Twilight

Okay, okay...so last night I may or may not have gone to a certain midnight premiere starring a certain vampire, hunky werewolf, and horrible actress.

I also might have waited in a line that wrapped all the way through Sycamore mall for 2.5 hours before showtime.

But, I don't really seem like your average TwiHard. I don't have millions of pictures of Edward or Jacob from Teen Bop magazines covering every inch of my bedroom wall, I don't own a single t-shirt with the cast of Twilight emblazoned on the front, and I most certainly do not possess any sort of cape or set or plastic fangs.

I do, however, own the first movie and all of the books.

I, like so many others, have become so baffled and intrigued by this vampire craze. Some think it's weird to be so obsessed and fantasizing over blood sucking creatures and wolves. I think, beyond sticking unrealistic ideas of romance into the minds of tweens, Twilight has unified a nation (and possibly the world...maybe).

If you think about it, Twilight has gone beyond the silver screen by positively influencing relationships. It's given middle aged women and their daughters something to talk about- whether it be about Jacob's flawless six pack or Edward's perfectly coiffed hair. Twilight fans of all levels always have that thread that binds them together.

I have a friend, Rebecca, who's helping out with a day camp in Bosnia this summer and on sports day, the kids asked if Rebecca could teach them how to play baseball. Rebecca asked them why and they said because they had seen it on Twilight.

-Joann Bautista