Hair as yellow as corn

You might recall that a few months back I decided I needed a change in hair color. When I asked my current director if she'd prefer me as a redhead or blonde, she asked what I wanted to do. I didn't know, so she said, "How about strawberry-blonde?"

It wasn't until after she said it I knew I really wanted to be blonde again. So, I made an appointment, and finally, FINALLY, yesterday I had the red stripped out of my hair.

We did the treatment twice, and it wouldn't come completely out, but my hair was definitely blonder again! It did turn out strawberry-blonde, and we put blonde and red highlights in the 3 inches of regrowth.

Rapunzel/Jeanne and I joke about my t-shirt

I admit, I'm a little disappointed in the way it turned out. I've always been proud of the fact I'm a natural blonde, and I thought it was cool I looked like a natural redhead. But I feel like the color now doesn't look natural -- it looks like I dyed it and I LOATHE that! I want to love it, but I don't right now.

However, the director likes it, as do my other castmembers. That's comforting.

I guess I need to give myself some time to get used to it. Maybe after I wash it and style it the way I normally do... it's likely it'll take as much time to get used to being blonde again as it did after I dyed it red. So, about two months, at which point it'll be time to get a touch-up. I do want to get the red out next time if I can.

I think I need this today:

It tickles me that this little girl has hair like mine.

"I like my hair! I like my haircuts!"

Yes, the blonde is a little boring, but it was so much a part of my identity for so long. It's nice to have it back.

My eyebrows look so much darker now!

Signs I'm getting ready to open a show, or "the cow as white as milk..."

"...the cape as red as blood, the hair as yellow as corn, the slipper as pure as gold!"

Foxy, Sassy, and Rissy all created their lists, so I thought I'd follow suit:

Signs I'm getting ready to open a show

Red, Jack, and Cinderella making plans
for "Happy Ever After"

1. I live on fast food (I'm not ordering fries during this cycle!).
2. I reject almost all invitations by using some variation on the phrase, "I can't. I have rehearsal."
3. I start wishing I was a professional performer because rather than going to my full-time job, I just want to go to rehearsal all day. Doing both is exhausting.
4. My skin starts breaking out -- noticeably -- due to stress.
5. I start telling everyone I know that I'm in a play and they should see it.
   Note 1: YOU SHOULD COME SEE MY PLAY!!
6. I walk around town in curlers and full stage make-up sans false eyelashes like it's a perfectly normal thing to do.
7. I shop for groceries at 11pm or later.
8. I start hand-washing my stage-undergarments every night so I don't have to wear sweaty stuff the next day (sometimes I ask a stay-at-home-mom cast member to throw mine in the washing machine with hers).
   Note 2: Stage undergarments consist of tights, bike shorts and tank top.
   Note 3: I really, really need to get that washer and dryer installed...
9. I make lists with names like: To buy - show, To buy- groceries, To pack, To borrow ("To go to the festival!!")
10. I start praying that none of the tech/dress rehearsals or performances will be rained out.
    Note 4: PLEASE also pray for the above things.
11. The songs from the show run through my head over and over and over. Right now it's the "A Very Nice Prince" reprise, which is annoying, because I don't have the timing down yet. So, really, the song's just mocking me.
12. My voice grows stronger and I develop a wider singing range.
13. I plan my wardrobe for work around what might be comfortable at rehearsal, 'cause I don't want to have to wear and wash additional clothing (see Note 3).
14. Lyrics and lines from the show start cropping up in my daily conversations (see quote in parenthesis in #9). As previously stated, Into the Woods (and any Sondheim show, really) is particularly quotable.
15. I think about my as-yet-unwritten-down character sketch all the time! I really, really need to write it down, along with memories and things I want to remember.
    
    AND
    
16. I start wishing the experience would never end!

I am so happy with this play so far. I can't wait to start adding tech and props and costumes and running the whole show over and over (aside from the stressed and yelling people, I am one of the crazies who actually likes tech week). I am excited to perform for an audience and show off my fellow castmembers. I am hopeful for big, responsive audiences and cooperative weather.

Cat's out of the bag, or "You can talk to birds?"*

I've delayed telling anyone at work that I do theatre, for the simple reason that I have really, really enjoyed being in control of what they know about me, if not what they think about me. Sometimes people don't think well of theatre-folk (Richard jokingly called me a "carnie" when I told him), and everyone definitely makes assumptions. It's not always a compliment when people say, "I believe that you're an actress; you're so dramatic!"

But the silence is broken! I want as many people as possible to see Into the Woods as can, so I asked our darling receptionist, Richard, to put up a flyer for me in a likely spot. He asked if he could put something on it so people knew it was from me and would be more inclined to go and after some hemming and hawing I said Okay. I let him do his own thing. I knew he'd come up with something adorable -- something I'd like. This is what he came up with:

Haha! I love that guy.

Since yesterday morning, I've fielded several people's questions. I'm trying not to be embarrassed to admit that I'm playing Cinderella (I don't know why I'm embarrassed), though people who don't know the show still assume it's a lead role. It turns out, I'm not the only Thespian in our workplace. That's nice to hear :)  Makes me feel a little less silly!

I hope some work folks can come! Being vulnerable is scary. Wouldn't want to reveal such a huge part of myself without some small sort of payoff, you know? I guess just allowing them to be my friends and me to be their friend should be payoff enough. I still want them to come.

We open a week from tomorrow. Eeeeeeek!

*I feel like I should be taking advantage out of the fact that Into the Woods is so darn quotable! As such, I'm using lines from the play for alternative titles to all of the show-related blog posts. It just feels good!

So, do you, like, paint houses or something?

During my second-to-last year at BYU, I had a huge, huge, monster of a crush on my Home Teacher, Mike. He was handsome, tall, soft-spoken, and really nice. You know, one of those guys you can tell is a good guy but so shy he pretty much doesn't ever talk. So, I tried really hard to pick up on clues as to things we could chat about, so, you know, he could go ahead and start falling in love with me.

One day early in the school year, he showed up to my appointment a little sweaty and wearing paint-spattered shorts. He apologized for his appearance and said something about how he'd been painting all day. Not knowing anything about him, I asked something along the lines of "So, do you, like, paint houses or something?" I thought it was a fair question, and I didn't mean to be condescending. Two of my brothers and one of my cousins spent a couple summers painting apartment complexes to help pay for school.

But, Mike got this "You really don't know?" look on his face, laughed in a slightly embarrassed way and said, "Um, no. I'm painting a mural in the library."

This mural.

For a larger photo with better resolution, click here.

To say I was embarrassed would be an understatement. Granted, why would I know he was an art major, or was painting a mural in a section of the library I almost never visited? Still, as a young woman with a crush, I could have died. But I soldiered through the rest of the appointment and the rest of the year, saying "Hi" to him and when I passed him in the halls or at church, and wishing he weren't so shy.

The next year, Mike wasn't my Home Teacher, but he was still in my ward. I continued to pine for him, but since I was a chicken and he barely knew I existed (I would later understand he just wasn't "that into me"), nothing happened.

Until the Spring.

My cousin's wife called me for some reason or another. This was a little significant because it's the only time I can remember her doing so. But she wanted to set me up with her neighbor. She told me about how nice and good-looking he was, and how he was always willing to help her out when she asked. She said he was a BYU student and we might get along.

Then she said his name: Michael Lenhardt.

I laughed. "Really? He's in my ward! He was my home teacher last year!"

She laughed too, and we agreed it was a funny coincidence.

I took that as my sign to ask him out... I figured I had nothing to lose. I had a crush on him and was leaving school in a few months anyway. My roommate, Jennifer, and I planned a low-key date. I asked him and although he was surprised he politely said yes.

We went hiking and then got ice cream after. Like I said, low key. To keep the conversation going, I asked him every question I could think of, but I'm afraid none of them were very interesting. By the time we got to the ice cream parlor, I was pretty sure he hadn't managed to fall in love with me. But, I had a good time, and was glad that I tried.

Sometimes I wonder what happened to Mike. I tried to Google him, but apparently the name is pretty common (I nearly passed out when I saw he'd been in a car accident... then realized it was some other guy). I hope Mike found a gorgeous, intelligent, charming, and kind woman and fell head-over-heels in love. I hope he's doing amazing work somewhere, and coaching his five kids in soccer during the summers.

Mike was the first guy --outside of high school dances -- that I ever asked out, and I'll always have a soft spot for him for that reason. I'm glad that I don't have to ask "What if?" And I'm glad that, even if he wasn't interested, he was still so nice to me!

Ah, memories!

Camp fire photos

I love to watch a camp fire -- it's so beautiful and airy and elegant. During our Ward camping trip last month, one of the Bishopric members brought this table for fuel and it was so interesting to watch the way the wood warped and changed as it burned.

My camera may not be fancy, but I'm pretty proud of some of these shots. I'm glad I took a few moments to capture them and just watch the fire and meditate. It felt so peaceful and lovely on that chilly June evening!

 

 

I find that fourth photo particularly haunting. It's amazing how something so destructive can be so beautiful at the same time.

That's it -- I'm actually going to use my fireplace this winter. I've resisted because it's one more thing to clean and I hear horror stories about chimneys catching on fire, but I'm going to do it anyway because, really, there are few things so peaceful and comforting to me as watching flames in an as-controlled-as-can-be environment.

Nerds...

...are my current candy obsession. I blame Sarah for this. All she had to do was mention them and now I can't stop thinking about them (did you read her blog post? Did you see how minuscule the reference to Nerds was? And yet now I'm obsessed)! I buy the big boxes that have several flavors mixed together, and I'll eat, like, a third of the box between getting home from rehearsal and going to bed. If I take it to work, the box doesn't last the day. Sometimes I try to suck on the candy so it lasts longer and is therefore more satisfying, but most of the time I just chomp 'em down. Last night I stopped at the grocery store at quarter to eleven to buy three boxes 'cause I'd run out. I just can't stop.

If there was any doubt I'm a big science fiction nerd, I bought seasons 4 and 5 of these box sets this week for half off and I can't WAIT for them to arrive! I don't think I'll ever completely get over my crush on Worf.

Michael Dorn is a beautiful, beautiful man.

I just found this, and it KILLS me!! Ahahahahahaha!!

And since good things come in threes, even for nerds like me, I decided to share this goody as my Friday video. Enjoy!


Happy Friday!!

p.s. I am also wearing a t-shirt today with the Supergirl logo emblazoned on it. Yep, I'm a nerd!

A Facebook event, or "a servant is not just a dog to a prince"

I finally had the chance to create a Facebook event for Into the Woods (which opens in two weeks -- eep!), and I must say that I am already very, very grateful for those friends and acquaintances who plan to come, and those who even "maybe" might come. One person had accepted before I'd even invited her, and another posted on my wall within minutes stating she wants to get a big group to come together -- soooooo cool! It feels great to have so much support!

Poor little cinder girl. I think the jeggings
really complete the outfit, don't you?

On the flip side, it frustrates me when people click "No." It's the reason I don't like creating events. I am aware this is a totally irrational and probably universal frustration, as I say no to stuff all the time, we only have a few performances, and I've invited a few people I know perfectly well will not be able to make it but I wanted them to know I am thinking of them.

However, many of my friends are performers, and I go out of my way to see their plays, and see their cast if the show is double-cast. I've been to a LOT of plays this summer alone -- not quite all, but a lot. And when I see that these SAME people click "No" to MY play when I'm finally in one... it bothers me. The day after I created the event and invited pretty much everyone I know lives in town because I am very proud of this show already, I saw a friend had posted the following:

i hate getting on just to recieve a million invitations to events i dont care about....jeez

Um, this is the first event I've created in a year. We've done 2 plays together somewhat recently, and I've paid money and gone out of my way to see you in several others since then. Thanks a lot, man.

I get it -- a lot of people send events every two months to everyone on their list and, yeah, it can be annoying. It's one thing to think this (I know I do sometimes); it's another to put it as a Facebook status when the people who can see it are supposed to be your friends!! Jerk. Now I know to automatically reject anything he sends me in the near future.


It makes me feel like they're saying "My event was way more important and awesome than your little production." And then my self-doubt kicks in and I think maybe theirs did have more consequence than mine, and I feel slightly less excited about my own play. And I wonder how much they like me, and then I wonder if I shouldn't try so hard or if I should try harder to maintain whatever level of friendship we have.

Sometimes I'd rather people just don't respond than say no. It's just deflating when I see that more people have said no than yes and maybe combined. Fortunately, we aren't there yet.

I'll stop whining now. I'm really not that upset about it.

My mom once told me that if I go through life keeping score I'm going to end up unhappy. She is absolutely right and I have to remind myself of this fact often. Like I said, I say no to stuff all the time, and I can't hold other people to my practice of supporting as many friends and lesser friends as I can in whatever they're doing (but if I didn't go to their events once in awhile, I'd never see some of those people). When I do say no, I feel terribly guilty. Often, I at least post a note apologizing and telling them to break a leg.

To remedy this frustration, I am willing myself not to look at the "No" list. What I don't know won't kill me, and I'd much rather be grateful for those who DO come, than be annoyed at those who don't. I think that's what bugs me about that kid's post. It wouldn't have bothered me he wasn't coming if he hadn't made such a big, bratty deal about it. Now I want to look at the "No" list to see if he's on it... but I won't. It won't make me feel any better.

Because, let's face it, I've had an overwhelmingly positive response to my Into the Woods event. My cast members are even using it to invite their friends, and the resulting numbers are really exciting! A lot of really, really terrific people are planning to come to my play. People who I adore and who flatter me tremendously by putting my event on their schedules. People I think are ridiculously talented, and I know are very busy, and whose opinions mean a lot to me. People who have to find babysitters or set aside money or who are willing to come even though they don't like the play and/or composer. People I haven't seen in awhile who just want to support me. People who don't know me at all but know others in the play so are making the effort to support them. People who don't know anyone involved with the play but like theatre and/or the play and/or just want something to do for less than the price of a movie ticket. So many people that I'm starting to feel glad that I created the event, rather than frustrated that the results briefly punctured my self-esteem.

The last thing I want is to feel bitter and deflated. I love my play! I'm excited about it! It's going to be really good! My cast is freakishly talented, and I'm proud that I'm figuring out the music and remembering the lyrics (Sondheim is not an easy composer to follow). I truly believe this will be a terrific play, and I cannot wait to share it with everyone. I wish there were more than four performances!

Thank you to all of you who have already clicked, "Yes!" I hope you all can come!

The perfect birthday card

I bought a birthday card for my manager, Beth, two years ago right after her birthday. I promised myself I would give it to her the next year.

The next winter, I was laid off from that company (not her choice -- she was really mad about it), so now we're simply friends, which basically means I still think Beth's ridiculously awesome, but I don't get to see her every day. Anyway, last year when her birthday rolled around I somehow forgot to give her the card.

Yesterday, Beth and I met each other for lunch, and I finally got to give her her perfect birthday card:

Beth chuckled when she read it, and then again when I presented her with a small bag of Dove dark chocolate. It's possible she was simply surprised I remembered her birthday, because that's never been my strength.

When we worked together, whenever we were having a particularly difficult day, Beth would ask if anyone needed "Dove love" and encourage us to eat something from her constantly-refilled candy bowl. On more than one occasion, she even bought me peanut buttery chocolates just because she knew they were my favorites. When I saw this card, I knew I had to give it to Beth. It was practically written just for her! I couldn't consider giving it to anyone else!

She said yesterday, "I don't think I'd have as good a quality of life without chocolate! Can you imagine?"

I can't imagine. Neither a life without chocolate or a life with Beth, one of the best managers I've ever had, and one of my favorite ladies to lunch with.

Now I think I'll go dig up the three musketeers I brought to work with me... mmm... chocolate...

Drum roll -- I mean, Blog roll, please!

Hello, my name is Megan, and I like to read blogs.

As addictions go, this one is fairly harmless, right?

I love to read people's stories, and look at photos of happy people, and read about people going through tough times that eventually end, and just see what's going on. Whenever I see that a friend of mine has a blog, I immediately spend far too much time reading back-posts and "catching up" as it were. I secretly follow many blogs of friends-of-friends and people I only sort of know. It's fun!

The next thing I do when I find a new blog is look through the blogger's own blog roll and other recommended links. And I expand my reading list and spend even more time learning stuff about people I may or may not know in person. It's a never-ending circle.

When I started using Google Reader (a year ago, maybe?), I deleted my own blog roll. It seemed redundant and unnecessary. I have recently decided that was a mistake, because it occurred to me lately that some of you might be interested in the goings-on of my friends, or other cool blogs that I love. What if you're like me and you want the chance to stalk some of the people I stalk?

So, without further ado... drum roll please...

I created a new blog roll!

The new blog roll is on the left-hand side of my page, and is called "I Recommend these Blogs." (Clever title, eh?) It's a sampling of my Google Reader list: there's a mixture of friends' blogs, photography blogs, a couple of "businesses" (like the official Disney Parks blog) and other goodies. Just for fun. Sadly, some of my faves are private blogs, but I think the list I created is enough to go on. So as not to bombard you with the awesomeness of the list, I have set it so you can just see the 10 most recently updated. Some post more often than others, but all are great.

Hope you find exploring these blogs as much fun as I do!

Meanwhile, I checked on my Google Reader feed, and discovered that I follow and subscribe to 134 blogs. Isn't that crazy?! Many are comic strips, and at least 10 haven't been updated in weeks if not months, and very few are updated every day (though some update multiple times a day), but I continue to hold on because I am attached to them. I must admit, it's a little sad that I rarely visit the actual blog sites anymore. This is a major reason why I don't post comments very often, though I read most as soon as they show up on the feed. I will try to be a better commenter.

In addition (I know, I know: MORE awesome time-devouring stuff??!!), I updated my "Megan's blog" play list at the bottom of my blog. It had been about a year since I last looked at it -- totally time for some new stuff. Take a listen, let me know if anything strikes your fancy.


Happy Tuesday!

A true day off!

Most of the time, when I get a day off, that day is filled up really fast. Holidays and weekends are filled with errands, events with friends, family dinners, church activities, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera... sometimes, at the end of my "day off" I am more tired than at the end of a normal work day.

I initially planned to take today off from work because I thought I'd be seeing the Harry Potter movie at midnight, and I didn't want to have to get up early and go to work the next day. Well, since I saw the movie yesterday, I considered going to work today... but then I realized that I have spent the bulk of the last two months getting ready for another big software release, which I finally completed last week. I am having a blast with rehearsals, but three weeks of working all day and rehearsing all evening takes its toll on a person's physical, mental and emotional energy. I had one day off from rehearsal last week -- possibly the only one I'll have before we open in three weeks -- and I spent the free evening working (really, it was lucky that the one day I really needed to work late was the night I did not have a rehearsal). I felt I needed the already-scheduled day off to rest. A day to renew myself.

So, last night I fell asleep at a normal time (I don't think I could have stayed awake for a midnight show if I'd tried)... and realized that I don't have anything expected of me until rehearsal tonight!

It was a TRUE day off!

Wanna know how I spent it?

• 10am: I got out of bed. I only slept until 8 and then just drowsed for two hours just because I could. While getting ready I half-heartedly tried to wash the blue out of my hair that I had put in for the Harry Potter movie without actually getting my whole head wet. Was only mildly successful. Blue traces remain and I'm fine with that.
• 11am: I had my eyes checked. In order to remain eligible for my "lifetime" LASIK plan, I am required to have an eye exam every year. Unfortunately, my left eye is developing an astigmatism. They told me I could get a touch-up, but although I'm resigned to the fact I'll probably need another surgery sometime in the future, I decided to delay the pleasure since the left eye really isn't that bad. The right eye is still 20/20. Woo-hoo! Fortunately, according to the nurse I can see well enough to pass a driver's license test. We'll be putting that to the test later this year. Meanwhile, they dilated my eyes, which didn't fully subside for about 5 hours. Bleh...
• 11:50am: Saw Green Lantern at Jordan Commons. Of course, the movie started 10 minutes earlier than the listed time, but I still made it in time to see the beginning. I've been wanting to see the movie for weeks, and I enjoyed it! Whimsical, actors having fun, cool CGI and fight scenes. A good flick for a lazy day :-D
• Decided to buy a crepe to eat for lunch while I watched the movie. When I walked up to the counter, I was surprised to see that the cashier was my own cutie little Sleeping Beauty, Michelle! Fun!! I adore her!



Michelle and I in Sleeping Beauty at the Children's Theatre in 2009

• 1:45pm: After the movie, I filled up the gas tank, bought soup at Cafe Rio (to be eaten later since I was still satisfied by that tasty crepe), stopped at the bank (so rare for me to get there during office hours!), bought a snow cone with cream at the local Hawaiian Ice, ate the snow cone while I refilled a prescription and bought yogurt and carrots (and discovered there was another snow cone place in front of the grocery store), and then finally arrived home.
• 3:30pm: Fooled around on Facebook and wrote that "Book of Harry" blog post.
• 5pm: Took a nap too late in the day, but I don't regret it.
• 6pm: Ate the Cafe Rio soup.
• 7:05pm: Went to rehearsal (I was late due to traffic lights), where we finished blocking the second act. I love, love, love my cast! They are hilarious and talented! Favorite line of the night? 

J: "And the witch explodes." 

M: "And then, the audience explodes... with applause!"

You really had to be there. 

Jamie, our insanely-talented Witch, with a creepy
 doll head I won in a McDonald's Happy Meal

• 9:30pm: Stopped by Harmons on the way home to buy a new color Del Sol nail polish for less than $5, then the Century 16 to purchase tickets for David and I to see Harry Potter tomorrow. 
• 10pm: Arrived home, put away wash, hand-washed some items, put away clothes strewn about my bed, painted toes with new nail polish, ate chocolate cake, and watched Daria on DVD.
• Midnight: Watched a bit of Grey's Anatomy while getting ready for bed. On the whole, I'm not a huge fan of the 5th season, but I remain loyal to Cristina and Dr. Bailey.
• Sometime after midnight: Went to sleep.

Tomorrow will be one of those days where I am crazy-busy doing things I like to do with people I love. It will be exhausting, and I'll enjoy every minute.

Today, I am grateful for the chance to just do stuff I wanted to do. Sure, I needed to have my eyes checked and prescription filled, but even those activities were fun in the context of my "do-nothing" day.

Hope you all have a similar day soon, and so do I!

The Book of Harry (a funny video)

When I saw this photo I said, "Who's the random bald guy?!"
My friend Kyra replied, "Um... Ralph Fiennes?" She didn't understand
 why we were laughing until she spotted the guy on the right
who crashed my photo :P

I saw the film yesterday afternoon and LOVED it! I won't give a review, because I don't want to ruin anyone else's future experience -- especially when I know a bunch of you who are really, really excited won't get to see it for awhile. Just know that I am very glad I already have plans to see it again! It was hard not going again today, all by myself, just because.

Carrie, Kyle and I on the front row. When I wasn't crying, I looked like this!
But seriously, if you're a fan of the books, take kleenex when you see the movie.

The showing was pretty funny, because when we arrived at auditorium 4, there were a couple of people passing out "gift" bags that turned out to sort us into the different houses (I got Ravenclaw! Good times!) A couple of the bags had a golden snitch/golf ball, and when my friend Kyle pulled the ball out of his bag, he won a lego Quidditch game. Yes, I was and still am jealous. We all felt a little guilty crashing someone's party. We did legitimately pay for the tickets, and sat on the first two rows (which I imagine no one else wanted but I didn't mind too much). I still don't know what the group was, even though one guy handing out bags looked familiar. I dutifully wore my blue lei, waved my wand, and thanked them on the way out.

In honor of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 opening today, I think this video is appropriate. Also very funny.

Happy Friday!

A not-at-all-brief history of my love for Harry Potter

 During my mission, I met the Kurtz family, who adored the Harry Potter books. I had heard of the series and seen the illustrations, but didn't know much except that it chronicled the adventures of a wizard kid, and they were popular with young kids and teens. Well, this family decided that I needed to read the books. Not to be deterred, they took my card, wrote my release date on the back, and placed it in a paperback copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone to be mailed upon my return home, which at that time was a year away.

Skip ahead about 15 months, August of 2001. I'd been home for four weeks, the new semester didn't start for two, and I was insanely bored. The Kurtzes must have mislaid the paperback copy of the Sorcerer's Stone and I forgot to remind them to send it. (They did send it later that year. It’s one of three editions I now own.) Fortunately, my youngest brother, David, owned all four books available at that time, and strongly encouraged me to read them. He was so excited about the idea, that he read the first several chapters of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone out loud to me (to this day, I still think of David's voice and tune whenever I read the Sorting Hat's song). I started slow, and read one chapter myself that first day. The next day, I finished the entire book.

I finished the rest of the first four books in the 10 days I had left before moving back to school. They just kept getting better and better! I still remember finishing Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire at 4:30 a.m. and being afraid to go to sleep. That book was scary!! I was officially hooked on the books, and was now stuck with the same problem as millions of other fans: how the heck was I supposed to wait for the next book to come out?! Fortunately, that was when the movies started to arrive, and with school and community theatre I found other ways to spend my time.

About a year later, I wandered onto the Warner Brothers Official Harry Potter Web site. And there I discovered a whole new world: fan fiction. That Web site became my second home. I read dozens of stories, met hundreds of people, and even joined an exclusive club called the "Harry Potter Prats." I was thrilled to find out that Harry Potter fans were not limited to pre-teens. I met middled-aged mothers, young men, and a lot of college students on those boards. I spent ridiculous amounts of time there, which horrified my dear mother to no end (ironically, it was the skills I learned from spending so much time on the computer that qualified me for many of my jobs after graduation, so it all ended well).

Graduation day, when I and all of the other English majors ran
around in ourgraduation robes, shouted "Wingardium leviosa"
at each other, and knew we were awesome.

Many of the people I met on that Web site wrote fanfics of their own. After one of my friends mentioned that Charlie Weasley was my perfect man -- athletic, friendly, red-haired, not-too-tall -- we were paired up in every fanfic my friends wrote -- one in which Charlie and I had six kids! The one exception was a story where I was a pirate called "Blackwand Meg", who stole magic from other wizards. That was about the time the original Pirates of the Carribean movie came out, and I was thrilled with the character!

It took me a good eight months to gather the courage to start working on my own story. The result was a story called Why Won't He Just Leave Her Alone? It explored two stories: Snape's journey to the Dark Lord's side, and Lily and James's courtship. The premise was that Snape and Lily were best friends at Hogwarts, and it was her relationship with James that pushed Snape to the Dark Arts. My friends online were very supportive, and I'm proud to say I had quite a loyal following. It didn't hurt that I put a bunch of them in the story, as well. I had a lot of fun finding ways to insert them, and writing them into situations I knew they’d love.

Two months later, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was published, and I had to stop writing my story because I was so mad at Snape! Geez, he was a jerk in that book! I still get steamed whenever I read it. I had a hard time reconciling in my mind how the Severus I’d so lovingly written could become such a horrible, nasty person.

Do it, Sirius. Do it!

But, I got over it fairly quickly, and continued writing. I started off strong, but my posts became less and less frequent when I graduated from school and had to find a job. After about two years I was feeling a writer’s block, of sorts. I had things to write about, but I felt like it wasn’t interesting anymore. I had ideas for major plot points, but none of the fun character “filler” stuff that makes Ms. Rowling’s writing so fun. So, sometime in late 2005 I stopped writing. Cold. When the WB deleted my thread for the fiftieth time, I didn’t bother to start it again. Maybe someday I'll finish it off, or at least write down the prologue where Snape is inducted as a Death Eater. In my head, it's a cool scene.

Fortunately, I've reconnected with quite a few of the Prats on Facebook, and though I am a little sad I won't be meeting up with them for the last movie, I'm glad they're still as wacky and wonderful as ever!

Skip ahead to 2007. Ms. Rowling finished the REAL Harry Potter story, and despite my big talk about waiting, I was on line at Barnes and Noble at midnight on July 21, 2007 with friends Kate and Jenna to purchase my very own copy. I even took home some black display balloons that I ended up releasing when I finished the book as a symbolic gesture to the end of a series that had played such a large part in my life. Most of the mysteries were resolved in a satisfying manor, including the two I attempted to explore in my story. I cried at the end, and was amazed at how well Ms. Rowling kept me guessing, right up to the end (though I was totally right about Snape's reason for hating Harry -- yay me!).

Now here I am, anticipating the last movie and last excuse to really geek out with the Harry Potter community. I'm sad about the ending, but I'm glad for the chance to reflect on why I love the books.

I love the characters -- the good guys and bad guys were all fantastic characters. People I could love or love to hate. By the end of the books, I feel like they're my friends (you know, in a Facebook/blog stalking sort of way) and I'm sad I won't get to share in their lives anymore. BTW, I found a place on JK Rowling's site with a family tree, so that you know who the Weasley kids and Luna and Draco marry, and how many kids they have. I am very disappointed Charlie apparently doesn't get married... or maybe I'm not. If I could write myself into the wizarding world, I'd be the muggle who married Charlie Weasley, and we'd live happily ever after :-D

The story is intruiguing and well thought out. I still marvel when I read the last two novels and realize how important seemingly-random events are from the first two. Rowling totally planned the whole thing. She did her research on mythology (like Hagrid buying three-headed dog Fluffy from a "Greek chappie"). She worked her fanny off and the result is something flat-out fun to read.

But my favorite thing about the Harry Potter books is that they inspired so many children (and adults) to read. My last year at university, when people would ask what I wanted to do after graduation, I told everyone I wanted to be an editor, because I would be honored to be involved with something like Harry Potter that taught kids how wonderful stories are, and how much they can learn if they pick up a book. Sadly, I'm not an editor, and I don't deal in fiction, but I still read a LOT, and I'm always excited to see my nephew and nieces and other kids and their parents and MY parents reading whatever interests them. Sure, Harry Potter isn't for everyone, but that's not the point. The point is that I love to read, and it makes me happy when my friends do, too!

In conclusion, I have really enjoyed immersing myself in Harry Potter's world for these last ten years. I feel like I've learned a lot about myself, developed new analytical and writing skills, and met awesome people through this interest, and I hope that never changes! Whether you care about Harry or not, I hope you enjoy this weekend, and that you find something that makes you as happy as Harry has made me!

Which HP kid are you?

I took this quiz a few years back, and was not at all surprised at the result:




Which HP Kid Are You?Not only is he my favorite character, he's also the one I identify with the most. How does one handle being a hero's best friend? I ask myself this question everyday. I have some seriously amazing friends. It's hard not to look at myself in conjunction with them sometimes, and I'm honored to associate with them!

Oddly enough, I just re-took the quiz, and had a different, very unexpected result:




Which HP Kid Are You?
I can live with that, too.

Which Harry Potter kid are YOU the most like? If you take the quiz, please leave me a comment telling me which character you are!

Keep calm...

My cousin posted this on his blog, and it made me giggle, so I'm posting it too:

I broke down and posted a status update on Facebook asking if anyone had a spare ticket they would sell me for a Thursday-to-Friday midnightish showing. In a matter of hours, I was offered no less than 8 tickets (including one in New Jersey to watch with one of my Harry Potter Prats), and another person told me of a theater that wasn't sold out yet. How awesome is that? My friends are great!

Best yet is that the first person who offered happened to be going tomorrow afternoon, so guess when I'll be seeing the movie the first time? You got it! Work a full day (sans lunch), see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2, and still make it to rehearsal on time? Yes, please!

AND, I have plans to see it again this weekend with my brother, David, the man who insisted I acquaint myself with Mr. Potter and his world in the first place. I am so, so, excited! Dave and I saw the first movie together, and this will feel like coming full circle. We have so much fun together!

I'm a lucky girl! It's hard to keep calm in these circumstances!!!!

A Harry Potter-themed fanfiction

I have decided to make this Harry Potter Week on my blog, because I might never have a better excuse, and I really do love it so!

But since it's late and I'm swiftly running out of energy, in lieu of more musings here's a short story that I wrote for a Harry Potter fanfiction contest. I won 3rd place with it :-D

To read the first place story, click here.

Domestic Bliss

Molly Weasley fought the urge to run to the WC when she heard a tremendous crash and splash. Instead, she sighed and glanced up at the clock. “Not yet at ‘mortal peril’, thank goodness,” she muttered. “But Arthur’s drifting dangerously close to ‘hospital.’” Still and all, he did volunteer…

“Scourgify,” she commanded the dishes in the sink. Then she quickly levitated them to the cabinet so that she could peek in on her husband and son.

Arthur’s face was red and his clothes were soaked, but it looked like he hadn’t failed too miserably. The child he was furiously toweling off looked somewhat cleaner than he had before. Billy screamed in the cold air and was struggling to get away. Actually, Molly stifled a giggle when the redheaded toddler dove headfirst back into the water. She should have warned her husband that their son loved a bath. Her husband looked about ready to explode, but her heart filled with pride as she watched him take a deep breath, soundlessly count to five, and reach back into the basin to pull his son out. “Only cold for a moment, poppet,” he promised, wiping away what water he could with the now more-than-slightly damp towel. This time, he caught the little boy before he could get to the water again.

It amazed Molly how quickly Arthur had caught onto the diapering and clothing aspect of parenthood. He didn’t seem to mind the mess or the squirming, and the one time the child had piddled on him, the man had merely wiped his dripping spectacles on his shirt and continued. He truly was a patient man. At least, he was trying to be.

“Stop that,” Arthur chided the two-year old. Billy stuck his tongue out and pinched his father again. Molly smirked. Serves him right for teaching him that trick. Fortunately, the thin man knew how to distract his son from that piece of mischief. “Oh really? Raaaaaaaaaaaawr!” he growled, and, affecting a naughty smirk, he wiggled his fingers. “I’m the big, bad dragon! I’m going to get you!” he cried, tickling the little boy. Billy shrieked with laughter and immediately flung his arms out.

“Some children are making quite a lot of noise in here!” Molly pretended to chastise. “Especially when one of them should be asleep.”

Arthur hung his head. “You’re right, Molly. Almost done here.” He grabbed the dimpled toddler and held him out to his wife. “Get Mummy, Billy!”

The little boy laughed again and bounced in his father’s arms. “Mummy!” He tried to tickle his Mummy’s face, but succeeded only in minor scratches. Molly grabbed the child and held him close. “What am I to do with you naughty boys?” she asked hopelessly.

“Put us to bed without supper?” Arthur suggested.

Molly nuzzled her nose against Billy’s red curls. “Perhaps tomorrow night,” she said. “Too late now, I suppose.”

“Bed time I’m afraid, poppet.” Arthur took his son in his arms for one last hug before placing him in the cradle. Immediately, Billy’s big brown eyes grew even bigger.

“Nononono!” he cried. “No bed! Dragon!” He held out his hands to tickle his father.

Arthur looked pleadingly at Molly. “Just a few more minutes?” he begged.

“If we start making exceptions now – ”

“Please?” Now the grown man’s eyes mirrored the brown, angelic eyes of their son.

Molly groaned. “That’s not fair!” She laughed.

“Haha, poppet! We won!”  The father picked up his child for one last cuddle. He winced when a little fist pulled at his already-thinning hair. “Night-night, Billy,” he said, putting the little boy back. “Sleep tight. I love you.”

“Wuv yoo,” the toddler echoed, still looking a little grumpy.

Molly kissed the baby, smoothed his hair, and gave him his favorite blanket. Arthur squeezed his wife’s hand as he blew out the candles in Billy’s room. The petite woman made her way down the stairs to finish cleaning up while her husband changed out of his wet clothes.

“Well, then, what do we do now?” Arthur asked when he met her in the parlor. 

His wife shrugged. “I don’t know. What did we do before he came?”

“Must not have been important, whatever it was.” He stretched his long legs and reached for today’s Daily Prophet.

Molly took up a ball of yarn and made a face at all of the knots. She would have to remember to keep it out of Billy’s sight from then on – it would take forever to untangle. She pointed her wand and muttered a charm to start working on it. “Is there anything interesting in the paper, dear?”

Arthur made a face. “Looks like I missed Mordred’s Mates.”

“Was that tonight?! I’m sorry, Arthur. I know they’re your favorite.”

“Never mind. It’s just a band. I’ll see them another time.”

Molly smiled at that. When Arthur had proposed he had promised to give up his obsession with the musical group if she asked. She of course would never make such a useless demand, but it seemed that he had let it go anyway. There were much more important things to obsess over now.

********

Arthur Weasley woke up to find that he and Molly had fallen asleep on the sofa, and a certain little redhead had finally learned to sneak out of his crib. Billy was flung across his parents’ laps, sound asleep. The thin man reached out to rest his hand on his wife's slightly distended belly and wondered what their next little bundle would be like. He smiled sleepily and closed his eyes again.

Life pretty much didn’t get better than this.

Random Harry Potter musings

With the last Harry Potter movie coming out on Friday (well, Thursday afternoon, because I know a TON of people going then), and my trying to "catch up" by watching all of the movies again before I see the last one (I only have 2 left!), the franchise has been on my mind a lot lately. Here are some Potter-related thoughts that have been on my mind:

• Saturday, I walked past a woman in the Sam's Club parking lot who was standing outside her car while her radio blasted... she was listening to a Harry Potter book on tape. I considered standing there long enough to figure out which book, but didn't want to be creepy.

• For some reason, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is my least favorite book, but favorite movie. However, I actually liked the book when I listened to it on tape last year... I think my dislike stems from the fact I was writing a teenage Snape fanfiction when the 5th book came out, and I was SO MAD at what a jerk he was in the book, versus the character I had developed. Silly JK Rowling doing something different than me ;-)

Found this depiction of James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, and
Lily during their Hogwarts days while I was writing the
fanfiction. Sadly, I do not know the name of the original artist.

• I don't have plans to see the last movie, yet. I keep thinking I should ask so-and-so or another so-and-so, but I haven't actually done it. I do, however, have Friday off from work, so I might just kip on over to my local, run-down theater in the middle of the day just because I can. I kind of like that idea... this does not mean that I probably won't be asking people at the last minute if they happen to have an extra ticket to a midnight showing. DO any of you, my friends, have an extra ticket who would be willing to sell it to me and let me come with you?

• I have this wonderful memory of seeing OOTP with my brother, Aaron, who hadn't read any of the books. He did, however, want to punch Prof. Umbridge in the face during the "I will not tell lies" scene, which supported my belief that the wonderful Imelda Staunton did a brilliant job of portraying the character as the villain she is!

• I still think of my brother David whenever I read the Sorting Hat song in the first book.

• I wanted to dress up as Snape to see the last movie. That probably won't happen... so I'll need to find another excuse :-D (Kristen, I still want to do a live-action Puppet Pals song!)

•  Lucius Malfoy is sooo deliciously evil in those first 5 books/movies... and then it is so fun to see him humbled and realize his true priorities in those last two. Jason Isaacs is pure genius!

• Does anyone else feel just the slightest bit gypped that we didn't get a "year 7" of Harry at Hogwarts? Don't get me wrong, I think that last book is fantastic in many ways, and I cannot WAIT to see the final battle in this last movie, but as I re-listened to all of the books on tape earlier this year, I was reminded of how quirky and fun Hogwarts school is and how in love with it I am. We never get to know what the N.E.W.T.S (Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests) are. We don't know who the Head Boy and Head Girl were going to be (my guess is Justin Finch-Fletchley from Hufflepuff and Hermione). Someday I'll be able to let go of this, but not quite yet.

• Along with the "what about year 7?" question, I've always wondered what happened to the kids who didn't have to take the O.W.L.S. and N.E.W.T.S when they cancelled all end-of-year tests in The Chamber of Secrets. Did the scores really not matter? Or did those tests go ahead as planned, but the regular "less important to the future" tests were cancelled? 

You'd think I'd be embarrassed that I think about all of these things (and so very many others) so much, but I am not. We all have our quirks -- stuff we fill our minds with. This just happens to be one of mine.

I am so excited for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2! I am trying very, very hard not read reviews or look at too many photos ahead of time (I don't want to see them looking middle-aged until the end of the film, thank you very much). I want to be surprised and drink in as much as I can because after this, the movie franchise will be over and I don't know if I'm ready.

This is going to be a looooong week!

And the winner is...

Thank you to everyone who entered my 555th post celebration giveaway! I had a ton of fun reading your memories, laughing, feeling nostalgic, and basically just missing every one of you. I am glad you entered so I could get to know you just a little bit better! I strongly encourage you all to read through them. Several actually made me laugh out loud!

I tell you what: I was really excited and nervous to finally get to do the drawing today! I printed off all of your comments, folded them up, threw them in a bucket, and picked one out at random.

And the winner is...


...Stephanie!

Congratulations, Stephanie! I will call you to find out where to direct the gift card :-D


This was so fun I may have to do it again sometime. I wish I had more money so I could have chosen MORE of you!

Thank you all for reading and supporting me!

And as has become my newest feature, here is a Happy Friday video for you to enjoy. Watch to the end. You'll be glad you did!

Happy Friday!