Not posting

I know I haven't been posting recently. I've been depressed again. Not really sure how to go about getting it fixed this time. But everything I do seems too banal to write about, so I haven't been updating.

I did get to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in January with a couple of friends, and that was a highlight. So here is a picture of Alison and me on our first day, being crazy stupid thrilled to be in Hogsmeade.

Back to Virginia

And I'm back. It was a whirlwind week, that was for sure. I'm not exactly clear where it all went, but I remember being home and seeing everyone, and I remember flying back, so clearly I had a vacation in there somewhere.

The flight home on Friday was uneventful. Both parents were at the airport to pick me up, and then we went over to see Grandma. Who was happy to see me and hear about Virginia and give me the third degree about the boyfriend. And then, of course, we went out for fish, meeting up with Mr & Mrs. Lemery and Lily, better known as the bug in some circles. She is the perfect baby. Charming, always ready to pose, crying only when she is hungry, sleepy or when Grandpa stands between her and a red cut glass candy-dish. At the restaurant she attempted to help herself to Grandpa's beer when he wasn't looking, only to have ever-vigilant mom take it away from her. "It's okay," I said consolingly, "When I take you to England we'll make up for it." I don't think her dad appreciated that.

Saturday my folks hosted a family picnic at their house. It was cooler than we would have liked, and occasionally drizzly, but the pool is heated, so I spent most of my time in there, playing with my younger cousins. It was wonderful to see everyone, and catch up with everyone, and I'm so glad that most of the family managed to make it--we had thirty four people all told, coming and going.

Sunday...I honestly can't remember what I did Sunday. Oh yes, dinner with the family again, only this time salmon and salad, and two very needy chocolate labs snotting up the window as we ate.

Monday I was thwarted by the EAA in my attempts to rent a car, so I left GB nearly three hours after I intended to. I drove down to Fort Atkinson, picked up Laura, and we met up with Sam in Madison. The first time the three harpies have been together in over three years...it was wonderful. Cackling away and swapping stories we've heard in the news and rumors about old classmates. Laura even commented on how "quiet" Sam's fiance is, and I had to gently point out this was probably due more to the fact that he couldn't get a word in edgewise. Sam had to go back to work on Tuesday, and Laura was working on the organic farm co-op, so I drove up to Wanaukee and caught up with yet another bride to be. (for those of you keeping score, this'll be my fourth stint down the aisle...as a bridesmaid) Laura and I caught up with Sam in Spring Green that night, by watching the American Players Theatre production of A Comedy of Errors. It was hysterical, even with the occasional rain. REAL Shakespeare geeks stand out in the rain, because we're HARDCORE INTO THE BARD.

Wednesday--Sam was working again, so Laura and I did Spring Green, where the theatre is located. Spring Green is small, but fascinating. Lots of cool little shops and galleries and organic stores. But, eventually, you've seen all the arty jewelery you care to see, so we headed over to that Wisconsin standby, the tavern. After being carded (more for being outsiders than looking underage) we proceeded to order Leinies and then rail loudly against guns and Republicans which, I'm guessing was probably not really appreciated in a small rural Wisconsin tavern. They did not, however, have cheese curds, so we went around the corner to the bar where the theatre people hung out, and proceeded to repeat the process of ordering beer and railing. This time with a huge basket of curds. "There ought to be a road movie," I said, "through Wisconsin, and the whole time one of the main characters just keeps saying 'Man, we gotta stop and get some CURDS, man.'"

Then we picked up Sam and whizzed back to Madison to see the sixth Harry Potter movie. Even though none of us confirmed it with the others, we all knew we'd be seeing it with each other. Oh, and Sam's fiance, of course. Oh I cried. I cried so hard. Even knowing was was going to happen, I cried so hard. Definitely a good movie--I don't know if I'd say it was the best movie, but definitely in the top three.

Thursday I had to say good-bye to the girls and come home. It took a lot longer than I had planned, but then again, I wasn't really looking forward to saying farewell either. Got home around six and was immediately taken out for more food at Pasquale's, despite my protests that I wasn't in the mood for more cheese. (Cheese curds for an afternoon snack, movie theatre popcorn, Burger King at midnight and cheese curds for breakfast do not a happy tummy make)

Friday was a shopping day: stopped at the bank, got a new cell phone and raided Lane Bryant for some new jeans and tops. Then I got to see the fabled Lenny's, the tavern where my dad will spend the odd hour watching sporting events. Dinner was fish again. 'Cuz its Wisconsin. And that's just what you do on a Friday night.

Saturday was supposed to be the boating day, but it was (you guessed it) drizzly and windy again. So we ended up going to the Outagamie County Fair, where we wandered amidst the prize calfs and hogs, admiring the skills of the local four-aitchers. And had some more cheese curds.

Packing up and leaving was incredibly sad. I miss my family a lot, especially right now. But getting home was wonderful--it was nice to step off the plane and see unadulterated sunshine for the first time in a week. And Kismet has been amazingly well behaved ever since I got home, probably because he's afraid I'll ditch him again. Not forgetting of course, coming home to boyfriend kisses. There's nothing I wanted to do that I didn't get to do. Except next time I come home, I wanna take a boat ride.

happy anniversary

I realised late last night that the 20th was an important anniversary...a milestone of sorts, if you will.

I'm talking, of course, about the last Harry Potter book being released. Book Seven. The end. No more. How am I doing? One year in? Well, so far I've read it three times, and the utter despair of knowing there will be no more HP hasn't set in. After all--we usually had to wait two years (or more--remember book five?!) for the next installment. But there will be no more, and that fact becomes more real with each passing day. Ah, me. I think that's part of the reason I'm spacing out the Aubrey/Maturin chronicles. Apart from the reason that they are crack and too much of a good thing might very well kill me.

I kid, of course...the 20th is also the one year anniversary of my brother and sister-in-law's marriage. Happy one year, kids. Here's to many more.

Last year at this time I was happily frolicking on a beach, desperately glad to be away from a job which I would grow to abhor and eventually be fired from. My one regret? Not quitting sooner. I'm so much happier down here in Williamsburg, despite the fact that I make about half what I did in Chicago. The people are friendlier and more relaxed, and the atmosphere is less tense. It's hard to take yourself too seriously if you're wearing breeches and talking on a cell phone at the same time.

But tonight, dear readers, I have a touch of the hypo. Fear not--this is the kind that comes with long days at work and lack of sleep (owing to the fact I've been chasin' the white whale afore bedtime), not the soul-crushing kind that forces Nicki to take to her bed and weep. My audition went very well last night, and I have high hopes for getting involved in the evening programs. Although, I doubt they'll cast me as the govenor's wife, Lady Dunmore, though I surely had fun reading the part. And now that I've passed on musketry, the militia will become a regular excursion. And my portfolio is getting attention...possibly writing projects will follow?

So I really can't put a finger on why I should feel, well, blue this evening. Perhaps it's just because I'm not used to so much happiness. Ah, but I suspect it's the auld familiar complaint of being without Love, for, now that I have all my needs and wants taken care of, I have time to sit back and ponder on when the heavens will see fit to send me someone to love.

Although, with my luck lately, that could be any second now...

apolitical

I've been told...er...more than once that maybe I talk a little too much about politics and some people find it, uh, offputting. I try to be inclusive and openminded, but I guess sometimes my enthusiasm for certain topics comes across as haranguing and partisan. Oops.

So I've tried to stay mainly on neutral topics here, mostly because I know that this is a more conservative area, traditionally. Also I had several family members tell me to knock it off with the politics. Grandma even went so far as to suggest that this may be the reason why I'm not married yet, although I say, if he doesn't like Barack Obama then he's not getting a second date. Anyway, I try to stick to safe topics. But I was forcefully reminded yesterday that even "safe" topics are dynamite in the right setting.

Several of us were chatting about Harry Potter on our break. Okay, I was shouting happily about how I went to Platform 9 3/4 before there even was a Platform 9 3/4! I turned to another colleage and asked if she'd read the books, anticipating either a "yes" or an eye-roll and a "no." Instead I got a polite, "Oh no, I would never, it's the occult." Which brought me to a stop dead in my tracks. Thoughts bubbled up--"But, but, but---!" Convincing arguments, logical reasonings, all sped through my brain. I had read about people who believed that Harry was occultish, but never actually met someone who believed it. I know this person. She is a good person. We get along splendidly.

And we disagree totally, utterly, on the awesomeness of HP.

And I have to be okay with that, because I'm never gonna convince her otherwise, am I? It's not like I can say "oh, just read the books" (which is how all of you fell for it, haha, suckers), because that won't happen. So--and be proud of me, faithful readers--for once in my life, I just shut up and accepted a difference of opinion.

But then later in the afternoon, a similiar situation happened. Granted, this one was slightly more political--another colleage and I were discussing Stephen Colbert's bid to become president in South Carolina and I said "the only reason the Democratic party took him off the ballot in that state was not because he wouldn't uphold the 'ideals and beliefs' of the party--they were genuinely scared that he would win the delegates! And then we would be in a worse situation than we're in now!"

At which point the woman who sits behind me turned around and said "You haven't offended me with anything you say, but I'd just like to tell you that there's two things we don't talk about here: religion and politics." I tried to explain that Stephen Colbert wasn't a "real" politician, but the conversation was effectively over. To me, I wasn't talking politics, I was just pointing out what everyone knew about a tv personality and his crazy attention-seeking media stunt. But to some people, that was too close to the line. So again, I shut up. Sometimes, I guess, respecting other people's opinions means not saying anything.

I want to engage in debate, but I guess sometimes I invite disparate opinions so I can harass them until they agree to my point of view. (see: every conversation I've had with Grandma since I was nineteen) I need to learn that "debating" means sometimes going away without winning. And that I can't just say I like America because we all have different opinions--I need to let those different opinions thrive. And flourish.

But not here on nickilovesdrama. That's why I have a blog after all, isn't it?

food glorious food...

I went to Paulina's this morning, a small restaurant which has the best pancakes within walking distance. The owner of the place is a grizzled New York man who orders around people waiting like they're soldiers. I ordered banana pancakes and eggs. Ten minutes after they arrived it looked like Austerlitz after Napoleon had gotten there and when the busboy tried to take away an egg I wasn't finished with, I stabbed him in the hand with a fork.

So. Happily full now, but sleepy. I really should work on some 1776 stuff, but...I started re-reading the Harry Potter series, and I'm enjoying it so much. I haven't read the first books in years. Literally, I can't remember the last time I read book one. But I'm about halfway through it, and I'm having a great time. It's so much fun to see all the little cues that Jo has scattered through the books, and to "meet" the characters again for the first time. Love it.

Oooh, I was going to put a picture up here of some fan art...but I got distracted. teehee.

Maybe I will go finish book one and take a nap.

Jo...?

Salon has an interesting article about a lawsuit being filed by JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books. It appears that the creator of the fansite Harry Potter Lexicon has decided to publish his exhaustivly encyclopedic website in a handy reference guide form, for those times when you're actually offline and need to find out what Snape's sister's name was.* I don't hang out on the Harry Potter Lexicon, I'm a fan but not obsessed.** Now JK's publisher has moved to block the printing of this encyclopedia, saying that the fansite was okay, but any commercial venture that makes money off of Rowling's characters or plots is not. Rowling has said that she wants to publish an encyclopedia of her own, so it's a fair assumption she doesn't want any competition.

Here's the thing: Rowling is on record as saying she has used the Harry Potter Lexicon as a reference, checking in when she needs to confirm a fact--about her own universe. I think we can safely assume then, that the HPL is exhaustively, obsessively accurate, in the way that only creations of obsessed exhaustive fans can be. I look forward to a HP encyclopedia, and I don't much care if it's written by Rowling or by a fan--I'd almost rather go with the fan, since they have been writing, editing and cross-referencing things as the books were coming out and is likely to be more accurate. I can almost guarantee it will--remember the Maurauder's Map mysteriously reappearing in Book 5? And Rowling frantically backpedaling in interviews, saying that Dumbledore had given it to Harry? When was this, exactly?***

You see my point. The article makes a better case about previous litigation, and what constitutes fan/research useage of materials, and what infringes on copywrite, blah, blah, blah. My concern is less with copywrite infringement than it is with accuracy. Tolkein took decades to put the world of Lord of the Rings in order, but with the Internet, the HP universe was constructed as the books were being printed. Why wouldn't HP fans want to take advantage of that? More importantly--why should we wait for Jo's official version? That hasn't stopped us from creating articles, fan fiction, fan art and even scholarly research.

Most importantly, Jo--let it go. We are your fans and we love your characters as much as you do. You have a bazillion dollars in the bank, you can afford to let a few geeks print up some HP research books. I know it's the principle of the thing, but it's not. Do not sue your fans. We have powers beyond your imagining. I can live without a shiny new set of collector's edition Harry Potter books in the collector's box, but can you live without my love?

Fine. You probably be can,**** but you see my point. Let it go.



* Trick question. He doesn't have one.
** Tattoo notwithstanding. Sweet hell, that's comprehensive
*** Alfonso Cuaron, you're on notice. "How do you know it's a map, sir?"
**** With your bazillion dollars.*****
*****(stupid exchange rate)

Trafalgar Day isn't a REAL Holiday

One year ago I was attending a symposium on "Sex and Lies in Nelson's London," and two years ago I was watching in fascination as British Marines danced the hornpipe at Trafalgar Square. Today I'm waiting on chocolate-chip pancakes.

Mmmm. Pancakes.

The test didn't go as well as I'd hoped. The score I got was better than average, but not the glowingly brilliant number that will ensure me instant access to any institute of higher learning. So this is a problem. Obviously if I'd sucked, then another round of GRE would be in order, but since it's only blah, I'm not sure if I'm up for taking it again. Of course, with my weak admissions application, I could probably use a strong test score. We'll see.

The fun part about the GRE is that you take it on a computer, so the questions automatically get harder or easier depending on whether you get questions right or wrong. So by the end of the math section I was literally getting questions like, "What is a SQUARE?" Although, I did better than I thought I would on the math section.

Meanwhile, I am enjoying being home and being petted. We went out for fish on Friday and then over to the Mr. & Mrs's house so I could play with the beasties. (they have TWO chocolate labs and they are very happy to share, so I am now happy to report that my best jeans are covered with brown hair and dog slobber. Aw.) And yesterday I went and visited with Grandma for three hours, and we only politely mentioned Bill O'Reilly once. Or twice. Or mabye three times. But the important thing is she didn't have to reach for her heart medication, so I guess I was not too politic. Today mom and I are going shopping--mom has a list of places, and dad has helpfully written "Packer shirts/sweaters--new? (For all of us?)" on top of the list. Dad and Mom are taking a road trip which includes two Packer games next week, so they will need some new shirts. Dad always wears Packers gear when he travels. Don't believe me? You should see the photos of us from Scotland. There we are: St. Andrew's Golf Course--and there's dad, proudly supporting the Green Bay Packers National Football assosiation. *love*

And it totally unrelated news, for all you slavering HP fans out there (okay, me) I was shocked to read a report last week that JK Rowling has outed Albus Dumbledore. At a reading of her book, she was asked if Dumbledore ever found true love, and JK "quietly" responded that Dumbledore is gay. I was completely surprised. Not only because this is a major character in a children's book, but because JK has shared something about the character that's not explicitely stated in the "canon" as we call it. I love that she recognises that the characters have a life beyond the pages of this book. Ironically, I responded exactly how I did when anyone else comes out, first with, "Really?" then with "OMG!" then with, "I'm proud of you," then, finally,
"And?" I always maintained HP is a radical book, now I'm sure of it. Whoo!

I KNOW HOW IT ENDS!

I finished book 7 last night! Now I'm very emotional! But I won't say anymore than that! Squee! Finish it, someone, so we can chat! Squee!

This is interesting...apparently a new study finds that if you are friends with people who are fat, you are more likely to be fat. I guess this could be true: after all I gained a bunch of weight my senior year in college, while living with my friends, but that could have more to do with the fact our plans usually included Ben & Jerry's...speaking of which, I need to try this Americone Dream pretty soon.

It's also a good week to be me, culturally-speaking. Book 7 is out (and now having read it, I can read all the interviews with JKR), and Hairspray the movie has been released. I want to see Hairspray so badly I can taste it. Mmm. Hairspray. You know what musical I'd like to see made into a movie? Sunset Boulevard. Think about it. If there was one movie that would benefit from some lavish sets and sun-drenched locations, it's Sunset Boulevard. We'll get the guy who was Raoul in the Phantom movie to sing it--but Joel Schumacher, you are BARRED FROM THE SET! I also realised today that I never "found out" who was going to play Motormouth Mabel in the movie...I always assumed it would be Queen Latifah. Well. Yeah. Who ELSE are you going to get to do it? Please. I am however, on the fence about John Travolta as Edna Turnblad. I don't care if he's a draw (not drawing me though--uh uh, firmly on the fence!) who made the decision to not pursue Harvey Fierstein on bended knee? Seriously. I would have thought it was obvious. Oh well--hopefully I'll have a review soon.

Meanwhile, I've noticed lately that people seem unable to genuinely enjoy anything anymore. All the reviews I've read have had this disaffected ironic hipster tone like "eh, I GUESS I'll deign to see this movie," and some (like the Onion's "Hate Mail" column) start out openly hostile and work their way up from there. Or they are quick to put movies in their place: "If you're a Transformers fan..." "If you're a Simpsons fan..." So, apparently these movie studios are paying billions of dollars for a devoted knot of fanboys? I don't think so. Maybe the problem is there is too much entertainment that's being recycled (see: Hairspray), and not enough new stories. But what happened to just enjoying something for the hell of it? Even the recent hype over Harry Potter was disappointing. All these columnists looking on fondly while the rest of the world went nuts. Granted, as a fan, I might not have been able to write the most cohesive column ("OMG, teh book--?! And then the-house elves?!?!?!?!! TONKS??? waaaahrrr?11@!")but surely there must be people out there who ENJOY the things they're reviewing and are brave enough to say "Screw you cool hipster ironic people with your skinny jeans and your eyeliner, I am going to Harry Potter, I am going to wear a costume and when the Warner Bros. logo shows up I am going to APPLAUD, damnit!"

And then I'm going to bark about how mediocre it was. Ah well--so it goes.

Spoiler-free!

I thought I should update, since people are going to stop reading this pretty soon otherwise. I wanted to write about Harry Potter, but I know not everyone has read it yet. I’m about a hundred pages from the end—which will probably be reached tonight. I can’t wait to find out what happens.

I will just say this though—J.K. Rowling isn’t kidding around when she says they’re growing up. One of the characters says, “this effing book…” at one point, and I nearly hit the roof thinking “omygosh, they’re SWEARING!” since “effing” is sort of the British equivalent of “frickin’” and we all know what that means.

So that got me thinking about the Harry Potter Phenomena in general, and, more specifically, my place in it. And I thought I would share with all of you, loyal readers, how I came to know and love the Boy Who Lived.

I started reading the books back around Christmas in 1998. The first three books had just been released in hardcover by Scholastic, and they were flying off the shelves at the bookstore where I was working. Literally. Could not keep them in stock. You weren’t reading about them in the papers yet, but frazzled parents were calling at all hours, asking for the “Harry Potter books” –and not just the first one either. They would come in and drop seventy five dollars for three books without blinking. After Christmas things slowed down a bit, and I was stationed in the calendar kiosk out in the mall. Who buys a calendar after the New Year? No one, apparently, so the store let me read at night, when things were slow. I decided to find out what all the fuss was about. I remember being about halfway through “Chamber of Secrets” (that’s #2) when I was interrupted by a mom returning her calendar. The little kid with her stopped in his tracks when he saw the book I was holding, and said, eyes as wide as Dobby’s: “You’re reading Harry Potter?” That was when I began to suspect I had joined a secret club.

The books were good, but not amazing. They were entertaining, but I felt no real kinship with them. Two years later, in 2000, I was working up in Door County, alongside some girls from Russia, who wanted to go shopping. Naturally, the only place I could think of was the mall in Ashwaybenon. Being Russian, they were a great deal smaller than me, so I spent a lot of time forlornly perched on a bench, waiting for them to exhaust Old Navy. I had seen a sign in a bookstore in DC warning “Muggles Beware!” so I was sort of vaguely aware that the fourth book had arrived, but it never occurred to me to buy it ($28 is a lot of money for a book!) until I wandered into Waldenbooks and started reading the first chapter. I was hooked. Something had happened in the intervening years, and I couldn’t wait to find out what happened to Harry. I bought the book and finished it off that night after one marathon seven-hour reading session.

Then came the Long Dry Spell that all HP fans will know and shudder at in remembrance. JK Rowling had been churning out a book a year and now, with the book’s popularity ensured, she had demanded a break from her publisher. Three years. THREE YEARS went by before we even got a whiff of a title. Three years of waiting, wondering what was going on. I discovered mugglenet.com for the first time—I discovered that other people my age read these books. Conversations began about the motivations and analysis of characters. Meanwhile, the rest of the world caught on the Harry Potter, so when “Phoenix” finally was released, the hoorah was unbelieveable. I was a little put off by all the fair-weather fans, but, eh, the more the merrier. Barnes and Nobles had finally opened a store in Ashwaubs, and they were hosting a midnight party. I didn’t go—I was working at the mill that summer, and had to get up at 4:00AM—but I did get up for a couple hours so I could buy the book soon after it went on sale. That’s the only time I ever dressed up, and the only time I went to a midnight party.

The sixth book came out the summer before I left for London. I bought it the day it came out—sensibly, walking into the store the next morning—and devoured it in a couple days. “Half-Blood Prince” is the book I feel the least connected to: I was separated from it for a long time, and have only read it once. The best part about this book’s release was that I had *finally* managed to convince most of my friends that HP was a series worth reading, and could finally call up a large group of educated, well-read adults and go “squee! Didja finish it yet?!”

And now book 7 is here. I feel a little sad that it’s all over—well, almost over, I haven’t finished it yet—but the waiting, the watching, all the anticipation is done with. I walked into the bookstore here and picked up a copy as natural as anything, and was sad that I would never get the thrill of counting down the days yet. Harry has been like a little fictional brother that I’ve gotten to watch growing up, and now he’s an adult. (Much like watching Daniel Radcliffe grow up…meow!) I haven’t been a fan from the very earliest days, but I have been there since the beginning of the story in the US, and I still feel a little proprietary when I see the giggling teenagers in their lame store-bought Gryffindor scarves. (Hufflepuff House rulz!) These books (1 American paperback, three American hardcovers, 6 Britsh paperbacks, 1 British hardcover and 1 Latin hardcover—and yes, that adds up to more than 7 books in a series) will have a place of pride on my bookshelf for years, next to the Little House books that have been battered about for so long, or my collection of plays or even my collection of books on Nelson (wait—when did I start collecting books about Nelson?). The stories, the books have been intertwined with my own life, so that it will be hard to describe them without including where I was in my life as well at that time.

Here’s to you, Harry, for being such a prominent fixture. Cheers.

The Big Event (no, it's not Harry Potter Eve Day)

The foolish Chicago Tribune said that while the buildup to the movie has been huge, there hasn't been much of an uproar over new book.

Oh, foolish, foolish Chicago Tribune. It is obvious whoever wrote this that they have not been slavishly checking Mugglenet every five minutes, or whispering conspiratorially with their fellow Hufflepuffs. I haven't read a thing all week, because I don't want to hear ANYTHING that might constitute a spoiler (like the item you mentioned so carelessly, CHICAGO TRIBUNE!!!). I can't think about it, I don't want it to be the end--I'm afraid I might burst into flames with anticipation. One of the people I work with is married to a librarian, and he casually mentioned today that his wife's library has received their copies, so she's actually held one in her hands and (I quote) "petted it a little." I don't think he was expecting me to hit the ceiling out of excitement. Nor did he think I was serious when I asked him if she could possibly scan the first page and email it to me. Just the first page. The first sentence. Just the picture on the first page. Just the dedication. That's when he started edging away slowly, without making eye contact.

That's actually not what I'm writing about today. I'm also leaving at 4:30 so I can catch a train and head up north because the major event of the weekend is my brother's wedding. I can't actually believe that they're getting married, not yet, but I'm sure it will start to sink in once we get up north. I'm so happy for Peter and Brenda, and I'm sure they're doing the right thing. After all, they bought the puppy. Oh, and they love one another. :) The ceremony is going to take place on the lakeshore of beautiful Lake Michigan, and I have a new dress for the occasion. I'll be back on Sunday, with pictures.

Have a good weekend.

The Review You've All Been Waiting For

I want to write a review of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix that isn’t the fawning, supercilious reviews I’ve been reading lately. Most of the reviewers aren’t fans, they haven’t read the books, and they are more interested in how much money the movie has made, or how old Daniel Radcliffe looks. YES, they're getting older. Moving on. When I saw HP5 this weekend, I was excited about the film because I thought the trailers looked exciting, and I really thought this movie would capture the darkness and teen angst of the book. Because I am a Harry Potter fan. And I have the tattoo to prove it. When the fifth book came out, it had been three years since Book 4, and we were dying to find out what happened. We were shocked at how angry Harry had become, at how easily he could get upset, and how headstrong he was. It made sense, however--Harry was growing up, after all, and he would need all he could get for the fight against Voldemort. I was excited to see how the book would handle all that angst and drama, if it would live up to shock of the fifth book.

So here’s my review—beware of spoilers, if you haven’t seen the film. If you’ve read the books, nothing should really be news, if you haven’t read them, tsk tsk.

First off, I agree with what I read in the Chicago Tribune that people are starting to notice, as the actors grow older, that they can’t really act. I don’t think this is the problem so much as they are given too little to work with. The primary problem with the film is there is very little dialogue, very little background, and a lot of Harry making declarative statements ("We will fight him!") with Hermione and Ron in the background nodding solemnly in agreement. It is hard to act without lines, and the inexperience of these actors shows because they don’t have much material to work with. The story of the book—not the arc of the series but the story of the book has been positively gutted. I was mad when they left out the Quidditch World Cup in the fourth movie, but for this movie they have cut and removed so much that the story in the film flat-out doesn’t make sense at points. I had a hard time following it—and not just because I was expecting certain scenes, but because the action was jerky, and the continuity seemed to have its focus in the wrong place. The story is already pulled in several directions--Voldemort, family, Harry's hormones-but how can anyone be expected to be convincing if each of these themes isn't dealt with thoroughly?

Judi Dench won an Oscar for her role in “Shakespeare in Love” even though she was in the film for less than five minutes. By that reckoning, HP5 should be up for about six Oscars, since most of the characters make hit and run appearances that add up to perhaps three minutes of screen time. I was appalled that David Thewlis, who carefully constructed his Professor Lupin character in the third film, was only on hand to prevent Harry from running after Sirius in the climax of the movie. We do not hear about Lupin and Sirius’s close friendship with Harry’s father, therefore the bond between Sirius and Harry makes less sense—and the flashback into Snape’s memory is downright confusing. Who are these people? What are they doing in Harry’s life? Why should we care about them? It is clear that the actors have done their homework—Lupin’s ten-second reaction to Sirius’s disappearance nearly made me bawl—but at times I felt like shouting at the screenwriter “would you mind sharing with us, please?!”

Other moments from the book that were included seemed completely superfluous. The appearance of Kreacher lovingly polishing his mistress’s portrait seemed promising—until he never appeared again. (For that matter, Mrs. Black never appeared either, remaining behind her curtain muttering incoherently) Percy Weasley was there, cozying up to the Prime Minister, but you would only know that if you were looking for him, and if you knew the backstory, since he was never explained and he had no lines. Not so much as a "Weasley! Fetch me a cup of tea!" Nada. Since one of the themes of this story was “family is important” why not include a brief explanation about how the reappearance of the Dark Lord is tearing the Weasleys apart? Or how about including some of the action in St. Mungos? I for one was dying to see the reappearance of Lockhart. Sadly, Kenneth Brannagh fans, he is absent.

I could go on. My point is—I know Warner Bros. has a cash cow on their hand. As Mugglenet.com pointed out when the second movie was released, they could make these movies out of Legos and we would still flock in our millions to see them. But it now seems like they’re killing the owl that laid the golden egg—yeah, it’s fun to see Hogwarts, but after five movies, we also want to see good films. Alfonso Cuaron showed us what a good HP movie could be: he streamlined the book, sure, but also included imagery and themes, as well as juicy scenes for character development and backstory. Harry and Lupin talking on the bridge about Harry’s mom, anyone? My point is—this isn’t a good film. Full stop. It’s got a jerky storyline, characters we don’t care about putting way too much emotional investment in objects we don’t understand, and a backstory that isn’t adequately explained. If this were any other children’s movie, it would be panned by critics and be in the bargain DVD bin within a month.

Now, having said all that, I want to go see the movie again. Part of my confusion probably arises from the fact that I am so familiar with this story, and I need to watch the movie again so I can follow the movie’s story, and not the book’s story. The movie does get it right in several places—Dudley’s appearance as a sullen, chavvy teenager is absolutely spot-on, as is the final appearance of Jason Issacs as Luscious—I mean, Lucius Malfoy threatening to kill Harry is believeably thrilling. (all I’m going to say is—it was worth the $15 IMAX just to see Jason Isaacs in all his bewigged glory twenty feet tall). The Dementors were a hell of a lot scarier in this movie, prompting one terrified two year old to be taken away five minutes into the film. I’m glad to see that Neville Longbottom, while still awkward, is no longer a comic relief character—and the actress who plays Luna Lovegood has it down. Keep an eye on her.

And the final battle between Dumbledore and Voldemort was a thing to behold. As Cathy said—“Now I know how all the Star Wars geeks felt when they saw Yoda fight for the first time.” Not only that, but that scene is an example of how good actors grow and mature: a scene with no dialogue, where two people are pointing their wands at each other in front of a blue screen. And it was amazing. This is what Daniel Radcliffe should aspire to--but for now, please give him some more lines and less angsty staring off into space.

These are just moments, however, and in the end, HP5 is comprised almost totally of moments. With no arc, no forward movement, it was hard to get emotionally invested, and hard to follow. This is not a good movie. It’s not an adequate adaptation of the books, and it’s not a good piece of cinema. Enjoyable? Possibly—there are several quoteable lines (“I’m so angry!”) to make jokes about and enough moments to get upset about, but as a sustained, refreshing piece of film, it gets old in a hurry.

OMG PONY

I am feeling really good about myself...today I went grocery shopping and bought organic milk. I've tried soy milk and rice milk, but they just don't add up to real milk from a cow milk. So today I decided that if I'm going to keep cows in eternal servitude and demand they produce milk for me, the least I can do is let them frolic in the grass a little bit. The only downside is that there is no skim milk and it was $4 for a gallon. Okay, two downsides. Maybe I should grow my own cow.

Also when did dill weed get so expensive? Damn.

I'm trying to eat healthier, which involves me actually buying food and cooking, instead of pretending to eat healthy by warming up a Lean Cuisine or covering lettuce in an inch of ranch dressing. So today I also bought lentils, chickpeas, Smart-Dog brand not-turkey protein soy thing, Newman's Own Lo-Fat Sundried Tomato Dressing and some spring onions. Also grapefruit juice, because I read a study about people drinking a cup a day losing more weight. The only downside is that all this healthy food is BLOODY EXPENSIVE--now that I've discovered the bliss of real cracked-wheat bread it's so hard to go back to the generic kind--mom would be so proud, I saved over $10 today! Also, grapefruit juice, kinda tastes like battery acid.

BUT! There are more exciting things afoot. I bought tikkies for HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX last night AT THE IMAX THEATRE which will be featuring TWENTY GLORIOUS MINUTES of Harry and Co brooming down the Thames. Oh bliss. I've tried to avoid reviews, but I did see one that said that Harry was suddenly becoming a grumpy, sullen teenager--which is exactly the same thing they said about the book when it came out. It would be interesting to compare and contrast reviews, but first I have to see it. T-minus two days...my kingdom for a Time Turner!!!

The Excitement Begins to Build...

Oh Lord. I promised myself I wouldn't get excited, but have you HEARD about the NEW HARRY POTTER THEME PARK that is going to be built at Universal Studios? There's going to be a Hogwarts and Forbidden Forest and Diagon Alley and... *drools*

I am already making plans for the "Order of the Phoenix" movie, which has been bumped up to July 11th. I think I'm getting too old for midnight showings, but if anyone is in town that day, I have one word for you: THREE DEE IMAX.

Then of course, book 7 is coming out July 21st...cannot contemplate right now, will explode from sheer anticipation.

So. A good weekend. Slept in yesterday, had two good shows with good audiences, had pizza for dinner last night. Sent out my resume to a couple new theatres. I'm so torn--I want to work in a real job where I can count on a steady income, but at the same time I need the freedom to do theatre. I'm so worried about money right now though, that I can't write. Tomorrow is another Monday! And hopefully next week there will be work and less assy temp agencies.

I also got eleven emails from friends today. Yay. I am loved.