Doodles of Thoughts

1) When the room smells of sugar cookies it's because you left a vanilla candle burning on your dresser. Not because your sister is baking at 10:30 at night.

2) It is possible to sell something off Ebay less than half an hour after you posted it. Who knew the original Star Wars trilogy was still so popular?

3) MacGyver fans such as myself are just crazy enough to spend an hour of their lives making up a list of episodes starring Bruce McGill as Jack Dalton so they can reference back to them. There are 19, which you probably didn't want to know but now know anyway! :D

4) Only an Oregonian would jump up and down with glee over a delicious rainfall and then twenty minutes later when the sun breaks through ask "That's it?!"

5) Mothers birthdays are sacred so make them special. Mine is happy with my specialty of the house, Chicken Kiev, for supper and gifts of a huge bouquet of flowers and Poirot DVDs. It's really the love that matters!

6) Sometimes your sister's room will look like WW III just happened, especially when she's cleaning out her Mary-Poppins-carpet-bag of a closet.

7) Book clubs can be fun! Especially when the main character of the book went braless for an entire day and you spend 10 minutes discussing it with a dozen other women!

8) Turn on the lights before heading down the stairs. It'll save you from a lot of grief and a severely angry cat.

9) Life is good. Make the most of it!

10) Cheers!

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Reading "Twilight" (Part 2)

So, nearly a month later I make the time to finish reading Twilight. As I expected it took me less than two days to complete the 300 pages I had left. Stephanie is nothing if not an easy read. Now comes the moment of truth. What do I think of Twilight? My ultimate conclusion is that women who are sadly unhappy with their lives will be drawn to Twilight the most. There's something lacking from their existence that Edward fills. Respect, admiration, and yes, love flowing from a "beautiful" man to a painfully ordinary girl would tempt almost any woman in unhappy circumstances to wish for their own Edward. And so the Twihards are born.

Was anyone else frustrated by the constantly changing moods of the main characters? Here's where Stephanie's writing comes into play. I cannot imagine bouncing from emotion to emotion the way Edward and Bella do on a daily basis. Bella's happy, she's sad, she's angry, she's pouting, etc. Edward's angry, he's defensive, he's amused, he's charitable, he's possessive, he's jealous, etc. Every chapter pretty much runs the gamut of all these emotions and I don't know about you but that alone would drive me nuts!

Still, I get it. I really do. If I were any less happy with my life (and I'm pretty darn happy) then I could understand the allure of Edward. What woman doesn't want to be protected and cherished even though she's just . . . ordinary? What woman wouldn't want Prince Charming charging to the rescue even though she's sure she doesn't deserve him? I cannot really fault Edward. He was first attracted by her scent that drove him crazy but then he started liking Bella as a person. He got to know her and he liked what he saw. I'm afraid I don't see what Edward saw in her. I don't get his attraction other than her scent. And therein lies the fact that this series was written by a woman who wanted to create the perfect man for an otherwise ordinary, boring, and rather selfish heroine. Bella is plain, simple, and emotionally stupid. She's immature because she's just a teenager and she annoys me now and always will. So I don't view Bella through Edward's rose-colored glasses.

Now comes the moment of truth. I don't need Edward because those same traits that Bella admires, at least the best ones, are the ones held by my heavenly Father. Bella created a god out of her boyfriend. I already have a savior and so what would I ever do with an Edward? Don't get me wrong. I want a husband and a family someday but not under the pretext that he is something perfect and brilliant and entirely too good for me because I'm dirt under his feet. No thanks. The One I worship is my God, Jesus Christ, and so I'm definitely not splitting my worship between Him and a boyfriend.

In conclusion, here are my final thoughts. The author's repetitive use of Edward's godlike appearance and rock hard skin got old fast as did Bella either blushing or getting short of breath. I'm romantic, but not that romantic. So, I saw the flaws in the characters, Bella especially, and in the story but I still felt compelled to continue reading. Bella remains as selfish as ever, from start to finish of the book. Whatever is easiest for her is the route she takes, even if it means not trusting her new vampire family enough to tell them about the risk to her mother's life. Bella is selfish and arrogant and even though she doesn't always want to need saving she always will because she's constantly putting herself in unnecessary danger. No romantic love is worth that type of self-danger but I know she'll never realize this so at least I'm prepared for the rest of the novels.vAnd yes, I am going to continue with the series. If I made it through Twilight and still enjoyed it despite everything I just said then I can make my way through the rest. My greatest sorrow is that now women have an unrealistic view of any romantic relationship they might form because they want Edward. Let's just say that you should never make your boyfriend into your God.

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