I'm baaaaaaaaaaack

Let me preface this by thanking those of you who commented on my last post. My self worth has improved exponentially, and my vigor for blogging has returned. (Or something like that... but for reals, thanks.)

I'll admit that during my hiatus, I had various ideas for posts, some of which ended up on my work blog (click on the link, go to lab, blogs and then "musings from the front desk" if you're interested) and others that I have merely forgotten about.

But I promised dear Kenna a post, and a post she shall have.

Since it's a popular topic, I'll start with my perception of Breaking Dawn. (Which means if you haven't read it yet and don't want it spoiled, you should immediately skip to the next paragraph. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.) First of all, I am slightly abashed to admit that I did show up at Barnes and Noble very near to 9:00 on Saturday morning, August 2nd, to procure my reserved copy of the novel. And I have to say, I have never seen so many teenage girls at the mall so early. As well as moms in their mid-30s. I had to giggle at myself and at the sheer absurdity of the fact that I was really, REALLY excited to read it. So I sat down and read it in a straight shot... which is how I like to read anyway. I was expecting main characters to die and for the ever-irritating Edward/Bella/Jacob love triangle to get even more convoluted and ridiculous, but was happy to discover that this was not the case. I have read the reviews of others who have absolutely slammed the book, claiming it was poorly written, boring and a disservice to the series. I personally think those people need to chill out. This book was an ending, which by definition means that things get wrapped up, that most of the hard-core character development has been established in the books leading up to the finale. I personally loved the fact that Bella became a strong woman (and vampire... yaya) instead of a bratty, weak girl. I thought that Edward was perfectly believable and not transparent. I was RELIEVED that Jacob finally imprinted, and was not in least bit turned off by the fact that it was to Edward and Bella's daughter. (It kinda makes sense in a weird way, and hellllo, she's full grown in seven years.) I thought Meyer was clever and in many ways unpredictable, and I think she sought to end the story in a way that would do justice to the mythology she has created. And seriously, Meyer is basically writing to teenage girls, so to expect in these books the literary prowess of a Rand or a Fitzgerald or another seasoned literary genius is slightly (or thoroughly) ignorant. I think that people had in their own minds how the story would end up, and in many cases, this perception didn't jibe with Meyer's ending. Which is understandable. But it's her story, so she can end it any way she wants. Perhaps it is because I went in with no expectations that I was pleasantly surprised, but I think it is more than that. I appreciate her style, that it's not horrendously explicit, but still thoroughly (if not at times more) effective. I have enjoyed the series and am glad that it ended in a happy way. I give her kudos.

Moving on, I am sad to say that SYTYCD has ended. Though I am still utterly bitter over Will's early departure, I have to say that Joshua is a deserving winner. I still would have loved to see Twitch win (I voted like 100 times... hey, Greg was at a Bachelor party, what else was I supposed to do?) but the fact that a street dancer won the competition is really cool. And it's lovely to see real people do extraordinary things and then be humble about it. (It's such a rarity these days.) I desperately wanted to attend the SYTYCD tour, but was too late to secure any decent tickets. And evil companies like StubHub are seriously trying to charge up to FOUR HUNDRED dollars for floor seats. For tickets whose face value is $55. I am bitter about this to be sure. There is no way I could legitimize spending that much money, or even a fraction of that much money on any concert or performance. It's just ridiculous. And not fiscally responsible.

And for the record: random, Thurl Bailey liked my husband's tie; no, I am not pregnant; yes, I've been on the line with various dumb callers this morning, one of whom I had to ask the same question to 5 times before receiving an answer (and oh, was my patience tried!); and yay, we're leaving for Newport on Friday.