Tristan & Isolde

This is not meant to be some shameless plug for the beautiful James Franco (therein lies the plug!) but I watched the movie Tristan & Isolde (another library rental!) while I was playing hooky w/my sick daughter the other day and enjoyed it (well, I enjoyed the "scenery"-Sophia Myles is equally as gorgeous). I had to do a bit of research afterwards as I'm not familiar with the famous story. The best part of said internet research is that I came across the AMAZING Victorian painter Herbert James Draper (1863 – 1920). As an English painter during the time period, he mainly painted mythological themes (thus the painting Tristan and Iseult). There is a certain beautiful, realistic yet fantastic quality to his paintings that resonate with me. I'm not a painter so I can't do him justice describing his technique(s) or brush style but I know that I like what I see. Like so many artists, his work had fallen out of favor and by the time of his death, he was penniless and unrecognized. The Gates of Dawn look at her face) and The Lament for Icarus are also fantastic.

Eccentric

My daughter and I watched a clever film last night (rented from the local library, no less) based on the book, My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell (1925-1995). As a nature freak I must apologize for not being familiar w/Durrell before now: he was a famous British environmentalist and conservationalist and a great lover of animals. This particular book/movie was based on his early life experience spent with his eccentric family on the island of Corfu, Greece from 1935-1939. During his stay on the island, he categorized and collected much of the native fauna, "housed in everything from test tubes to bathtubs". The film primarily highlighted his eccentric, motley family and the sublime Greek landscape. After watching the movie, I've decided that I'm not nearly eccentric enough. I think I was once. My new goal is to move to Greece, study tortoises, make boureki and begin drinking wine everyday at 2 (this last goal I attain frequently).

Twilight hell

What is life like for those who have not read Twilight? I envy them. It's hard to remember a time before Twilight. Free time. Sanity. Not being totally consumed by a fictional work, by characters that do not exist in reality yet seem so real. There seem to be so many reasons why I shouldn't continue reading, but like Edward, I just cannot tear myself away from what I love. Helpless nerd that I am. Put the book down, I say to myself, and slowly back away. Now.

I'm on my first re-read of Eclipse right now. sigh. It's even better the second time. So much I missed the first time and I'm sure it will be even sweeter the third, fourth, (fifth?!) go-around; God help me, I need Twilight intervention. I rationalize my passion by saying things like, "I enjoy the writing", and "It's a really interesting plot." Bullshit. I like it for the same reasons that every 13-year old girl does: unrequited love. Or better put, unrequited sex.

If you happen to be one of the few who have not yet read the series (no one ever reads just one book) please listen to me now: DO NOT READ TWILIGHT! It's not too late to save yourself.

On the other hand, it's oh-so-good...

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