Stick with the book

I went and saw My Sister's Keeper tonight and I saw Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince a few weeks ago. Having read both books way before I saw the movies, I'm left with a few thoughts. The book is ALWAYS better.

The first movie I remember seeing based on a book was Circle of Friends. This was probably early high school. I LOVED the book. I devoured it whole and was super excited when I found the movie at the library. I immediately checked it out and took it home and watched. Very. dissappointed. Such a let down. I never got over it.

Not only when seeing a movie based on a book do you have to understand that they WILL change things (sometimes your favorite parts) but there are other important things to point out. When you read an unbelievable part in a book, you can reread it immediately. Over and over if you choose. Words can really suck you in and take you to another place. And if you aren't ready to leave that place, then read it again. While a movie can make you cry and provoke instant emotion, it's gone as soon as that scene has left the screen.

True if you have rented the movie you can rewind it but it's not the same. When you enter that place with a book it's easy to block out the 'real world.' If you are in a theater or even in your home there are multiple distractions. There might be your husband or kids right there with you. Even the dog may be sitting there watching you. Watching your reaction, judging your emotion and seeing you laugh, cry or even swoon over what's happening on the screen. When you are reading a book, while you might be in the same room with someone else, they are more than likely not reading the words you are reading. It is more of a private situation. It's you and the book. You and the story. You and your own world you have created.

I love when a story makes me laugh out loud or even when it makes me cry uncontrollably (like The Notebook, When I finished that book I had to call Mark, who was my boyfriend at the time, and he sat on the phone with me as I read the last chapter. The Notebook was the first book in my life that really made me cry.) . When I'm finished with a good book, it can make me feel so complete for that one moment. Sometimes I want to share it with a friend and I'll suggest it to everyone who asks me what I've read lately (this happened when I finished Twilight) or at other times I might want to keep it to myself for the time being. But a good book really needs to be shared.

While everyone who knows me knows I love a good movie. I won't pass up a chance to go to the theater or to Blockbuster, but my one true love is a good book. There is nothing like being in that place that you create for yourself using someone else's words. A movie creates it for you but it's so much more when you create it for yourself.

Let's get cooking

I'm about to start reading Julie & Julia a memoir written by Julie Powell.  Julie attempts to tackle learning to cook from Julia Child's cook book. An amazing feat. 

Starting this book is causing me to think back upon my attempts to cook. I'll share a few instances with you all.

Mark and I had not been married very long when this first incident occurred. I was making dinner for us. It was probably the first married dinner I had made. It was some kind of past dish (I've blocked most of the details from my memory). Mark wanted garlic bread to go with the pasta dinner. He told me to put the bread in the oven and set the oven to broil. In the meantime, one of Mark's best friends showed up at our house. So now I had an audience for this cooking debut. Well I left the bread in the oven on broil for a bit. Finished the pasta and all of a sudden our smoke detectors started going off! Plus smoke was actually rolling out of our oven. Mark ran into our kitchen fanned the smoke detector and was able to get the alarm to stop. While he was doing this, I opened the oven and discovered that our bread was burned black. Then while I could hear Mark's friend in our living room laughing, Mark gave me a lesson on how to use a broiler. And from that moment on, I have not been allowed to do much cooking around our house.

Many of my other cooking attempts have gone off in much the same way. Once I mixed up the macaroni and cheese powered 'sauce' with some potato 'sauce.' My brother still likes to point this out. One Thanksgiving a cousin and I decided to make a cake. The cake was so horrible my 80-year-old grandfather was the only one who would eat it and I question the state of his taste buds at that age.

And the last event I'll share. I was going to make a lemonade cake. It require lemon cake mix, concentrated lemonade and powered sugar. Sounds easy enough right? Well I made the lemon cake and then I was supposed to poke holes in the cake an pour the lemon-sugar mixture all over the top. Well I poured a layer over the top of the cake and then had lots left in the cup so I continued to pour until it was empty. I iced the cake and put it in the fridge. I took it to my grandmother's house and served my family. I think I made their mouths permanently puckered. 

So with the reading of this book, I think I might break out into the cooking world again and see if I can improve upon my lacking skills. I'll let you know how it goes.