In my entry I have a white railing with spooled posts. There are 77 posts. Over time, the paint wears down but cleaning and painting this railing is an extremely picky, time consuming job. My procrastination skills are at their best when it comes to this one. However, my brother will be coming up here for a visit at the end of April. It's been years since he's been here. This amounts to a state occasion. I am now in the process of painting the railing. This will be a time consuming effort. The railing needs two coats of paint. If you don't hear from me a lot it is because I am crawling around on a bunch of drop cloths paint, paint, painting. ..................... It will look pretty when it is done. The carpet is dark green. The walls are a medium green. The effect is that it shows off all the white woodwork of which the white railing is a part.
If I end up being too quiet this is the reason why.
This could mushroom. There's other woodwork, including some closet doors that won't look so white once the railing is done.
I've seen those posts and this is a major undertaking! When I first read your post, I thought you were going to get your brother to paint them, not just admire them. Careful, those painting projects do take on a life of their own!
It must be painting season as I spent yesterday helping my son paint the nursery for the new grandchild expected in May. The room is a lovely pale sage green called "Honeydew", but I'm betting it will be repainted pink if the baby is a girl.
Hmm, I could use a 'state occassion' around here. It's amazing what visitors or a deadline can do for motivation.
I wish I could think about painting. I get home from work every day and I barely have energy to get myself to bed. I need a vacation!!
And, of course, on the weekend when I should be resting I go ahead and do foolish things like invite a whole house full of preteen girls over to watch Twilight...
I need to ask you something regarding Twilight. My daughter Amanda bought the DVD and is in love with the movie specifically the main male lead. My son, Philip, hated it. I watched it with them and I just don't see the interest. What is the interest? I usually can watch every movie that my kids watch. I just don't get this one.
HaHa Tony! I kind of think it is not much of a guy thing!
Granted, some guys (actually a surprising number to me) have said they enjoyed it, but I think, demographically speaking, you're not supposed to get it.
The books were written essentially to a teenage girl audience, though of course they caught on with a wider group (myself included).
As is often the case, the movie was not as good as the book, and then add to that the low-budget aspect that made a lot of it come off cheesier than necessary (though there were certainly some cheesy parts in the books).
You may find the subsequent movies more interesting.
And as a snapshot to my psyche, my favorite character in the movie is James! HOT! (I do not recall him being so hot in the book, but I'm not complaining!)
Tony, I've been trying to think of how to answer you.
First of all, I have not yet seen the movie, so I can't comment on that yet. Generally (other than Harry Potter) I haven't liked movies based on books, so we'll see how that goes.
As far as Twilight the novels go, as a mother of a pre-teen daughter, I appreciate that this is a love story with very little physical relationship. Edward refuses to sleep with Bella until they are married. It's a love story that is based on respect and trust and self sacrifice, and has good moral values. Edward continually shows that he respects and loves Bella enough to put her needs before his, and ensures that he is always acting in her best interests. He's concerned about her well being and moral/mortal soul. He wants her to finish school. He wants her to experience life's opportunities. He doesn't want to cut her off from her family.
I like that Twilight takes all the old myths about vampires and werewolves and gives them an interesting new twist. How it ties in folklore and existing myths. I've been watching the HBO series True Blood (and I just bought one of the novels) and it has a similar premises - "vegetarian" vampires joining mainstream society.
And I think that Edward is a very cute boy, I liked him as Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and I'm sure he'll be just as cute as the brooding vampire. Just backing your daughter up here... lol.
I'll let Amanda jump in here also because I know that she's loved the books too and has seen the movie more than a few times.
-- Edited by karenkfc on Thursday 26th of March 2009 04:38:39 PM
Hi Tony, I'm going to answer as an elementary school librarian who has fourth graders carrying those books around (not from my library!). I haven't seen the movie, but I'm just starting the third book and it makes me a tad uncomfortable that girls of 9 or 10 are reading it. Even though there's no actual sex, there's A LOT of talk about sexual attraction and yearning. Middle school definitely -- fourth grade? I wonder how much of it they're "getting." It's kind of the in thing to carry around, ya know?
As for your not getting it, I have to agree it's a chick thing. Most boys are somewhat curious, but intensely scornful of the whole thing. They'd rather gouge out their eyes than read it! That being said, I have heard of a brave few who went to the movie and survived, LOL!
Just keep reminding yourself, it's a phase and it will pass!!!
I should say, Emily is almost 12 and I agree, I'd have a hard time with 4th graders reading it. Emily is also a slow reader so I don't have to deal with books 3 and 4 for a while yet.
At our little Twilight-fest on Saturday, I have six girls coming.. and one boy. Emily's friend Tyler has been reading it as well and so we invited him along. Travis will be there with his best friend, whose sister is friends with Emily. They have already made plans to play Wii or rent something else during Twilight....
Yes, Karen, I will agree, it's a chick thing.
Yesterday, I got Stephanie Meyer's new book The Host. Can't wait to start!
Thanks everyone I appreciate all the info. I guess this is just a new fad. The good thing is that at least all these kids are reading and not just playing video games.
Very good point, Tony. Before this evening I would have said all in good fun, but there was just a story on the evening news about kids at Boston Latin, a VERY competive public high school, that a bunch of girls were going around saying they were vampires and scaring other kids. There were reports that they had bit some kids. I'm thinking they'll get tossed out. I visited Boston Latin when I was in library school next door at Simmons. Let me tell you, they have a LONG waiting list of kids who want to get in; I can't think they'd tolerate it if true.
So...if your daughter suddenly shows an interest in raw meat... LOL!
Hey Amanda, I only just now realized that you had posted. It took me a long time to get through my post so you must have slipped in there while I was entering mine!
Of course you liked James. Who else would you have picked? The long haired bad boy!
And while I stand by it being a chick thing, I will say that the reason I started reading it is because my co-worker recommended it to me after her husband recommended it to her. He read all the books and loved them -- not to the same extent that his wife did, of course, but still. He also saw the movie multiple times (which he may or may not have done without her).
And, I saw the movie with a group of friends, among them a different guy who did not read the books, but had seen the movie multiple times and liked it. That same night, there was another guy who was out of town on business and totally bummed that his wife didn't wait for him to see the movie, since he read all the book as well (after she did).
So, some guys do get into it! But I think they're the exception rather than the rule.
Also, KK, that is freaky and crazy about the kids saying they're vampires. Where are their parents to help them distinguish fiction and reality?!
LOL!
