la vie en rose

Okay, here's a rundown of what's been going on lately:

Twilight
Pros:
-loved the setting. It made our neck of the woods seem so mysterious.
-Charlie was very handsome. He can pull me over and handcuff me anytime.
-I got excited when I saw Stephenie Meyer in the diner. That was a fun moment. Also got excited when Jacob came to talk to Bella at the prom - he looked so cute in his loosened tie and untucked white shirt.
-didn't really notice the music too much for all the hype the soundtrack got, except for the song during the baseball game (well-picked - good mood setter) and the song they danced to at prom (perfect - I added it to my Pandora selection).
-casting in general was pretty good. The kids in high school actually looked like kids in high school and I appreciated that.
-Really, the best part was getting to hang out with a bunch of other women from church and going to Macaroni Grill afterwards. I stayed out late and really enjoyed feeling like I have more friends than just J and the cats.

Cons:
-when the rogue vampires showed up at the baseball game and the Cullens got into their "fighting" stance. Totally cheesy. Also, if people are laughing during the "dramatic" scenes (particularly the flashbacks), then something went awry during production.
-if the story is from Bella's point of view and if she is narrating it, then why would we get to see cut-aways of the various people being killed in other locations? Answer: we wouldn't.
-it seemed as though the movie were written for people who already knew the story. Par example: when Bella 1st walks in to Biology class and Edward catches her scent, he gags. He did not gag in the book. The theater laughed because we all knew how he was feeling. But where's the surprise? The tension? When it was time for the big reveal, it seemed rushed to me. If I didn't know that they were supposed to be in love, I wouldn't have believed it from the initial set-ups.

Ultimately Twilight is a fun escape, but goodness sakes, the more I got to thinking about it, the more I realized this is what shapes young girls' ideas of romance. When I was 12 I started reading Pride & Prejudice. I couldn't get enough of it. And so Mr. Darcy became my idea of the perfect man. Stephenie Meyer obviously read Wuthering Heights and found Heathcliff to be the more attractive option. But good lovers Byronic heroes do not make. I'm not going to go off on too much of a tangent here, but that kind of love is a scary kind of love. A young girl should never feel that if they are alone, that they have no worth. (Just read New Moon and you'll see very quickly that Bella is just that type of girl.) And for those that I have told that I would pick Jacob, this is why. Because he lets her be herself. Because he doesn't tell her what to do. Because she's comfortable around him and because they are best friends.

Chili Cook-Off
The night after Twilight J and I went to the Elders Quorum Annual Chili-Cook-Off. We had a great turn-out and we won Meatiest Chili AND Best Cornbread. I was not expecting to win Best Cornbread, so that was a nice surprise.

Thanksgiving
We were invited to eat Thanksgiving dinner with some friends in the ward who have a just-graduated daughter who was one of my campers and a Laurel back in the day, and another daughter who just became a Mia Maid and whom I took canvassing for Obama with me before the election. Having to go somewhere for dinner meant that J and I actually had to change out of our pajamas that day. Bummer! The food was very good and after dinner we all went around the table and said 2 things we were thankful for. I said Obama (they all said that - that's just one of the reasons that they're one of our favorite families in the ward) and being healthy, and J said me and my job. Being with another family for dinner showed me what all you need to survive in any family - a good sense of humor. Their oldest boy was there and he had us all in stitches - he's just like my own brother. Same type of jokes and mannerisms.

Weekend
The morning after Thanksgiving we went to Ikea to get a new bed. The one we wanted was on sale for half price! Our sleeping bedroom is complete and much more organized. J's clothes are all in one place! Now we just have to tackle the other room. Eew. It's like moving all over again. And then we played Lego Star Wars on the PS3, which is one of the best games ever. 100% True Jedi! You can be an Ewok (and they talk!) or Jango Fett or R2D2 or Count Dooku or Ghost Anakin or a Storm Trooper dressed in a bathing suit (still has his helmet on). And you can get Poo Money from the animals that you can ride. You know it's got to be good.