One of Those Days

Today is one of those days when I kind of wish I had an anonymous blog so I could write about everything that I'm frustrated about right now in wonderful detail. But, since I don't want everyone on the interwebs to be able to read about what I'm feeling right now, I'll sum most of it up in two words:

BOYS SUCK!*

The end.

*Don't ask me why. There are no specific reasons right now. This is just one of those times of general frustration.

Waking Up Fail

Fail #1: I set my alarm at 6:00 a.m. this morning so I could go to the gym before work. As soon as my alarm went off, I promptly turned it off and set it for an hour later. So much for working out. I don't know if I'll ever be able to get myself to go to the gym in the morning ever again. Ugh.

Fail #2: My first thought when I woke up (again) was, "Wow, it's bright outside." I glanced at the clock, and it was 8:52 a.m. I'm supposed to be at work at 9:00. Awesome. I jumped out of bed, threw on some clothes, yanked my hair into a ponytail, applied some mascara, brushed my teeth, and was out the door. I made it to work by 9:20, which is a major accomplishment, I think. Too bad I've felt like a schlump all day.

Two major failures without even leaving my bed. Way to start the day, Lindy.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

This book has to be one of the most well-written and well-planned books that I have ever read. J. K. Rowling should be a mystery novel writer with how well she set up the twist at the end of Prisoner of Azkaban. It is at once completely unexpected and entirely plausible. As I read the novel this time around, all I could think was how much planning it must have taken to plant all of the little clues that led to the end revelation. It's absolutely brilliant. And Rowling wrote it in just a year, which is ridiculous.

Prisoner of Azkaban also sets up so many events that drive the rest of the series. Without Pettigrew's escape, the next four novels wouldn't have happened. Voldemort wouldn't have had a servant to help him return to full power, and who knows if he would have ever regained power again. As much as I hate the fact that Pettigrew gets away, it was an essential part in Harry's journey toward destroying Voldemort for good.

The Good: Really, what's not to love about this novel? Harry getting his first ever birthday presents; Harry blowing up Aunt Marge; Stan Shunpike and the Knight Bus; everything about Remus Lupin; Defense Against the Dark Arts classes; Fred and George giving Harry the Marauder's Map; Harry getting the Firebolt; Gryffindor winning the Quidditch Cup; Ron and Hermione standing firm with Harry, even to the point of giving their lives for him; Lupin and Black telling their story in the Shrieking Shack; "You're both mental"; the introduction of the idea that the dead we love are never far away: "In a way, you did see your father last night. . . . You found him inside yourself."

The Bad: Malfoy taunting Buckbeak, getting attacked, then milking his injury for all it was worth; Harry and Ron's anger at Hermione—seriously, that poor girl is always the odd man out; Snape's complete refusal to even hear Sirius out because he's still so consumed by his school-boy grudge.

The Ugly: Ron's leg snapping as Sirius pulls him into the Whomping Willow; Snape's incredible fury when he finds that Sirius has escaped.

Heck to the Yes

So, I recently found out that a band that I quite enjoy just might be heading back Utah way next month.

 

This time, I'm totally getting my QU shirt signed. Concert #5 here I come!

New Roomie

After stressing about housing for next year for a few weeks, I have finally made a decision. I'm staying at Carriage Cove for another year. Now, I'll be the first to admit that Carriage Cove hasn't been my favorite place to live. The apartments themselves have been fine, but it hasn't exactly been the most social of places.

Well, hopefully that will change, at least a little bit, come this fall. Meet my new (future) roommate:

 

Yeah, Carriage Cove won't know what's hit it when the two of us start living together. Woot.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Holy moses, three posts in one day! That's some kind of record for me, I'm sure. I guess I just have a lot to say today.

I finished HP 2, so it is time for my second review. I'm sure nobody really cares, but I have fun writing them. Chamber of Secrets is probably my least favorite Harry Potter book, though that's not to say that I don't still enjoy it. When I first read the series (when Goblet of Fire had just come out), I remember thinking about how Chamber of Secrets seemed like a bit of a tangent. Books one and three were all about trying to thwart Voldemort's return to power, but it seemed like book two was its own separate story. I guess it's true that if Tom Riddle had taken all of Ginny's soul he would have been back, but it just didn't feel the same as when Voldemort returns in book four. Then, of course, Half-Blood Prince came out, and the revelation that Riddle's diary was a horcrux suddenly made Chamber of Secrets much more pertinent and important. What Harry does in the Chamber is one of the most important things he does in the course of the story. It is the first time that Harry moves toward permanently destroying Voldemort.

The Good: Ron, Fred, and George coming to rescue Harry from the Dursleys; Harry's first stay in the Burrow; Harry beating Malfoy at Quidditch despite having a broken arm; Ron's bravery in following the spiders; the Ford Anglia saving the day; Harry and Ron discovering that Moaning Myrtle was killed in the last attacks; Harry and Ron visiting Hermione and putting all the puzzle pieces together; the teachers ganging up on Lockhart just to get him out of the way; Lockhart getting blasted by his own Memory Charm; Harry defeating Riddle and the basilisk and saving Ginny with Fawkes's help; Harry discovering that he pulled Godric Gryffindor's sword out of the hat; the introduction of agency as a main theme: "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities"; Lucius Malfoy getting blasted down the stairs by Dobby.

The Bad: The Dursleys hitting an all-time abusive low; Dobby sealing the barrier to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters; Snape finding Harry and Ron after they crash the car; the rogue Bludger; the dueling club fiasco; Harry finding Justin Finch-Fletchley and everyone thinking Harry did it; Aragog and the spiders.

The Ugly: Everything about Gilderoy Lockhart, but especially his willingness to attack two twelve-year-old boys for the sake of saving face; Draco Malfoy saying it was a pity Hermione hadn't been killed by the monster; Harry getting covered in slime, blood, and ink—I'm not sure why, but the description of Harry wiping slime and blood off of his glasses grosses me out every time.

Best $500 I Ever Spent

I was up in Salt Lake yesterday, so I decided to go to Guitar Center and look at their digital pianos and keyboards. And what did I find? A sale. The digital piano I had already been looking at (because it was the least expensive one I could find that still got good reviews online) was a good $150 less than what it usually sells for. And since my tax return had come the week before, I bought the piano.

Isn't it pretty? Unfortunately, they didn't have it in stock, so I couldn't take it home with me. But they placed an online order for me, and it should be here by the end of the week. Soon I will have my own piano! It's not the best quality, but the keys feel pretty good and it actually looks like a piano. And the best thing about it was that with the sale, it was well below what I was expecting to spend. Hooray for staying under budget! Now I have a little extra so I can buy a decent pair of headphones and maybe a bench. I can't wait until it comes.