Birthday For Two

"And he couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Harry Potter–the boy who lived!"

Today, two of my favorite people celebrate birthdays, Harry Potter and his author J.K. Rowling. It's hard to describe the impact that these books have had on my life. I can remember sitting in Ms. Higgins' fifth-grade class wondering what all the hype was about; "A boy wizard," I thought, "that's dumb." In fact it wasn't until November of the next year that my eyes were truly opened to Harry's wonderous world.

I went with my aunt and my sister to see Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. I remember it was a cold, blustery November evening and the theater was almost empty. I had attempted, back in fifth grade, to read the book that this movie was based on but I didn't get very far. I hated reading and plus, a boy wizard, that was dumb. The movie started and all-of-a-sudden, it was as if my imagination had sloshed out onto the screen. The setting, the characters and the mood of the opening scene on Privet Drive were exactly as I'd imagined them. I walked out of the theater in awe. The next thing we did was head to Target Greatland in search of the soundtrack. I didn't know who wrote the music, or even if you could buy soundtracks in the store, just that something about that music moved me; it was as if I had heard it before, sometime long ago, or in a dream. We found the CD and bought it right away. It was written by some guy–John Williams, I didn't know him.

It wasn't until the next year that I actually picked up a book and began to read. In middle school, we would go to the library once a week. It was a complete joke. Nobody actually read anything, I certainly never did. And then I saw it, sitting neatly on a shelf: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. "Well," I thought, "it wouldn't hurt to at least try to read it before the movie comes out." And so, it began. Every week while my class sat around the library, bored, talking blandly to one another, I would escape to a secluded corner and fall once again into Harry's world. Having never enjoyed reading before, I was slow, managing about one chapter per class period. By Christmas, I had finish Chamber and received Prisoner of Azkaban as a gift. I flew through that book faster than any I had read before. By the debut of the Chamber of Secrets film, I had finished not only Azkaban but Goblet of Fire as well.

Waiting for the next book, I wandered into the amazing online fan community where I immersed myself in editorials, Fan Fiction and forum discussion about the books I had originally thought to be 'dumb'. I celebrated the release of the title, Order of the Phoenix, and mourned the loss of Sirius Black with my new found family of more than one-million. Not long after, J.K. Rowling opened her personal website and fans around the globe rejoiced. Together, we found the clues, uncovered the secrets and reveled over the smallest tidbits of information we were given.

After Half-Blood Prince was released in 2005, I heard about podcasting and decided to see what all the buzz was about. This was it: weekly talk shows made by fans of the books, to discuss theories, interview important people involved with the series and make the most of the books we have come to love, my way of escaping the drama and stress of daily life. Melissa, John and Sue, the hosts of PotterCast, soon became like friends and I am thrilled that I had the opportunity to meet them this summer.

Deathly Hallows marked the end of the books series that has captivated so many. Some may wonder why we are so passionate about these books and, as I said, it's difficult to explain. This world, so rich in detail and mystery and magic, complete with its own history and customs, has a way of drawing you in. As fans, we feel at home in Harry's world as much as, if not more so than our own. For many teens and young adults, Harry Potter has helped them to discover what kind of people they are or want to be. I know it has for me and on their birthdays, I say to Harry and Jo, I am extremely grateful.

True Colors

In case you've been living under a rock: BV's Bond Issue is going back on the ballot August 7.

If you know me, or my family, you know that we are ardent supporters of the bond. It's not that we're particularly passionate about BV because, realistically, we stand to gain nothing should it pass or loose, should it fail. It is simply written into our code to never vote against a school; my grandma has given me this same, sound advice dozens of times.

It's common knowledge that schools in America do not receive nearly enough support from the government. Evidently there are much more important issues to be dealt with. But I ask you, what is more important that ensuring that the doctors, scientists, engineers and artists of tomorrow receive an education that they can be proud of, one that that can stack up against that of other countries? Nothing. And so we will vote yes.

I've talked with many people about their stance on bond and honestly, the opinions scare me. Many have made the decision to oppose the bond based purely off of personal grudges against teachers and administrators. They say that BV doesn't deserve it. This boggles my mind. How can anyone say that Buckeye Valley, a district that has gone so long without any real support from the community, that has had to make do with so little and yet has managed to defy the odds and produce the highest test scores in the region, doesn't deserve for this bond to pass?

But forget all that. They will be voting no because Johnny wasn't played enough in basketball and Susie didn't make the cheer squad. People, this is about more than sports. This is about showing the students, the average students who come to school just to learn, not to be the captain of the football team, that we believe in them. Voting no says that those average kids aren't worth the time of day. They can study in the dark for all we care, just as long as Susie gets captain of the cheerleaders.

I just don't get it.

If you can, show your true colors August 7. Vote Yes! for the BV Bond Issue.

The First Of Many

First of all, welcome to my Blog.

Second of all, I looked at the calendar today and realized that in less than one month I will be in college. The Columbus College of Art and Design (Dorm Room 897 to be specific) will, from that point on, be my home. Scary thoughts ran through my mind at that thought. I'm excited for school, to be honest, for the change in tempo and scenery. I can only hope that I will meet people of the same caliber there that I have had the pleasure of meeting here, people who aren't so caught-up in themselves that they forget to take a step back and enjoy the moment, people who aren't interested in living the crazy-life just because it's available, people who have the same doubts, the same fears, the same passions as me. Can such people exist at an Art school? We'll see.

This summer has been spent either on the computer (much to the dismay of my parents), in the movie theater, or in bed and that's the way I like it. The computer part involves a lot of things: Desperate attempts to maintain contact with all-too-distant friends, working on a complete re-design for my (grade)school website, working on various design odd-jobs and Potter. This being the Summer of Seven, a large portion of my time has been spent reading, writing, talking and hearing about my favorite book series. I had the amazing good fortune of stumbling across The Leaky Cauldron about four years ago in my desperate search for answers after finishing Goblet of Fire. It has since then become not only my homepage but a fantastic second family for me. Now that Deathly Hallows is out, I hope that family can stay intact; but there's a whole other post there.

I'm liking this idea of a true Blog. Hope you are too.