WALL-E!

Pixar is the animation king, and that's a fact.

When they can take a love story between two robots and make it not only believable but beautiful, the magic of what Andrew Stanton and his brilliant team of animators are doing cannot be denied. And the love story IS beautiful - from WALL-E's first glimpse of EVE zooming around Earth to their dance among the stars - mostly because of its wonderful simplicity and its unshakable truth: we all want someone to share our life with - someone to hold our hand.

The animation is also extraordinary. Really, I wish I had a stronger word to use - breathtaking might be a good one. Pixar continues to outdo itself with the absolute brilliance and clarity of it settings and characters. We all thought nothing could get better after The Incredibles, then Ratatouille proved us wrong. WALL-E once again raises the bar for beautiful animation. I can't wait to see what comes next.

Of course, the movie is not perfect (nothing is). The human part of the story - which involves the evolution of the humans into sedentary, oblivious beings that are unable to to anything on their own - was not as magical or as well explored (though it contained an important message) as the robot part. I also missed the dialog. Though the animation did a wonderful job of conveying the emotions of the story, the writer in me would have liked some more dialog to help out.

These are small complaints. Mostly, the movie was very good. I know that the audience I watched with - a sold out audience, by the way - laughed almost from start to finish at the many, many sweet, funny, and clever moments.

Anyway, in honor of this great movie, today's special is cupcakes - in a cup! :-)

The Host

Today's Special: Cheetos (for Wanderer) or a bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream (for Ian). And some strong coffee for those late-night readers, like me.

Stephenie Meyer's latest (and first non-Twilight) book is AMAZING. Very few books grip me strongly enough to keep me reading late into the night. In fact, I can narrow that category down to the Harry Potter series and a few select other stories. Into that pantheon I now add The Host, an electric, insightful, imaginative, and profoundly moving book that kept me reading until 4:30 am and left me sobbing through the last chapters.
The story centers around Wanderer, a member of an alien race that is colonizing Earth by taking over the bodies of the planet's human inhabitants. In most cases, the human consciousness disappears; however, Wanderer's host, a young woman named Melanie, will not give up. Melanie's love for her boyfriend and her brother overwhelms Wanderer and leads her to join them and their community of renegade humans hiding in an underground cave system.
The novel beautifully explores the ideas of love, humanity, and belonging in a way that feels new and fresh. Love is what keeps Melanie fighting. Love is what creates an unbreakable bond between Wanderer and Earth, giving her a sense of belonging she has had nowhere else. And Wanderer comes to understand that love is inexplicable, powerful, and most rewarding when it must be fought for. The Host also examines war and the possibility of understanding between enemies in a very natural, realistic way that feels neither preachy nor overly optimistic. For me, the relationship between Wanderer and Melanie was one of the best parts of the book. The two begin as enemies, but they develop a grudging alliance that becomes, over time, a bond of sisterhood. I think their relationship holds the idea of hope: if we can understand each other, really understand, maybe we will see that there is not as much to fear in the "enemy" as we thought - that the differences are not as big or important as we believed.

For Your Listening Pleasure: Yael Naim

This song more or less sums up my life and, I think, the lives of all of us who sometimes feel like fish out of water. It is also delightfully quirky and has been stuck in my head for the last couple of days. So to share my enjoyment, here is "New Life" by Yael Naim.

The Austen Endeavor: Persuasion

Today's Special: A very British cup of tea and a sweet biscuit (go on, have some - Jane would)

In my quest to read all of Jane Austen's six major novels, I have now finished three: Emma, Pride and Prejudice, and now Persuasion. Perhaps it's because this is the only Austen book about which I knew nothing before reading, but I think this is my favorite Jane Austen book that I've read so far. Here's why:

• Anne Elliot. She is a very admirable character who is also easy to relate to. She's not a rebel, but she is strong - she is the rock and the voice of reason when everyone else is panicked or carried away with emotions. I also like the fact that Anne, the one who is persuaded to give all her life, is finally able to have her own happiness.
• Captain Frederick Wentworth. He's another dreamy leading male in the tradition of Mr. Darcy and Mr. Knightley. Wentworth is just the sort of strong, honorable, passionate, and constant man that women all over the world dream of finding.
• The love story. Every moment between Anne and Frederick, no matter how small, seemed to be charged with electricity. One complaint: As a reader, I would have liked a little more of a payoff when the two characters finally got together - a kiss would have been nice after all the characters went through.
  
• Thought-provoking themes, including:
• Manners vs. honesty
• Class vs. individual strengths/accomplishments
• The importance of self-determination (and the difference between steadiness of principle and obstinacy of self-will).
• The strengths and weaknesses (mainly the weaknesses) of the class system.

Just three more novels to read: Sense and Sensibility, Mansfield Park, and Northanger Abbey. I'll probably read S&S next, since I already own it.

Vampire Road Trip

Ok, I admit it.

Edward Cullen and the rest of the Twilight-verse have gotten to me.

I still don't think the Twilight books are all that great, and my prior critiques still stand. That said, the books are strangely addictive. I attribute this quality almost solely to Edward Cullen, the series's dreamy cross between Romeo and Mr. Darcy (with, oh yeah, the whole vampire thing thrown in). I can't help it - the guy is damn near perfect, and I find myself daydreaming about him and finding songs on the radio that relate to him and Bella. (I'm a young female with a good imagination and a love life that sucks - what do you want from me?).

Anyway, the point of my confession is this: My cousin Melanie and I have decided to take a trip to Forks, Washington, the home of the Twilight series. The trip will begin on August 26 and end August 28. Here's the itinerary so far.

August 26:

• Head out in the morning so we can get an early start.
• Take the ferry from Edmonds to Kingston
• Drive northwest on 104, then merge onto 101, which goes through Forks.
• Stop at Port Angeles for lunch/dinner, depending on the time of day. Twilighter note: Port Angeles is where Bella went shopping (with Angela and Jessica), went to the movies (with Jessica and Jacob, at different times), and was rescued by Edward. We'll be eating at Bella Italia, the little Italian restaurant where Bella and Edward eat (or rather, Bella eats with Edward sitting at the table with her).
• Arrive in Forks. We might do a bit of sight-seeing in the evening, time permitting.

August 27:

• Sight-seeing in Forks! Among the points of interest (provided by the Forks website):
• Forks High School - attended by Bella and the Cullen "kids."
• Forks Police Station - Bella's father, Chief Charlie Swan, works here.
• Forks Outfitters and the town Thriftway - Bella's main in town shopping destination.
• Forks Community Hospital - where Bella is treated by Carlisle after the car accident
• Head out of Forks toward La Push. Sights to see:
• Cemetery near which the Cullens played baseball (unfortunately we won't be able to see Edward's meadow).
• La Push, where the Quileute Reservation is. Sights to see:
• First Beach - Bella reunited with Jacob Black and learned the truth about Edward. We're going to be on the lookout for a upturned tree just like the one Bella and Jacob sat on.
• The reservation, or as much of it as we are able to see.

August 28:

• Finish up any sightseeing not already done, and then head back to Kent/Newcastle!

Not quite dazzled...

I finally read Twilight, the book series that seems to have become the new Harry Potter (in terms of hard-core, obsessive fans) among girls in their pre- or early teens. With the combination of facebook flairs and my cousin and roommate both gushing about the books, I finally gave in and borrowed the book from my cousin Melanie.

My take?

Eh. I've read better.

In all honesty, the book struck me as not much more than the wish-fulfilling writing of a teenage girl. Its the story that any girl wants to live: she moves to a new town, meets an impossibly hot guy, falls in love with him, and finds out that he loves her too. Yes, there is a complication - he's a vampire, and even though he is a "vegetarian" (he eats animals, not humans), her blood just happens to be "his brand of heroin." However, everything else is just too soap opera-y and mushy for me. I felt like I was in a teen girl's hormone-induced daydream.

Other complaints: The beginning of the novel was very slow. I have nothing against description and setting of the scene, but the pacing must be right as well. In this book, it took forever for something to really happen. There was also much too much explanation... over and over and over again. I wanted to shake the characters and tell them to get on with it. And Edward's Peter Parker/Clark Kent bit - "I love you, but I can't be with you because you might be hurt" - would have been fine if he had stuck with it, rather than doing his "Now I want to be with you, now you should stay away" thing. It really grated on my nerves. She loves you, you love her, just go with it. And Bella struck me as really whiny. I live in Washington... its not THAT bad. Suck it up, girl.

Good points: The novel did pick up eventually, and once it did, it was difficult to put down. I admit, the story is strangely addicting. I also came to appreciate the psychological dilemma: the one person that you love is also the one person you could hurt the most (or, in Bella's case, the one who could hurt you the most). It isn't logical, but then, love is hardly ever logical. And Edward, for all his flaws (and he has them - but that might just be because some of the things he said reminded me of my ex) is still very, very dreamy. I wouldn't mind finding a boyfriend like him. I liked the rest of his family as well.

Bottom line: Twilight is a good book for teenage girls (or women who are young at heart). If you don't fit in that category, you'd do best to walk right on by the Twilight display at your local bookstore.

"Prince Caspian": Courage in Faith

Faith is never easy. By definition, faith means believing in things even when they cannot be seen or proven. Courage is necessary and not always easy to find, especially when one must stand up against powerful people who mock or disparage one's faith. I've struggled with my own courage over the years, sometimes lamenting the fact that I find it so difficult to speak openly about my faith or to stand up to those who disparage it. The book and movie "Prince Caspian" brought to mind my personal struggle recently, particularly in the character of Lucy and her faith in Aslan.

In the story, Lucy sees Aslan as she, her siblings, and Trumpkin make their way along the river to meet with Caspian at Asland's How. Lucy is the only one to see Aslan, and she tells the others that he is on the other side of the river, beckoning the group to follow him. Peter and Susan doubt that Lucy saw Aslan, while Trumpkin flatly refuses to believe in Aslan at all. Only Edmund believes Lucy - she was, after all, the one who told the truth about the wardrobe, and no one believed her then either - but the two of them are outvoted by the rest of the group. The five travelers take a different route, which leads them straight to the Telmarine army (or, in the movie, into a plan that leads to a disastrous attack on Miraz's castle).

When she finally comes face to face with Aslan and tells him that she knew she saw him, but the others didn't believe her, Aslan asks Lucy why she didn't follow him anyway. Lucy is surprised - she couldn't just off on her own, could she? It is not easy to go against your older siblings (and an older dwarf), even when your faith is strong. But then Lucy realizes that she really could have, because she wouldn't have been alone - Aslan would have been with her.

Following the path of Christ is not always easy. The modern world often scoffs on those who put their faith in something other than that which when be seen and touched. People encourage Christians to take matters into their own hands rather than wait for God, and to follow their own pleasures rather than follow the example of Christ. Its easy to see the reasoning in these arguments, just as it was easy to see the logic in the path favored by Peter, Susan, and Trumpkin. And it is easy to understand why many people wouldn't want to follow Christ's path - it often involves denying pleasures, suffering through hardships, and waiting for something that is not guaranteed to come.

Lucy believed. Lucy was ready to follow Aslan. But the others were unwilling, and Lucy did not want strike out alone with only faith to guide her. However, this is exactly what Christ asks us to do. Just as the fishermen left everything to follow Christ, we are asked to place him above all else, trusting that God will take care of us. Believe me, I know this is scary. And to be honest, I cannot even begin to claim that I have given my mind, body, and soul to the service of God. I care about what my friends and family think, and I don't want to leave them or have them leave me. But I also have faith. I believe that God knows far more than I could ever know, and that it is best that his will be done. I want to be able to do what Lucy didn't - to say, "I'm taking this path. The rest of you should follow it too, but follow me or not, this is the way I'm going."

I hope I can be strong enough.