I read an article like this.  It wouldn't be too bad if the article referenced only 14 year olds, but the 19 year old quoted isn't too far from my age.  I mean, seriously people - he's an actor.  He's not Edward.  I enjoyed Twilight as much as anybody (well, apparently not, actually), but that doesn't mean that I have to become completely wrapped up in the movie version thereof.  For one thing, the Edward of the book will always be more real than the Edward of the movie.  For another, well, it's not that big of a deal.  It's a story.  A happy story.  A warm-fuzzies story.  And for a third, well, the movie can never measure to the book.  They never do, and never will. 

I think that mostly I'm disturbed by the propensity shown by these girls to be unaware of the line between fantasy and reality.  Imagination = good.  Delusion = psychosis.  *sigh*  Q: How did I find myself loving the same story as a bunch of psychotic teenage fangirls?  A: It's just that good. 

So here's to Edward and Bella and the rest of the Cullens (cheers!), but honestly, is real life actually so unsatisfying that we have to lust after a fantasy?  Maybe it is.  And that's sad. 

not sure of whether to laugh or be thoughtful,

Marina. 

I spent this past weekend in southern IN with Landon's family.  We didn't really have a whole lot planned, so it was a nice weekend of just hanging out at his house.  Well, hanging out at his house and doing homework.  I don't mind my homework, but hanging out with my boy is one of things that I would rather be doing.  Oh well.  I survived, and we had a good time. *smiles*  Lovely memories of lazy sunshine and just being... 

On Sunday one of the highlights of my recent life occured.  I was wearing a dress that I made this spring that I've always been fairly pleased with; I was in IN with Landon; I was content and happy.  In short, things were going well.  It was after church, and I was walking down the hallway away from the bathroom, toward the entryway where several small children were playing.  Aaliyah (3?4?) was standing at the end of the hallway, and I stopped to smile at her and say hi.  She looked up at me, wide eyed and a little solemn, and asked "Are you the princess?"  There is obviously only one answer to that.  "Yes," I said, "I am."  I don't know if she said anything after that.  The mothers laughed, and made comments about Landon being the prince, and I walked away with a definite smile in my heart.  Everybody should have a child mistake them for a fairy tale character sometime. 

Last night wasn't a very princess-like sort of space of time.  I did homework  until quite late at night (or is that early?), and had to get up early anyway.  Oh well.  Some good coffee did the trick for most of the day, and I've been remarkably alert.  I did much of my homework, and am now occupied in listening to a particular playlist on my phone, and thinking about going home and going to chorus practice tonight.  I should probably get around to doing that now. :) 

toodloo,

Marina. 

I have decided that I love Psalms class.  It's my favorite thing to do at 8:15 in the morning.  Really.  This is just a little bit of the sort of thing that we talk about:

This morning, we were looking at various ways to interpret Psalm 22.  This is a Psalm that is quite often linked to Jesus.  His cry from the cross "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" is a quote of the first part of the first verse.  At various points in the Psalm it describes the pain of His crucifixion, and the way that the soldiers gambled for his clothes while He died.  But something happens a little more than half-way through the psalm.  In verse 21, there is a sudden switch.  David goes from calling on God to deliver him from this, to praising God for His salvation.  He describes how he will praise God for delivering him, and how the fame of God's work for him will spread through the earth.  He envisions the nations turning to God, and future generations hearing praising God when they hear the story of what He has done.  As we looked at all this I was struck with the thought that when Jesus quoted the first part of this psalm, He knew the rest of it.  He knew about the rescue by God, and the miraculous work the God would do that would be talked about for the rest of the ages of the earth.  The very words that Jesus chose to express His utter despair and feelings of abandonment alluded to the idea that this was not the end. 

Sometimes I think something, and can't find words to describe the feeling that the thought brings.  This was one of them.  There are no words. 

go under the Mercy,

Marina.