ThingsAmongMany

Growing up I remember looking forward to the HUGE Toys ‘R Us circular that would come in the morning paper after Thanksgiving.  I would go through it marking anything and everything I wanted. Unfortunately I also had to face the reality that my parents would not get me EVERYTHING, so I would guide them through my holiday wish list with a key.  It had these categories:

1. Want 2. Need 3. Want but don’t Need.   4. Need but can live with out.   5.  Need and cannot live without. 6. Absolutely have to have and cannot live without.

This season I don’t need these Paige Cuff Frye Boots, but I want them badly.

You can deposit money into my paypal account if you’d like to make a contribution (e-mail me and I can set that up for you). Or you can go here.. and check out my Urban Outfitters holiday wishlist.

Feel free to add your wishlist in the comments section. Who knows, maybe Santa reads this blog.

I’m a vampire fan. As my friend Will pointed out the other day, as well as my hairdresser Lisa, ‘not everyone is a vampire fan. Some people prefer Zombies.’

And while I’m always down for a good Zombie flick (28 Days Later was not zombies by the way — it was humans infected with a mutated strain of the RAGE virus.. or something.. and it was a damn good movie), I will have to say that I love vampire movies. I love vampire TV shows even more.

When Buffy and Angel finally consummated their relationship in the TV show Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and Angel experienced his moment of pure happiness, thus breaking the curse plummeting him into the vortex of Hell, i cried.  I cried hard. Embarrassingly hard.

When they split the show Buffy The Vampire Slayer into one hour of Buffy followed by an hour of Angel, I reveled in the now 2 hours I could waste melting into prime-time WB programming.  When the network featured crossover events, I would isolate myself in front of the glowing television set in pure uninterrupted bliss.

Then the writers changed. The show started to suck and the WB became the CW.

And now many years later Twilight emerged. I picked up the book many times between 2006 and 2008. I look at the cover, read the dust jacket, put it down.

Then a few weeks ago at a Dinner Party a bunch of my female friends were discussing their love for the book. How “hot” it was. How they would stay up late reading it. I dismissed their comments (one of the girls at the party also said how she doesn’t read  book that doesn’t have a pink cover). Seriously.

And then my curiosity got the best of me. Late at night, unable to sleep I went on my favorite pirated movie website, and there it was. Twilight the newly released movie. Filmed with a handheld camera, it all its glory.

Being even more untrue to my “read the book, then watch the movie” policy, i clicked play.

I figured this crap movie would put me to sleep in seconds.

And I stayed away for the entire 90ish minutes.

The next day I found myself in a trance at Barnes and Nobles buying not only the first book but second book “New Moon”, and devouring both of them in days.

However for all its grasp on me Twilight it is NOT Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Nor is it Harry Potter — I don’t even want to humor the comparison.

Here to me, is how the books succeeds and fails:

First, let me start off by saying. Yes. I liked Twilight. I thoroughly enjoyed Twilight. I enjoyed it like I enjoy reading US Weekly in the bathroom (sorry for the graphic detail). Quick, entertaining, done.

Secondly, for people who claim this is a revolutionary new look at vampires (the whole being able to walk in the day light and not prey on people) just look at Anne Rice’s Interview With A Vampire — didn’t Brad Pitt only eat animals?  And Blade, he walked around in sunlight. Regardless, its a nice twist — the diamond glittery skin. The lack of fangs. And the inclusion of their greatest enemy, Werewolves. Nice.

Third, as for the INTENSE love story. Ehh. It’s intense because the author, Stephanie Meyer is constantly reminding us. In reality Bella walked through the school parking lot, saw a hot boy that everyone else thought was hot too. The boy, Edward couldn’t read her mind (like he could with everyone else) so he couldn’t hear her mentally drooling over him. Then they make eyes a few more times. And BAM - WHAT DO YOU KNOW, they are assigned to be lab partners and fall in love. Not complex. I mean yeah, her blood, so sweet, so hard to resist. But please. Its not love. Its pure infatuation. They never have fun. They never giggle together. He stares at her while she sleeps, always worried she is going to break. Honestly, Bella seems really boring. She wallows in her misery. I bet she shops at Hot Topic, if they have one in Forks, WA.

Some parents seem to think the book preaches abstinence. Really? This is hilarious since Edward is also saying to her, he will only end Bella’s human life if she marries him.  Shouldn’t it worry the same people who like the abstinence subtext that the book is fusing marriage with death?

Oddly enough even Angel and Buffy had an abstinence subtext.  They couldn’t have sex because if they did Angel would go to the vortex of hell. HELL people. Never to return and live a life of suffering and torture. That’s some mighty stuff.

But for everything I say that’s negative I keep coming back to the fact, that even now, as I’m almost finishing book three, I know I will go and get book four. Why? Its a good story. Its not a work of art. But its a damn good story.

And while I say give me Buffy & Angel’s romance any day over Bella & Edward’s, unfortunately for now, Buffy doesn’t have a movie out, nor a book, or a tv show.  So for those out there that despise Twilight maybe something good will come of this Twilight series after all.  Buffy movie?

(E-mail Josh Whedon and let him know you want it.)

Its almost that time. Yes, maybe I’m jumping the gun (it’s not even Thanksgiving).. but for all those people who’s New Years resolution is to lose weight, meet TweetWhatYouEat.

It allows you to use twitter as a food diary.
By sending direct messages to TweatWhatYoueat you can keep track of what you eat, instantly. It even allows you to log calories and your weight (which I will not be doing). Then you can view your diary personally via direct messages to Tweet What You Eat.

Tweetwhatyoueat also will link your food entries to  CrowdCal, a database of foods, allowing it to automatically figure out your caloric intake.  So far all you cheaters out there, beware. TweetWhatYouEat knows.

A few weeks ago Danny wrote about Wall Blank, the get cheap art and fill your walls website. And this made me remember another site. Jen Bekman’s 20×200.
The idea is simple:

(limited editions × low prices) + the internet
= art for everyone

Each week the site posts two new pieces, a photograph and a work on paper:

Each image is available in three sizes.

* A small size – an edition of 200 for $20.
* A medium - sized edition of 20 for $200.
* A large - sized edition of 2 generally for $2000

Every piece of art is delivered with certificate of authenticity and numbered by the artist.   There is even the opportunity to purchase the original from the artist.

So how did this all get started?
Jen Bekman opened an apparently tiny gallery 5 years ago on the Lower East Side. Her mission was to support emerging artists and collectors.  20×200 takes her mission further and redefines what it means to be an art collector.  And of course, like any good art lover, all profits are donated — in this case to the Public Design Center.

What I like most about this site is the art. Its’ gorgeous — thought was obviously put in selecting the pieces. I will admit I get super frustrated when I see something I need-want-and-can’t-live-without and then click to find out the only print left is at the $2000 level — but hey, all the reason to visit 20×200 more often.