =)

the thing about shooting in restaurants...

I can't pass up free food. I simply just can't. I'm sure it has something to do with the intricate, delicate way that I'm hardwired -- that immediately turns me into a heifer.

"What? You're telling me that this steak would go to waste? I can't let that happen!"

The past two weeks have brought a few evening shoots of local restaurants into my professional schedule. And while it's never expected, it always happens: a few beautiful platters are left uneaten and dangerously exposed to the ultimate predator of free food -- me.

But I think today was a little bit more than I had bargained for. Steak, calamari, dessert shots, grilled panini, seasoned fries, Chilean sea bass?

My kids are going to be so fat.

just a few weeks on the treadmill...

And they had to go and invent THIS stupid thing.

Baby steps...baby steps.

random mini-feed.

Practice makes...better?
For the past 4 1/2 weeks, I've stuck to a new, but pretty basic exercise regimen. That being said, I'm happy announce that it's getting easier to refrain from passing out after 10 minutes on the treadmill. This is pretty exciting.

Hi-ho, hi-ho
Work has been pretty decent, but I've been convinced that one of my clients is out to get me. This particular client (I'll call him/her "Bob") has the same faults that a lot of demanding, impatient people have: every time Bob needs something, it has to be right then. Right now. Five minutes ago! It's a little unnerving, to be honest. For a few months we won't hear from this client, not a peep, but it's like trying to brace yourself for WWIII whenever Bob enters the picture again and things are in full swing.

The heat...oh, this heat.
My poor air conditioner at home has been working overtime. It's a struggle just to walk out to my car during lunchtime, with this wretched, wretched heat. I miss being able to drive to work with my windows down when it's not 83 degrees at 7:45AM. I miss being able to wear sunglasses because I liked to, not because I had to. I miss....not sweating.

Reading machine
And ahhh, yes, finally, I've finished the last book of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series, Breaking Dawn. Finishing up this last book left me with a big ol' smile on my face. But no spoilers here. I'll be posting more on that soon.

/mini-feed.

more font fanaticism.

I've never used the font Trajan in design, and always pondered what I'd use it for...but now I don't want to. Ever.

via goodiebag.tv. I've just discovered Kirby Ferguson. He's pretty funny.

i fell in love with the dj.

Okay, not really. But I've fallen ridiculously in love with this all-too-catchy, poppy, head-bopping song. Stupid So You Think You Can Dance and your hot and sexy samba dancing. This is all your fault.

everyone needs a vacation.

It doesn't matter how old or young you are. It doesn't matter if you sell vacation packages for a living. It doesn't matter how happy or miserable your job makes you, but it's always nice to go somewhere new and I firmly believe that everyone needs to go out and get some fresh air.

I had the chance to go with a couple of girlfriends to the partially-sunny city of Gulf Shores this weekend. It was a serene 8-hour drive through 3 states - wait, scratch that, did I say serene? I meant boring. I meant 8 hours of corn fields, soybean farms, plains, and a few small country towns. And then, finally, the beach.

Gulf Shores was a bit larger and more populated with vacationers than I expected. Up until I moved to Arkansas, I'd grown up surrounded by an ocean for 75% of my life. I didn't recognize this kind of beach. Gulf Shores' air didn't smell quite as salty as the Pacific Ocean, but it brought back fond memories of having the beach as my backyard in Hawaii as a teenager or floating on an inner tube as a young girl the Philippines.

We stayed in a rather humble hotel which only had 5 floors. We sat on the beach, I read, I stuck my toes in the sand and waded in the water, I ate shrimp (my favorite type of shellfish), splashed around in the hotel pool, shopped, and walked about. It was a good vacation.

I brought along a video camcorder to document the trip, and only ended up shooting less than 10 minutes. Pretty sad. I brought along a digital SLR and only shot 75 photos, even sadder. I had every intention of capturing as much as I could with hopes that I could make a great photo book, slide show, and video, but I came up pretty short to my high expectations.

But I'm okay with that. I was on vacation.

*Edit*
I actually recorded 30 minutes of video whilst on vacation. But only because I accidentally left the camera on for 20 of those minutes. I have some exclusive documentation of my elbow, a leg, and the side of my book.

t-minus 3 days.

I'm trying to come up with an adjective that I could use to describe this week's events. "Intense" seems too serious. "Fun" seems too lighthearted. "Challenging" seems imprecise. But, don't worry, I'd rather not pore over thesaurus.com all night. ;)

There are a lot of things I like to do for fun. These include, but are not limited to: eating Popsicles, playing on the Internet, and watching chick flicks. But as far as my day job goes, I'm a producer. This may mean very little to your average Joe, so as far as my career is concerned, I tend to keep details at a minimum. The lines blur in some areas, but are rigid in others. One day I could be invoicing, one day I could be writing, and another day I could be crawling around underneath a symphony stage trying to find a power outlet.

Right now I'm three days deep into a shoot that's proving to be a unique challenge. Mostly exterior shots. Children & animals as extras - this industry's most dreaded bane. It's a lovely high 90's. Nothing feels quite like "Insta-tan" than a shiny board reflecting an angry high-noon sun in your eyes and pushing a 20-degrees hotter wave of heat in your face.

We've been shooting in a town about half an hour away for a client (an agency) that is based in Hawaii. The creative work is awesome: the concept is simple, funny, and aloof. It has an air of "The Office" humor mixed with childlike curiosity. The concept: three different "Explorers" have just discovered this on-location city and find themselves popping up in interesting places and interacting with their environments in unusual ways. Sorry for the lack of detail - I'm bound to this description until the spots air in September.

We've had high points and low points. The low points were few: we had a screaming 5-year-old who was afraid of one of our actors' costumes, and in the middle of one take, we had a principal actor's suit tear a nice long 9-inch rip in the arm and back. The high points are great, and hopefully still ongoing. The diversity of our locations has been pretty fun. We shut down a busy intersection for a sweet dolly shot with tons of extras - that's a pretty cool feeling. We shot in a Hibachi joint, a creek, a bike trail, a performance hall, a lake...Another high point - Our client's client (the city, essentially) is one of the best group of people I've worked with in my short career. Cheery, smiley faces and accommodating attitudes are my favorite. =)

But the lowest point has to be the heat. It's bad enough that it's in the high 90's...What's even worse is that the nice brown tone of my skin loves to soak up the sun just that much more. Oh, and it never helps having black hair, either. I'll be lucky if I don't turn the same shade as my hair by the end of the week.

Speaking of which...

Ah, yes, the title of this post. T-minus 3 days and counting to my awesome, much-deserved vacation to Gulf Shores with some girlfriends. My body has been itchy to relax next to an ocean shore for the past month, and this Saturday afternoon will bring me sweet, sweet relief. Pictures will be taken, videos will be shot, and much fun will be had.

If only I can find time between now and then to get ready for it!

if fonts were people.

I've been busy as of late, and I have oodles to talk about, but for some reason, the only thing I want to post is a link to this video.

I am such a font nerd.

That, and I've always wondered how to properly use Comic Sans. Answer = personify it in a parody video!

top ten hottest geeks?

Okay, so I dugg the story anyway, because I thought that a few of the geeks on Shiny Shiny's list were cute, but come on.

The internet is far more vast than these guys, right???

youtube music & weekend shopping.

I've found someone else on YouTube whose music has started to grow on me. And, even though I'm always months (sometimes years) behind on music, I figured I'd go ahead and spread the love while I was at it.

Her YouTube name is KokoKaina. (I think of Brendan Frasier in Bedazzled when I read her YouTube name aloud). Her voice reminds me a little of Norah Jones, and her songwriting is sweet and sincere.

I was browsing for a specific search term when I happened upon her, actually. I'll definitely be subscribing soon.

Also, in response to my previous post about the Twilight feature in the latest EW magazine...I opted to read the online version instead of picking up a hard copy like some crazy obsessed 14-year-old. I prefer to play the role of the cool, semi-obsessed twenty-something that I am, thankyouverymuch.

The article was decent, and I learned a few things I didn't already know...
But I wasn't a fan of the photo shoot. It was ultra-glamorized, super shmoozy, Bram-stokery and I suppose I'm being so cynical because come on, these are high school kids. Then again I can err on the side EW as it's their job to Photoshop everything to a pulp nowadays. I can see the art director now -- "He's not pale enough! Make him paler! And his eyes, make them more brooding!"

This weekend has been another big purchase weekend. A new piece of art for my kitchen. Two new bar stools. A new mirror for the bathroom. New vases. The chances of me purchasing anything out of explicit entertainment purposes are growing slim.

Read: I may have to pass my on-line designing of those super-fancy Chucks I've been dreaming up in my head.

Then again, there's always next weekend.

oh, sigh.

For crying out loud. They're teasing me.

paint me in your sunshine.

I'm one of those types who, once they find a song they like, play it over, and over...

And over and over again. You would never want me to be your radio DJ. Ever.

I recently came across Marie' Digby on YouTube, and have taken kindly to her music. She's a bit of Vanessa Carlton, a little bit of Ingrid Michaelson. I'm a sucker for sweet and charming music.

Below are the lyrics to Paint Me In Your Sunshine. It's that song I'm playing over, and over, and over again.

Paint Me In Your Sunshine

Paint me in your sunshine
Wake my sleepy eyes
Round me in your comfort
Stay with me for all of time

Reach your hand,
I'll follow
Darken clouds for your rays of hope

So paint me in your sunshine
Walk with me, stay by my side
Fill my head with stories
For love and war and glory

Reach your hand,
I'll follow
Light the path that will lead me home

Oh, oh, Home

One day the world will grow colder
Everything we've come to cherish crumbles
And only then will we turn back and remember your glow

Paint me in your sunshine
Leave the part of you behind
Tell me where I'll find you
And send me off to another day
Till we meet tomorrow

Reach your hand,
I'll follow
Hold me close till the day that I grow old

twilight.

It's been an embarrassingly long time since I've posted, I know. I could go on all day about why: because of work, because of extracurriculars, because of projects at home, because of friends, but I won't. I'll just spare the details for now.

While this post will mostly be dedicated to its title, let me preface to say that this entry (not unlike most of them) will mostly be shaped by my own personal history and bias. Read: this is a personal post. You've been warned: it's going to be a doozy.

First, a little back story into my penchant for reading and writing.

I think it officially started when I was in the 4th grade. I'd enjoyed books up until then -- I was a part of the Book It! program, I volunteered in the library reading to first graders, so on and so forth. But it wasn't until I entered in the Young Author's Contest (I lived in Illinois back then) that I realized that I could actually enjoy writing. Young adult adventures were my favorite. There was excitement, newness, not a lot of internal dialogue, and it stirred my imagination. It reflected my personality at the time; I was easily curious about anything and everything I didn't know about. This included, but was not limited to, trying to find Big Foot tracks, analyzing baby birds, and breaking into vacant houses.

So there's the brief back story. I ended up getting an honorable mention that year for my short story, "The Bad Dream." And while I felt as though my brief, young writing spirit had been crushed, it didn't stop me from writing in the following year's contest. I won that year.

Fast forward several years, and you'd find yourself watching increasingly more and more frames of time spent writing -- my love for the adventure genre had evolved to now include romance, mystery, and sci-fi. I read a lot of the same stuff: X-Files, Dean Koontz, various trashy romance novels, Stephen King, Bruce Coville.

But during my sophomore year of high school, it all came to a halt. I simply wasn't interested any more, or my priorities had changed. I stopped reading, and the only writing I did consisted of poems or brief, inconsistent journaling.

Fast forward again to this week, where I picked up the book, Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer. My first recommendation was from my friend, Lauren, who divulges in reading as a hobby. I was curious as to why she brought up this book, I knew she read, but she hardly ever recommended anything to me, so I decided to look into it. I realized later that while the book was new to her, that it was in fact, pretty old -- 3 years old. I also learned that it was going to be displayed later on the silver screen at the end of the year.

Three days ago, I decided it was time to pick up the book. I opted to buy it, instead of checking it out from a local library. I started that night, around 11:30PM, intending on reading it for half an hour until I got sleepy. But I stayed up until 1:30AM.

Then finished it within 24 hours.

I know, it sounds dramatic. To think that a nearly 500-page teen romance fiction novel could hold my attention for that long. For starters, I'm not the target demo. I'm simply not a vampire junkie (although I did enjoy the Buffy film). And I hadn't read a fiction novel in years.

I'll start with the basics, I guess. (There won't be any spoilers) The story revolves around Isabella "Bella" Swan, a new permanent transplant to the town of Forks, Washington, where she spent various summers with her father. Her parents had been divorced for years, and she decided to permanently relocate when her mother remarried and wanted to travel with her new husband. The 17-year-old Bella struggles to fit in at Forks High School, where she happens upon the Cullens, the family that purposely outcasts themselves from the rest of the high school. They're all different, they're beautiful, and they're vampires. She takes specifically to Edward Cullen, and the rest of the story revolves around their affair -- the internal and external pressures of the dangers that surround their relationship.

There are several reasons why I was fascinated with this book. To say "I loved it" simply wouldn't be enough. There are many poignant scenes throughout this book that drew me back to them as soon as my eyes skimmed over the last few words of the epilogue.

I'm a helpless romantic at best. My personality wouldn't allude you to believe it, but the handsome hero in this book made me melt into a puddle of goo. There, I said it. But it wasn't as though Meyer described him as "hot," "rippled," "cut," or "amazing." She used other words..."Beautiful." "Dazzling." We see through the eyes of Bella that he's enchanting, that his scent is breathtaking. And of course, that half smile, the crooked smile. Seriously, who uses words like this? And how is it that they have such an effect that they make me want to absorb each and every description?

I listened to the first episode of Three Chicks and a Mic's podcast after finishing Twilight and they mentioned that one of the things they disliked about Bella's character is that she doesn't stick up for herself, and is pretty much a pushover. While I do agree with them, I felt that every time this weakness was displayed with Edward, it made him all the more attractive and alluring. Today's heroine is strong, smart, beautiful, and unique. Bella is not. She's awkard. She trips over herself and likes to hide behind her hair. She's terrible at sports and hates playing in snow. For me, it made their relationship and connection all the more meaningful -- this dark romance that seemed kindled for all the wrong reasons made perfect sense.

It's not a sappy love story by any means. The back of the book describes this element well, a story of "secret love and hushed affection." But this is not to say that the book did without suspense. It holds romance and suspense in a pretty even and healthy ratio, which also kept me flipping pages. This could be the naivete talking, but the fantasy element of the Cullens abilities as vampires was epic for me. Okay, epic might be too strong of a word, but it certainly helped. It was intriguing, the different powers each of the vampires have, and I'm curious to see how this plays out in the movie.

I haven't read a good share of teen romance novels, but I'd be surprised to find if Twilight handles stereotypes in a similar way to other teen fictions. At Forks High School, there aren't any cliques (save for vampires). There aren't jocks, snobs, or geeks. The others are just...there. The background characters supply subtle color to this book, but nothing bright and overpowering. A lot of the narrative consists of Bella's internal dialoging -- her fearless and inquisitive thoughts aren't annoying or meaningless, and compel the reader to learn about her as even she learns about herself.

I really could drone on for days, and days, but like I prefaced earlier, this is my personal take on Twilight. It's hard for me to articulate the fact that it's awakened me out of my imaginative coma. The book is an easy read -- no pretentious words, no confusing plot lines. And yes, there are predictable moments, not unlike most books in the same genre. Lastly, I'm not particularly excited about the movie, as books always seem to take us deeper into characters and stories than film ever will. I've grown to understand that they're two completely different mediums, oftentimes with differing agendas.

In closing...I do have expectations, mind you. I have high expectations in the physical and personal characters of Bella and Edward. Throughout the novel, Meyer describes Bella as unconsciously brave, unaware of her own frailty. This can be pulled off onscreen. Edward's eyes are smoldering -- I expect to see the glowing topaz and a lot of character expression; the book almost revolves around this entire physical feature. I think if they did away with the rest of his body in the film, fans would still be appeased as long as his eyes were in there somewhere.

Although that might be a little creepy.