Twilight* Tuesdays & BONO: Toi aussi? U2.... 360 THE EDGE ROCKS IT ! MUSE opens at TWILIGHT!

Above: The Edge, inspiration embodied, author of U2's unique guitar sound, and in my opinion, underapplauded. If you have the chance, see the documentary film, "It Might Get Loud". Funny: It really isn't that loud! But very very good.

An amazing night, the clearest evening we've had, desert arid autumn as though Arizona or maybe New Mexico, somehow reminding me of an illfated day in September 8 years ago, too perfect, unnerving electricity in the air. But luckily this buzz and crackle was due to an entire community anticipating what was proclaimed THE concert event of the season. U2. Every news cast and traffic report made reference and seemed to include and circumvent the coming event.

We had tickets. A gift. In a private box in an outdoor stadium. Catered beautifully and freely. An intimate event. I feel so lucky. Grateful.

We planted ourselves in the front row of the box, where the wall size plate glass windows had been raised. As the sun faded from the sky, leaving a smouldering glow, a delicious chill quickly came into the uncharacteristically crisp air.

The others hung back, avoiding the cool, and not appreciating the unknown to them opening act.

The opening act, frequently credited by Stephenie Meyer as her inspiration for and while writing, and featured on the Twilight Soundtrack, who's Supermassive Black Hole has been played by me COUNTLESS times VERY loud... (play it!#86 on Player @ bottom of page)
>

*MUSE? I said. Are you SERIOUS? Excellent! Stunned gazes that I should somehow know this band, with a smattering of appreciating nods-- "Good, maybe they DON'T suck", perhaps, possibly on their minds. Then later enjoying the shared joke that the drummer from MUSE really was channelling Dana Carvey. Party on, Garth! Party on, Wayne.

The evening was magical, beginning with the trek over the new bridge, somehow avoiding every iota of snarled traffic warned of for hours prior on the radio, by going against our better instincts, taking the route which normally has the WORST traffic (thanks, iPhone!). Clear night, clear sailing, clear inspired musical genius. Am I making my self crystal clear? Ringingly so, you say? I wish it were true. Wish I could capture the essence and deliver it to you.

And what was amazing to me was that while I shouldn't have been surprised, I was. Joyfully so. The music if anything, after all these years, only gets better, they perform without a hitch, without a dull moment, with precision, and while remaining true to what we love about the songs, not morphing them into something new and unrecognizable in an attempt to keep their attention or ours, nor playing merely by wrote, bored but placating as they so easily could. Their passion is in every song, and it crackles and zaps and reaches out to you anew in ways you never anticipated, though you already love the songs fullheartedly. This is not the advent of crowd hysteria, fan worship crackling through. This is unmitigated U2. Fresh. Alive. Heartfelt.United.Distilled. Delivered. Their take on the songs, not yours. Their hearts and souls. Evolving imperceptibly there in front of you, asking you to join their consciousness, to hold hands for this one night.

And in this sense they are unique and unsurpassed: they do all this, Bono does all this, as a platform for world change. It is not hidden nor does he hit you with it. It is done with such hope energy and joy that it is edifying of spirit. Even if heart wrenching. Inspiring. While sending you on a reality trip. And you don't mind a bit. They are the spoonful that makes the medicine go down. The spoonful like no other, while they are the medicine themselves. Wellness. For one. For all. For ONE.

REALITY CHECK. While making the experience so brilliantly real you don't want it to end.

For example, they dedicated a song to Aung San Suu Kyi. Of Burma. I refuse to call it Myanmar.
I don't know how many of the 80,000 in attendance knew who she was. I did. But what I didn't know, hadn't considered in years, was that she is STILL UNDER HOUSE ARREST. It has been nearly 20 years. I was so sad, yet so glad to see her remembered, hoped for, and I'm sure, prayed for.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aung_San_Suu_Kyi

Another way Bono breaks to mold is to call it like it is. One example. Who today in America would boldly proudly publicly thank (amoung others) GEORGE W. BUSH for ANYTHING? Very few. Not I. And yet Bono did. For the alleviation debt slavery in Africa, for the saving of millions lives through aids antiviral medications. "God bless George W. Bush." he said. And whether you wanted to or not, you sort of agreed. "God bless America." And you wanted to cry, and to thank Bono for that. If you can't understand why that should be, just know, it is hard to be an American these days, hard to be one with an expanded Worldview, knowing what the world thinks of us, has thought of us. Especially these days. It's good to feel proud of our essence as a Nation once more and to have someone honestly and outside our system be the one reminding us, instilling and okaying it.

Mega Music Mojo & More

What more could one want?

(contented *sigh*)

;D

http://www.joinred.com/Home.aspx

I want the kicks: http://www.joinred.com/Shop/shop_converse.aspx?prod=3 these are designed by The Edge, but there's something for every ONE.

Twilight Tuesdays: TWILIGHT, NEW MOON, Sunspots...Parrish Blue

Well, I have certainly been experiencing technical difficulties at Circe's Palace!


Computer overheating, and no longer recognizing my phone, where I take most of my pictures, so no personal downloads of any kind, digital camera experiencing some sort of disc error, missing dongle... is it sunspots? Or is it me? Talk about blog frustration...


Anyway, here is a tidbit for Twilight Tuesdays, which is not what one might expect. Long before I loved Edward, I loved Maxfield...


The one who introduced me to the twilight I have experienced to the core of my soul ever since... in every evening sky...

In the fading light, of nearly each newly ending day...

The final, velvet, best and glowing moments of...

Parrish blue. Twilight, by Maxfield Parrish &

New Moon, by Maxfield Parrish

: )

xo

Twilight Tuesdays

"For now, Tuesdays shall be for Twilight... as long as it lasts for me, so shall it for you."





Twilight Book Club Menu






If it seems you should read into the descriptions, then well you should.





Table sporting Red and White tulips, candles.


Thematic wines: Vampire, Black Mountain, Red Truck, Old Moon, Velvet Moon...


Virgin and Juniper Bloody Marys (each with whole celery "stalk"... to BITE,)


Smoked Salmon with spice and capers


Venison Sausage


Wild Mushroom Ravioli pillows (homemade) stuffed with Black Forest Ham and Three Cheeses, "Pine" Sauteed Baby Bella Mushrooms, deglazed pan sauce of Vermouth, Shallot and Heavy cream. Shaved Black Peppercorn Romano. (Never Think should be playing in the background)


Fry Bread or Kneel Down Bread

with

Oregon Berry Jams




In a glass bowl: Frozen berries, with Ice cream Kisses.









Many specialty grocers, as well as online purveyors sell elk and venison products. Fry bread is a Native American specialty. Oregon is in the Pacific Northwest just as is Washington, though Oregon is known for it's berries and Washington it's apples. Juniper Bloody Marys are all I drink; use your favorite gin in place of vodka, in this case, Hendricks.
Wish you could have been there. Mmm was it good!

Twilight Zone

Twilight Tuesdays

* spoiler alert * spoiler alert *

I know... every woman or girl that reads Twilight reserves the right to be "Bella". (And Edward is the reason you would wish to.) This post is not trying to say that this is any more or less true for myself than anyone else. However, some weird things have occurred to me. As briefly as I can, I'll outline what are to me, at least, some bizarre coincidences between my teen self and Bella. Some are pretty understandable, some strangely specific. Most bizarre, debatably, is the fact that not a single one of these things occurred to me while I was actually reading the books! A testament to the universal appeal and the ability of the books to stand on their own? Or plain old denial/repression? You decide...

Child of Divorce-- I am. Easy enough.

Junior Year Move-- In my Junior year, I moved from living with my Mother in the East, to the West were my Father had lived most of my life, and where I'd summered/visited him. The move was my choice and was initiated by me.

Climate change-- I actually went from Wet to Dry instead of Dry to Wet. Green Primordial Kudzu and Honeysuckle draped forests and fields, streams and rivers, to Hot Dry Sunny Coastal California. (can't complain there!)Although, it now occurs to me, that for my first 30 or 40 days of school there, it rained. Poured, usually. All day. Every day. We all needed to take off our shoes during class-time so our feet would have a chance of somewhat drying off before we set off for the next class. (outdoor paved hallways with overhangs between and long the school buildings.)

Attention shift-- I received a HUGE amount of positive attention in my new school, as compared with my old school.

Girlfriends-- the first person to befriend me in my new school was named Jessica. Really. And though not as snarky (as far as I know; maybe Edward would know differently) she definitely didn't like my attention shift when I started seeing my -- what do I call him here? boyfriend? guy? first love? all descriptions seem inept and inappropriate given my feelings at the time. Our friendship didn't survive my romance, and after tracking her down years later, remembering her as dear to me and wanting to possibly rekindle our friendship if possible, I was left with nothing but the nagging feeling that she had either "dated" him after I moved away, or had wanted to!

HE--At school, I found myself Watching him from a distance, nothing unusual there. But then there were all the ways he was watching me too, how he would orchestrate things in order to pass by me in a crowd, how he found out my schedule and the seating chart and would leave hidden messages for me at my seat. He would literally drop out of the sky a foot from me when I would be quietly quizzing people about him, from the overhangs that covered our outdoor hallways. We had not yet spoken, save for him saying, nearly breathing "hello" into my ear as we passed, squeezed by each other in a crowd, also orchestrated by him. (my heart is beating just remembering it!)

His name has Edward in it.

Charlie-- the name Charlie figures prominently in my story, too.

Watching me sleep-- Once we were together, in the night, he would run several miles from his house to mine, and through my window, watch me sleep, sometimes suspending a letter or a single fragrant rose stolen from a neighbor's garden, by a thread from the eaves outside my window for me to find when I awoke.

WE-- had a meadow, and hills, and rain, and wildflowers and sun. I would hug my knees, watching him, while he would lie, smiling in the grass, seemingly comfortable anywhere.

He--Old fashioned, yet very hip.

He-- tall, handsome, graceful, well dressed.

He-- would eat things on a dare.(Bugs usually. Pizza he liked!)

He--Music snob, eclectic taste.

I-- my love for him was like a physical entity, and became like the air to me. I don't know how my heart contained it all.

I-- was intimidated by his greatness, his intellect, his accomplishments. Didn't know why he was with me. But I think, unlike Bella, I was able to believe that he truly loved me. He convinced me of it on an hourly basis. Perhaps that was unwise.

He-- was very fiercely protective of me, put me on a pedestal.

We-- worried our parents. "Too intense, too intertwined..."

All encompassing... for two years... Enough passion to sustain three truly passionate relationships... though He, like Edward, was the conscience, the one saying "no".

We-- talked of getting married-- He explored ways around the age of consent for marriage in California... discussed eloping...

He left-- Like Bella, I was destroyed. Like Bella, I had (have) a bit of a temper, and also was in many ways fiercely independent. He strove to have me lean on him solely, which I resisted for over a year. When I began to trust that I could trust fully, it was too much for him. He left. He did come back, but obviously, unlike Edward, his return didn't last. I was destroyed. Only the death of my Mother (5 months later) can compare with the utter devastation and grief. In many ways, it was more painful. Catatonic? Yes, and more. I can still find tears, even decades later, if I think about it.

Angela Weber-- my Angela Weber came along after he was gone (though not her name). Sweet, lovely, gentle, softspoken, intuitive, caring. I can't say she was there to pick up the pieces; there were none, just smithereens and dust. A balm to my spirit were the times spent with her. She is still hugely dear to me today. (Although, as I've said, she deserves to reserve the right to be Bella in her own story, too! As do we all. Like Bella, she had special qualities in her which have become truly powerful wonderful attributes.) She did marry her love after high school (though not right after) and moved to Arizona, of all places, where she lives him and her children to this day.

Motorcycles banned, ban ignored- I was forbidden from riding motorcycles, though, after we were no longer seeing each other, which meant he was no longer picking me up for school in the morning in his classic sports car, which he built with his dad, a warm kind guy friend would often stop and pick me up as I walked, late, to school and give me a ride the rest of the way on his motorcycle.

Mike said he would have asked me to prom if he had known that my former "he" were no longer in the picture. Really, his name was Mike.

MISSED PROM --and really do feel like I missed out. Edward was right about that.

Weird? Or not at all?

Maybe I'm being silly; maybe we all have these types of universal coincidences...

(And you may wonder, after having read this: Do I in any way want him back? No. Not at all. Now, if Edward were to somehow come into my life, that would be difficult...)

Whew.

Stephenie, are you really that good... ?

;['

Twilight Tuesdays ( vol. 1)

"For now, Tuesdays shall be for Twilight... as long as it lasts for me, so shall it for you."

Well, I didn't really think it would happen to me, didn't foresee it, even with all the available evidence. I am reading Twilight again. Well, the series. I've already finished Twilight. Again. I'm now reading New Moon. Again. I've also read Midnight Sun, but only once. (So far) I'm saving it, as for me the first time through, after having finished the four, it was the most delicious. In fact, I attribute my current addiction to having read Midnight Sun (the available chapters on Stephenie Meyer's website) after the fourth book progressed and culminated in a way that left things at a sated stopping point for me. And then. Then I read it. Imagine watching or experiencing your favorite film clip of all time, or music video even, in an isolation chamber in super hd, with that amazing surround sound system you only ever dreampt of ... Sure you loved that film, that clip, that video, that song before. That goes without saying. And could visit it from time to time. But now, you have the opportunity and experience to be INSIDE it, all the things about it that you already loved, cut to the heart of it's essence and mainlined directly to the heart of you. Well, then. You might become somewhat addicted too.

Of course, I am speaking of Edward here. But the concept I suppose applies to the storyline, too. In a more temporal fashion, perhaps.

This little blog series will document my thoughts and musings on these stories, and also some on the film. So far, I have been intrigued by several forums, and blogs dedicated to just this topic. However, even given my initial addiction to the books, I think that writing here is thusfar a more satisfying way for me to continue my experience. I think in particular Twilight Moms is a terrific site, and was tempted to join their forum for all the reasons it exists. I suspect, though, that there will come time all too soon when I will likely put away my Twilight; I wish to chronicle in part this amazing and unexpected experience before I do.

Perhaps I will reach others with similar musings. Welcome to you then! And welcome, too, are your comments.

Among the best of all from discovering these books, are the thoughts and discoveries I would not have likely made if not for the (hopefully temporary) obsession and exploration of Twilight elements. The apple photo, above, and it's photographer Diane Varner are one example. Her gorgeous art came up in a Google search for "Forbidden Fruit". http://www.dianevarner.com/index.php?x=about

The surprising and moving music of Robert Pattinson, who stars as Edward in the film is another example. #83 on the player at the bottom of the blog is Never Think by Rob Pattinson.

As I was playing Never Think, while composing this, in trying to avoid interrupting the song, I clicked the pop out player, but it wasn't already playing, so I clicked it there too. Amazingly the first player (for once) didn't stop playing when I clicked away, and I was able to experience the most amazingly harmonious and haunting version of the song with both of them playing simultaneously, even having begun at different times... Wow. Incredibly beautiful and moving. Such a gift. And I wouldn't have thought that could have been possible; it's a seemingly simplistic song and yet NOT-- pleasantly surprised that it held it's own harmonies and rhythms so beautifully against itself. : ) Bravo, to you, Rob, on your quite old for your young years soulful musicianship. I'm hooked! And finally understanding (sometimes tearfully) the lyrics, now, I am doubly moved. (ahh, *sigh*...mmm....)

Confessions of a Twilight Addict, v. II*

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YOUR BRAIN... on Twilight!

Yes, that would be me.

And to think, if it weren't for the insistence of some friends in my bookclub, the experience may have unwittingly passed me by indefinitely.

I scoffed. Internally, at first, I scoffed. After all, my suggestion/selection of the gorgeous novel, The Historian, was taken, though when it came to it, not widely read or embraced by my group due apparently to the vampire topic matter. (Go figure?) And, as I smirked bemusedly to myself, here they were, insisting that this was a must read. A teen book. About a teenage vampire. Complete with all the teen hype. Hmmm. Sure. I'm game, I thought to myself. You don't scare me.

You couldn't have prepared me. Better that no one tried. Page turner? That's one understated way to describe it. If I could liquefy the essence of a book to drink it through a straw, this book would qualify. (And could I then have finished it any faster? Would I even want to read any of them in less than three days?) Was it award winning prose you ask? Rich language? A tapestry of descriptive textures? Well... I'll try to tell you what it was. Simply. Love. True Love. Enigmatic as it is and that sounds, it's as simple as that, I think. The story is truly compelling. The romance undeniable. The danger and suspense are contenders. The moral underpinnings are fresh and true. The natural ease of the characters, comfortable as your favorite things to wear. But without love... Without love I wouldn't likely be writing this. Oh sure. Okay. It's a love story. Fraught with peril, communication difficulties, sacrifice. But that's not the love I refer to. I am in Love with Edward. Ladies? Is anyone out there with me on this? I mean I know thousands are and have come before me. But I mean, anyone listening? Do you get it too? Are you bitten and infected by this glorious perfecting venom that is Edward? Is he your "favorite brand of heroin"? I know my dear, dear friend, who graciously hosted me for spring break is with me. So much so that even after having finished the entire series of books a few days prior, assertively and enthusiastically insisted that whenever possible during our spring break together she read out loud to me. Yes, yes, female bonding to the max. So what? I know, and yet cannot fathom why none of the men in our lives will read this book (series). Are we that disgusting in our gushing? Is it merely the same reason I scoffed in the beginning-- a teen vampire book? And rumored to have "no sex" in it at that? I mean, is that requisite to you fellows? (Oops is that a spoiler? I don't really think so, and ladies who've read it will likely know what I mean and even disagree wholeheartedly.) Or is it some innate instinct to veer away from the competition, no matter how fantastical, fantastic or fictional?

Yes, I'm in love with Edward. And I don't mean the actor in the film. In fact, I'm hesitant to see it. I don't want to relinquish my perceived version of Edward. Not just yet, anyway. I fear I may not get him back. I may need to see how this addiction goes... I mean, I know he's fictional. It's not like I'm that lady who's in love with the Eiffel Tower (heaven forbid). And I know certainly that I'm not alone. And yet, I am a bit mystified. but that's ok. I like mystified in this case. I don't really feel the need to analyze this, as is my usual tendency. I just feel the need. To feel. I know it won't last forever...

Or will it?

(This may not be my only Twilit post; just warning you! And how interesting that for the whole of my life, twilight has been my favorite time of day, and one of my favorite words...)

For a few Twilight tracks by Robert Pattinson, scroll down to player. #84, & #85. Possibly more in future... *Actually, the track called "The Meadow" may be actually, River Flows in You by Yiruma... and even still, not sure which of the two is performing, but will update when I've solved the mystery!