Blog Humbug?

So, I decided that I am not properly feeling the holly-jolly christmas spirit that I should be feeling this late in December. This is despite the fact that the adorable wreath I hot-glued sparkley ornaments onto (side note: my hot glue gun is in the running for being one of the best birthday presents I have ever received) is hanging proudly on my door, and I have decked out my christmas tree in jazzy, color-coordinated decorations. I am not feeling Christmas-y. At all.

I could chalk it up to being away from home for the very first time during the Christmas season, or blame it on the fact that Rexburg is all but deserted since the school break is on, or point the finger of blame on the dearth of Christmas carols on my Itunes. Whatever the cause, I am feeling very decidedly un-jolly for the first time ever this close to Christmas.

Let me explain something, though. It would be an understatement to say that my family and I are "very festive people." We enthusiastically decorate our home for every major holiday, and even color-coordinate our outfits for family pictures in proper holiday-related color schemes. So, like I said, we are very festive, and I LOVE it. I miss it.

As I was saying, I was feeling a little blue (which, by the way, is not even a Christmas color for goodness sakes) from the absence of my Christmas cheer. To remedy that, I thought that I could get in the spirit by re-reading "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens.

Bad idea. Very bad idea. In my haste to find a cure for my Scroogey mood, I forgot how creep-tacular the beginning of that book is. I also forgot how much of a scaredy-cat I am. Anyone who has watched a scary movie with me knows what I'm talking about - except, when I'm reading something scary, I can't cover my eyes like I do during the movies. I just keep going.

Reading what is essentially a spooky old ghost story, was not a good idea to do all alone on a cold, white winter's night... which, by the way, is eerily similar to the setting in the book right before -you guessed it!- good old undead Marley shows up.

Awesome.

So, I think I'll save that particular re-read for next week, when I go back to Utah to be with the fam for Christmas. Until then, I'll download and blast some of Brenda Lee's Christmas album and drink lots of eggnog, and it will have to suffice.

All I have got to say is that Marley's ghost had better not star in my nightmares tonight. Fingers crossed.

PS: Thanks a heap, Charles Dickens.

(apology NOT accepted.)

So, I saw the Twilight movie.

And I haven't blogged yet about how much I liked it! There were parts that I felt were over-cheezy, but then there were other parts and scenes that had seemed cheezy to me in the book, that the movie turned around and made totally awesome. For example - vampire baseball. In the book, I was like, "Big whoop. They run fast and bump into each other. Blablabla." However, in the movie, that scene is one of my favorites. It's so fun! Overall, I really feel that it captured the spirit of the book. There were literally times that I gasped - when we first get introduced to the Cullens in the cafeteria, or when Carlisle walks into the hospital room.

It just brought the best and most important parts of the book to life! Which is alot more than most book-to-movie adaptations can boast. I cannot wait for New Moon. Hopefully, the budget will be MUCH bigger the second time around, because my main qualms with Twilight were the uber cheap special-effects. (Note: If the werewolves end up looking like stuffed animals or Michael J. Fox in 'Teen Wolf', I will have a SERIOUS issue.) Overall, I liked it alot, and I may add to this mini-review when I see it again, because the details will be fresh. As a book-to-movie adaptation, I give it an A-, and as a movie as a whole, I give it a B+.

Also: This made me laugh. But I must warn you, it has eaqual parts hilarity & creepy-disturbingness. Not for the faint of heart, or the puppet-phobic. But still way funny!