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18 May |
Random Stargate SG-1/Twilight Commonality Twilight Movie
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I was reading through the most recent blog post of everyone’s favorite Mike and came across an interesting statement. He says
A fella named Larry Carroll did the interview and he was cooler than Billy Dee Williams (let’s see if anyone connects the dots on THAT reference).
As everyone knows (or at least SHOULD know), Billy Dee Williams played Lando Calrissian in the Star Wars Episodes V and VI. So I was curious to know what connection there was. I decided to start with everyone’s favorite Internet movie database, IMDB.com. Although I haven’t yet found the connection with Billy Dee Williams, I did find an interesting connection to everyone’s favorite television show dealing with stargates,;Stargate SG-1.
Turns out, Mike played a young Colonel Jack O’Neill in an episode of the show. The episode, in sum, dealt with alien abductions and cloning. Mike played a cloned O’Neill that didn’t quite fully mature, and so left him at the tender age of 15 with all of the memories of the real Jack O’Neill in tact.
Let me tell you, if Mike does as good a job in the Twilight movie playing Mike as he did playing the spitting image (character wise) of Jack O’Neill, this movie’s going to be AWESOME.
Don’t believe me about the connection? Check out Mike’s IMDB page.
This has been your Stargate SG-1/Twilight Commonality post.
-Brian
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15 May |
The Twilight Guy; A Tribute Twilight Books
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I’ve been asked to write this tribute to TwilightGuy, as a celebration to all guys who are hooked on the Twilight series.
I have to admit something. I’m a Twilight Guy.
I know this because of several things. First – and this is probably the most important piece of evidence – I am a guy. A true guy, at that. I enjoy your basic guy things, such as sports, power tools, and watching things blow up. I think fast cars are not only fun, but essential nutrients to the guy diet. If one of my kids says “Can we go to the toy store,” my first thought is The Home Depot or Lowe’s. And as with most true guys of the male gender, when asked “does this dress make me look fat”, I feel about as trapped as a lion in a pit with 15 thousand spears pointed at it.
Most guys do not tend to gravitate to any books that involve the words “love” in the description. The only things we do tend to gravitate towards are things that ultimately turn out to be stupid ideas. Take Kevin Federline’s music career, for example. We guys mostly spend our time trying to cool beer with a jet engine or put pants on. When you’re busy doing important research like this, who has the time to read a love story? Certainly not me. Under most circumstances, I would never have picked up the Twilight book on my own. I don’t believe I would even know that the book existed if it weren’t for my wife.
I think this is how most guys become Twilight Guys. I have been alive for pretty much all of my life, and I have yet to run into any guy who happens to like love stories. This does not mean that there aren’t any guys out there who don’t enjoy a good love story. I’m just saying that most of the guys I know think of something way different than the classic term of love story when they hear that phrase. So it’s not surprising that most of the guys I know have no idea what Twilight is. Therefore, most guys usually don’t come into contact with the book unless someone else, usually a girl of the female gender, introduces it to them.
To illustrate my point, I’ll use my own story. I only know about it because of my wife, who, as it turns out, happens to be a girl. She received the book as a gift from her sister for Christmas of 2006, and even though my wife is, as I mentioned, a girl, she did not actually read the book for a good nine months after receiving it. She read it only because she was tired of being pestered by her sister.
That’s when life pretty much changed for the Schade household.
All of a sudden, I was no longer married to a mature, 30-year old housewife with four children. I was married to a giddy, teenage girl who couldn’t get enough of the books or the stories of the lives of others that they ensnared. My house was filled with the high-pitched “fan chick squeal” that sounds like someone releasing air through the pinched-off nozzle of a balloon. My wife would stay up late reading accounts of other readers, reading up on everything she could find about Stephenie Meyer, and starting up her own MySpace account (she would never have otherwise done this). Without warning, iTunes became a frequent visitor of our bank statements as she started building her own versions of the Twilight Soundtracks.
I have to admit, it was nice to see my wife so energized. But after a while, I started getting worried. I wasn’t sure if this was just a phase, or if I had lost my wife completely to this whole phenomenon. Eventually, I felt that, as a responsible guy (ha ha), I needed to find out what this Twilight thing was all about that it could enrapture my wife so completely. I knew not to expect the usual guy fare – no explosions or bull whips, or even lasers. But I was glad to see that there were some scenes involving people driving very fast, and you can’t argue that there isn’t any action.
It wasn’t long before I was also hooked on the books. There is something about the way Stephenie writes that sucks you into the story. I will say that it’s a little strange to be a guy seeing the world inside a woman’s head. But that didn’t take long to get over. And just like everyone else, I found that I couldn’t put the book down. I found that I cared about what happened to these characters. I was intrigued by the histories behind the vampires and the werewolves. The next two books in the series only added to that intrigue. I found myself rooting, first for Edward, then Jacob, then Edward again. It’s not often that this happens outside of my normal genre (sci-fi/action/techno thriller). But I really did start to fall in love with these characters.
I also fell in love with the way all of this fell into place for Stephenie Meyer. Her story intrigued me just as much as the story she authored. I felt inspired by her experience, and started writing my own stories. I have always wanted to be a published author, and the way things happened for her – especially in the actual writing of the book – got me excited about writing again. I actually thought that I might be able to get my own books published someday.
The Twilight series has been magical for nearly everyone who gets involved with it, and we were no exception. We found the perfect venue for starting our own business, and it has been monumentally successful for us. I’m running out of room here, so I’m going to have to cut this short. I will end by saying simply that Stephenie has really created something for a lot of people, and we are so grateful that she has shared this with us. She’s created something that even guys can get into. It has brought people together in so many ways. Husbands and Wives, boyfriends and girlfriends, and even best friends have something to share with each other. I’m personally glad that I decided to find our what it was that turned my wife into a teenager again.
Yes, I’m a Twilight Guy.
-Brian
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13 May |
Technical Problems Not Twilight Related, The Blog, The Store
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Well, isn’t this just another wonderful screw up? Here’s a brief explanation of what I believe to have happened.
I found what I had hoped to be a nifty plug-in for the WordPress software that runs this blog. The plug-in was designed to allow you, the reader, to know if I was online on my Yahoo IM client.  it appears that this software caused an unbelievable strain on the server CPU that our web site runs on. This affected every single site we have, including this blog, or forums, and our main site. That is why you couldn’t access our site for almost the entire day. It took that long to figure out, through the help of a couple of very cool technicians at our host provider, to figure out what was happening. Once I narrowed things down, I was able to repair the damage.
I want to thank everyone for your patience. We are still learning, and it is unfortunate that my learning has to take place on our live site.  Some day I’ll get a practice server to play with. Until then, we may have to stumble through more of these little blunders.
But I hope not.
-Brian
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12 May |
Bella’s Engagement Ring Update: Part 2 Bella's Engagement Ring
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Editor’s Note: If you have not yet read the first post below relating to Bella’s Engagement Ring, please read it before reading this.
The previous post was starting to get a bit long, so I thought I’d start another post to incorporate some more information that I am now able to divulge to you, the general public, in regards to Bella’s Engagement Ring. I’m sorry to say that I do not yet have pictures, but I do have other information that I can relay to you. So I will now open the floor to questions from the audience.
Melanie: Can you tell us what the clarity rating is for the diamonds on the Genuine version of the ring?
Me: Yes, I can.
Melanie:
Me:
Melanie: Will you?
Me: Will I what?
Melanie: Tell us the clarity rating?
Me: Yes
Melanie:
Me:
Melanie: Now?
Me: Oh! Yes, of course! Um…(looking at notes)…ah! Here we go. The diamonds are SI2 clarity and G through I color. Next question, please.
Jared: Relating to the question from the first audience member, what does SI2 clarity mean?
Me: I don’t know.
Jared: Could you look it up? Like on Wikipedia? Because we all know just how incredibly reliable the information on Wikipedia is.
Me: You want me to do that now?
Jared: It would be very nice if you could do that now.
Me: (Grumbling) Okay, fine. Please hold for a moment (consulting Wikipedia). Okay, here it is.
SI means Slightly Included (which means it’s Mostly Not-included (Princess Bride – Get it?)). Seriously, Slightly Included category diamonds have noticeable inclusions that are easy to very easy for a trained grader to see when viewed under 10x magnification. The SI category is divided into two grades; SI1 denotes a higher clarity grade than SI2. These may or may not be noticeable to the naked eye.
Next question, please.
Fords: What does the color rating mean?
Me: I suppose I can’t get away with “I don’t know” again?
Fords: No.
Me: There’s actually a plethora of information on Wikipedia relating to color grading of diamonds. And I’ll be happy to divulge that information here, just as soon as I learn what “plethora” means. Until then, I will simply state that the color grades I mentioned for these diamonds are “Near Colorless”. You can find more information about diamond color grading here.
Next question.
Jamie: What if our ring sizes don’t fall within the range that is provided in the survey? For example, suppose we have a ring size of, say, 11. Will we still be able to order a ring that we can wear on our finger?
Me: Yes. We will accept special orders for ring sizes that we will not be keeping in stock. Special orders will take a little longer to fulfill, but they will be available to you.
Ian: Would The Noticeable Inclusions be a good name for a rock band?
Me: Yes.
-Brian
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6 May |
Bella’s Engagement Ring Update! Bella's Engagement Ring
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Comments have been turned off on this blog post. If you wish to continue this discussion, you may do so on our message boards. This discussion picks up here. You may have trouble reading the comments that do exist, due to a formatting problem with the template. I’m working on that now.
If you have not yet read this blog post, please read through it now. If you have read through it already, please note that there is a small update at the end that you might be interested in.
We are getting closer to making Bella’s Engagement Ring a reality. We don’t have a release date set, yet, but here are some questions you may have on your mind and their appropriate answers, brought to you in the very popular and nearly cliche’ Q and A format.
Q. When will you make Bella’s Engagement Ring available?
A. Do you want the technical answer, or the legal answer?
Q. Is there a difference?
A. No.
Q. Technical, then.
A. I don’t know. Soon. I think.
Q. How much will it cost?
A. Do you want the technical or th…
Q. HOW MUCH?!
A. OKAY! Geez, you don’t have to yell. I’m right here, you know. I can hear you just fine. It’s not like I’m down the block or…
Q. *pulling out machettes*
A. Hey! Alright, I get your point. Put those away, okay? Alright, the costs are going to depend on which version of the ring you want to buy. So let me break this down in a nice table.
| Ring Version | Materials | Standard Price | Signature Edition Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fashion | 14K Gold-plated with Swarovski Rhinestones (Full sizes only.) |
US $79.00 | US $99.00 |
| Fine | 14K Gold with Cubic Zirconias (CZ) (You can special order half sizes.) |
US $499.00 | US $519.00 |
| Genuine | 14K Gold with 1.20 tcw Diamonds (Each ring is a special order, and available in half sizes.) |
US $2,199.00 | US $2,219.00 |
The prices listed are in US Dollars. If you need to find out what these prices are in your country’s currency, you can use Yahoo’s Currency Conversion tool in their finance section.
Q. What materials will it be made out of?
A. The table above pretty much answers that, so let me embellish a little on the details.
First, the Fashion ring is simply that. It is designed to be more like costume jewelry. The ring is a 14K Gold-plated metal alloy that will not turn your skin green, and the “diamonds” are Swarovski Rhinestones. This version of the ring is available in full sizes only; we will not be offering it in half-size increments.
The Fine ring is made of solid 14K Gold and embedded with Cubic Zirconias. You may have heard of CZ before, but in case you’re not familiar with it, it’s a crystal mineral often used as a substitute for diamond. More information can be found on Wikipedia. This version of the ring will be available in full sizes, with half-sizes available as special orders.
The Genuine ring is, as its name implies, the genuine article. Like the Fine ring, it’s made of solid 14K Gold through and through, but what sets this apart from the other two is the fact that we’re using 1.20 tcw diamonds. TCW means Total Carat Weight, and is a measure of the weight of all of the diamonds used in the ring (not the weight of each diamond). This piece is a true, honest-to-goodness fine quality ring, suitable for use as an actual engagement ring!
The silence from all you guys with Twilight-obsessed girlfriends is deafening.
Q. Signature Edition?
A. Like our Bella’s Bracelet product, we intend to offer a limited edition version of the ring that will be numbered and include a special certificate of authenticity personally signed by Stephenie Meyer. I can’t mention the total number of Signature Editions that we will have to offer, but they will be available. And just like the SE bracelet, once the SE rings are gone, they will not be offered again.
Now that I have provided you with valuable information about the ring, we need help from you. We have a survey that will help us gather a couple of bits of information from you, and we’d really like it if you could mosey on over to our survey web site and take it. We need to know the general ring sizes to expect, and which version of the ring you are most likely to purchase. Instructions and the tools needed to determine your ring size are included on the opening page of the survey.
Click here to participate in the survey.
This survey has been shut down. We thank you for your participation!
The survey is completely anonymous. There is nothing in the survey that can track you or link you personally to the answers you submit. It shouldn’t take but a couple of minutes, once you have determined your ring size (which might take a little longer).
In order to participate in the survey, you will need our ring sizing tool, which you can download here.
In order to view the ring sizing tool, you will need Adobe’s Acrobat Reader program, which you can download here.
As always, if you have any questions, please refer them to our highly skilled customer service department.
UPDATE: We are very grateful for the response we’ve received on our Bella’s Engagement Ring survey. So far, we’ve had over 1,500 response, which is incredible. Here are the results so far as of May 11 at 12:50 AM:
Total interested in purchasing the Fashion version: 1,225.
Total interested in purchasing the Fine version: 187.
Total interested in purchasing the Genuine version: 162.
We know that being “interested” and actual ability or intention to purchase are two different things, but I think the numbers speak for themselves; there’s definitely an interest, here. Just thought y’all might like to know.
UPDATE UPDATE: We have received a few questions about the ring that I think I should address now.
1. Will we be posting pictures of the ring?
As soon as I receive images from our jeweler, who has the equipment necessary to take great photos to do this fine piece some justice, I will make them available. For the moment, we only have pictures of the prototype, which were only used for conceptual photos for Stephenie. They are not good enough to show off the piece to the public.
2. Will the ring have the same problems that have been experienced by a few of those who bought the bracelet?
By “problems” we presume you mean the issues of the heart pendant falling off of some of the bracelets. First, let me say that this is not the same type of jewelery. The bracelet has “dangly bits” which are subject to catching on clothing or other objects which can break the pieces holding the charms on the bracelet. Daily wear puts the bracelet in constant danger of being broken. Even still, it’s only been a tiny fraction of the overall number of bracelets we have sold that experienced this issue, and we are happy to help those who have broken charms to get them repaired or replaced.
On that note, the ring is a completely different type of jewelery and does not suffer from the “dangly bit syndrome” as the bracelet does. It is a solid piece of jewelery and we do not expect to experience the same kind of problems that the we did with the bracelet.
3. Will there be a Sterling silver or white gold version of the ring?
As Mr. Spock was so fond of saying, “There are always possibilities.” While our resources at this time do not allow us to create these variants of the ring, we do see that there is a demand for them and will consider these options for future versions. We do thank those who have asked for bringing this question up.
And as always, we are grateful for the positive comments that we have received. Thanks to you all.
-Brian
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About
Twilight Teezers is the official blog for Twilight Teez. This is where news and information relating to our web store will be posted. Twilight Teezers, while not necessarily a fan site for the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer, will likely include commentary or other articles relating to those books. We will also include content relating to other book series and authors. If you want to discuss more about Twilight, you may visit our forums or the many Twilight fan sites around the Internet (see our links section below).
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NieNie
Links
- More Twilight Fan Sites - So many fan sites, so little space to list them all…
- SchadeBlog - Brian’s personal blog
- Stephenie Meyer - Stephenie Meyer’s official web site
- Twilight Lexicon - The Twilight Lexicon
- Twilight Teez Forums - The Discussion Forums for Twilight Teez
- Twilight Teez, LLC - Order Stephenie Meyer Twilight Shirts Here!
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