Where have I been? Good question. Life seems to barrel ahead at an amazing pace without ever feeling as though it’s running with you. But it does. Since March, much has happened.
In May, I started working for the Census on a ‘part-time, temporary’ basis. It was an interesting experience and if I could, I would relate some wild and crazy stories. But I can’t. What I can say is that I was often yelled at and hung up on the phone. That one person threatened to call the police and on at least two occasions I was in real fear for my life. Obviously, I survived, though unscathed is not how I would describe my current condition.
While working for the Census, I discovered the ‘Twilight’ series. Now- many people scoff at the series because it is popular and because the movies have such obsessed fans (I must acknowledge to now be one of them). It must be said that I did not pick up the books because they were popular, but in fact had deterred from reading them for that very reason. I read the first book in one night. The next day, I called a friend and asked if she could lend me the other three. When she did not call back after an hour, I packed L. in the car and headed to the dreaded evil Wal-Mart where I bought the second in the series. (And probably some other stuff I really didn’t need.) At home, I fed L. lunch and laid him down for a nap as soon as possible. C. found me outside, reading. He was gracious and kind and left me alone, taking care of the kids and only interrupting me to tell me when dinner was served. (I am married to a saint!)
Finished with the second book some time in the wee hours of the morning, I decided to check out the films. As early as I could, I headed out to Blockbuster video and rented ‘Twilight’ and ‘New Moon.’ I watched both of them while . took his afternoon nap and my saintly husband once more took on kid-duty. I took a break the next day, but was right back into reading ‘Eclipse’ the following morning. Within 4 days, I had read all four books.
That’s when the madness started. In my entire life, I have re-read MAYBE 3 books. Last year, I found myself only reading ‘Pride and Prejudice,’ my favorite novel by Jane Austen. (Read it on-line here) But that was nothing compared to the compulsive behavior that compelled me to devour those 4 books continually this summer. I have read each book in the series at least 3 times. ‘Twilight’ I may have read 5 or 6 times. It makes no sense to me beyond falling in love with the passion of first love- reveling in it; reliving it; soaking up the pages of it as if to recall the fervor of a new relationship.
I think I may be back to normal. It feels like I am slowly coming back to reality, though there have been some bumps in the road. One of those bumps has been my not-so-secret celebrity crush on Rob Pattinson which C. has endured with the good graces of a gentleman. He has tolerated my obsessively watching clips of movie junkettes and looking for films he has done to watch. (Look for a review of ‘Bad Mother’s Handbook’ in which Pattinson plays a minor character. It’s also a book. Really liked that film!) At any rate, the compulsion has slackened a great deal now and I hope to be ‘normal’ again soon. It was fun to live in a fantasy world for a bit, but there are exciting things in the real world which need my attention. Like E.’s first day at school, my thoughts on how Zumba affects the American middle class housewife’s repressed sexuality, what stay at home mothers like myself do all day long, and book and movie reviews. See you soon!
Abstract Emoting 
You read several of the Little House books up to six times! I was so worried about you, I sought help from my school psychologists friends. They assured me you were fine, and that you would put the books away when you got all you needed from the reading. We don’t seem to think there is any obsession when we watch some movies over and over and over again. But with reading, we question the possibility of obsession. HMMMM
I don’t remember rereading the Little House books, though I remember liking them. I think repeating anything continually can be a bad thing….
Not really. Pat said you would read it till you got all you could out of the story. Every time we reread scripture we find something new in the words. Same goes for books. There aren’t many I have read more than once, but each time I discovered something new in the story. Also, rereading helps reinforce information such as found in textbooks. Remember, we reread lots of books to our little children. I hope you will reconsider.
I must add to your last comment there, Lois. Repeating anything continually can definitely be a bad thing IF you repeat with the expectation of a different result but never achieve a different result. In the case of rereading your Twilight series books, I suspect that each time you read them, you found something that you missed before. I like the psychologist’s idea that you would put your Little House books away when you got all that you needed from them. My friend Dinah, who I suspect you would like very much if you two were ever to meet, has been reading and re-reading Little House books since adolescence and still enjoys them from time to time in her mid-30s. She says the stories in the books don’t change, but her perspective changes with the passage of time, so each time she reads one, she gets a brand-new experience.
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