noun
the tendency to seek distraction and relief from unpleasant realities, esp. by seeking entertainment or engaging in fantasy.
Ahhh yes. This is what I've been engaging in over the past few months.
It started this summer.
The sub-prime mortgage debacle had been unfolding for the better part of a year, financial institutions were failing, food prices are soaring, the markets are falling, unemployment is rising, The Election, WAR (and not just ours), political unrest in several countries, random violence, tragic death.
EXHALE!
I had taken to reading the news with my head in my hands. My husband and I discussed it until we were blue in the face, in fact it was all any of our friends discussed when we met for dinner, drinks, at birthday parties.. I was ready to explode.
I needed a distraction. I needed a good book; something 'light and fluffy'. Maybe some chic lit! or even better, a romance! I needed something really juicy, something I could really escape in to because reality really sucked.
So off I went to the bookstore, where I spotted the Twilight book display (they're all so pretty together). I had remembered watching the movie trailer recently, so I shrugged, said 'what the hell' and picked up the book, Twilight.
I began reading Twilight with very little expectations, I certainly wasn't expecting it to grab me (struggling through the first half) and hold on for dear life, but it did! After two days (don't look shocked, it was written for young adults), I ran out and bought New Moon (thank GOD is was longer). The tentacles dug in even deeper as my pulse raced when Edward left Bella, and I had to fight myself to keep from flipping to end. By the time I started reading Eclipse, I had stopped noticing my husband, wanted to throttle Bella, and imagined myself convincing Edward he was better off with me! Breaking Dawn gave me sweet closure, but left me mourning the end of a great story and with a raging crush Robert Pattinson (since he was the unfortunate man I was picturing as Edward as I read the entire saga).
Now WTF do I do? I Googled him. In the process, I found out that in addition to being easy on the eyes, he's damned talented and seems to be just as lovely on the inside as he is on the outside. I also came across some great blogs, met some wonderful, insightful, fun, & talented ladies. Half the time, I find myself hitting the blog just to chat with them.
At the height of my infatuation, I was visiting various blogs and message boards for any news or photo's of Mr. Pattinson, after all, his beauty is cathartic for all the ugliness in the world, but lately I find that my infatuation is mellowing (dare I say maturing?) into something completely different. Instead of dreamily gazing at him, I find myself wanting to protect and shelter him. Oh, don't get me wrong, he's still the best damn looking man I've seen in a really long time. And don't think for a moment that if my sweet man was suddenly abducted by aliens, that I wouldn't be on the first plane to wherever Rob was trying my damnedest to make him love me... I'm just saying that something's changed for me.
Whew! It was just a bit of escapism. *whipsering* because lately, I was thinking there was something wrong with me and perhaps there wasn't really much difference between me and those screaming fan(atic) girls....
