I Think I'm Missing the Romantic Gene...

I've been a really lazy blogger as of late. The thing is, I don't have much to say lately. So I combed through my "drafts" and picked out a few pieces, cleaned them up and published them. This is sort of a long one with a bunch of tangents!

I'm SO not a fan of the Twilight Saga. I don't really have an interest in romance movies, especially the ones that set people up for unrealistic expectations for their futures. I don't even like the ones that ARE possible, like The Notebook. I guess I'm just not a fan of the sappy romantic. I'm a little more rock 'n roll for that. I like my parents' story. They went to the same church and my dad thought she was cute so he asked around to find out her name. Then, he walked by her and said: "Hi Julie!" And as much as we teased my mother about her reply, I think it shows where my feisty comes from. She replied: "I don't think it's fair that you know my name and I don't know yours!" While this is romantic, there is nothing in that story about how they fell in love from the first sight and professed that they were each other's whole world, etc! And there is that info in the Twilight saga. And how do I know this? Because I'm 3 books into reading the saga. *face palm*

My sister and I have an interesting, if not dysfunctional, relationship. I'm the baby but I've always taken care of her. She is a self-professed mess. I have blamed every wrinkle in my face on her. She has a knack for getting into and creating situations that make everyone worry. I think part of it is she loves the attention, she loves people worrying about her. So I constantly worry about her and she never worries about me. In fact, there are huge chunks of my life that she knows nothing about. Even if I do confess to something that is happening in my life that has me stressed, there's no check up to see how I'm doing. And it's not just her, most people in my life never check up on me to see if I'm alright. Probably because I'm strong. I've always made it through. Always. The other reason is that if they were to ask me how the situation is with ____ a week later, I wouldn't have the slightest clue as to what they are talking about. So this is our relationship. I bend over backwards for her because she needs me. I get interested in things that she loves because it's important to her. And I've long stopped begrudging her for the way she is. It just is. I love her and this is how our relationship has turned out. I'm very amazed that I haven't made the same concessions for other people/family members in my life.

Now that you have the back story on our relationship, you can now understand why I decided to take on the task of reading the Twilight saga and watching the movies. Because my sister loves them. I personally think the story is stupid. Seriously, how does one fall in love with a vampire? Or a werewolf for that matter? At least a werewolf is more plausible because, in this story, they don't hunger for human blood./flesh. Plus, they are human for part of the time.

Stephenie Meyer is a great writer. I especially liked reading the parts of the book where she described in detail the back story of the vampires and werewolves and how they came to be how they are. But when we start discussing things like desperately wanting to become a vampire just to be with someone for the rest of eternity, I have to fight my natural gag reflex. I won't even change my religion for someone or quit eating meat for them much less change my status from "living" to "living dead."

My sister is very much "Team Edward" while I'm (if forced to choose between this ludicrous love triangle) am "Team Jacob." Supposedly Edward (the vampire, for those not in the know) has been able to slowly become accustomed to denying his desire to sink his teeth into Bella and make her a tasty snack. What the book does NOT address is what happens when Bella's on her period? I've always wondered this while reading the book. Did this make it harder for him to resist her?

See, if she would choose Jacob (the werewolf), it is more "normal" and she'd have to give up a lot less. Here are my reasons for being "Team Jacob."

1. She wouldn't have to become immortal to be with him. Yes, Jacob does not age while he is able to phase into being a werewolf. But he's only a werewolf because there are vampires around. So if the Cullens (the vampires) would just go away, Jacob would stop phasing and he and Bella could grow old together.
2. She wouldn't have to lie to her parents or give them up. If she becomes a vampire, she has to start thinking of reasons why she can't visit them anymore. It's not like she has to keep thinking of new ways to avoid her parents, she just has to think of enough lies for the next 40-50 years until they die...then she doesn't have to worry about it anymore. As Edward tells her, after 100 years everyone you know is dead anyways.
3. She wouldn't have to live forever. Seriously, who REALLY wants to do this? As much as I adore living and will fight tooth and nail to keep myself in this position, I feel that there's a reason why we all die. But let's say you're special and God or whatever deity you believe in has decided that you will live forever. Okay, that sounds awesome right? Except after awhile, all the people you know start dying. You have to live through your kids' deaths (unless you turn them into vampires too). And what's more, over the years you start making new friends because we are social beings and tend to do so. And then THEY start dying. So either you become really calloused about losing people in your life or you have to live through the heartbreak all over again.
4. Edward is a drug and Bella choosing him is akin to giving herself over to an addiction. Bella's reactions, feelings, and emotions all point to her being addicted to Edward. She's stated that she can't live without him, she seems to get edgy when they're away from each other too long, and when he does actually leave her, she goes missing in the forest for days. She clearly exhibits signs of withdrawal. Maybe I'm not emotional enough...but any guy I get serious enough will have to face the fact that if they die, I will go on just fine without them. Yes, I'll miss them horribly and experience deep grief but I will never get myself lost in the woods, crawl into a fetal position and shiver for days just because he's no longer around. I will, however, probably go to their closet, smell all of their shirts and cry myself to sleep.
5. Jacob has the stability to NOT kill himself just because she died or she rejected him. Edward has stated several times that if she were to stay human and die, he would bring about his own death because he cannot conceive a world where she didn't exist anymore ("barf bag, please!!!").
6. Realistically, Bella is not at an age where making choices is her forte. People's brains don't stop growing until they are in their early 20s. And the specific area that is still growing is the part that allows you to see the consequences of your actions. I.E. She doesn't fully understand the ramifications of turning into a vampire and she's refusing to listen to Edward and other people tell her why she should wait.

In short, her relationship with Edward does not seem healthy at all. You shouldn't have to choose between your relationship and seeing your parents for all of eternity. You shouldn't have to change yourself just to be with someone because it will look odd that you're 78 and he's 17. And if that person should decide to leave you one day, you should be emotionally and mentally stable enough to continue to care about your own well being and not get lost in the woods.