Why "True Blood" Doesn't Suck. (Heh.)

(N.B. This was originally posted on my Twilight blog.)

If you're anything like me, you are experiencing some serious Twilight-withdrawal symptoms, what with Breaking Dawn having been read twice, Midnight Sun put on indefinite hold by Ms. Meyer, and the film still two months away. Yeah, I've got the shakes. It ain't pretty, folks.

But I heard rumblings of a new vampire show on TV, something called "True Blood." For some reason, I kept calling it "Tru Blood" in my head, which was probably why I didn't get around to seeing it right away. There's nothing I hate more than deliberate misspelling, especially in film or show titles. Inevitably, I get the dimwit in class that insists, "N'uh uh! That's not how you spell true, teacher! It's not written like that on the show!"

And so on.

Back to "True Blood." So I am flipping through the On Demand channels to see what's new, and I notice that HBO has all of the latest episodes of "True Blood" available. I am pleased that the title is spelled correctly, silly though it may be. I decide to watch the first episode, prepare to make fun of it after I hear the pseudo-twang of the actors (it takes place in Louisianna), but somewhere in between the opening and closing credits, I fall in like with it.

Don't get me wrong - it's not perfect. There's so much sex in the show, I would not feel comfortable watching it with my mom in the room, and they drop f-bombs left and right (it is on HBO), but the story is somehow compelling, and the actors are better than they have any right to be.

Anna Paquin plays Sookie Stackhouse (and every time I hear her name, I cannot help but be reminded of this Sookie). Sookie is a waitress who just happens to be able to read minds. She lives with her grandmother and slutty older brother Jason, their parents having died in a flash flood years ago. Her best friend is a young black woman named Tara who can't hold a job down because of her threadbare temper. Tara happens to have a crush on Jason, but for some reason he's not interested in her (despite the fact that he'll sleep with anything in a skirt). Rounding out the cast is Sookie's boss Sam, who has a so-obvious-it's-painful crush on her, but Sookie is not interested in any men. At least not any human men (In the second episode, we realize why she doesn't date - her ability to read minds leads to often offensive, sometimes hilarious intimations about the guys she's dating).

Enter Bill The Vampire. Yes, his name is Bill. As in Clinton. As in of Rights. As in, oh my Dog, what writers were in charge of coming up with the character names for this show?! Sookie? Bill? Seriously, people, I know there was a strike less than a year ago, but there's no excuse for "Sookie" and "Bill The Vampire."

At least Bill is of the handsome, brooding variety of vampire, not the white trash or scary-punk types shown before he arrives on the scene. Oh yeah, and there's an Ann Coulter-esque vampire who's even scarier than the scary-punk vamp. *Shudders*

So Bill the Vampire enters the diner where Sookie works and she knows instantly what he is. Why? Because she can't...read...his...mind. Dun, dun, DUN!

Of course, Sookie floats his way and begins a conversation, sparks fly, violins reach their crescendo, and I am going to end it there because I want you to watch the show, and I've just wasted a half hour writing about this show on my Twilight blog. No, I will not be making a True Blood blog. At least not yet. :D

Why should you watch "True Blood"? Because there are glimmers of Twilight in it, as in the fact that Sookie is a mind-reader (an interesting twist after reading about Edward's mind-reading ability in Midnight Sun). Because Bill (sigh) The Vampire's Heathcliff-esque brooding reminds me of Edward. Because "True Blood" reinvents the vampire myth and even throws in some clever new twists - in the world of the show, vampires have come "out of the coffin" due to the Japanese invention of "Tru Blood," synthethic blood that is sold everywhere in six-packs as if they were beer. (Check out the slick website HBO created to "market" this so-called product.) Oh yeah, and the vamps in this show have retractable fangs. No sparkling as of yet, though.

I don't know what Twi-hards will make of the show - already on YouTube there is mass hysteria abounding by fans who swear up and down that "True Blood" steals from Twilight. Whatev, dude. Stephenie Meyer didn't invent the vampire - she just created her own version of the myth. Who's to say no one else can do likewise.

To visit the HBO site for "True Blood," click here. To watch the trailer for "True Blood," click on the video below.

Lolcat Picture of the Week

30

We are almost in my birthday month!

On October 10th, I turn 30. Yikes. 10 years from now I'll be turning 40. Double yikes.

All of my friends who are already in their 30's tell me these are the "best" years. Hearing that is like hearing good things about a roller coaster ride I haven't gone on yet - it's the waiting I can't stand; once I'm on the ride, I'm fine.

Paul Newman Dies at 83

I turn on the news this morning, expecting to hear more recaps about last night's presidential debate, and instead I am floored by the news that Paul Newman has died at age 83 of cancer.

I admired him not just for his talent as an actor, but because of his rare long-term marriage with his second wife Joanne Woodward, which spanned 50 years. This isn't just rare in Hollywood, folks. Not anymore.

In reading the NY Times article on Paul Newman's passing, I came across this previous statement by Newman:

“I picture my epitaph,” he once said. “Here lies Paul Newman, who died a failure because his eyes turned brown.”

I don't know why that made me tear. But it did.

Threads that are golden don't break easily...

I just realized you might be curious about my blog title. I wouldn't blame you. I'd be curious, too!

It's actually a lyric from one of my favorite Tori Amos songs, "Horses." Here are the lyrics to that song.

Horses
I got me some horses
To ride on, to ride on
They say that your demons can't go there
So I got me some horses
To ride on, to ride on
As long as your army keeps perfectly still

And maybe I'll find me a sailor
A tailor
And maybe together we'll make mother well
So I got me some horses
To ride on, to ride on
As long as your army
Keeps perfectly still

You showed me the meadow
And Milkwood and Silkwood
And you would if I would
But you never would
So I chased down your posies
Your pansies in my hosies
Then opened my hands and they were empty then

Off with Superfly
Sniffing a Sharpie pen
Honey it's Bill and Ben
Off with Superfly
Counting your bees
Oh me honey like
One two three
The camera is rolling
It's easy like one, two, three

And if there is a way to find you
I will find you
But will you find me if Neil makes me a tree
An afro, a pharaoh
I can't go, you said so
And threads that are golden don't break easily

I got me some horses
To ride on, to ride on
They say that your demons can't go there
So I got me some horses
To ride on, to ride on
As long as your army keeps perfectly still

Her lyrics are decidedly interesting. People seem to fall into two camps on this issue - they love that they can't decipher them, and they hate that they can't decipher them. I'm lodged firmly in the former camp - I like interpreting things in my own way, sort of like reading poetry. That's what listening to and reading Tori Amos's lyrics are like for me.

So what do I think that lyric means, "And threads that are golden don't break easily"? Well, I can approach it in two ways. When I hear that lyric, I am reminded of the Moirae, the three sister goddesses in Greek mythology (also known as the Fates) who literally held humanity in their hands. Clotho was the sister in charge of creation, and she formed life by "weaving" it. Lachesis was in charge of measuring one's "thread." And lastly, Atropos had the powerful job of cutting your "thread" at the end of your life.

Regular humans had ordinary threads, but it was believed the threads belonging to the gods were golden and thus more difficult to break.

So you can see the lyric in this way, as a simple reference to mythology. But I also see it another way. Every breath of life, every moment of experience, every person we meet forms slender threads that help make up the complex tapestry of our life. But if these moments and people be special, those threads are golden and don't break easily.

PostSecret

One of my coworkers introduced me to these books called PostSecret, which are collections of postcards anonymously sent that contain secrets - some of them hilarious, many of them heart-breaking, and the majority of them illuminating. The postcards are typically illustrated in a way that matches the theme of the secret, and some really beautiful ones have been sent. PostSecret began as a community project, and today there are several books published, as well as a website run by Frank Warren that is updated every Sunday with new submissions.

My coworker developed a project with her students whereby they gave her postcards containing their anonymous secrets and illustrated to match. In addition, their secret had to be written in such a way that it conveys irony.

I would like to do such a project with my students. I've got a few creative projects going on in my classes right now, so I'll wait about a month or so before I bring it up in class. But I can't wait to see how it will go - it's been going great for my friend. She's gotten some great submissions.

If you would like to learn more about PostSecret, go to Frank Warren's website: http://postsecret.blogspot.com

Below I've posted a video from that website that shows you some examples of previous postsecret submissions.

I can has cheezburger?

I first heard about "Lolcats" about a year ago. My boyfriend would laugh his head off at these funny pictures of cats that had amusing captions written on them, such as the ever popular: "I can has cheezburger." My curiosity was piqued, so I decided to check them out.

Where do Lolcats live? Where da cheezburgers are! There is now a website dedicated solely to Lolcat pictures: http://icanhascheezburger.com/

On this website, you can find pictures like the one below:

This picture cracks me up for some reason. :D The pictures are characterized by cats in bizarre and often humiliating poses, as well as the infamous Lolcat spelling, or should I say misspelling. Often hilarious, sometimes unexpectedly cute, this website is a must-see.