So, I just posted about the Robo separation, and how well it was going.
Apparently I spoke too soon.
G went to check on and feed the girls, and found Hip-Hop curled up in her food dish. For a brief moment, he thought she might be sleeping, but it was soon confirmed that she was gone. I was asleep on the sofa, due to a hard day of manual labor, and he came in and woke me up. He said he was bummed, and needed a hug. It took me a few moments to come to and realize that he was holding her food dish and the food bag. My heart sank, and I asked him what happened to the girls. He told me he thought she was gone, and lowered the dish so I could see. My first thought was that we didn’t separate them in time, and Rhymin’ was too weak, and went. He corrected me, and told me it was Hip-Hop. He sank down on the couch next to me, and I couldn’t stop the tears from welling up. I reached out a fingertip to pet her, and felt her cold body. I felt terrible. I am pretty sure there was nothing that could have been done, but I still feel guilty. Part of me felt silly for being a grown woman, sobbing over this teeny-tiny creature. However, I adore the girls! I was upset that we had to separate them, but I know it wasn’t Hip-Hop’s fault, they are solitary by nature.
When G gets home from work, we are having a memorial. We shall bury her in the garden, and mark the spot with my wee fat squirrel statue. I will sing “Tiny Hamster” and we will recite the parts we can remember from the Flight of the Conchords rap battle.
We are going to wait until Rhymin’s time comes (hopefully in the expected two or three years…not sooner!) to get new hamsters.
If you aren’t familiar with Robo-dwarves…they are fast. Very, very fast. We’d tried to get photos, but 99% of the time, they come out as furry blurs. Luckily, our dear friend, Proptart, was able to get a couple of successful shots while hamster-sitting over the holidays. You can see Hip-hop’s furry adorableness, and how much her kitty adored Hip-hop.
Archive for the ‘Random Ramblings’ Category
in passing
Thursday, April 9th, 2009gotta keep ’em separated
Sunday, April 5th, 2009So, you may remember last October, when I got G a pair of Robo Dwarf hamsters for an anniversary gift. They are wee and tiny and adorable. Having coveted them for some time, G had done lots of research into them, as far as their behaviors and needs. From what he gathered, if one wanted two or more hamsters, they had to be chosen at the same time and know each other, lest they fight to the death. Hard to believe something so wee and adorable could be deadly! Since he wanted a pair, we were sure to get them at the same time. There were only three to choose from, so we picked the fat one and the tiny one, as the seemed the cutest and funniest of the three. We felt bad leaving one behind, but not everyone gets them in even numbers, so there was hope for the little lady.
We got all the accoutrements needed for the wee ladies, named them (Rhyminocerous and Hiphoppopotamus, or Rhymin’ and Hip-hop for short) and they seemed to be fine. One day, we were cleaning their habitrail, and noticed that Rhymin’ (the weeer of the two) had sores near her tail. G assumed that we weren’t cleaning them often enough, and was determined to keep an eye on her. However, the sores got worse instead of better. The last time I went to clean them, I noticed the sore area was alarmingly large. So, I went to the internets for help. After reading pages and pages on dwarf hamster sores, the conclusion was very clear. Even getting the hamsters together as babies is no guarantee that they won’t fight. In case after case, owners would find one hamster to pick on the other. Usually the one doing the bullying was less friendly to being picked up and such by the owner. Several cases warned that if they weren’t separated, the hamster getting picked on wouldn’t make it. Some of the tales were horrific, to say the least.
So, I sadly broke the news to G. From all accounts, the sores on Rhymin’ had nothing to do with the cleanliness of her cage, and more to do with Hip-hop being a bully. I suggested we separate them, but as they are his, left the decision ultimately up to him. In the meantime, I worried around the clock about our wee Rhyminocerous. I was terrified we would come home one day to a hamster without a face. Then, one day, G came home from work with a second habitrail. I confirmed that he decided to separate them. He noted that he had looked in on them because they were making a racket, and sure enough Hip-hop was picking on Rhymin’. He was very sad to separate them, and felt like it was his fault for not socializing Hip-hop better. I assured him this was not his fault! All the things I read said that the owners tried to socialize the bully, but he or she would bite or fight it. So, he prepared the habitrail, and we played with Rhymin’ a bit before the transfer.
It’s been over a week now, and the separation appears to be successful. Rhymin’ is much more active, and much more calm when handled. Both are using their wheel more, which is good, because they need to run for miles and miles every day (up to 20 miles, in fact). I took Rhymin’ out today to play a bit, and her rump appears to have healed. It is still bald, but the scabs and bloody bits are gone. They are both quieter, apparently because they aren’t scrapping all the time.
In some respects, it is kind of a drag. It was so cute to see them sleeping together curled up into tiny balls of fluff. We enjoyed watching them interact, though we now know that some of their antics weren’t innocent. However, it is much better than finding a mauled critter. So, lesson learned. Not only do we have to keep them away from the cats, we must keep them away from each other.
that’s not fair!
Sunday, March 22nd, 2009So, in one of my new favorite blogs, I read this entry. I found Aimee Mullins’ story fascinating, especially once I dug around on the internets to find out her background.
After seeing the linked presentation Aimee gave, it made me feel more confident in my stance. Having started running, and realizing how much of it lies below the knee, I have often thought that people with those fancy sprinting prosthetics have been at least on equal footing (pardon the phrasing) if not at somewhat of an advantage. Having seen her thoughts on the current dialogue, I see that maybe we are beyond amputees being disabled. Given technology, and art, there are so many things we can do! The Alexander McQueen (whom I ADORE) legs are an incredible statement on how we look at prosthetics! The fact that she can adjust her height on realistic limbs is incredible!
Please, do not misunderstand me, this is not something I wish for myself or for anyone. However, given what is available, I think that people in Aimee’s situation are certainly not limited in their options. Hers may be different from mine. However, to say that one or the other of us is at a disadvantage is not true.
I think that this is a thought provoking piece on what we consider normal, or disabled. To me, it certainly gives a whole new meaning to the old saying, “the grass is greener…”
almost grown up!
Wednesday, March 18th, 2009So, I (finally) have a 401K. This was the first job I’d had that offered one, and I’d been thinking about it for a while, but finally got around to signing up, and choosing where my money would go and all that. I’d been leery of late after hearing from friends about how much they’ve lost recently. However, as a coworker pointed out, with things so low, it’s actually a good time to jump in, besides, the company matching part is free money.
So, I took the plunge! It’s kind of a pain in the ass to allocate what funds go where, but I managed. Now, I hope to sit back and watch!
For the record, we have other investments and such, I just never did the 401K thing. So, getting ready for retirement a little more, since I am nearly halfway there (yikes!). One thing I really like is that the money automatically goes in. I don’t even get to touch it first…which helps. So, let’s all root for those stocks and bods and such to go up, up, up!
i did it!
Tuesday, March 10th, 2009I completed my first half marathon!!!!
I think a little recap is in order.
We planned our trip such that all the Disney fun would be before the race, so that I wouldn’t have to hobble around Disney after completing the race. We managed to pack a lot in, though it seems like no matter how much time one has at Disney it just isn’t enough! I set aside time on Friday to get my race packet, as I wanted to get that out of the way. If I didn’t have the packet, I couldn’t run, and I didn’t want to have to stress about it at all. So, at noon on Friday, G and I set off to Disney’s Wide World of Sports for the Half Marathon Expo. We got there, and with the help of some cast members, we found the Expo, and the place to pick up my packet. First, we waited in a line to get my bib, chip, and pin. The lines were broken down by bib numbers, so the line was pretty manageable. I wasn’t sure which princess I picked as my favorite, since I tend to prefer the villians. When the gentleman handed me my bib, I found I’d chosen Sleeping Beauty. So, my bib had the Half Marathon logo at the top, then it read “Princess Amanda,” then my bib number, then Sleeping Beauty at the bottom. The bib was pink, which worked out nicely with what I planned to wear on race day. I signed off on receiving everything, and headed over to verify my chip. One quick scan, my name popped up, easy peasy. From there, we headed to the opposite end of the building to get my goodie bag that accompanied my packet. There wasn’t a line at all for that, pretty sweet! The bag was a drawstring knapsack with the HM logo on it. Inside was a plethora of treats! A pink tech shirt with the logo and sponsors on it, a pair of LifeFitness shoe inserts, some energy chews, a stick of deodorant (secret!), a Sharpie Marker, flyers on all sorts of races across the country, all the rules and info about the race, coupons, and safety pins for my bib. I think that’s everything. The lady that gave me my bag then told me where I could look at the medal. We looked…it was big and heavy! A real medal!! I was picturing it around my neck. We then had to head to yet another line to pick up our tickets for the post race party. This one was a real line. It took about half-an-hour or so to pick up the tickets. We got those, and I wanted to check out some of the vendors. There were lots of people there also checking out vendors, so our perusal was pretty quick. We did check out a booth that had some funny shirts, one of which said, “will run for wine.” We decided that G’s mom needed one. She’s been talking about running, so we thought this would be a bonus incentive. They also had a shirt that read, “this seemed like a good idea three months ago.” Had I not already had a shirt for the race, I would have picked that one up!! On our way out we checked out the official merchandise booth. There were some cute things, but the lines were huge, so I decided I didn’t need anything. We finally were able to make our way to Epcot to enjoy the rest of our day.
Saturday, we had decided to divide our day between Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom. I had a meet-up scheduled with the SparkPeople group that got me through the training, which was to be the divider of the day for G and I. Between our Friday night excursion to see The Watchmen, and this trip to meet up at Downtown Disney, we learned that Disney transit is tough when you are trying to be somewhere at a specific time. Anyhow, we made it, and I finally was able to put faces to all the ladies I’d been chatting with online for so long! I felt a little bad, as I tend to be shy in situations like that. However, I did have some good chats with some of the team. They are all pretty cool, and they are all very supportive. Some are old pros when it comes to running, some are first timers like me. It was a nice time. We grabbed some delicious food before making our way to the Magic Kingdom for some last fun before my big race. We did pretty much all the things we wanted to do at MK. The park closed at 10, and silly me thought that would allow me plenty of sleep before the big race. I forgot to factor in several things. The lag time of getting out of the park, waiting for the shuttle back to the resort, and the biggie—Springing Ahead! After I got everything prepped for the morning, I got a whopping three hours of sleep. Oops!
Now, what you have all been waiting for–The Big Day!! The alarm went off at four, and was a little painful. After a round with the snooze button, I got up. I got in a shower, and put on my racing clothes (a pair of black running capris with fucshia trim, a black running bra, a black tank with a sparkley silver and pink tiara on it, running socks, and my running shoes). I made sure everything I needed was in my bag, things like ID, cell phone, room key, snacks…I threw on my Tink hoodie to keep warm until I checked my bag, put some jam on a croissant, whispered some good-byes, and was off for the bus. We were instructed to be on the bus by five am, to get to the start on time. When I got to the pick-up area, I was greeted by a HUGE line of runners waiting for the next available bus. Hmmm…I did get there before five….I hoped that those instructions allowed a little lee-way!! I found the end of the line, and tried to be patient. Every minute was putting me closer to the race!! There were runners of all types waiting in line. There were even some men! There were lots of costumes, some of which I truly wondered how the person would be able to run in! I love wearing a full length gown, don’t get me wrong. However, I don’t love them for running! Eventually, I was on a motorcoach and on my way. I drank one last bottle of water on the way, and tried to be calm. Though it would have been nice to have some company, I think maybe it was better I didn’t. I probably would have been chattering a mile a minute!
We arrived at the start area, and got off the bus. I could hear the DJ stand playing some dance music to get everyone pumped up. There were lots of tents set up, and people everywhere. It was still dark, so there were lots of large floodlights set up to make it a little easier to navigate. I decided to check my bag right away, so I wouldn’t have to worry about it, should race time arrive. They had the check broken down alphabetically by last name, and then by bib number within that. Pretty cool, I had wondered how they were going to manage up to 8,000 bags. After checking my bag, I just needed to find something to do with myself until the race. I found a patch of pavement, and again tried to be somewhat calm. I made sure my intervals were programmed into my Garmin, I did some stretches for my hip flexors and calves. I hopped up and down to put my nervous energy somewhere. Finally, we were instructed to head for the corrals. I followed the mass of people to the start. It turned out that the mass of people did not know where they were going, and we all turned around and headed for the real start. We were told that the port-a-potties were the last ones until after the start, so if we had to go, to do it now. I declined and headed for my corral. I felt a little sad that I wasn’t in a corral further ahead, but this was my first time, and I could always work up to that. I watched the crowds make their way to the correct corrals, and kept looking behind me to see how mine was filling up. Wow, there were a LOT of people! I stretched some more, and tried to keep warm. Despite all the people around me, it somehow felt cooler here. I had no idea what time it was, and tried to be patient for the start of the race. Suddenly, there was movement. Our corral walked ahead, through the next corral, picking up speed. Eventually, we were jogging. Then, we were across the start line! I started up my Garmin, and decided to run my first two intervals, skipping that first walk break to give myself a buffer between the sweepers. Right away, there were folks cheering us on. There was music. Before I knew it, I was passing the first mile marker! Each mile marker depicted a different princess, with the appropriate theme music playing. We were told there were hidden Mickeys in the mile markers, but I honestly didn’t want to waste time stopping to try and find them. I journeyed on. People were running off to the bushes, I think some to pee, some to puke, ick. Soon there was a water station, but I didn’t need that yet. Onward! We looped around an on ramp, which was a little tough to run on. The right to left slope made it hard to maintain form. Oh well. Onward! Soon there was trivia along the roadsides. Questions about the various princesses. I read them when I was able. Soon enough we were met by more water, powerade, and a medical tent. Lots of runners started getting Biofreeze. I kept going. Soon, there were characters to greet us, and many runners got in line for photo ops. I remained focused, and kept going. The mile markers kept coming. On our way to the Magic Kingdom, there was a drum line (at least I think that’s what the kids are calling them these days). The runners cheered for the drummers, and the drummers cheered back. A wheelchair racer passed in the opposite direction, and we cheered for her, and kept going. I finally grabbed a water to tame the tickle that threatened my throat. Just before the Magic Kingdom there was a group of Chinese-style drummers. They were in traditional dress, it was beautiful…just like the Olympics!! There were also spectators. I kept my eyes open for G and his parents, as I wasn’t one hundred percent certain which spectator option they chose. They weren’t in this batch, but that was okay. We continued in to the Magic Kingdom. Through Tomorrowland, through Fantastyland (hi spinning teacups!!), and to Cinderella’s Castle! There were constant cast members cheering us on, which was cool. Then, through the castle! We continued through Frontierland, and backstage. More characters awaited. It was kind of cool to be in the cast members only area. Like we got to be in on a secret. We continued running. Then, I saw Maleficent. For a split second, I wished I had my camera. Oh well, more running!!! Around mile eight, I saw the fam. I waved, and worked my way over. Quick hugs, I apologized for being gross and sweaty, and some pictures, and I promised to see them at the finish line. Off for more running!! I was beyond the halfway point and into the home stretch. I was doing this thing! As the sun got higher in the sky, I tried to maintain cool thoughts. Before I knew it, we were passing the drum line again. I overheard someone point out that we were going to have to run up the hills we came down on the way out. I was glad I trained in a hilly neighborhood! Up one hill, up the on ramp (stupid slope!), and we were headed to the big hill up to Epcot. I pushed up them all, and headed for the park, past the mile 12 marker. By this time, the park was open. It was funny to be running in the park, with all these guests! I kept going, and thought maybe some of us would inspire more runners. I smiled at as many people as I could, as guest, cast members, and spectators cheered us on. We were getting so close!!! We looped through the park, and I kept reminding myself the finish line was getting closer. I could hear the crowds as I came up on mile 13. As the finish line came into sight, I started tearing up. I was almost there….I was really going to finish this thing!!! I smiled at Mickey and Minnie, and bam, I was across the line. I maneuvered over to have my chip cut off, then the big moment I was waiting for, I got my medal! The fairy godmother sprinkled my with fairy dust, and there it was. I decided to grab a Powerade off the table, and started drinking…gross. Luckily, there was the fam waiting for me on the other side of the fence. Hugs and pictures ensued. I begged off for a moment to claim my bag, and met back up. We got in line to see about having my medal engraved. The combination of the $20 cost and having to give up my medal for the process turned me off, so we decided to head back to the hotel. G got the alert to his phone with my chip time. 2:37:30, 12 minute miles. I didn’t quite make my goal of sub 2:30, but it was darn close. He showed me my chip times during the race, and I sped up as it went on. Part of the problem was starting in the last corral. It took me a while to get into the right pace group. I think that would have easily put me under 2:30. Oh well, next time!
My MIL has promised she is going to run it next year. I sort of committed my husband into doing it, as well. I guess this means I have to keep running!!
i’m going to disneyworld!
Monday, March 2nd, 2009In just a few minutes, actually. I started down this long winding path early last fall, and what seemed so far off in the distance is now here. In less than a week, I will reap the benefits of months of training. When I started, I could just eke out thirty seconds to one minute of running. Now, I can run for several miles straight, as many as fourteen with using Jeff Galloway’s walk/run intervals. I’ve run in rain, snow, heat, below zero temps, on ice, in water up to my ankles. I’m still surprised at how impressed people are when they find out I’m doing a half marathon. I’m not gonna lie, it’s been a lot of work. However, it is totally attainable. I mean, I’m just shooting for a finish, and getting my medal. No record breaking or anything. Mostly just proving that my lazy butt can do it. If my lazy butt can get off the sofa and do this, I am pretty confident that anyone can.
I just want to give a thank-you to everyone around me who has offered support, listened to my incessant running chatter, and put up with my lack of free time. It has been truly incredible to me how supportive everyone has been, be it family, friends, co-workers or internet acquaintances. I have met some incredible and inspiring people who have kept me going on those days when I just wanted to give up. All the support has been so crucial during my training…I don’t want to let any of you down!!!
I finally got my last long run in yesterday (the last couple of weeks have been off kilter with my bad back flaring up and getting some sort of sinus infection) of 14.3 miles. I had to take a couple of unplanned walk breaks as my knee was grouchy in the middle, but I finished in three hours. Slow, yes. However the max time for me to finish the 13.1 is 3.5 hours, so I should be good for getting my medal, even if I have to slow down a bit for heat or the like. I have two short training runs left, then BAM! The half is here. I don’t know if I will be around the internets too much this week, but my goal is to keep my Flickr page updated with pictures, and to get a post-race recap in ASAP.
Thanks again!!!!!
my favorite color is kitties
Sunday, February 1st, 2009Yup. That pretty much sums it up. I love me some kitties. With four running around the house…we are pretty much at our max, despite my longing to save all the wayward kitties of the world. Saturday, however, I did not let that stop me. I got another kitty…another boy even!!! His name is Sabbath, and he lives on my right thigh. He is made of ink, but I love him none-the-less.
A while back, I promised myself that to reward myself for losing weight/getting in shape, and to give myself some incentive to keep at it, I would get a tattoo at the ten pound mark, then another at the twenty pound mark which would be my final goal. I met the first goal a while ago, but had to find the time and room in our budget for the ink. I’d already chosen what they would be, two of Emily the Strange’s cats. The first would be Sabbath, her kitty with a scarred ear (his right ear!–how appropriate!). The second, Mystery. Her oldest kitty with the curly whisker. The choosing of these was twofold, one I love them, they would be perfect on my quads, which after working so hard to give them some definition I want to draw some attention to them. Second, G and I wanted some sort of matching tats. After much tossing around of ideas, we thought that if I had two of Emily’s cats, and he had the other two (Miles and NeeChee) it would be cool.
So, I was able to get in on Saturday to get my ink. I’d long ago chosen the place and person that would do the art. Kore at Tatus by Kore. We pass by her shop every time we get our hair cut, as our salon is upstairs from her studio. Plus, she came VERY highly recommended from a couple of our friends. All of their art is top notch, which is key. Also, she only does custom work. So, no flash on the walls to pick from. No one will look through a book, say they like mine and get an exact copy. I like that. Plus, she is the artist, and that’s that. No trying to be sure that the artist I get will be as good as another, and with it being her shop, when I go back I can still get her.
Anyhow, Saturday was the day. I woke up early (for a Saturday), and felt like a child on Christmas. I did some poking around the house, then went for a run (I wanted to be sure I got it in…I wasn’t sure my willpower would hold after the inking), and got ready to go. G drove me over to the studio, armed with my reference material. I walked into the shop, and gave my name, and got my release form. G went to move the car after getting a good parking tip from Kore. Once my form was filled out, and my ID approved, I changed from my shoes to provided slippers. I followed Kore back to the drawing area, told her where the tattoo would go, and showed her my reference piece with the specified changes. She commented on how cute the kitty was, enlarged him, made suggestions to improve the look of the tattoo (one of which she said would make it look more like an original tat, rather than a coverup). We chatted about it as she drew, then she gave me the drawing to hold up to my leg to confirm the size. After I said it looked good, she made the stencil, and we headed over to the workspace. The prep didn’t take that long, but there was more than I expected. It made perfect sense, but as a tattoo virgin, I had no idea. So, I got shaved, sterilized, transferred, she had me confirm the transfer, and then I was ready to go. Her studio is very comfortable. Lots of beautiful artwork, calming music, she gave me some aromatherapy oil to soothe me, made sure G and I were comfy…it was all very nice. She is a very spiritual, very calming person. I felt immediately at ease with her, and I could tell immediately that I made a good choice with my selection of her shop. She got everything prepped, and as she looked at the placement on my leg, she mentioned that it was right in the area of the acupuncture points for the stomach. She asked me if I had stomach issues, which I replied that I did. She showed me on the cart, and exactly on my leg where the points lie…my tat was resting with the top and bottom points at each end! She said that people were usually spot on when choosing their sites. Our bodies tend to tell us what they need. I thought that was pretty amazing. She gave me some breathing advice, and told me that the outline process was like jumping in to cold water, and the coloring process was like swimming. Then, she started. I’d mentally prepped myself for the worst…but really, I didn’t need to. It wasn’t bad. I mean, it wasn’t the most pleasant feeling ever, but it wasn’t very painful for me, either. I breathed as she told me, and we chatted as we went. She told me how their were two types when it came to responding to the tattoo process. She said I was the type that relaxed in to it. She said I was definitely a tattoo person…which made me feel good. I was terrified I would be jumpy, or cause her to jump, or knock something over. But, I was chill. She finished him up, sterilized him again, cleaned him up, and photoed him. She gave me all the info for taking care of him, along with her initial sketch, signed and dated, and the tracing she made the transfer from. We paid, and made sure she knew who referred us. As we were getting ready to go, another potential client came in, to ask about having a piece done. I sort of eavesdropped, as I felt it would be useful info for when I get my Raven done. I liked how she handled the question, and how she responded. She totally addressed concerns I had in terms of the perfect placement and how that works with an original design. It really cemented me wanting her to do my Raven…which is something really special and meaningful for me, so who does it is really important.
It was a fantastic experience, and I highly, highly recommend Kore for anyone local looking to have work done. Also, I found out she runs a martial arts school. I’ve been thinking about taking some classes, and she talked some about her school, and I got a good feeling about her classes and how she runs the school. I may look into taking some classes there, once I am done training for the HM.
So, I am now one of the tattooed. Click my flickr link in the lower right hand corner to see a shot of Sabbath. I will take another photo later, when I don’t have to have ointment all over him, so there won’t be the glare. Now that I’ve got him, it is really, really good incentive to work hard to get to my goal and get his sister, Mystery.
looking at history
Monday, January 19th, 2009While tomorrow guarantees to be an historic event, I am talking about history of a more personal nature. Right now, I am having a little staycation. I really needed a break from work to get caught up on some things and have some me time. Somewhere along the line, I decided that it would be a good time for me to finally take a little road trip I have long talked about to see where my relatives are from. My great-grandparents came over some time ago, and settled in a town about three hours away from where I live now. I’ve never been, so I will be heading out there this week to see if I can see any sights relating to them, and to stop at the local history research center to see what I can find.
In the meantime, I dug up the family tree info I had so far to insure I was looking for the right stuff. A while back, I was trying to work on my genealogy, but it sort of fell to the wayside after hitting some blocks. I did some searches tonight, and found more info on my family. The best part? Someone I am assuming is a cousin once or twice removed (possibly a second cousin once or twice removed), has entered a chunk of family tree stuff on a genealogy website. Not only that, but he loaded pictures! So, I just spent quite a while looking at photos of my great-grandparents, and my great-grandmother’s parents and siblings. I can’t even begin to explain how that felt. I literally had tears in my eyes. I’d only ever seen one picture of my great-grandparents, and it was a family photo taken when they were a bit older, and my grandfather was wee. So, it was nice to see some younger photos, as well as what some more of the family looks like.
I am hopeful I will find even more info on Thursday. I know that my grandfather was very involved in the town, and there were newspaper write-ups and things about him, so I am hoping I will be able to get some copies of that sort of thing, as well as see the church he helped build and the cemetery where they are buried.
This is among the many reasons I am feeling so much positive energy from this week. It is amazing. I hope you are finding much positivity this week, as well!!!
sucked in…
Saturday, January 17th, 2009As anyone who knows me knows, I have a thing for (almost) all things vampire. I say (almost) because there are certain interpretations of the lore that leave me cold, such as Buffy and Angel. Thus, with all the Twilight hullabaloo, I tried to keep my distance. I mean, teenage girls everywhere were shrieking and weeping and forming lines at four a.m. at shopping malls in an attempt to score a glimpse of the actors doing their press junket thing. My anti-Twilight sentiment only grew once I read some things about the author around the time Breaking Dawn was released. She is a Mormon, who said she didn’t really know much about vampires and didn’t really research them before she wrote the books. Ummmm…no. As someone who is very specific about certain aspects of the lore, this was not going to fly. It was much the same as when Harry Potter came out, and I realized it sounded like a total rip-off of a series of books I read growing up.
However, we all know how that Harry Potter thing turned out for me, so I suppose my change of heart regarding Twilight was also inevitable. A friend saw the film, and was telling me about it at work one day. She recommended I see it, she said it was fun in a teenage romance sort of way, and that it was every teen girls dream. It captured that time of life very well. I told her I might check it out when the DVD came out, but not to hold her breath. Then, another friend started reading the book. She passed it along to the friend who saw the film. Their excitement was contagious, and I figured, what the hell? I can’t really knock something I haven’t tried, so I agreed to read it. Once I started, I couldn’t stop. I flew through the book, and while we were in Northern Minnesota over Christmas, I needed the second book immediately. Let me tell you, bookstores are not a staple in remote parts. We finally found a bookstore, and G kindly ran in and picked up New Moon. I polished that off, too, and the hunt was on for Eclipse. After a couple of bookstore stops near home, I procured it, and devoured it. Finally, we were on to the finale. I was hesitant…I mean, the journey would be over. I didn’t know if I was ready! I was attached to these characters. However, just as quickly as the others, I obtained my copy and devoured it. Just like any crack fiend…I needed more. I heard there was talk of a new version of Twilight, as told from Edward’s perspective. I went to the trusty internets. Sure enough, on Stephenie Meyer’s website she talked of this novel, Midnight Sun. Unfortunately, some chump leaked the book on the same internets, and she was in no mood to finish it as a result. However, she said that if the portion of the book that existed were going to be made available, she would rather it be on her terms. So, I then proceeded to devour the available portion of Midnight Sun. I tried to avoid it, I did…but I needed it! I read every deleted scene from the books. Though this seems like it is all coming out very easily, it is not. It is difficult for a woman of a certain age to admit she was caught up in teen fiction. I do want to clarify that these books are by no means high literature. However, they are enjoyable. Stephenie Meyer very accurately captures that time of life, where every option awaits you in the real world and first love hits so hard, you can’t fathom anything else could be the same. She also has some interesting takes on the lore. Outside of one thing I still can’t wrap my head around logistically, I can get behind it.
I even conceded to seeing the film. I think that, like my previously mentioned friend, I had viewed it prior to reading the books I would have enjoyed it more. It was a mediocre film to begin with. Now, I understand that in adaptations of books, things need to be cut, combined, etc. However, in the case of Twilight , there were things that made absolutely no sense to change. For instance, Bella and her father eating every meal in the diner. Really, she couldn’t make him dinner at home, as she did in the book? Really? I wouldn’t care so much if it weren’t sort of important to establishing Bella as the caretaker in her relationship with her parents. Which is kind of important to the way the other three books play out. Also, the costume designer for the film should not be allowed to work again. Bad, bad, bad. Costume is just as important to film as any other element to establish character, time, emotional state, etc. I think she was a little too focused on how slovenly teens dress at the mall, rather than the actual content of the film. Any tension that existed in the original text was gone. I am optimistic for New Moon, though. I think Chris Weitz is a much stronger director, and assuming Stephenie Meyer stands up for her content a bit more, I think we’ll be in business.
G says I am obsessed. I reminded him that I went through The Vampire Chronicles just as quickly, and proceeded to realize that he was totally the pot calling the kettle. I mean, he has an Interview with the Vampire tee, as well as a signed copy of the book. So there.
Speaking of all things vampire, the same weekend I took in Twilight, I also took in a vampire flick of a different ilk, Let the Right One In. Another novel to screen adaptation (though I haven’t read the book yet), though rather different. The film is Swedish, taking place just outside of Stockholm in the early 1980s. The film is lovely. The children in the lead roles are pretty fantastic, due in part to the content they were given. I appreciate how foreign films tend to treat kids more realistically, acknowledging that they are people who have the same feelings as adults, but are learning about themselves and trying to deal with the situations they are in with what experience they have, and that is a very difficult thing. This film has a more traditional approach to the mythology surrounding vampires and deals with it effectively. Some of the effects are a little jarring due to their quality in comparison to the utter realism of the film. However, I highly recommend it. I look forward to reading the book very much (c’mon Proptart…hurry up!).
I am also looking forward to Underworld: Rise of the Lycans very much. Whilst I am much more of a vampire girl than a shapeshifter/lycan one…I loved the Underworld films thus far. Plus, this one appears to be chock full of Bill Nighy in delicious form. I will be out at midnight for that one fo sho.
In a similar vein, thanks to the Headmistress over at Gothic Charm School, I have discovered yet another favorite blog, Haute Macabre. I love to peruse all of their new finds each day, and drool and bookmark and make wish lists. Some favorites from the site so far would be Coffin Couches, a site that sells sofas made from recycled coffins (WANT!!!) and this Squirrel Heart Pendant which I would shriek like a little schoolgirl should I receive it for Valentine’s Day. IJS.
BTW, to see how ridiculously into this whole Twilight thing I really am…check out my Flickr pool in the lower right corner. Team Edward, baby!!!
happy (belated) birthday to me
Friday, January 16th, 2009So, in perusing my blogroll a couple of days ago, I noticed my archives go back *drumroll* FIVE YEARS! Five years ago, yesterday, I started up this here squirrel…and believe it or not, i am still at it! It is fun to look at my old posts and see where I was then, where I thought I would be now, how productive I was, etcetera.
So, here’s hoping I’m still around in another five years!