leaping into the twilight zone

I've been away too long, and sadly it wasn't until today that I missed it just a little. Did I mention that my laptop went on the fritz when I tried to plug extra usb ports in last week? It got all confused and blew a gasket. It was out for about a week and just got home. Other than that mishap I've been having a great last two weeks just lazing around soaking up the summer, or would it be more appropriate to say that the summer is making me soak? Never in all my summers in Los Angeles has it been so humid.

Rhys is smack in the middle of his first swim lessons and he's taken to them like a fish to water!


Last Wednesday I squeezed in a photosession with Dena, Brady and Brian showed up during the last part! In addition to being a music editor Brian is a superb musician! Here see for yourself at River City Gang.

The boys are wrapping up their camp experience today and so goes my solitary time until school starts. It was a really nice break for me. It's the first time in 8 years I've had long continuous stretches of time to myself. How have I been spending it you may ask. Well my original plan was to clean, purge and reorganize, but as we all know plans have a way of running away when things pop up.

In this case it was my catching the segment on Stephenie Meyer on Sunday Morning two weeks ago. Up until that moment I had seen the book series around the stores and had heard the commotion the film trailer created when it debuted at ComicCon, but had been too engrossed in other things to investigate.

After seeing the segment I was determined to read the series. I was lucky that the fourth and final book came out that past weekend. That Monday I ended up driving cross town to purchase the series from three different locations because for some reason the third book was in high demand. I spent the following several days devouring all four books. I read through them so quickly that I know I wasn't able to savor the experience the way that I should have. I was so desperate to find out what was going to happen that I sped through the thing like wildfire. I felt I really cheated myself when I reached the final chapter of the final book, and all I wanted to do was read it all over again. This is the first time I've ever felt the need to re-read what I've just read. As I'm forcing myself to go slowly this time around I find myself speeding through again, and may have to go for a third round. I can't explain it. Sure there are books that I've loved and have re-read, but usually I'll read them again at a much later time.

Whatever the reason I have to admit that this series has really captured my imagination as no book(s) has been able to do in a very long time. It might have to do with the subject matter. I have a thing for vampires that began way back in my childhood Christopher Lee, Frank Langella, Tom Cruise and who can forget George Hamilton? Barring Gary Oldman whose turn as Dracula in Coppola's version just repulsed me, I love my vampires. You are dealing with a girl who wrote her first term paper on the topic inspired by Ann Rice's Interview with the Vampire and the Vampire Lestat.

I'm rabid with excitement for the movie's release in late November over Thanksgiving break. Until then I'll have to satisfy myself with the books and trailers. An added bonus in these times of excessive information I was all over Stephenie Meyer's site and have discovered a deep love for the band Muse. She has ingeniously posted playlists for each book! There is the song 'Hate Me' by Blue October that I still can't get through without shedding a tear. And Collective Soul's 'Tremble for My Beloved' pretty much sums up my feeling for the series. Brilliant.