Wuv, Twu Wuv

I went to bed broken hearted last night. But, is it true love for The Bachelorette's Jillian and Ed? It better be.

Last night's season finale held a surprise twist - Reid. He came back with an emotional profession of love, and to propose. Can I just say that I am devastated that she didn't choose him?

This appears to be a recurring theme, here. Reality TV, you've gone and done it again, you bastards! Suck me into these shows only to kick me right at the end of the last episode! I would say that, in protest, I'd quit watching - that's just how sad I feel for Reid - but I can't say that. I can say that if I wasn't married, I'd marry you, Reid, you precious little fella *sniffle*. Just ask my husband. He had to hear me pine all night and first thing this morning.

If it doesn't work out for Jillian and Ed - and I don't think it will, personally, because Ed can't just give up on his career that easily (let me add, lest everyone think I am completely anti-Ed, that between Kiptyn and Ed, I totally rooted for Ed) - will Reid still be ready to take her back?

I hope your heart gets better soon, Reid. :( I was rooting for you.

I think Jake's up as the next bachelor...

AND! On a lighter note, I did get some writing and typing done this weekend! Go, me!

Fire and Ice

How far can you go with sex and violence in a YA novel?

Kids today are saturated with this stuff and are certainly doing things a lot earlier than even when I was a kid. (Which wasn't really that long ago...) Things that are acceptable on TV and in books now, definitely weren't as commonplace then. Or perhaps they were and I was just oblivious. I know that I read books like The Vampire Diaries by LJ Smith. There was definitely romance going on, but nothing hard core or descriptive.

**possible spoilers below**

And there are books now, like Wake and Fade by Lisa McMann and Graceling by Kristin Cashore, that have sex (handled quite adult and very sweetly, I might add). There is a fair amount of fighting and violence in YA books as well. Obviously with Harry Potter, as the series progressed, there was a lot of death, but not so much description on the violence. In the Twilight Saga there was both sex and violence. But the sex here waited until marriage. And again, the violence was toned down - though I believe there was mention of James' head being yanked off and his body burned and some other such activities.

So, this leads me to my point: How far is too far in YA literature today? Can it still be YA if your leading couple goes "all the way", perhaps on more than one occasion? - of course, keeping the sexiness and passion toned down and to a minimum in descriptiveness for sensitive eyes. And if chapter 3 has "the bad guy" doing some very bad and evil things - such as ripping out a heart of an underling - is that going too far?

Of course we don't want to condone kids' bad behavior - the point is, kids are going to do bad things anyhow. It's a fact of life. You live and you learn. Just because you read about sex and death doesn't mean you are going to think these things are ok. In fact, I would think that kids that take the time to actually read are smart enough to know what's right and what's wrong - that the books are actually fiction, after all . I also feel the parents hold a certain level of responsibility here.

I guess no matter what, there are going to be critics out there who say a novel was taken too far on some level. Look at all the folks who say Edward from Twilight was abusive and that little girls that read that will think "it's ok to be in an abusive relationship now". I'd better not go there today...

But, what is your opinion? Is there such a thing as too far with teens and what they read today? How hot is too hot for love, and how cold is too cold for evil?

RIP Phillip

So, once again, I am mourning the "loss" of a reality TV favorite. First it was Adam Lambert from American Idol. Seriously, how could he lose? Now, it's my little Phillip Chbeeb from So You Think You Can Dance.

How could you America? Why didnt anyone vote for this awesome dancer? He's ridiculous! And I mean that in a good way. At least he gets to go on tour. And his good bye speech? Brought a little tear to my eye.

I will miss you, Phillip, and your sweet-ass popping abilities. You will always be on my "hot tamale train". You rock!

A Little Progress is Still Progress

For the holiday, I had a four day weekend. I had big plans for that weekend. Big plans...
Why is it that big plans never work out?
See this precious little bunny with all the crumpled papers in the garbage? That's how I felt sitting in front of my computer this weekend. Blocked. Unable to complete those big plans.
My husband was out of town. I could've gotten so much accomplished. Alas, I did not. However, I did get half of a chapter written. And though half a chapter is nowhere near the goal that I had set for myself this weekend, it is something.
So YAY! for all of you out there who made a little progress. Be it 3 chapters or 3 pages - or half a chapter- a little progress is still progress. Give yourself a pat on the back for all your hard work.