11-30-09
sometimes you gotta learn to love what’s good for you; or, my thoughts on New Moon
i saw new moon at midnight but didn’t feel like i could write about it until i saw it again, which i did on Thanksgiving.
seeing it at midnight was hilarious! not the movie, but the people. 95% of them (us?) were wearing twilight paraphernalia. they were discussing team edward vs. team jacob while sitting in line (yes, sitting).
women EVERYWHERE…i might have seen two dudes, total. supposedly there was someone even wearing a wolf costume. yes…a WOLF COSTUME.
we went to the Green Hills Regal, wherein 16 theatres were SOLD OUT. From what i heard, all of the theatres showing New Moon at Cool Springs and Opry Mills were sold out too. Insanity!
It was fun. I saw Twilight at midnight last year and it was a blast too, but not nearly as crazy as this year. I was embarrassed to be there so I wouldn’t let Rach take pictures, but I totally wish I had just gotten over myself and let her. (Sorry Rach! We can take pics in June! Even of my Edward shirt! Not that I was wearing one…and if i was, there is no proof!)
anyway, in case you were curious:
+ the giant painting was a great way to introduce the Volturi, and I thought it was well done.
+ Birthday party scene was lame and weird. And Jasper looks weird in the whole movie.
+Was it just me, or was the emotion between Edward and Bella just not there? Were we supposed to read it in their faces? Cause for me, the intensity was just not obvious. And, the kiss on her birthday? Was painful. And I don’t mean that as a compliment.
+ When Edward leaves her, he doesn’t take his CD. Why? BECAUSE HE NEVER GAVE HER ONE. His talent at the piano is part of what makes him who he is…I wish they hadn’t skipped that.
+ my VERY favorite part of New Moon (the book) is the pages which simply read OCTOBER…NOVEMBER…DECEMBER…JANUARY. It broke my heart in the book because of the obvious passage of time and how the months passed by blankly for Bella. And I was super impressed with how they did this in the movie. Beautiful. Broke my heart almost as much!
+ I cannot say this enough: I LOVE JACOB. I love him for Bella. I love him for me. I love him. i said this last year:
“i’m skeptical of jacob (taylor lautner). i want to love him the way i love jacob in the books. i don’t know if he can carry a whole movie.”
let me be the first to admit that i was WRONG. totally wrong. he was fantastic. dear taylor lautner, you carried the whole movie. thank you.
+ “it’s not a lifestyle choice, bella, i was born this way!” nothing else to say about that except it’s so funny.
+ “I’m not like a car you can fix up. I’m never gonna run right.” Heartbreaker.
+ The way Harry Clearwater’s heart attack was portrayed was pretty great.
+ the flashbacks to twilight were perfect.
+ Bella’s reaction to seeing Alice really killed me. KStew did a good job — she actually had tears in her eyes! Just knowing the emotion (from reading the book) behind her reaction made it hard for me to watch that part.
+ i really love the Volturi. The Italy scenes were fabulous. Even if some of them were written in just for the movie, I liked them anyway.
+ The part I liked the least in the book = human herding. GROSS. It wasn’t as scary in the movie as it seemed in the book, and I’m glad.
+ And this sums it up: (to Jacob) “Don’t make me choose. ‘Cause it’ll be him. It’s always been him.” Ahhhhhhh WHYYYYY??
can’t wait for eclipse. especially the sleeping bag scene. let the countdown begin!
11-12-09
you got it, you got it…some kind of magic
I just looked back at what I wrote about last November (because on day 12 i’m sorta stumped) and I found one of my fave posts ever – you know, the one about stalking seeing Edward Cullen Robert Pattinson. Hilarious. My favorite Twilight site ended up linking to it and sending like 1000 people to my blog. Insane!
Even more insane is the hugeness of Twilight. I started reading the books in May of 2008 at the insistence of my good friend Olivia. I thought she was silly for loving books about vampires but I found it at Target for $8 (not in a prominent spot, mind you, as the craze hadn’t started quite yet). I started it Saturday, finished it Sunday. Bought New Moon on Monday, finished it Tuesday. Bought Eclipse, finished it Wednesday. Yup, I read three books in 5 days. They sucked me in! And by the time Breaking Dawn came out, I had convinced at least 20 people to read them. I wish that was an exaggeration, but it’s not.
Now, over a year and a half later, I have some thoughts about why i (and so many other people) were/are so drawn to it:
+ we all want to believe there is someone out there waiting for us the way Edward waited a century for Bella. We want to believe that someone will swoop in and rescue us at the perfect time. A friend said to me the other day, “Disney movies have ruined three generations of women.” Not that Twilight is Disney, but with the whole helpless – girl – needs – a – prince – to – save – her thing I’m inclined to agree.
+ Twilight makes it look easy. I mean, apart from the “bad vampires want to kill bella” thing. They make love look like it takes no work, no effort to maintain.
+ It’s written by a women from a girl’s perspective. I think this changes things. Perspective is important. Edward is a fantasy. He is not real. Sure, some women say they’ve found “their” Edward. Whatever, he doesn’t exist. He’s your Edward because he’s perfect for you…but he’s not Edward as portrayed in Twilight.
+ Bella’s character is under-developed enough to where any woman can fit herself in the story as Bella. This article says it so, so well:
For in the narrative of Twilight, Bella is crafted as an almost non-personality…besides the fact that she is clumsy and likes cooking dinner for her father, there are very few specifics as to her looks, her hobbies, etc. Indeed, Bella functions as a cipher into which any reader — mom, daughter, whatever — may insert themselves.
Now of course this doesn’t mean I’m over it…I will still see the movies. I might even read the books again (one day, when my little heart can handle them). But I feel like I have a different perspective on it than I did when I began. I realize we all need rescue – but if we place that expectation on a person, they will always, ALWAYS fail.
I don’t need rescue, a white knight, a prince – I need a savior. Love DOES save the day, but only the kind of supernatural LOVE offered by our Creator.
What about you? Have you read Twilight? What are your thoughts?
(title song: from ‘caught myself’ by paramore)
11-08-09
i’m not gonna talk about that
i love taylor swift.
especially when she does things like this:
11-23-08
you are exactly my brand of heroin.
i can’t believe there’s only a week of november left and i’ve actually managed to post every day for 3 weeks. i have wanted to give up so many times, especially given that november has definitely be a crazy month, yet somehow i’ve managed to do it. and i guess i’m glad i have, because it’s also been a good month, filled with friends and family and laughter and love amongst the loss and grief.
anyway, onto my thoughts about the twilight movie:
- first and foremost, i thought it translated well. i saw it again last night with 3 people who hadn’t read the books and they loved it – which meant the plot flowed well enough that they could understand it
- i love robert pattinson and kristen stewart as edward and bella. i thought they were perfect. i love his facial expressions and she played the part of a klutz very well. i thought everyone was cast well except rosalie, and i’ll just have to get used to her.
- i wish the intensity between edward and bella had been played up more. but i still got tingles when they kissed
- i like how they set up the end for new moon and even eclipse, even if that part was written into the script (the part w/ victoria walking down the stairs)
- i LOVE alice (ashley greene) but where’s her story? i think the cullen’s stories are important and i don’t think they’re going to tell them. sad.
- jasper’s (jackson rathbourne’s) facial expressions crack me up
- i’m skeptical of jacob (taylor lautner). i want to love him the way i love jacob in the books. i don’t know if he can carry a whole movie.
- bella wears sweatpants – where were they?
- why did bella not cook for charlie?
- why does stephenie meyer think she needs to be in her own movie?
- LOVED the soundtrack – even more-so now after noticing the placement of the songs
- the graduation hats? hilarious.
i’m sure i’ll think of more and i’ll add them if i do…. of course the book is better than the movie. of course. but i still really enjoyed seeing my favorite book come to life and i CAN’T WAIT for new moon!
11-22-08
top ten reasons i love coming home:
1. spending a significant amt of time with my entire family.
2. i love to drive.
3. celebrating the life of my incredible grandfather!
4. rose (= my blackberry) and ruby (= el’s blackberry) got to meet for the first time
5. spending the day in nashville = sushi at pm and cupcakes at gigi’s!
6. seeing twilight twice for a fraction of the cost with some of my FAVORITE people
7. sleeping in my own bed
8. attending crosspoint
9. it doesn’t hurt wearing heels – the longest i have to walk is to the car 
10. target and chick fil a!
11-14-08
day 14…and i’ve got nothin’
things i want to write about but can’t get past the first two sentences:
- our trip to Africa. we leave in 6 weeks. What???
- the six shots i got for said trip to Africa — five in one day! i’m hardcore.
- the gross new york weather and how it makes me feel (ugh)
- the amount of money i have spent on cabs lately because of the gross weather and how i also seem to be running late a lot these days
- the fact that i’m in my bed at 8:30 on friday night. i’m tired. obvi.
- my grandfather
- how excited i am that i have company coming next weekend
- the twilight movies (that’s right, i said movies PLURAL!)
- how much i love my blackberry. her name is rose.
real post tomorrow instead of a lame list, which will require that i get out of bed and do something worth writing about. here’s to hoping!
11-03-08
how i used my skills as a former groupie to stalk a vampire* [a timeline]:
SUNDAY:
1:00PM received word that edward cullen (his real name is robert pattinson. i don’t care. from now on his name is edward) would be at the Apple Store in Soho Monday night.
1:30PM moved Monday night Bible Study to the Starbucks beside the Apple Store. Obviously a coincidence.
1:45 convinced roommate Susan to join (“convinced” really is a strong word…all i had to say was edward cullen and she was totally in)
2:00-11:00 Spent rest of day in anticipation of seeing boyfriend on monday
MONDAY
10:30-3:00 too much work (sadly forgot about seeing boyfriend, as was extremely busy)
3:00 received word that the line formed at 11:00 this afternoon and they were only letting 80 people in
3:30 told Bible study girls to get in line
5:00 Bible study girls get to go in
6:15 leave work
6:20 get on wrong train
6:30 get on right train that goes wrong way
6:45 give up and take a cab. slowest cab driver ever.
7:00 arrive at apple store
my ‘excited!’ face
7:01-7:29 wait. we have come to the conclusion that we won’t be getting in the store.
7:30 spend $4 on an apple and some sweet potato chips for dinner from dean & deluca, as is closest place to eat. need to get back to my standing spot
7:40 realize we are standing next to paparazzi. best chance for glimpse of edward
7:45 crowd gets bigger
7:46-7:59 take pictures to pass time:
we love edward cullen.
8:00 false alarm [someone screams "EDWARD" and girls come a runnin']
8:01 wonder if i’ve been transported back to 1964 and we’re actually waiting for the beatles
8:05 false alarm, but this time i scream too and run across the street. yes, i’m embarrassed.
8:15 Catherine Hardwicke shows up. Stupid paparazzi run up to her yelling, “Stephenie! Please sign our books!” We inform them that she is NOT Stephenie. They are idiots.
8:20 the NYPD show up:
8:20-8:30 crowd continually getting yelled at by bodyguards to back up and get off the street
8:35 a black car pulls up
8:35 i scream and run across the street. again.
8:35 edward cullen gets out of the car. i try to take a picture and end up with this stellar shot:
9:00 on way home. make roommate susan cry when i show her what i’ve written in my journal about my future husband (because reading the twilight series will make you write about your future husband)
11:30 bed. and glad i got to see edward cullen. but mostly i’m just glad to live in a city as crazy as new york.
* yes, a vampire i said. i have trouble believing edward cullen’s not real.
TUESDAY [AN EDIT]:
roommate susan sends me this picture. Now I know why my shot of Edward was so incredible:
i am awesome.
08-10-08
i cannot live without books (thomas jefferson).
books on my “bedside table” (aka my windowsill) from left to right:
the way to love by anthony demillo
what the spirit is saying to the Churches by henry blackaby
52 ways to help you and your small group grow by dave early and rod dempsey
bird by bird by anne lammott
everything belongs by richard rohr
rockabye: from wild to child by rebecca woolf
the message remix by eugene peterson
reaching out by henri nouwen
believing God, breaking free, and david: 90 days with a heart like His by beth moore
books i just returned to the bookshelf after i cleaned off my windowsill yesterday:
twilight , eclipse, and breaking dawn (three-fourths of the twilight saga) by stephenie meyer
the reason for God by tim keller
blue like jazz by donald miller
books in my purse:
ESV thinline compact Bible
crazy love by francis chan
07-29-08
correspondence tuesday [fifteen]
for the past couple of years, I’ve tried to set aside time on tuesdays to write letters or send packages to the important people in my life who don’t live near me. i decided to bring it to the blog and write to an anonymous [important] person each tuesday. this is the fifteenth edition – enjoy!
and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
so instead of fixing and changing, this is one of those letting go things that i’m getting better at. it’s letting you talk if you want to, but if not i will sit beside you silently, hoping you know that i love you. it’s crying with you because i see all of the good in you that you don’t yet see. it’s giving you your space to grieve this loss properly, because it is a loss and there’s a process that you have to go through. but most importantly, it’s encouraging you to cling to the One who is in the midst of the storm with you, the One who created the storm and can – will – calm it.
there is an edward out there for your bella, except your edward is better than the fictional character we love so much. your edward will love you because of the Jesus he sees when he looks at you. when the time is right, he will love you the right way – the way you deserve to be loved. and you will love again.
07-16-08
correspondence wednesday?
ok, there’s no such thing as correspondence wednesday, not on this blog at least. but it was the most clever thing i could come up with. without further ado (side note – what does ado mean? is that a word?):
dear old navy,
did you happen to fire every single one of your designers and hire some new, awesome ones? i don’t think i’ve shopped at you (with the exception adding to my extensive collection of wife beaters) in several years. but now, old navy, how i love thee. i want everything in your herald square store. since i’m going to the beach this weekend i’m finding it difficult to spend too much money these days, but you and i? have a date next week.
inexpensive fashion rocks,
elizabeth
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dear stephenie meyer’s publishers,
i don’t think i can wait 2 weeks to read breaking dawn. could you just answer a few questions for me? i promise i’ll still read the book. will bella become a vampire? will she choose edward? if so, will jacob find his soulmate? jacob DESERVES a soulmate. will it make me CRY MYSELF TO SLEEP like eclipse did? oh, the suspense….don’t know if i can take it.
can’t wait for august 2nd,
elizabeth
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dear ethiopia,
i can’t wait to meet you.
because of Jesus,
elizabeth
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dear jersey shore,
i hear you calling my name. after one more day of work, i will be lounging on your warm sand (in a chair, with an umbrella, covered in sunscreen because at 27 i’m finally concerned about wrinkles and skin cancer). i’ll bring the cute summer dresses and flip flops if you promise to provide me with three days of beautiful weather.
soon,
elizabeth
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dear best friend,
it’s almost annual vacay time! and i can’t WAIT to see you!
love,
elizabeth