Really people, really

This is officially taking it too far. And remarkably, its not Tucker Carlsons opinion I am talking about.

Harry Potter (the other Potter)

I finished Harry Potter last night and am about to blog about it. While I wont reveal any spoilers, you may still not want to know my opinion about it. If so, stop reading.


So, all in all I was quite disappointed. While this book certainly leads up to the next book, the other books in the series were satisfying enough that the lead up to the next book just created suspense, but part of you was certainly satisfied with what you read. There are mini little plot points all along, but really, nothing I considered to be substantial at this point. Again, perhaps they will be interesting later, but they werent in this book. What I like about the previous books is how great the bait and switch is. This book only sets you up for later baits and switches. And, if I have guessed correctly a huge plot point already, I am going to be really ticked off. Regardless, it was enjoyable to read. I just dont think it lived up to her standards, and frankly read like someone else wrote parts of it. To me, some of the characterizations seemed off. For anyone who has read it and would like to discuss some spoiler points, leave em in the comments.

Spoiler Alert!

For those of you whom she gives you 'The Feelings', please take note that there is a quasi-spoiler on Arianna Huffingtons blog about Harry Potter.

The Illinoise in my head

And in case you were wondering how further listens to Illinois went, I realized that in my initial review I definitely sold it short. If you are reading my blog, chances are that you should own this album.

Checking In

Just wanted to post something because it has been so long and we know how Eagle feels about people not updating their blogs (his not included of course). I think mainly I have been so quiet as part of me is trying to pretend that I dont feel like I am barely holding it together. And the other part thinks perhaps I am taking advantage of some really great dramatic circumstances in order to be able to suffer. And what is definitely showing up is a good bit of anger. I cant begin to describe how busy I am at work. I literally took over another project managers job, for no more money. And this is my normal busy time of year anyway. And of course, there is the wedding, the honeymoon and the condo. And I have been sick and tests are really ramping up for that. Apparently my symptoms are textbook for a carcinoid tumor, but initial tests havent shown one. They are looking into whether my symptoms are hormonal before they go back to see if the tumor is in my small intestines. So far they have only checked my large intestines. Obviously, we want to get this diagnosed before we leave for our trip, or it could mean that we dont leave depending on the treatment. And for the worriers among you, apparently this kind of cancer is rarely fatal as it is remarkably slow moving. AND we dont know that that is it yet, which is why I havent mentioned it earlier. But man, I am feeling some serious pressure. Or maybe today is just a bad day.

Downloads

Strangely, when I get new emails from iTunes I rarely have an interest in looking at them, while knowing full well that if I dont buy an album while it is still on the homepage of iTunes, I probably never will. Anyway, I was on iTunes the other day looking up Sufjan Stevens because folks just wont stop talking about him, and since his current album is Illinois and I am a patriot, I thought I would look into it. Anyway, no such luck. Nothing. But lo and behold, an email from iTunes 3 days later with a link to Illinois. This morning I downloaded and set it up on the pod to listen to while reading on the train.

And I just couldnt pick up my book. The album is, so far, fantastic. And intruiging. And how did he write a song about Gacy and get away with it. And how great is the song title "The Black Hawk War, or How to demolish and entire civilization and still feel good about yourself in the morning, or We apologize for the inconvenience but you are going to have to leave, or I have fought the Big Knives". I am going to put myself out there to say this is really good. As a comparision, I was thinking it was like Nick Drake decided to do a Frank Zappa album and pussed out on going all the way, but thats a good thing because Nick Drake should never really attempt a Zappa album. And I am only half way through the album. I'll let you know if I change my mind.

Cat --> Bag: Adios!

Thats right folks. The cat is out of the bag and BossMan is now aware of all the grooviness that is awaiting Eagle and I on our honeymoon. In a surprise move, he suggested that I take it as a sabbatical. Now, that could be because he knows it will never happen, but I'll take it. And man, no more secrets is fabu.

You give me fever and rabies, and Japanese Encephilitis, and tetnus....

Eagle and I have started our immunization process. So far, so decent. We are 4 shots in out of god knows how many. Eagle has some serious flu symptoms. I just have arm pains, although yesterday I felt all over terrible.
The woman who is giving us our shots has us quite perplexed. At times she is delightful and nice, other times she is reactionary and downright cold. And this is all in a span of 20 minutes. We just dont get it. Interesting to note, Eagle had to leave the appointment early to catch a train. The minute he left, she was all smiles. I dont get it. Then again, people sometimes are just weird.

Words of a father

Most of the time when I talk to my dad I have to listen through a filter. Dad sometimes can take an extreme opinion on things (Dont go anywhere in Southeast Asia. Those people were selling children after the tsunami. It isnt safe.) And he watches Fox news, and not for entertainment. And Dad is a smart guy who has good points, you just sometimes have to shift through what he says to find the gold. And today he had a doosey. In response to me saying I was going to tell my boss about the trip today he wisely reminded me "If they let you go early, and you dont have a job when you go to get a mortgage, you are in serious trouble." Wow, he didnt even need to add any drama there. He was right on. I would be screwed with a capital S.
So, Eagle and I are seriously considering putting it on the market. This has come up previously as without two people living in it, it becomes quite the expense while we are gone. And it seems more often than not, the only the Iron Chef would be in it. And the rational part of me knows that we just dont need a place that nice. As remarkable and fantastic as it would be, we would be just as happy in a 'lesser' place. And according to our calculations, all the money I had is pretty much going to be gone. Which is not a bad thing, it got loaned out all over the place, used to pay for many many meals with friends, donated, and used for education --which is what I wanted it to do. But when its gone, its gone. So the idea of not having any expenses while we are out playing with yet unknown friends around the world is really appealing. And if I sell it, I can definitely quit my job on schedule and have nothing to worry about. I am going to take a closer look at this with Eagle. I cant figure out just what keeps me from immediately putting it on the market. Is it just that I wanted to finally move into a place that wasnt already falling apart? Could it really just be that juliet balcony off the master bedroom that has me swooning? Or is it the possibility that holding on to it could be a better investment for me? And my real estate guy recommended I not sell it yet, which seemed so out of character for a real estate guy (since if I sell it he makes money) that I am giving it some pause. Crap, I really didnt want to think about anything else right now.