End of a Decade

~ No spoilers here ~

I finally got my hands on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows after I went out to grab a bite to eat and checked my mail. Instead of UPS as I expected, the USPS delivered my book in the lovely package box at my mail station. Luckily not everyone in the area was waiting for Harry, as we only have four boxes for about 200 homes.

I read it straight through, well, mostly. Around 1 am, I read the same paragraph about six times in a row and decided to go to bed for a little while. Seven hours later I got up, fed myself some Jell-O and a granola bar to keep up my strength, and finished the book by noon.

People who have heard me talking about Harry Potter and how things are going to turn out know I only had two real predictions salient to the outcome of the series. As promised, there are no spoilers here. I will only say, I was 50% right, and one of the outcomes in relation to my predictions made me unbelievably happy and one of them was heart wrenching.

As I expected, I cried a lot throughout the book. I had to replenish my stock of tissues near my big green chair. I'm a softie, so I cried at the happy things and the sad things, lest you think it is just a terribly sad book. It's not. It's dark, but not exclusively.

I've decided to re-read the book at a more leisurely pace, to absorb some of the details I may have missed on the first pass. I've already had a discussion with GZ about some of the themes which I want to revisit. Overall, I'm pleased with the book, my questions are answered and Harry's world is at rest in my heart.

Summer's slipping away

I'm waiting in my big green chair for Harry Potter to arrive. I'm just about at the point where I'm going to go out and get a bite to eat, because, of course, when I get back, the package will have arrived. And I'm getting tired of waiting.

I spent most of my free time the last couple of weeks re-reading books 1 thru 6. When I finished Half Blood Prince, I cried, a lot, and moped about most of the next day. Now I'm just wanting to get on with it. Of course, I'm having mixed feelings about the whole thing. Whereas, it is always good to get to the end of the book to know what happens, this is the LAST book. When it's over, it's over. Except for the movies. I'm consoling myself that I'll read the entire series again when Half Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows each come out on the silver screen.

I know I haven't been terribly communicative this summer (or really this year). I've not had a lot to muse on and felt I haven't had a whole heck of a lot to say. I'm enjoying my summer, spending time with family and friends, reading, thinking about writing, even going to work has been relatively nice.

Last week, I babysat my cousin, Little Miss, and she was just so funny. We gave her a fudgesicle paddle pop and she walked around eating it, saying "It's cold and creamy." She thought it was just wonderful, until it started melting all over her hand and onto the grass. We rescued it with a bowl and a spoon. After the creamy cold treat, we kicked around the soccer balls for a while. She's pretty good for being not quite 3.

Ok, I'm going out for a little while. When I get back, I'm sure I'll have my copy of the Deathly Hallows waiting patiently for me to read it. Won't that be lovely!

Bands on the Bricks

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Originally uploaded by Arcadiajoy

Last night a friend and I went to Bands on the Bricks in Boulder. Onda played two sets of Latin rhythms and melodies between 7 and 9pm.

We had a lot of fun checking out the dancers, moms & dads with their kids, smiling couples, teenagers, and independent spirits. I admit, I was snarky at times, what with a fashion faux pas or twelve. There was one guy with a shirt of little skulls and a giant neon yellow skull on the back. Maybe it was just too busy for me, but wow. One free spirit showed more skin than probably truly necessary, but she certainly was enjoying herself. One guy wore Wolverine on his shirt. That was cool.

I loved watching the hairstyles, on ladies or gentlemen, and got a few interesting shots. We did see some punks at the end of the night, but it was too dark to catch the shot so far away. One kid had a periwinkle Mohawk in big spikes. "

To tell the truth, live music really makes me happy. Occasionally it makes me a bit nostalgic; last night I thought of two years ago in August when I last saw my favorite band outside under the Boulder sky. Onda's music was similar, and the crowd seemed nearly as excited. I smiled and turned my camera back on the dancing fools before me and after a moment, joined them.