Finished July 17, 2005 ~ 1:38 pm
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Well, all told it took me 20 hours to finish Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, with seven of those hours devoted to sleeping and another three hours for blog breaks, food breaks, and phone breaks. So that’s 10 hours to read a 655-page book. Not bad.
I cried through the last 100 or so pages, although I won’t tell you why because I don’t want to spoil it for anyone. Silly, I guess, how we get so wrapped up in our favorite characters. They’re pen-and-paper creations, but somehow the students and professors of Hogwarts are as real to me as someone I might meet on the street. When I was little and read C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia, I spent a long time trying to figure out where my own passageway into Narnia was - the book was just that real to me. Something tells me that if I were younger, I would be spending just as much time looking for a way into an American Diagon Alley.
And now, less than 24 hours after I got HP&THBP into my hot little hands, I am already counting down how long it could possibly be until we hear about Book 7. J.K. Rowling has a 7 month-old baby to compete with the writing, but since she’s always said that the last chapter of the final book was written…well, it can’t be that hard to get it there, can it (*she said ironically, knowing full-well how characters work against you sometimes*)? Bring it on, J.K., and well-done on Book 6. As much as I complained, it was worth the wait.
We interrupt your Harry Potter reading to declare July 16, 2005 ~ 8:41 pm
Posted by Julie in : Daily Grind , comments closed![[i'm bill weasley]](http://atypically.net/hp/images/bill.jpg)
…and which lesser Harry Potter character are you?
I knew it, you knew it, we all knew it. Now a quiz has proclaimed it. *snicker* Snaked this from Nanner’s site.
The Week in Review July 16, 2005 ~ 5:53 pm
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Rick Allen, Wappinger’s Falls, July 3, 2005.
What the hell, Rick Allen gives my vacation a thumbs up, so do I.
It’s been a busy week around here, and while I had the best of intentions to blog everyday, that didn’t happen. I guess I just blog more regularly at work. But don’t tell them that.
What did I actually do this week? It’s been a more productive vacation than most I’ve had. I saw a Def Leppard concert, bought a microwave and went to the beach with Jordana, went to Rick’s softball game and threw him a little birthday party (with the Youngest’s help), went to the beach with Rick and the Youngest, went to the Bronx Zoo with them, saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with them, and got the new Harry Potter book. Oh, and since no vacation of mine would be complete without some injury or ailment, I had a little of both - when I fell and scraped my knees at the concert, I bruised them so I’ve been walking like an old lady for most of the week, and I came down with a little virus (no, it was not e. coli!) to boot. And the Piss Crusader has decided the carpet in our new apartment is appealing as a target, so I’ve cleaned up after him a few times as well as taking him to the vet. Damn, we’ve been busy little bees around here.
And Monday I have to go back to work. *sigh* I’m glad we’re on four-day work weeks for a while longer…I don’t think I could work a regular work week after this time off. But at the same time, it will be good to get back into the groove. Rick’s going to pick up the Oldest from camp after his softball game on Monday, and then will have her and the Youngest in Massachusetts for the month of August while the Youngest goes to circus camp. So Julie will be on her own for a very long time. We’ve talked about me taking weekend jaunts up there, but we’ll see how the timing works out. In the meantime, any of you kids want to come to New York and entertain me? Aimee? Lois? Katey? Nanner? Regan? Oh, wait, I’m visiting Regan in two months, she’s off the hook. The rest of you know you want to.
Last thought of the afternoon: Why do we need a new version of Pride and Prejudice featuring this ugly excuse for Mr. Darcy:
We all know there will never be a Mr. Darcy like this one:
That was honestly the question I asked Rick during the previews at the movie this morning. Who can compete with Colin Firth in that wet shirt? No one. Talk amongst yourselves on that subject while I go back to reading the new Harry Potter book.
Rock, Rock, E. Coli Beach! July 11, 2005 ~ 10:16 pm
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Yes, he does have a banana on his penis - 2005 Mermaid Parade, Coney Island
Jordana took me to Lowe’s to get my microwave yesterday. And somewhere along the line, we decided that we were hot as hell, it was summer, and why didn’t we just go to the beach? So we did. We stopped at my place long enough to drop off the new nuker, grabbed beach togs, and went out to Riis Beach in Rockaway, after Jordana assured me that it was a great beach that was never busy.
We should’ve had some idea that wasn’t going to be the case today when the traffic to the beach on the Belt Parkway didn’t ease up, but we trekked blithely on via access roads until we got to the exit. “Wow, it’s never been like this before,” Jordana said as she observed the massive gridlock that was leading to the toll bridge. But the water beckoned, and we were so engrossed with imagining how good it would feel on our grimy, sweaty selves that we went on. Through gridlock, through road rage, we were going to get to that beach, dammit.
We stopped briefly in town for ice, water, beer, chips and salsa, and some dried mangoes, and hit the beach…parking lot. Where what to our wondering eyes should appear, but about 50 motorcyclists all pulling in to what looked like a huge block party of Caribbean Islanders. Apparently, it was some sort of Guyanese/Jamaican Pride Day, and we had stumbled into it. Undaunted by thousands hundreds of islanders determined to party, we made it to the parking attendant’s booth where we saw…”Water closed, no swimming.”
“Are you serious?” we asked the attendant, pointing to her sign. “Yeah,” she said as if she had answered that question a thousand hundred times before…oh wait, she probably had. “The bacteria counts are high because of the heavy rain yesterday. E. Coli.” Our hopes of swimming dashed, we had a quick conference and decided to go sit on the beach anyway, since we had munchies and beer. Besides, I’m on vacation and needed to find out about how the bacteria count would affect my beach time for the rest of the week.
We stopped to chat with a lifeguard and ask how long bacteria normally frolic in the ocean. “I dunno,” he replied helpfully. “I’m on vacation,” I whined. “Well, there’s swimming over at Rockaway Beach, past that fence there,” he pointed about a quarter mile up the beach. “And at Jones Beach.” Dammit, we had just paid $5 for parking and forged a path through a bunch of rowdy Islanders, we weren’t going over there. We set up camp, and I said to Jordana, “Look at all of the people who are out there wading. The lifeguards don’t seem to care about that.” Jordana agreed that it couldn’t hurt to wade, especially since the E. Coli stopped at our beach and not the next one. There was no telling where they stopped on our beach, they probably weren’t right in front of us, and besides, we would shower when we got home.
So that’s what we did. Waded amongst the E. Coli, then came back to our chairs to eat, drink, and critique old men walking down the beach in Speedos with big bellies and hair backs, and for the love of GOD, cover yourself, man! And when I came home, I showered thoroughly with anti-bacterial soap. I’ll be fine, so will Jordana. I’m not so sure about the kids that were playing in the water, though. After all, “He pushed that girl into E. Coli water!” But that’s for their parents to worry about, not me. You know, the same parents who were feeling the effects of a day of sun and alcohol and started what looked a lot like a riot when we we driving out of the parking lot, if eight police cars pulling up with lights flashing was any indication.
I called Rick when I got home and told him we need to start going to Riis beach. That’s where all the fun is.
“I said welcome to my show!” July 11, 2005 ~ 12:08 am
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Sav and the Thundergod, “Rocket” - Wappinger’s Falls, 7/3/05
So the Youngest got to go to her first real rock concert (not counting the time she met Sting after one of his shows, lucky kid) last night at Coney Island. She was jet lagged and only made it about halfway through Def Leppard’s part of the set before Rick had to take her home, but she was enthralled with Rick Allen’s drumming (”He only has one arm and he’s a drummer? Cool!”) and loved Bryan Adams’s “Kids Wanna Rock.” All in all, a good night. And awesome for me, as well, even if I did scrape bloody hell out of my right knee when I tripped over a metal plank on the way to the port-a-potties. Just call me Grace.
We started out the evening far back on the field so the Youngest wouldn’t get trampled, but after Rick took her home, I managed to make it within a hundred feet of the stage. In the thick of the crowd like that, I was surrounded by other Lep fans who were all singing all the words to all the songs. Generally half the crowd will sing and the other half will just groove, but not in Brooklyn, baby. We screamed loud, sang louder, and Joe and the boys had grins on their faces the entire night. So did the crowd, actually. There was a great vibe, and everyone was just reveling in it. I’ve been calling this show “The Mountain Comes to Mohammed Concert” because Coney Island is basically my back yard, and I think others felt that way, too. It was like we all finally won one of MTV’s old “Have Your Favorite Band Play At Your House” concerts - definitely one of, if not my favorite Lep shows. I hope they’ll tour through the fall to promote the covers album so I can catch them a couple more times before they head back to the studio.
It’s officially Monday and Rick’s birthday now. We talked a few minutes after midnight so I could be the first to wish him a happy birthday. He’s playing softball in the morning, and then his friend Randy is taking him out to play golf in the afternoon while I watch the Youngest. He’s insane, it’s going to be 95 degrees, but since that’s how he wants to spend his birthday, I’m going to make sure that he gets to. The Youngest and I will be spending it anywhere with airconditioning. The movies, Barnes & Noble, doesn’t matter, that’s where we’ll be. And maybe at some point while I’m watching her, I’ll be able to blog about Jordana’s and my visit to Riis Beach this afternoon, complete with E. Coli infested water and a huge gathering of Guyanese who took over the parking lot. You know you want to hear that story.
Vacation July 8, 2005 ~ 3:12 pm
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A mermaid for Seamus - 2005 Mermaid Parade, Coney Island, NY.
In one hour and fifteen minutes, I go on vacation. Where am I going? Nowhere. I am simply going to enjoy a week of life without having to deal with surly students, awful officemates, and pissed-off professors. That’s enough of a vacation, believe me.
It’s starting early so that I can take Jesse to the vet. Yep, the vet. He was closed on Wednesday when I went (don’t ask, I don’t know), so we’re going to try this again. I feel he owes me something, since he wasn’t there and my cat isn’t getting better under his care, we’ll see if I can convince him of that. I am not looking forward to getting Jess in his carrier and transporting him over there, though.
Tomorrow, the Coney Island Def Leppard show, which I am so looking forward to. We’ll see if I can get anymore pictures. I think it will depend largely on the Youngest and how rowdy the crowd is - obviously we can’t go into a mosh pit with a 9 year-old. And given the fight that broke out last weekend that the state troopers had to break up…well, it’s doubtful we’ll get close to the stage. Oh, well.
Monday is Rick’s birthday, and he’s playing in a softball game. Other than that, we have vague plans to go to the Bronx Zoo this week, and there’s always the hope that my IKEA furniture will come so I have time to put it together. And I have to re-read Othello for a project Jordana and I are trying to put together. Beyond that, I have no plans besides enjoying myself. And blogging. Cos we can’t escape that.
One hour left…
Yes, Mom, I’d jump off the bridge, too. July 7, 2005 ~ 10:59 pm
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Joe Elliott, “Rock On” - Fishkill, NY 7/3/05
I thought long and hard about this (about 30 seconds), and I decided to join the cool kids and get a Flickr account. Blame Jon Armstrong, dammit - it was his pictures of Leta that pushed me over the edge.
In the Flickr account thus far are all the pictures from the Wappinger’s Falls/Fishkill Def Leppard concert. Because while I will eventually post all of those shots as a picture of the day, I don’t want to torture the Lep fans and make them wait that long (63 days, to be precise, if I were to use one every day and ignore the other photos I’ve uploaded). So, it’s in the sidebar. Click and be merry.
And while you’re doing that, someone explain to me where my damn Unkymoods thing went. Or where the Unkymoods site went. Both are gone, which irks my taters.
Shock (UPDATED AGAIN) July 7, 2005 ~ 9:53 am
Posted by Julie in : Daily Grind , comments closedI’ll post more as the day goes on, but any of you who are reading this today, give a thought, a prayer, a whatever, to everyone in London and the UK.
Especially the Youngest, who is over there with her mother right now and is supposed to come home tomorrow.
Rick hasn’t heard from them yet, so we’re a little tense even though I’m sure they’re fine. Anything you could send out into the Universe today would be appreciated by Rick, me, and everyone else who is waiting to hear.
UPDATE: Still haven’t heard from them, although I’m hearing now that the phone grids are back up, and there is a chance that Rick will forget to tell me, especially if he’s driving home. He has no cellphone. The last person in the free world without a cell phone. Perhaps he will be getting one for his birthday on Monday.
If you’re in need of more information than you’re getting on the radio at work, here are some good sites.
SECOND UPDATE:
Rick heard from them, and they are fine. I just heard from my friend Chris as well, and he’s safe at home now. Apparently one of the blasts happened near where he works and they weren’t allowed to leave for a long time. So a big sigh of relief from me, my crew is safe.
This has reminded me so much of 9/11, as I’ve commented on others’ blogs. From the fact that it happened at 8:49 local time to me spending half the day waiting to hear news of my loved ones. To anyone reading this in the UK - you all stood by us on September 11 and supported us when we most needed it. Although certain of our elected officials have betrayed that trust since then, know that America is behind you.
Ever wonder why terrorists don’t just take out the politicians behind this shit and have done with it? Noooo, they have to attack people who have nothing to do with a country’s agenda, people who are just on their way to work or school and are in the wrong place at that wrong time. I would gladly give up Dubya, Cheney, Condoleezza, and Karl Rove if the terrorists would leave the rest of us alone.
Kvetch-fest July 6, 2005 ~ 10:45 am
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Lori’s birthday scarf - drop-knit pattern in Lion Brand Trellis (Rainbow)
I know, I know, you either wanted a picture of the Mermaid Parade or the Def Leppard concert. Well, this is the one I formatted this morning, so this is what you get. I’ll alternate between the two in an effort to make everyone happy, and will probably succeed in making no one happy. Like today, when you get to see a picture of a scarf. But what a scarf, right? You want a scarf like that now! Just think of everything you could do with a scarf like that: you could wear it as a scarf, or a headband, or tie it around your waist as a sash - the possibilities are endless. Okay, enough about the damn scarf.
New York didn’t get the 2012 Olympics, and you know what? I’m glad. We’ve got enough crazy tourists running around without inviting millions more of them here. And the Olympics are not a money-making operation, despite what certain politicians were saying…Sydney and Salt Lake City both broke even, eventually, and the only host city to make money was LA back in 1984. That’s exactly what we needed, Mayor Mike and Governor George. We’re already in debt, let’s pile some more on top of it, who cares! And while we’re at it, let’s invite the world to a place that’s already a terrorist target! Good planning, assholes guys.
On a completely unrelated note (except that it gives me something else to bitch about), I called the vet again this morning to tell him that Jesse has been off the meds, just like he told me to, for a week and still has diarrhea. The vet’s new idea is “Bring in the cat and a sample of the diarrhea.” I’m gonna tear into this guy when I go over there. Vet visits have cost me almost $300 so far this spring, and the cat isn’t noticeably better. In fact, he didn’t have diarrhea before I took him to the vet the first time, so theoretically, he’s worse. I do not have this kind of money. I don’t mind spending money to make the cat better, but he’s not getting better. And if my mom hadn’t helped out with the vet bills and sent me some money in anticipation of there being another one in the near future, I’d be fucked. And I’m going to tell the man that.
And if you couldn’t tell, I’m suffering from an interesting mix of PMS and anxiety attacks. And when I say “interesting,” I’m being sarcastic. As a South African I met this weekend told me, “You Americans always say “interesting” when you mean “really shitty”.” He was right.
Teaser July 5, 2005 ~ 10:05 am
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Guess whose side I was on?
