Clearly, I’ve been away for a while. And this happens this time of year when there are no races to report on and triathletes seem to go into hibernation mode. But one seems prone to going MIA especially when this time of year also happens to coincide with the two college courses I’m teaching and the wedding we’re trying to pull off in, oh, about a month or so now. And did I mention that I’m also leaving my house at 5:05 a.m. daily to try and whip myself into shape a la bootcamp?
And yes, I’m fully aware that I’m insane.
The thing is, most people who wake up at 5 a.m. go to bed at a reasonable hour. Me? Not so much.
Mostly that’s due to the fact that, once I get home from teaching my night class anywhere from 8:30 to 9 pm, eat dinner, get my things ready for the following day, and get ready for bed, it’s usually well past 10:30.
And complicating factors lately? Twilight.
I can’t put it down.
For those of you not in the know, Twilight is the story of two teenage star-crossed lovers: Bella, a somewhat klutzy, but smart, endearing, and brave girl who moves from Arizona where she lives with her mom to the Olympic Peninsula of Washington to live with her dad; and Edward, the love of her “existence” who just happens to be a vampire. They can’t be together, but they can’t stay away from one another either. It’s chuck full of angst, action, self-sacrifice, and more angst.
Cheesy, right? I mean, if someone would’ve pitched me on this series with the paragraph above, I would’ve run away from it screaming. I don’t do fantasy, I don’t do young adult stories, and I sure as hell don’t get into vampires. None of the above have just never held my interest — even when I was a teen.
So can someone please tell me how I’ve gotten so completely sucked into this saga that I now carry the book with me at all times so I can read a few pages while I’m waiting for my morning Fourbucks, or while filling my car with gas, or at night, during the time I would have usually been watching Rachael Maddow, or catching up with Chief of Stuff after a long day, or…sleeping.
I’ve tried analyzing it. It’s not a knockout book the way some of my other favorites are: artfully weaving words together in a way I could never dream of doing. And like I said, it’s about vampires. Not my thing in the least.
But when I say I can’t put it down, I honestly can’t. Not “I won’t” or “I’d rather not.” Honestly, I try, and then, just like a crack addict looking for just one last fix, I say, “Just one more page” or “Just one more chapter, and then I’ll [go make dinner, go to bed, fill in blank here].” And before I know it, I’m another 100 pages down the road. I get annoyed with people who try to talk to me while I’m reading it. I read while on the phone with people. And the other day, I even sneaked a peak at a few pages or so whilst on an incredibly boring conference call at work. (I no longer bring the book into work with me, FYI. Just not safe.)
So for anyone who’s read Twilight, what is it about these books that is so alluring, so addicting? Because I just can’t figure out the hold it has — not only on millions of screaming and swooning teenage girls across the country — but on me: a rational, intelligent, adult. And for anyone who hasn’t yet read it, go grab a copy and report back tomorrow. You’ll be done with the book by then, I guarantee it.
