a post about Harry Potter

if there is anything i love in this world more than eating costco samples for lunch (which i love a lot) it's Harry Potter. as a preface to this post, i would like to point out that i never-EVER- use caps while blogging ("don't be lazy!" says my dad) except for Things Associated With Harry Potter. because Things Associated With Harry Potter are to be treated with the utmost respect and deserve to be given a little more attention than topics in small caps. i am one of the faithful followers from the beginning. i comforted Harry when his loyal Nimbus Two Thousands was smashed to smithereens. i was under his Invisibility Cloak during all those late nights wandering around the castle, holding my breath in hopes that we weren't caught by Snape or Mrs. Norris. i cried with Harry during the wee hours of the morning over the loss of our friends. we grew up together! me and Harry, Harry and me! there's so much attachment to Harry Potter in me that my mind gets all tangled up when i try to explain it. i'm sure i could talk about Harry Potter for hours and hours and hours, but i'll stick to a few thoughts.

-every time a new book came out, there was dispute about who got to read it first amongst the kids and every time, i won. i suspect if any of us kids have a falling out with each other, it'll be over who loves Harry Potter more. ("well, can you tell me what Uncle Vernon chortles on page 11 of Sorcerer's Stone when Dudley throws his cereal against the wall? didn't think so.")

-i truly, honestly didn't know what to do with myself for a few days after i finished the seventh book. i walked around with an empty, hollow pit in my stomach and heart. "you can read them again!" someone dumbly pointed out to me. "it's not the same!" i wailed. i felt so alone. i thought i must have had the dementor's kiss. what was there to live for? (now i realize that lots of people probably felt the same way, but i still felt alone.) it was just a sad week. i still get a lump in my throat just thinking that it's over.

-my mom sometimes tells us that we need to widen our variety of books. "read something else for a change!" she can't comprehend that we've read each book multiple times. i can't comprehend that she hasn't.

-Albus Dumbledore is a greater person than you or i could ever hope to be. i have never felt prouder of somebody than our twinkly-eyed, crooked nose, all-knowing Dumbledore.

-my friend and i have spent countless hours in the library (with our anatomy homework pushed aside) having deep and philosophical discussions about Harry Potter instead. we've truly come up with a belief that there is a wizarding world. J.K. Rowling is a witch who decided to write a book (a biography, really) about Harry Potter and their world. of course it's too fantastic to beleive so no muggle would ever actually take it seriously. (however, i imagine this was a serious controversy within the Ministry of Magic.) but we know the truth. we get it. for christmas, my friend gave me a "Dumbledore's Army" shirt and one of our own set of two way mirrors, like Harry and Sirius's.

-i would never have any reason to complain if i were a Weasley. who does not want to be a part of the Weasley family? funny and loud and endearingly brave. no, scratch that. if i were a Weasley, then i couldn't marry a Weasley. correction: i would never have any reason to complain if i married into the Weasley family.

so if one day, i just up and disappear, don't be surprised to see me waving happily in the Daily Prophet as Mrs. George Weasley, mother of five beautiful red-headed wizards, best friend of Harry Potter, and Hogwart's new professor of Muggle Studies. i belong there, dang it.

P.S. happy birthday harry :)

let's rock, let's rock, let's rock today

my dad just bought a new motorcycle.

which means that i basically inherited his old nissan altima. so i am proud to say that i learned to drive that blasted stick shift. granted, i can't really drive with the AC on because it makes it gutless, but it's a car to take up to school, so i'll take it! actually, i think it's kind of nice compared to lyle. i have a thing for old junkers. they have more character than newer, nicer cars (although i wouldn't say no to a mercedes g-wagon....). well, the heart of this blog post is that i can't drive a nameless car, so the fam came up with some ideas for a name. the contenders were:

dr. leo marvin- crossed it out because dr. leo marvin wouldn't drive an old altima. he might drive, say, that g-wagon...but not an old altima. maybe a new altima....but not an old altima.

bob- seems like a pretty standard name, but then when i introduce it, i'd have to add that it's not just any bob, but bob wiley. anyway, bob's too mundane a name.

larry- you know, nerdy asian larry from "school of rock." then again, i'd have to explain that to people and i don't even know larry's last name, so i'd have to say something like "come on, larry from 'school of rock'" and then i'd have to show them the "let's rock, let's rock, let's rock today" handshake.

ned shneebly- doesn't roll off the tongue.

and then...my brother, who is on a mission, gave us the inspiration in an email.

dewey finn. the altima is dewey finn. not cool and slick, kind of fat, a loser on every level. so if you see me driving my little altima around, give a little moment of silence for dewey finn, because i can't think of a better person to give tribute to.

oh, and if you don't know who dewey finn is...go watch "school of rock" and hope that you are forgiven for your ignorance.

manipulating the system

if you are ever in a state of powerlessness and helplessness, i have a remedy for you that will make you feel like the merciless, all powerful being that you, dear reader, are.

when i'm in my car at a stop light and the opportunity arises (i.e. the person in the car behind me is fully stopped and not preoccupied), i ever-so-slightly inch the car forward about a foot to see if the car behind me will do the same, peek in the rearview mirror...

...and watch the car inch forward a little. and then, the car behind that one inches forward a little. and then the car behind that one...you get the gist. the thing is, the people behind you don't know they are part of the plan or that they are being influenced.

{insert cruella deville laugh here.}

farbeit from me to boast of myself...but i think i've just manipulated the system. it works 99 out of 100 times. do i sound weird? i'm really not that weird.

the only rule to this little game is that you cannot UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES be manipulated into inching forward a little when the car in front of you does so. no matter how strong the urge. think of it as improving your self control. who knows? maybe the person in front of you is trying to manipulate the system and no system will be manipulated under my watch (unless i am the manipulater). this is where the feeling of power comes into effect.

feel free to try this at home.