Quick Thoughts on the Twilight Craze

I'll admit it, I've entered the "Twilight" zone. I've read the first two books in the acclaimed series and have started on the third. Along the way, I have enjoyed them immensely. They are an easy read and provide the perfect escape at the end of the day when all I want to do is turn off my brain and relax.

I saw the movie yesterday and thought it was decent -- it was good for what it was, but in my opinion, the book almost always surpasses the movie. Regardless, I was still extremely proud today when I read that the director of this movie, Catherine Hardwicke, broke the record for the biggest opening ever for a female director. GIRL POWER!

What I love is that media folks are saying is that it was audiences of teenage girls that were filling the theaters to a take in a whooping $70.6 million this weekend alone. But what about us 20-somethings? Regardless of the cheesiness, there's just something to be said about a good, fluffy (and screwed up) romance. Teens and adults alike swoon over Edward Cullen and his mysteriousness. Stephenie Meyer (the author) knew what the heck she was doing when she created this series. GIRL POWER for her too!

I'm not gonna lie...I am already excited for "New Moon" to come out!

Eat Pray Love: A Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia

Elizabeth Gilbert's novel, Eat, Pray, Love has gotten many thumbs ups across the globe. I've just finished the book and I personally have enjoyed it immensely (although there are folks who beg to differ). There's just something about the way she carries herself that makes me want to be her friend (mostly by setting her straight half the time...).

Instead of describing the entire book and the parts I liked/disliked, I figure I'd just list some of the most memorable quotes spoken since there was a lot of wisdom hidden in the pages...

"Richard from Texas" describes soul mates:"People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that is holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life. A true soul mate is probably the most important person you'll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake. But to live with a soul mate forever? Nah. Too painful. Soul mates, they come into your life just to reveal another layer of yourself to you, and then leave. A soul mates purpose is to shake you up, tear apart your ego a little bit, show you your obstacles and addictions, break your heart open so new light can get in, make you so desperate and out of control that you have to transform your life, then introduce you to your spiritual master..."

"You don't want to go cherry-picking a religion," a friend of mine once said. "Which is a sentiment I completely respect expect for the fact that I totally disagree. I think you have every right to cherry-pick when it comes to moving your spirit and finding peace in God. I think you are free to search for any metaphor whatsoever which will take you across the worldly divide whenever you need to be transported or comforted... You take whatever works from wherever you can find it, and you keep moving toward the light."

"Having a baby is like getting a tattoo on your face. You really need to be certain it's what you want before you commit."

"You were given life; it is your duty (and also your entitlement as a human being) to find something beautiful within life, no matter how slight."

"There's no trouble in this world so serious that it can't be cured with a hot bath, a glass of whiskey, and the Book of Common Prayer."

And my personal fave: You gotta stop wearing your wishbone where your backbone oughtta be.

Great summer read. I highly recommend it!

Thought for Music Lovers

"What is love?

Great minds have been grappling with this question through the ages, and in the modern era, they have come up with many different answers. According to the Western philosopher Pat Benatar, love is a battlefield. Her paisan Frank Sinatra would add the corollary that love is a tender trap. The stoner kids who spent the summer of 1978 looking cool on the hoods of their Trans Ams in the Pierce Elementary School parking lot used to scare us little kids by blasting the sweet hit "Love is Like Oxygen" -- you get too much, you get too high, not enough and you're gonna die. Love hurts. Love stinks. Love bites, love bleeds, love is the drug. The troubadours of our times all agree: They want to know what love is, and they want you to show them.

But the answer is simple. Love is a mix tape."

- Rob Sheffield, contributing editor for Rolling Stone and the writer of Love is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song as a Time. The book traces Sheffield's relationship with the love of his life through stacks of revealing, worn-out cassettes. It's a wonderful book given to me by my dear friend, Meredith. Music lovers: This is a summer must-read!