The Twilight Hour

The Gals at Breaking Dawn 2

I've never been embarrassed to admit that I am a Twi-hard. My reason for enjoying the phenomenon is the camaraderie I share with my gals, Becky and Erin. When I joined the frenzy alongside my gals, it became our annual date night. There have been many disagreements between us over the years concerning the books' story lines and the movies, but every year, we have been steadfast and attended the weekend premiere of each movie. Pregnancy, ailments, trips out of town, and break-ups did not prevent us from attending five opening weekends together.

And I am not the only one to enjoy this unexplained camaraderie. My mom took my niece, N, to a full-day event where they showed the first four movies leading up to the midnight premiere. Though I thought the story was inappropriate for N when she was younger, mom and N have bonded over the books and movies so who am I to say anything. No one can deny that N will never forget this shared experience with her grandmother.

The Gals & Baby I at New Moon

As for my little group, the final movie led to another divisive discussion in the parking lot. For those who have read the books and think, I know what happens in the final segment, the screenwriters heard the book readers' complaints about the final book. Since the book is based on one character's point of view, there were many complaints concerning the motivations and decisions in the battle sequence. Thankfully, the screenwriters addressed this concern leading to an interesting twist in the finale. It was one of those WTF moments that caused a stir in the theater. I'm the vocal one in our group, but it was Erin who stated quite clearly, "I don't like this," during one scene. Don't get too upset! They did not change the movie, but provided a more universal point of view that could not be conveyed in the book. Of course, among the three of us, we have a difference of opinion on whether this was a wise move on the movie producer's part. I thought it was brilliantly done because it definitely got a reaction and provided a more entertaining and understandable sequence than in the book.

This will conclude another fun and wonderful experience with my gals as we say goodnight to the Twilight series.

Feelin' the Love

You'd think my friends would celebrate my promotion. I'm not asking for a parade or anything, but a night out or a celebratory drink. Instead I receive this little note on my desk.

My current desk is coveted. It's far enough away from the action, yet it's close to the other staff and has a fabulous view. And a certain someone has been trying to take over my desk for years. It began simply with the decorations. Every holiday, this someone would string lights around my area, which I thought was nice. Then they began to pile their belongings on top of our shared wall. I shrugged at this as well, but now comes the note. I promise to leave the desk as clean as the new office I am acquiring. If you've ever been in that office, you know how telling this statement is.

I guess we both plan to spend December 1st moving! Love ya, Dawne! I'll make sure to leave behind all of Elaine and Mary's leftovers which I never cleaned out when I moved to this desk.

It's Called The News

I've been a bit quiet lately, but I promise there is a reason and it is a good one. As everyone knows, October is a crazy time for me and this year will go down in history as the most intense Family History Month to date. Besides the typical mayhem, I was a bit late in finishing some of my new lectures for the month. Okay, I'll be honest. I finished writing some of my lectures the day before I presented them. Considering I am not a procrastinator and hate working against a deadline, this was torture for me. My excuse for this odd behavior is the eight-week Genes program that I developed with the fabulous Peggy required new lectures every week but I am extremely proud of this program as Peggy and I managed to keep thirteen teenagers engaged in genealogical research for a two month period.

The final week of October was even more intense due to my parents visiting, which was wonderful but obviously emotional. I had also been trying to get everything organized for hubby and I to visit New Jersey for a research trip. Hubby lived there until he was six so he wanted to visit his hometown while I did courthouse research for his Polish ancestors. This was a case study for one of my January lectures, but Hurricane Sandy decided to cancel our vacation by forcing New Jersey into a state of emergency. This all worked out for the best because hubby and I spent our entire vacation finishing all of our outdoor projects instead.

Among all these activities, I managed to fit in time for a job interview. Yep, you read that correctly. The thing I've refused to discuss openly for the past few months is now making an appearance on my blog. Of course, the job interview was the day after my parents left, so mom and I did practice interview sessions while they visited. And the interview was the same day I gave one of my new lectures along with being the final session of the Genes program. I won't deny large amounts of caffeine were consumed through the day.

But all the chaos of the past month has a grand finale ... I am the new assistant manager of The Genealogy Center!

Shhh! I Am Superman!

I was in the midst of switching from my sunglasses to my regular glasses while I dashed into work yesterday when the guard stopped me to ask for my badge. Later, the guard remarked that she had not recognized me because I'm like Clark Kent and look quite different without my glasses. She is not the first to make this comment as evidenced by a previous post.

Now I've tried to deny that I'm a vain person but if you've ever seen me get ready in the morning, you know I have an assortment of products and a regiment to beautify myself. I am finally willing to admit that I want to look my best and may be a little vain.

I have my annual eye appointment in the coming weeks and am debating once again trying contacts. I have not had the best of luck since I take daily allergy medication which can cause dry eyes. At the same time, my allergy issues have been causing severe swelling which has created problems with my glasses. A few years ago, I bounced between glasses and contacts but finally decided to switch back to glasses because of the meds for the bladder injury which I no longer take.

I pay for new lenses every year since my prescription changes annually so cost is not necessarily a factor in this decision because I'm always having to buy new lenses for both my glasses and sunglasses. It truly comes down to vanity. I know several of you have struggled with switching back and forth between glasses and contacts. What do you think? Should I give it another go? Or will it confuse too many people since obviously, I'm Superman and unrecognizable without my glasses?