Glittery Stuff

Hi Interwebs friends! Long time no see... or type. This is so hard trying to post from home. Like I have nothing else to do. Add posting on my blog to the list of crap I have to do but never find the time to finish. Like this weekend. We had great big plans for completing tons of stuff this weekend. And what happened? We all got sick. Zombiegirl and MR came down with H1N1, Z-girl on Thursday and MR right behind her on Saturday. I had a sobbing migraine- one that left me crying like a baby- make it go away- all Sunday morning. And I got my period Saturday. All these ingredients make for a lost weekend sitting in front of the TV with everyone feeling sorry for themselves.

This probably explains why I was bitchy to a dear friend last night.

As some of you know, Zombiegirl's travel team is trying to raise some cash for tournaments and training. I had the bright (?) idea of getting the girls together weekly and making things for the upcoming Holiday Fair at St. Andrew's. It's been working out pretty well- the team is bonding as friends, they're doing crafts, which they love to do, and we might actually make a little money to put into the team account. So last night we're making fleece hats. They came out adorable!(Come and buy one on the 22nd...) Amanda and I are talking while I'm fixing last week's craft and she's gluing crosses for God's Eyes.

Amanda is reading Twilight by Stephanie Meyer.

I saw red. I hate all things Twilight.

Amanda was excited- she's not a reader, but she's reading the book on the recommendation of one of her friends, and she's really into it. She likes the love story and claims it's hot. She's not alone in this opinion. Search "Cullen" in Google and you'll get all sorts of gushy websites devoted to Edward. Teenage girls and grown women are wetting their pants for vampires who get all glittery.

I want to throw up.

I'll start my rant by saying I did read Twilight. It was a vampire book, so of course I've read it. I've been reading vampire books since Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice twelve years ago. Vamps have become very popular in the last few years. Vampire as lover has always been a theme or trait in books and movies. If you're a vampire, you NEED to get close to your victim in order to suck their blood. So what better was than to seduce them? But vampires as Harlequin romance books rubs me the wrong way.

Vampires aren't glittery. They're dead. Dead don't glitter.

That's not the only problem I had with Mrs. Meyer's book. I thought her writing was immature and a little childish. Her dialogue is stilted. Her characters are shallow and not developed. I thought to myself more than once- get to the point already!- while I was reading it. I had already started with Twilight while her next two books were already out. And I have been told that her writing matures as the books go on. But I've also been told that she's introduced the age old struggle between werewolves and vampires. Gee. Where have I read that before? Only Laurell K. Hamilton's books, and the Black Dagger Brotherhood books. I'm sure I'm missing a few, too.

I know these were meant to be teen novels, and I really don't begrudge Mrs. Meyer her success. I think I expected more with all the hype, and I just think there's SO much better out there. I feel if you're going to write a love story using vampires, you better have some nasty killing going on. Not races through the woods and sparkly love scenes. But then- to each his own. I like blood with my vampires. Amanda doesn't. And for that, I owe her an apology for getting all bitchy on her. Sorry, sweetie. Didn't mean to spoil your fun with fiction!

Don't mind me. I'm grumpy. Again.