Hi there!

So it's been about 2 months since my last post. In this interval very little has happened. This weekend it is my hometown's 125th anniversary or birthday or whatever towns have. I remember the centennial, when I was four. I remember my mom made me a little pioneer outfit, and her friend Eileen made me a little pioneer bonnet. Eileen was also an Avon lady and made me sit in a corner for not eating my vegetables, when I was going to her house for daycare after kindergarten. But that is all in the past.

I have been a bit reclusive and cut off lately, it's ok. I kinda like it. It's probably good for the ol noggin, right?

Oh nanners

I went to a pic-a-nic last night, you know. Sassafras and marjoram, but was it hot or what? Steamy. And I went into the forest that was near the picnic. And I was lost in the woods! But I wandered on for a while and I found myself again.

Some people at the picnic prepared a Southern delicacy called low country boil. I was nervous, but it wasn't like I expected. Sure, it was crabs, shrimp, sausage, potatoes, corn and onions boiled together in big, nasty vats. But they took the stuff out of the vats and stacked it neatly in serving trays and the corn and potatoes didn't taste all shrimpy and weird. Also there was an open bar, although they only served until 6:30. Actually, that was a good thing.

Cat story

This is a picture of my bro's cat; the cat's name is Boy. Also, the cat is a boy, or was one before, you know, the surgery and all that unpleasantness. The caption was provided by another brother. Boy was named by my nephew when he was like, 4 or 5. That cat is eight years old or so but he looks like he's a million, doesn't he? They used to have another cat called Socksie. I believe they were brothers. Also, guess what? Socksie had white feet! Then a few years ago Socksie died, under mysterious circumstances. I believe Boy killed him.

Quick like a bunny

That's how fast I read. If bunnies could read, that is, and who's to say they can't? It took me under 8 hours to read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and if you think that's a lame thing to brag about, I won't disagree with you! It is super duper lame, yet I persist in my childish pride. In fact if you trim out the inevitable breaks, it was probably more like 7 hours. Yeah. Lame.

How about I tell you the tale of my Quest for the Book? At six am or so I went to Wal-Mart and bought the book. Remember how I said I was going to go the bookstore thing last night? Really, I did, but I just stood and talked to my friends there for a few minutes and left. You may not know this about me, and I'm only really figuring it out myself recently, but I hate standing in lines. Lines bother me, not waiting. I was happy to go home and wait until morning for my copy and not stand around 3 hours waiting for it with a bunch of jerks. Very early this morning I woke up and went for the book. Even though I'm not a big fan of Wal-Mart, I knew it was a place that was open and had books. Sometimes that's what matters!

I was very pleased with this book. I've had a poor track record at guessing what will happen in the new books or figuring out clues once I'm reading the book. Seriously, someone had to point out things like Knockturn Alley and Diagon Alley - the simplest puns. (nocturnally and diagonally in case there's anyone else out there with the same brain block) Snape and Neville, among others, had the fates I thought they would. I got a piece of the plot figured out early on, although not entirely. Maybe Rowling put in a few easy clues for those of us who are a bit obtuse. :)

I think I was a little leery of writing a post like this, because I don't want people to make fun of me for being a Harry Potter fan. But I don't care, or more accurately, I don't want to care about that. Yeah, I'm sure some of the adults out there in costumes or whatnot were kind of creepy or weird, but there were also many who, well, weren't creepy or weird and just had fun. In fact my friend knitted a Gryffindor scarf for her boyfriend and he wore it to Barnes and Noble very proudly. Ok, they might be weird but I view that as a wonderful quality, and they weren't at all creepy. Haters gotta hate, but I encourage you to read some of the cool articles and reviews out there by bright and fascinating people, good stuff. I bet some of the kids whose parents brought them out for the "Midnight Magic" stuff will remember it for the rest of their lives.

This book, for all the sad parts, left me with a good feeling. It seems the author genuinely cares about the creatures of her imagination and the fans who've come along for the ride. It's hard to put into words, and it's not anything huge, just that it seems like the person who wrote this book must be quite nice. From what I've read in the past, she actually has a lot more material and backstories for the characters than she put into the books. I don't think she'll put out anymore about the Harry Potter-verse but it would be amazing if she did.

I do feel as though I've been babbling on for long enough. I have, haven't I? So I'll stop here.

If you would like a spoiler, the biggest spoiler, the one that's probably out everywhere now, but what the hell -- there's an acrostic in the second paragraph of this post. Don't look for it if you don't want to know.

Also, I'd love to hear what you thought of the books -- even if it's just "It was good" or "It sucked". Did anybody go out for the book at midnight? Do you have a favorite part or line (just be careful with spoilers).

Here are two of my favorite lines: "I was a fool!" and "NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!" Note: the two lines are not from the same conversation, if you were thinking What The Hell. There was also a great little callback to the first book, I believe it was, an exchange between Ron and Hermione...but oh look! I'm babbling again. See ya.

I'm excited about the last Harry Potter book

And I don't care who knows it. :) A couple people are actually going to a party at a bookstore so I'm going to go join them, I think. I'm terrified of hearing spoilers, so I'm staying off the interwebs until I'm done reading the book. I think. Hey, if anyone feels like discussing the book w/me, comment below or email me at gmail.

I'm watching Mad Max

I've never seen it before, it's very good. I enjoy the whole genre of the post-apocalyptic near future - can someone give me a better phrase for that?

I'm trying to think what else is important to say.

There isn't much to say, I guess. My oldest brother's girlfriend's mother died a couple of weeks ago. Today the girlfriend and my brother came over for lunch and she and my mom talking about funerals. My mom wants to be cremated. She also said my dad can get a free plot at the veteran's cemetary in Mandan (or maybe Minot?) which is way the hell far away. I was not thrilled to hear about this, but it's good to know their wishes. I think we will try to get the money together to have their eternal resting places in our time zone. I mean, in the unlikely event that my mommy and daddy die which I am going to make them promise to never, ever do. I would like a wooden casket and then I'd like to be buried out in the woods and left to rot. That sounds restful. I mean, once I'm dead. Not, like, today or anything.

Here's another video I like

I used to watch VH1 a lot to find new music, isn't it weird? Especially after Drive 105 died and went to hell, it's hard to find music that I'll like a lot and listen to endlessly then I will get so sick of it that I will never want to hear it again. The music I end up hearing is missing the "I like it a lot" part and a surfeit of the "sick of it and never want to hear it again" thing. So this video is catchy as hell and very cheerful, no? Here's another link. The theme that connects the last video I posted and this one are interesting lyrics and lots of pretty colors.

Ok here, just so's you know

My 'puter is being naughty (fried motherboard and such) so I am less online than previously. I will be checking email less frequently for a bit. I have this romantic idea that I can get along perfectly well without a high speed internet connection - so I'm switching to a dialup connection once I get the new computer home and hooked up.

I think it will be fine. I'm going to put up a few posts today so people who come here can look at stuff. Like this music video from Regina Spektor, which is cool and I like it. I am putting a different link in the previous sentence that is different from the embedded video below because I like to give ya a choice.

Making wishes

Have you ever heard that thing, that at 11:11 you can make a wish and it will come true? I'm not sure if it matters if it's AM or PM, or if this sort of magic nonsense works best when used with military time. Anyway, it's never worked for me.

Good news and possibly better news

So, I found that damn Harry Potter book. Thank god. See, I'm not the neatest person, and I keep books every-damn-where, so I had to look not only on bookshelves, but near the bookshelves, under the couch, bed, desk, and coffee table; plus in the kitchen and the trunk of my car. The book was amidst a stack of magazines in my bedroom. So, now the funny fun fun of reading this incredibly dark children's book is all mine.

The possibly better news: I've found a semi-reasonable and timely way of getting to a friend's wedding in Colorado. I've been investigating Greyhound, but it's not that attractive to spend 28 hours (each way) in a stinky bus, but it'd be much better to spend 12+ hours with the bride's family, carpooling from Fargo, right? I called my mom to run this plan by her. She didn't like it much, which is not surprising. My car isn't in tip top condition, even if we disregard the oil leak. Will it make it there? I say it'd be much safer to be with the Hav fam (even if they're a bit crazy, because what family isn't?) than on my own trying to sleep on the bus with a bunch of weirdos I've never even met before. My mom is very cautious, not big on expenditures of money or adventure of most types. When we talked, she admitted this cautiousness and I admitted that she is very often right, much more often than I used to be able to admit. But I'm not going to miss this wedding. So I'll decide my method in the next few days.

booksie books

Like my loafers? Former gophers - it was either that or skin my chauffeur.
--Monty Burns, The Simpsons

Good episode.

Did I happen to lend anyone the 5th Harry Potter book? I'm not sure where mine is and it would be wonderful if someone happened to have it. If not, does anyone localish have a copy I can borrow. I simply must reread it before the next film comes out.

Birds!

So, last year these birds built a nest near my apartment's balcony. You know how most balconies stick out from the side of the building? The ones in my complex do not, they are flush with the side of the building. So the birds were way cute, especially when the little birds were learning to fly. However, birds are sort of filthy and there was quite a lot more bird shit than I like to have around. Also, when I'd sit on the balcony the birds would get pissed off and swoop at me, chattering madly.

I've probably blogged about this before.

Anyway, this year I evicted the damn things. I had to knock it down whenever they started to build it up. They were pissed off and swooped around a lot, but they gave up after a single day. God, I feel bad. I'm the mean ol' human who made them move from the nesting spot they bonded with. I was listening to a show on MPR about how this type of birds (barn swallows or something, it was a while ago) about how nasty these birds are and how they'll kill other birds to steal their nests... so I've sentenced some other random birds to a gruesome death. Fuck.

I've got such skillz

Today I got out of bed at 8:02 and made it to work by 8:28. I showered, dressed in a professional-enough manner, and wore matching shoes. On my feet! And I was only three minutes late. So if I get up at 7:59 tomorrow, I should be right on time.

So. More apartment thoughts. If I renew my lease for a year, I can get some kind of good bonuses, like a free garage for 6 months and some other shit. Six month lease is lame bonuses, like a free phone book or some shit. I don't want to move to Ohio or Colorado even though I know people in these states. Fargo is out. St. Cloud or a different part of Waite Park are possibilities - certainly, certainly they are. Or a smallerish apartment in this complex. All tempting.

Also other books

I also recently read Freakonomics. I've been wanting to read it for ever so long, but I didn't want to buy it because we have it in the reference library at work, so for the past year, it seems like, I've been on a waiting list to check it out. So I finally read it and it was very good.

The time has come to renew my lease if I'm going to be renewing it. I don't know. It would be easier to stay here. I'm thinking about it. Like where would I go if I didn't stay?

Can I bend your ear a tick?

Blehhhhhhhhhh! Glurg! Ar. Meh.
For some reason I set up a Season Pass for Sex and the City on TiVo. I think it was because RMGS likes it and I thought I would like to gain some perspective now that the show is dead and gone and I can watch the somewhat expurgated versions on basic cable.

Also, this weekend I finished reading Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. I recommend it. Sadly I stayed up all night to finish it. It's way good and I so recommend it. But it left me in a weird, floaty mood and when I saw an awesome rainbow I called RMGS and told her all about it. Yeah, that's kind of weird, right? But when you have an awesome rainbow to share, she is the person to call, I promise you. If she was judging my weirdness she betrayed no hint and even had fab thoughts to share on all things rainbow.

Wowsa

Hubba hubbba. Ok, in the time since I've not been reading blogs, it appears that some have gone out of existence. If I confirm this in the cold, sober light of day, I will update the links. If there's anyone who would like to be added or removed from the links list of this inestimably popular blog, do please send an email or post in the comments.

Does anyone else find that they use bigger words drunk than sober? I think I might be the most annoying person on the face of the planet. Inestimably? What is so inestimable about this? I have a page counter or whatever the fuck that is called. You know, I'm not quite drunk but still.

In case you haven't been keeping up with all the tv shows....

The Onion provides this handy guide:

Season Finale Wrap-Up

The 2006–2007 TV season is over. In the event you couldn't watch them, here are some highlights from the season finales of your favorite shows.

Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip: Saddled with poor, trite, unrealistic writing, Danny and Matt face the cancellation of their show.

The Office: The Dunder-Mifflin employees show glimmers of expectation as they head off to act in some of the worst movies of the summer.

House: Dr. House goes missing, prompting the rest of the hospital staff to scream his name for the entire show.

Ugly Betty: Surprise! America Ferrera is actually beautiful. As if a network would ever put a truly ugly—or even vaguely plain—person on television.

My Name Is Earl: The series comes to an abrupt end when Earl accidentally leaves his list in his jeans pocket and runs it through the wash.

Lost: Sawyer stuns the castaways by confessing that, many years ago, he killed a woman named Laura Palmer.

The King of Queens: The series ends on a down-note when the cast comes out for a final bow and no one claps.

creepy little girl, go away!

Most days I'm glad that I sit sort of off in my own area, but when weird shit happens I got no one to tell about it. This was one of those days.

Today at work work a kid called in a few times, with, like, really lame-yet-unsettling prank calls. It could have been funny to mess with her, but I was on a recorded line. I remember making funny phone calls as a kid. But there are two things you gotta remember: 1) decide what you're going to say before you call, and 2) know when to quit (this is way after you've annoyed the person you're calling, in this case me, but before I start threatening you, unless you have a high tolerance for risk. I didn't really threaten her. I just commented that her mommy might wonder what she's up to). Oh yeah, and don't call someplace where they can get your number really easily. Also, I know she was a little girl - or at least she sounded about eight years old - but you can't get offended if the target calls you on your bullshit. But perhaps some readers have their own prank laws - I would be surprised if you shiftless delinquents didn't have a few tricks up your sleeves.

I don't know if someone was coaching her but I hope not, because this much lameness shouldn't be a team effort. She asked if she could talk to Marleen, then Marvin. I asked her to spell the name of the person she was looking for, and she fell silent. I said "Hello, bored little girl, can you hear me?" Still nothing. I hung up. She called back, sputtering with indignation, "You hunged up on me!". I asked again who she wanted to talk to, or if her mom would come to the phone, which is a lousy reason to get pissed off if you ask me Ooh, she was mad. "Ma'am, you are talking to me like I am not a real person. I don't - you- you - Your boyfriend just broke up with you!" she said and hung up. She called in about five times total. Seriously, her voice sounded super young but she spoke with a mixture of childish confusion and weirdly adult intensity. It didn't come in on the main line so maybe they were dialing randomly or maybe they have a parent who works there. That would be awesome.

I love all the boozing holidays

That isn't really true. Memorial Day isn't really in memorial of sunburn and alcohol abuse, right? When I was a kid I used to go to Memorial Day services or programs with my parents, bring wreaths out to the cemetaries for grandpas and uncles. Do you guys do anything like that? I think my folks will, my bro who's a vet will probably do something too. I'll lounge about as I usually do.