Spoilers go here

So, if you've finished reading the final Harry Potter book, feel free to discuss it here.

WARNING: This thread has the potential to contain spoilers.

Thanks, J.K. Rowling

Thank you for giving a 20-something a taste of what it was like to be a kid again. I looked forward to Harry Potter books with anticipation I've not experienced since I was little and awaiting Christmas or my birthday- something thrilling and wonderful and palpable.

Thank you, for creating books that my husband (not a reader) and I can enjoy together. On numerous car trips we would pass the time discussing where we thought the plot was going, Snape's true allegiance, Harry's fate and lamented that it would be years until the next book came out.

Thank you for creating books that I look forward to sharing with my children that will allow us to discuss otherwise difficult subjects (human nature, right and wrong, love, death) in a way that will make the topics easier for them to grasp.

Thanks for writing in a way so as not to pander, condescend, or otherwise insult the intelligence of your primary audience- children. Kids are smarter than most adults want to give them credit for.

Thanks for creating female characters (Hermione, Tonks, Ginny, Luna) that buck the patriarchy and defied the female archetype that is too often found in children's books and making them likable, cool and admirable.

Thanks for creating Fred and George Weasley- two characters who made me laugh out loud in every book.

I shall miss the Harry Potter books (and the hype) more than I can say but, damn, what a fun ride it's been.

Jell-O doesn't work

I'm in the middle of trying to get my hair to a shocking pink color. Our grocery store doesn't have sugar free Kool-Aid in the color I want (unless I want to purchase enough to yield several gallons, which I don't) so I called A White Bear and she and I decided that Jell-O (sugar free, of course) might be a viable option.

It's not. While my hair does feel ridiculously good, it is still brown. I started to freak out just a little about 5-minutes into the process because my hair actually started to "set". I was worried that if I left it for a full 30-60 minutes I would be in big, big trouble- as in never-get-a-comb-through-my-hair-ever-again.

SO! The Tonklings and I are going to head up to the beauty supply store to traumatize the woman that works there a little more and I'm going to shell out $4 for a perfect shade of pink.

I can't resist!

I'm going to a Harry Potter release party this evening. I wasn't planning on dressing up. I was going to resist, pretend to be an adult and go in my everyday street clothes.

No more!!!

Here is a bit the Tonklings and I are headed out to by Mommy some hair dye so that I may dress myself up as (duh) Tonks. I've decided to don pink hair with a violet stripe, ripped jeans, an orange t-shirt and black robe*.

This is going to be fun!**

*My mom, who holds onto things "just in case," still has a Halloween costume I wore in the mid-90's that has a long, black robe.

**Not sure what's going to be more fun. Going to the party or sporting my newly died locks to my in-laws house this evening when we go over to help them move furniture. My in-laws already believe me to be slightly loopy, this will likely clench the decision.

Why do the East Coast bloggers have all the fun?

I called A White Bear this evening to check on her. While at dinner with my parents, my mother saw news of an explosion in NYC and asked if AWB was alright.

She was, of course. She was on her way to meet Scott Lemieux and then they were off to a party with a bunch of other bloggers.

Surely there has to be some Midwest* bloggers and surely we must be enough fun to have a party of our own. Let's make plans!


*Preferably KC area but I might travel a little.

This makes me sick

Courtesy of the Chicago Sun-Times:

NFL star Michael Vick was indicted by a federal grand jury Tuesday on charges of sponsoring a dogfighting operation so grisly the losers either died in the pit or sometimes were electrocuted, drowned, hanged or shot.

If that's true, you fucker, I hope you rot in hell. I hope they skip normal prison and send you straight to one of Dick Cheney's houses of horror abroad.

Don't just talk about it, do something

Before going any further, head on over to Is There No Sin In It and read this post. Once you're done there, meander on over to Bitch PhD to read this post.

Once you're done, if you're outraged and tired of the Bush Administrations' repeated abuse of the law and flagrant disregard for the Constitution, take a few minutes to compose an e-mail. Send it to your state Representative(s) and congress(wo)men.

Not sure who they are or how to contact them? Click here (look in the upper right hand corner of the page) and here.

This country and its government are not going to change the status quo if we only sit around whining. We have to get up, kick and scream and make our voices heard. NOW.