I have insomnia. It's not your fault or anything. In fact, since you turned religious, which meant dumping vampire stories for Jesus tales, you haven't made me lose a wink of sleep. So, don't think the insomnia thing is directed at you. This first paragraph is just me telling you why I'm writing you at after 1 AM, EST.
First I think I should say, I was born on Halloween. No, maybe that's not right at all. This letter really has nothing to do with being born on Halloween. What really needs to be said is ... I have always loved vampires. (And no, I'm not one of those kooks dressing up like the undead and role playing down at the local Take a Big Bite Bar. I know vampires aren't real, thank you very much.) Yet, the first book I ever purchased from the book mobile at my terribly abusive elementary school was Bram Stoker's Dracula. It seemed huge, there were lots of tiny letters, no pictures, and many pages. It seemed much too adult for me at the time, but that never stopped me from doing anything before, so I persevered and ended up loving it. REALLY loving it. Loving it like, "Hey, now I can be a kid with insomnia who is afraid every shadow is a vampire getting ready to suck my neck" love. I've covered my neck with a blanket and/or sheet every night of my life since. I'm 37. I still do not leave my neck open to the perils of the night. Old habits die hard. (Like potato chips and that "no one can eat just one" thing, which admittedly gets me every time.)
But to get back to the point, Mrs. Rice, I loathe you. There, I said it. You see, since Bram's novel I have read vampire stories. I read a lot of other things as well too, but yes, the vampire reading lust was there. My brother was into vampires as well and would give me all of his vampire books after he finished with them. My mother was also into vampires and had me watching vampire film very early on -- since I was in a crib, in fact. I was the strange child who used to bite at her crib during the night like a rabid rat trying to free itself. In 1970, this was okay. No one cared about lead paint or splinters. Nibble away, Beth ... at least you're being relatively quiet and hey, you'll sharpen those fangs perhaps.
Once again, I'll get back to the rub. I found your books long after the first vampire novel of yours came out, but who cares? I found them, didn't I? I'm a library junkie, so no, you didn't make a lot of money off of me (I bought Vittorio and the film "Interview with the Vampire, but that was it) ... yet I still read you. Religiously. One after another. I read you and said to people, "THIS is writing! This is how vampire tales should be told. Anne Rice doesn't just write about vampires, she lets you live the experience. When Anne Rice writes about Egypt, you can feel the dust in your throat. No silly Buffy crap or Forever Knight bull, no quirky vampires who are also half werewolf and like to have sex. Blech. Total shite. Anne Rice gives us classic literature to a vampire drum beat. Delicious. She is the master of the genre and everything else pales in comparison."
Don't get me wrong, I watch "Buffy the Vampire Slayer ... still. Two episodes a week. I watch "Angel" 15 minutes every morning, Monday through Friday. Hell, I even watch that slop on Fridays better known as "Moonlight." ::hanging head in shame:: Hey, I'm trying to support the genre over here and keep it going on television, so yeah, I've watched the silly vampire stuff and even loved it and sure, I've read a few vampire novels not written by you in my time, even those in the ::gulp:: young adult section, but Anne, please, homo-eroticism aside (as I find myself strangely turned off by it) ... those other authors simply are not you. Those other stories can't hold a candle to your in depth writing and research, your characters, your stories, your beautiful words, and dark deeds. A novel that takes you through hundreds of years seamlessly without all the silly jibes and "Oh, I'm such a clever writer" buttering their own bread bullshit. You were the only one doing justice to the vampire novel and now what?
Jesus? Jesus!?! Are you kidding? No offense to Jesus, I mean, even my son calls him the greatest superhero to have ever lived. (walking on water, giving the blind sight, wine out of water ... if you believe that stuff, it really can't be topped ...)
I mean, yes, great, you're religious and you've found God. I get it. Terrific. But does this mean every penny made writing about darker subjects has now been donated to the Catholic church or have you decided, "Nah, I'll keep the money, but just atone by never writing about them again."
Who are you hurting by not giving the world more Lestat? Satan? No, Anne, you're hurting ME and thousands like me who haven't read a decent vampire novel since 2003. 2003! Can this be right? Yet, you've put two Jesus Christ novels out there since then. TWO. Zero to Lestat, two to Jesus. Humph.
Look, I don't mean to be sulking or a prat, but I've heard it through the grapevine you just might take your faith and run with it, make Lestat some super Jesus Christ hero and redeem him or some such thing. Fine, I can do redemption. Can't wait, in fact. Seriously, I CANNOT WAIT! Pump that turd out already and give those of us who are awake way past their bedtime something else to do besides write you stupid letters on their blogs. This is my one and only and yes, final plea.
Now that everything is growing in my garden, I thought you all would like to see some pictures of this year's progress. If not, well, then ... who needs ya?
I have no idea what the flower on the left is below, but perhaps you do? It started growing in even rows in my two triangular beds, so I'm pretty sure it's not a weed, but since it was a couple of years ago since I planted Thomas Jefferson seeds, it could be anything. This one below is taller than me! The next one is of course, a rose (a huge Dahlia is beyond that), and it's my first bud of the season (since taking this there are many more showing their color, it happens so quick!). If you look closely, you can see a spider peeking on the side of the rose and a web, which I let stay put as he's keeping my bushes pretty much pest free. =)
Here's my own patch of Dianthus in full bloom. This huge patch, which is roughly a foot tall and a foot wide started from one small 2" flower I received in a Styrofoam cup with a ribbon around it from my son a few years ago for Mother's Day. It's one of my favorites in the garden. The other is a close up shot of the petunias I chose for my hanging planters I have on either side of the front doorway. They're nice against our cedar shingle siding.
On to some veg, yeah? These are my first tomatoes, two of them about the size of a nickel each, off a plant that it's a tin container. All of my veg is now being done right in my flower beds or in these old tin cans. I'm not a tomato fan and neither is anyone else in my family EXCEPT my son, but I have 8 plants all looking nice. Eat up boy, there's too much to go around. Since the salmonella scare, I'll also be sharing these with the rest of the family too -- the extended family.
And then we have my broccoli plants, I have quite a few of them, nestled between my Alpine strawberry plants from President Jefferson, once again. I am trying to use up all the "wasted" space in my garden by doing these dual plantings areas in one bed and mulching it all to keep weeds at bay. So far, so good. It was a wacky idea that now, I'm actually kind of digging. A break from tradition, yeah, but I get more bang for my area.
Well, I hope you enjoyed short this tour of the garden. I left out a LOT of flowers/herbs and a whole lot of veg, but this is just a sampling for this week. They'll be others. In truth, uploading is just a giant pain in the arse. So, anyone else planting out there? Anyone still eating tomatoes even though they could kill you? Discuss.
to vote. My beautiful daughter wants to pierce her nose and then wear a tiny diamond "chip." Although I had mine pierced as a kid, before it was cool or "in" as daughter keeps reminding me, I don't want my daughter doing the same. After her recent break-up with her stupid ex-boyfriend of 14 months, she seems to be going through many changes and I don't want her doing anything out of sadness or anger or just on a mindless whim. This is my attempt at democracy and rational thinking, but I will have the final say along with my husband, of course. =) (By the way, the picture of piercings I posted is no one I know, but my personal nightmare of daughter's face if I say "yes" to just one.)
Since I can't get a real poll to work on here, I'm doing it the old-fashioned way. So, away we go:
Would You Give Your 15 Year Old Daughter Permission to Pierce Her Nose (not by herself, but at some wacky tattoo place that also pierces)?
A.) Yes, most definitely. B.) Yes, but only after a 3 month waiting period. C.) No, absolutely not.
One of my favorite things is asking my daughter a straight question, only to have her put on an Italian accent and answer, "Yessss, yesssss, I mean, noooo, noooooo." (It's from an episode of "Angel" we once saw.)
This Monday in lieu of updating you on the trials and tribulations of the Neurotic household, I would instead ask a kind of question that encapsulates my daughter's favorite response.
So, in my best Italian: Yes, yes, what television show (or book) have you found that you absolutely adore when it seems everyone else around you doesn't even know it exists?
And: No, no, no matter how much other people tell you of about this TV show (or book), you just won't hop on the bandwagon. You really cannot stand it at all.
Happy Monday, All!
*My answers are, of course, "Dexter" on Showtime. (which I'm happy after mentioning it to 24Crayons, her and her husband began watching and loving as well) Book would be Kate Fennigate by Booth Tarkington. A classic, I believe, but not well known.
*Answer for second is ANY crime or hospital drama on TV. There's just too many. I'm open to any book so long as it isn't trashy romance.
