Twilight and Thanksgiving

Yesterday was Thanksgiving and we went to see the new teen vampire romance movie, "Twilight". I liked it very much and The Husband found it a bit "cheesy" but grudgingly admitted to liking it, too. I am looking forward to the sequel, myself. The young actors were good, and the fellow playing the main teen vampire was at least as dreamy as promised. The other vampires all had the sexy-scary vibe they should have, the ambiance of the movie was cloudy and broody in good way, and the dialogue was only occasionally a bit too much ("And so the lion fell in love with the lamb.")

Considering that one of the primary characteristics of a vampire should be sexiness, the movie was pretty chaste. Then again, the heroine is only 17, so that's probably appropriate. Then again, again, doesn't that make her older than Joan of Arc? No matter, despite the high Dreamy Factor, I was a bit icked out by any smooching or contact between the two leads, and I was distracted, too. Why? Because these vampires are cold. This point was made when our young heroine, Bella, brushed the hand of the young vamp, Edward (I have always had a weakness for Eds), and drew back, saying "You're so cold!" I cannot recall if she officially knew at that time that he's a vampire. In any case, every time they smooched or snuggled, I just couldn't turn off the little voice in my head that said "Cold!" He even kissed her on the neck without biting, which should have been hot, but all I could think was "Cold! On her neck!" And at one point she laid her head in his chest- imagine the lack of comfort of resting your head on a cold slab of meat. It seems to me that one of the best parts of physical contact with other humans is that they are warm. I can't even imagine how it will be if/when they get naked. Cold!

Still, on the balance, I enjoyed the movie very much.

After the movie we did have the traditional turkey dinner, just the the two of us. I enjoy baking and I have a pretty good level of experience with cakes and cookies, but I had never made a cheesecake until this Thanksgiving. I was beginning to feel some guilt about that, as The Husband is a big fan of cheesecake. So I made my first ever cheesecake for Thanksgiving; it was a pumpkin cheesecake with a sour cream topping. Cheesecake is a challenge because it must be removed from the oven while the center is still a bit soft. So it's a guessing game, and a particular puzzle for a person who has never made one or seen one made.

I am happy to report that it came out well. The center was a bit softer than the edges, but it held together just fine. The flavor was good. The husband said he liked it and he even had seconds. Hurrah for cheesecake success!

I hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving, too.

Five Things

Five things for which I am grateful today:

1. When I feel I have treated someone unfairly, I can apologize to them. I felt I was a bit hard on a couple of my students yesterday, so I apologized. They graciously accepted.

2. A few days of respite from the creeping cold weather. I have been up here for a few years now, and the ridiculously harsh winter is just part of the deal, but this year I am struggling more than usual with acceptance. Today is mild, so I can catch my breath.

3. The dog fetches (most of the time). This makes it much easier to get him exercised to the point where he settles down. He is still just a puppy.

4. My job. Like all jobs, it has its annoyances, but I am so fortunate to have steady, agreeable work with people who appreciate me. It's huge. And it's the reason why I put up with the winter.

5. Cake. Had some yesterday. Twice.

Great Day in the Morning

The husband and I voted first thing this morning, as soon as the polls opened at 7 am. For the first time in our three elections in this town, we had to wait in a real line to vote. It was great.

In this area, polling sites are no longer set up at schools, so we voted at our district site, the El Zagal Shrine (of The Shriners), right next to the El Zagal Golf Course, which is a public course unaffiliated with the Shriners. I was hoping the red neon sign would be lit up, but it was dark. Still, even the darkened sign was inspiring against the sunrise. The scimitar, crescent, and star made me feel even more sure that I was doing the right thing voting for the alleged Muslim presidential candidate.

The line was not too long before the polls opened; it was entirely contained under the awning extending from the front door of the shrine.

By the time we finished voting and came out (the wait was about 15 minutes), the parking lot was full and the line was stretching beyond the awning. We didn't have to worry about parking because we walked. I feel like there's something special about walking to vote, perhaps because my parents always did. Their polling place was close by the house I grew up in.


I am usually pretty skeptical of any predictions about elections, but I do believe we will have record-setting levels of voter turnout this year. I also believe that Barack Obama will be the next president of the United States of America.

Halloween 2008

Last night was Halloween, which inevitably means that today is November. It's actually pretty nice today; the pup and I had a pleasant walk around the golf course this morning. I tried to get him to practice sitting and staying while a pedestrian walked by, but the maneuver proved to be too difficult to execute. Pedestrians, especially those without potentially scary dogs along with them, are just too darn interesting. As he is a friendly but not threatening dog (no barking, jumping up, or crotch-sniffing), his pedestrian-investigating behavior is frequently rewarded by said pedestrians. Oh well.

Anyway, Halloween. We have a few young kids in the neighborhood, but the little band of pre-teens we used to have has aged out of trick-or-treating so our visitors topped out at a dozen or so. They sure were cute, though. The ones we did get were waist-high or smaller and truly dressed for the occasion. The pup helped us to greet them, in his own costume:

One of my students said she had never seen me as the type to put a costume on a dog, and I must confess I have always found the practice somewhat undignified for human and beast, and yet...here I am, putting a costume on the dog. Perhaps the only reason I never put a costume on a dog before is simply that I never had a dog before. I just love the expression a dog wears when it is being tolerant.

He did perk up considerably when the kids came by. They seemed to like him, too.

We're having sunshine and highs in the 50s today and tomorrow. I should probably try to get out and enjoy it more. The weatherman said in the newspaper last week that we are entering a phase of colder water in the Pacific Ocean, which should bring colder winters in the Midwest for the next few years. Should be fun.