Twilight haters are everywhere. They're as obnoxious (if not more so) than the avid fans. Right here, in one post, I'd like to show each side the flaws in their arguments, because I really hate seeing stupid, incorrect, and poorly thought through attacks that the fans and haters have launched at each other.
I'd like to start off by saying that I honestly enjoyed the books. I've heard Stephanie Meyer's writing style criticized as being simplistic, but the story is told by a teenage girl, not a bard or a scholar. Simplistic fits. Also, the book was not written for the same audience as Lord of the Rings; it was written for teenagers. I think the writing style arguement should be scrapped.
I've also heard the argument that the characters are stupid, the plot is stupid, and so on. I think the characters behaved as most teenagers would in their situations. I think the plot was unique and not all that bad.
Then there's the vampire issue. Vampires do not exist in real life. They are fantasy. Most people think of vampires as pale, but the first vampire myths portrayed them as bloated and purple from drinking blood. Authors changed how we saw vampires over time. The Twilight vampires are definitely not what we usually see, but that doesn't make them bad. Should we be comparing World of Warcraft elves to Lord of the Rings elves? No. Enough said.
I was throughly disappointed with the movies. Robert Pattinson does not look or sound as Edward should. He slurs his words together and doesn't have the formal way of speaking that Edward has in the story. Kristen Stewart just kind of sucks at acting. Actors aside, I think the movies left out way too much of the emotion. in the books, you really see the love between Bella and Edward. You see Edward's humor, charm, and compassion, none of which comes through in the movie. The movie really makes it seem like they fell in love overnight for no real reason.
I've seen a lot of really dumb arguments against Twilight pop up recently, too. I found a group of people who called Twilight a rip-off of Death Note. Do you know what the basis of the argument was? The apple on the cover. Some people actually believe that Stephanie Meyer was watching her anime one day and saw Ryuk eat an apple, then thought, "I'm going to write a story about vampires!" Twilight and Death Note have absolutely nothing in common, and the apple isn't even the main focus of each story. How, then, can Twilight be a rip-off of Death Note? It's not like Bella found a death note, or the gods of death are trying to kill her, or anyone in the story is trying to play God.
Those are my thoughts. I just wish people would stop being so obnoxious without knowing what the hell they're talking about.
I was reading an article the other day (link) all about foods that people think are healthy, but really aren't. Some of them I already knew, but others were really surprising. Yougurt, for instance, is overall good for you, but did you know that the fruit on the bottom is loaded with sugars? Instant oatmeal is another surprise. The package shows you all kinds of vitamins and stuff. Too bad all of the nutrients are chemical based and there's lots of added sugar. Then there's soy procucts. Not only is soy not as good for you as other things, it can be flat out harmful, with a whole list of negative effects ranging from reproductive problems to cognitive decline. Diet soda is also awful for human consumption, which I already knew. Anyway, you can read the article for more info. It's sorted out well, so you won't have to dig through tons of text to find something worth reading.
I got a nice new camera for Christmas, so I'm trying to get into photograhy a little bit. Here are some pictures I took of a teddy bear I've had all my life. The first one I faded a little. The second is more saturated.
I've been quite busy the past couple weeks. My boyfriend and I were hosting a murder mystery party for a friend. It was to be a going away party, but he may not move. By the time we knew that he might be staying, the plans were well underway, so we went ahead and had the party anyway. It was loads of fun.
I've really been trying to be more active on Deviant Art lately. I entered a contest today. :D Here's my entry: http://eternalnight11.deviantart.com/art/Love-Note-154439942
I feel like I've lost a lot of motivation for many reasons, including depression, fatigue, and a lack of routine. Stress-induced illness hhit me so hard that it knocked me out of high school my junior year. I should be a senior now, but it was either re-enroll the next year and repeat junior year, or get my GED. I probably would have had the same problems the next year, so I dropped out permanently. It was for the best. Leaving school removed a lot of stress, though I still have plenty. I plan on getting my GED very soon, looking into colleges, deciding what I want to do with my life, and moving out of my stressful living situation.
Having structure in my life is what I need the most right now. With structure, there's more urgency to get things done, and thus, motivation to continue. Until I get everything on track, the blog posts may be spotty, but I'll try.
These "Wicked Whiskey Chocolate Cookies" are from The Ultimate Shortcut Cookie Book by Camilla V. Saulsbury. The icing below is from the same book. I didn't try the icing, but the recipe is there. The cookies came out well.
Cookies
Ingredients:
-1 19.5-19.8 oz package of brownie mix (I used Betty Crocker's Dark Chocolate)
-1/4 cup of whiskey (I used Seagrams VO)
-1/4 cup of unsalted butter, melted
-1 large egg
-1 1/2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick cooking spray. Mix the brownie mix, butter, egg, and whiskey together with a wooden spoon or spatula until moistened. Stir in the choclate chips.
3. Drop by teaspoons onto the cookie sheets 2 inches apart.
4. Bake 9-12 minutes until cracked in appearance and just barely set at the center.
Icing
Ingredients:
-6 tablespoons of unsalted butter
-1/4 cup of whiskey or bourbon
-1/4 cup of light corn syrup
-4 ounces of coarsely chopped baking chocolate
-2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
-2 cups of sifted powdered sugar
Combine the butter, whiskey, and corn syrup in a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat. Bring it to a boil, then remove it from the heat and wisk in chocolate until melted. Wisk in vanilla and gradually add powdered sugar untilthe frosting is a spreadable consistancy. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before using.
