Continuing on the Vampire kick...sort of

5 days off. Not going anywhere special. What's a girl to do? Having missed a few movies over the past year, I decided to head into the video rental store and find something interesting and new. As I wandered the aisles, I realized that I had seen most of the current offerings. Funny, because it seems like I've spent less time at the movie theater these past six months, but typical, because I'm so used to being the person who's seen everything.

The movie I knew I was going to rent was Doubt. Of course, it was all checked out. All the Best Picture nods I'd seen in the theater, so nothing new there. The onslaught of horror and gore movies was prevalent in the aisles, and I was going nowhere near those. They stay with me, so I stay away from them. I pick up a documentary on Hunter S. Thompson (which I rented and still have yet to watch) and then out of the corner of my eye, I spy a spooky cover with the words, "Best vampire movie ever" splashed across the front. OK. What is this? The cover looks way too scary for my taste. But the synopsis sounds original. And interesting. A child vampire and the boy she moves next door to. A foreign film, Swedish, but with a sounding review from Guillermo del Torro. That seals the deal for me. Everyone loves Pan's Labyrinth, but I am partial to the Devil's Backbone and if he says it's worth the time, then I should make the time. Thankfully, I had 5 days worth. So Let the Right One In comes home with me.

If you know me, then you know I don't do most horror flicks. I just can't. I love suspense and creepy, but slasher gore and disturbing images haunt me like nothing else. So I called Scott, the biggest vampire fan I know, and tell him he's coming over to watch it with me. This movie is great. Of course, my dvd remote is broken, so I can't turn the dubbing off, which just kills me, but even with that handicap, the movie sucks you in and makes you part of its world. Oskar is a 12 year old boy who is bullied constantly at school. He has taken to fantasizing about revenge, collecting newspaper articles about violent attacks and carrying a knife in his jacket. One day a girl his age moves in next door. Eli only shows up at night, looking very pale and a bit odd. Although she should be the real threat, Oskar finds her appealing and begins to befriend her. As their friendship grows, Eli teaches Oskar to stand up for himself and fight back. Oskar teaches Eli about friendship. There is killing and blood (she is a vampire afterall) but this is more of a love story than anything else.

One of the things I believe is that people are brought into our lives for a reason. Oskar and Eli are not whole as individuals, yet as they grow and open themselves to each other, they find that they can become complete, or at least better versions of themselves. Disclosure to horror fans: This is NOT a horror movie. You will most likely think it is lame. There is nothing disgusting about this movie, except perhaps the bully's behavior; even the necessity of killing for survival does not shed a negative light on Eli (in my opinion). So give it a shot. I promise it won't disappoint.

Breaking Dawn...finally.

So I actually introduced Twilight to my sisters. Can you believe it? I know they are huge fans...bigger than me. I kept having customers ask about this book. New Moon had just been released. What was the big deal? Oh yeah, no more Harry Potter to read. Must have something new. Teen Fiction is not my thing. At all. Then I happened to read a profile of Stephenie Meyer in Time magazine. What??? She's a Mormon writing about vampires. Oh this was beautiful!! The only reason that I even picked up the book was because she was Mormon! This is funny in itself because I am not Mormon and one side of my family is. Needless to say, I loved the book. She is not a literary writer, per se, but she kept the story moving and interesting. Plus, the books take only a couple of days to read, so quick gratification.

So time goes by. I buy the I love Edward Cullen t-shirt. I read Eclipse. Text back and forth with my sisters about our love of Edward and how much we despise Jacob. Then Breaking Dawn. Too much time between books. I wait at midnight in a sea of people desperate for a taste. But it's past midnight and I have to work the next morning. So it sits on my nightstand. Twilight premieres as a movie. Super fun...true to the book. A surprise since they usually screw these things up. And all the while, Breaking Dawn collecting dust two inches from my pillow. Merchandise mania hits. DVD release imminent. Must buy. Day of release. Watch all the extras and the commentary. Too bad Rob Pattinson sounds kinda dumb in real life. Oh well. He's cute and that will take him far. And Breaking Dawn sits patiently waiting.

2 o'clock in the morning I wake. I have to know how it ends. Even though everyone has told me, I have to read it for myself. So I dive in; devouring page after page in this monstrous tome. A crick in my neck, restless and tired, I keep going. I'm not quite there yet, but almost. Am I fulfilled knowing Bella got her wish? Is Edward still as appealing now that he is not unattainable? The only thing I know for sure is that Jacob still annoys me and Stephenie Meyer has taken us on one helluva ride. For that I am thankful.

I know, I know...

So my wonderful sister set this blog up for me months ago. I have used it once. It's not that I don't want to keep in touch; that I'm not interested in what everyone else is up to. It's just that I have no motivation to include computers in my life away from work. I'm a paper and pen girl. Pretty stationery, the surprise of an unexpected envelope showing up in the mailbox, rich colors, the tactile sensation. But I do see its advantages. The short quips, easy glimpses into someone else's day, the anonymity if you choose.

So here I go. I'm gonna give it my best shot. I can't promise that days won't go by without a peep from me. But keep the faith. I'm gonna try.