I hope everyone had a great 4th. Having done our cookout and partying last weekend, we didn’t even leave the house except to step out onto the front porch to watch the neighbors shoot off fireworks. And as you can tell from my lack of blogging the past couple of days, I’ve been in the writing cave. I’ve written 33 pages in the past two days. I’m really pushing to have a rough draft done by the time I head to San Fran so I can do editing on the train.

You know how you get those meme things in e-mail and are tagged by other bloggers all the time. You know the ones that ask things like — tell us six random things about you? Well, I’ve decided to start my own and see how long it takes the world of the Internet to send it back to me. So, here goes:

Famous People Meme — Which famous person in each of the following categories would you like to meet?

Author — J.K. Rowling

Movie Actor — Orlando Bloom

TV Actor — Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, also Sarah Michelle Gellar

Musician/Singer — Bon Jovi

Historical Figure — Queen Elizabeth I and Sacajawea

Fictional Book Character — J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood brothers

Fictional Movie or TV Character — Buffy Sommers

Okay, if you have a blog, go forth and blog. Everyone, including the bloggers, share your answers in the comments section. I’m verrry curious.

I’m in employed writer mode this morning (I’m writing), so here’s a fun video that uses a mixture of the audio for the Pride & Prejudice trailer (the one with Keira Knightly and Matthew MacFadyen) with video from the Harry Potter movies to show the developing love story between Ron and Hermione. I love it since I’m a big Ron/Hermione fan.

Last night, I did something I’ve never done before. I went to the midnight release party at my local Barnes & Noble to get the seventh and final installment in the Harry Potter series. I’ve never bought the Harry books in the past, choosing instead to check them out from the library. But I don’t want the big surprises spoiled for me in this book, so I can’t chance waiting until I can get a copy from the library. I was on the waiting list, but I was hold number 178 and thus decided to reserve and buy the book.

Hubby, being the great guy he is, went with me. While I was standing in line (I was number 449), he wandered off to a section where no lines were curling around the bookshelves and read. I’m glad I reserved the book because the poor souls who hadn’t had to stand out in the mall or outside until all the reserved copies had been sold.

Hubby took this photo as I was waiting in line to get my Reserved bracelet showing my spot in line.

This cute little dude, named Griffin (or possibly Gryphon), was behind me in line. His mommies had dressed him up like Harry when he was left on the doorstep of the Dursleys. So cute! And he’s all bug-eyed here because of the flash of my camera.

At approximately 12:45 a.m., I purchased my copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

This is when we got home.

I’m currently on Page 168, so PLEASE no spoilers in the comments.

I’m blogging over at the Wet Noodle Posse blog today about how this is a fabulous month for Harry Potter fans with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix movie hitting theaters and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the last book in the series, coming out on the 21st. If you’re a Harry fan, come on by and answer the questions I’ve posed.

While listening to a recent episode of Pottercast, the hosts were talking about how cool it would be to have a Harry Potter themepark. Well, they’re going to get their wish. Universal Orlando is going to build The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. All us Harry fans will be able to walk Diagon Alley, get a butterbeer in The Leaky Cauldron and walk the halls of Hogwarts. This is just going to be super cool. Can’t wait! Of course, I’ll have to. It’s not due to open until 2009, and you know the early lines are going to be from here to the moon.

Check out some conceptual pictures here. And you can read the CNN story here. Finally, here’s the Universal Orlando press release.

It has got to be simply amazing for an author’s work to generate such legions of fans that it eventually spawns a theme park. Go, J.K.!

I blogged a couple of days ago about my fabulous new iPod nano the hubster got me. And then Natalie told me about the Pottercasts at The Leaky Cauldron.

Click here for episodes and info;
click here
to subscribe via iTunes, and click here to use this player on your space and win prizes!
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So I loaded up several episodes to see what they were like as I walk my way around the neighborhood each day in my quest to shed some pounds. All I can say is I’m bummed I didn’t find these sooner. When I listened to Episode 88, the first podcast I’d ever listened to of any stripe, I found myself feeling like I was sitting in a living room on a comfy couch with show hosts Melissa, Sue and John learning the latest Harry Potter news, theories and commentary. I’ve laughed several times, and it’s possible that as I walk by the neighbors are shaking their heads and thinking, “Oh, look, that poor girl has written and edited so much that she’s finally cracked up.”

I really like the fan interviews, Canon Conundrums, the way the crew can take apart a movie poster or trailer pixel by pixel, and all the new stuff to which I’m being introduced. Who knew there were wizard rock bands with names like Harry and the Potters, Ginny and the Weasleys and Draco and the Malfoys? Okay, so lots of people knew, just not obviously-painfully-behind-the-curve moi.

So, unlike listening to songs while I walk, which makes it easier to stop walking sooner, listening to Pottercasts keeps me walking longer and thus hopefully getting slimmer and healthier. So not only is it fun and informative, it’s healthy! So, thanks to everyone at Pottercast. My waistline and cholesterol count will be indebted to you.

If you’re a fan of Harry Potter and are eagerly awaiting The Order of the Phoenix movie and The Deathly Hallows book this July, I urge you to check out the fun being had at Pottercast. Even if you don’t have an iPod, you can listen to the podcasts on your computer.