Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Order of the Phoenix

Today I've been making a grocery list in my head. I need some more beef hearts (yes I said beef hearts, they're delicious--get over it!), more basmati rice, more of all the staples, and more miso soup. Also more of other kinds of soups. 

today I've also been reading order of the phoenix. The first time I read it (I was like, what, sixteen? seventeen?) I didn't like it because Harry's super angsty, also because I raced through it, barely skimming the top. Of course I've read it since, but today I was marveling at how she plants bits and pieces of information early on and then those small pieces of info return in a more significant way. Except it's not just limited to one book--she's doing this over the course of seven books. I mean, do you realize what kind of planning that takes? Little things, continuity things, like, oh there have been a bunch. Like what happened to Neville's parents, and and like how the Trio taught Harry all kinds of jinxes before the third task in GOF, and then in OOTP he teaches those to the DA. The one I burst out laughing about today was less about foreshadowing and more about continuity--Harry's being angsty, comme d'habitude, and is stomping back up to the castle when he runs into Peeves. Peeves (who's not in the movies, and I have opinions about that) says something like, "What's wrong, Potty? Hearing Voices? Seeing Visions? Speaking in," he stops to blow a raspberry, "tongues?"

I thought that was absolutly hysterical because Harry has done all those things! What a small, funny way for Rowling to remind us not only of the last four books, but also to give us this outsider's perspective. The Prophet has been hinting that Harry's a lunatic, that he routinely has hallucinations, that he can speak to snakes and shouldn't be trusted. And Harry's all, "that's rubbish! Of course I should be trusted!" but in actual fact, he HAS been having visions and hearing voices and speaking in sketchy languages! brilliant!

Tomorrow West Wing is coming in the mail. Also tomorrow I'm going to go grocery shopping, and then I'll get quarters to do laundry.

I haven't been writing lately, and I feel guilty about that. But on the other hand, I have all of july and august. Also, tomorrow I think I'm going to order new running shoes. The situation is getting desperate.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

First post

This is my first time using a blog. I set this up for my comp 150 class, to get them into the world of blogging, and to keep them sharing their thoughts and opinions with each other throughout the semester.

Yesterday I got the first disc of season two of the West Wing, and I'm almost finished with Goblet of Fire. I fell asleep half way through the graveyard scene--how sad is that?

I've been thinking, recently, about how nice it is to be completly without supervision. I'm not doing anything wild and crazy, and I am keeping myself to a schedule, but I don't think I've ever had an extended period of time like this where I'm not answering to anyone but myself. I'm not using my time as well as I could be, but I feel like I'm still rebounding from last semester. I'm not worried.

Yesterday I was watching the light come through the tree outside my window, the splotches of light and dark on our carpet, moving back and forth, and I felt like I could sleep for days.