11.22.2010

The Craze

Harry Potter always manages to defy all age groups, cultures, and nerdiness... and he's done it once again.

As I mentioned a few months ago, Chris and I were attempting to read the H.P. series (1-7) before the premier of the 7th movie on November 19th. I made it through the first five books and got excited enough for the film that Chris and I dressed up for the premier.

The crowd waiting for the midnight showing was quite a sight. At the front of the line were the most loyal Harry Potter followers. Some were rumored to have arrived at six that morning to ensure they had the best seats. Devotion or obsessiveness to sit on concrete for 18 hours? Hmmmm....

This line consisted of little pods of people (most of who were dressed like Hogwarts students), huddled together re-reading Harry Potter as if it were the Bible. Others were accessing the Leaky Cauldron (official website of Harry Potter Crazies) from laptops and i-phones--using it's information to study "magical theories" and speculating at the legitimacy of Dumbledor's death.

Chris' sister, although somewhat less obsessive, still fell somewhere in the above description and arrived at five in the afternoon to wait in line. Thanks to her, Chris and I had a seat reserved for us when we showed up at 10:30. Thanks to our witty costumes, we looked pretty devout ourselves and didn't get beaten up by any other 5 O' clockers when they realized we cut in line. ;)

Big Beautiful Wyoming

There is nothing quite like taking a bus-sized, propeller-generated airplane into Cody, Wyoming. The flight is undoubtedly bumpy, the overhead "bins" are barely large enough to fit a briefcase, and you're bound to end up sitting next to someone who you don't want to smell for two hours. And when you arrive in Cody, you are greeted by a cold, dry wind and yellowed dead grass--but what a sight for sore eyes!


I flew home for a few days last week (seeing as I don't get holidays off), and spent some time with Mom, Dad, and Lu. I felt a million miles away from my job (a true measure of the successfulness of any vacation), and came home thoroughly refreshed.

While my visit was short and my Wyoming activities were pretty lame by most peoples standards, I thoroughly enjoyed...









Rediscovering the farm's treasures.





Getting in touch with my domestic side.

I made pies with Grandma and fudge with Grandpa (always a must), and received Christmas revelation. My solution to inexpensive Christmas ornaments: paper! The concept originated with origami and morphed into these fun paper balls (more on that to come).


The first snow of the year--backyard sledding included.