I am one of those Harry Potter fans who is obsessed enough to have read book seven (The Deathly Hallows) in its entirety even though the release was only days ago. I actually finished the book days ago. I feel like the Harry Potter series has been inspirational to me in a few ways. For example, it really makes me look at how committed I am to doing those things that will be of the most benefit to others. I think that the intricacies of the plot and the character development are extremely well done. Along with reading the books, I have also watched all of the Harry Potter movies. The movies have been a constant source of disappointment to me, because the don’t even come near to the quality of the books. I think the main issue is that while the plot advances in the movies, the directors, which are rarely the same from movie to movie, leave out a lot of things that would advance characters and relationships. I would also very much appreciate the use of contemporary music in the Harry Potter films. The students of Hogwarts aren’t at a fantasy adventure camp, and it is not the 1600’s. I think that the use of contemporary music in the films would do a lot to bring them into the here and now, and make the situations presented more real. Time-Warner needs to choose a director that is a die-hard Harry Potter fan. I always look to Peter Jackson as the poster child for what can happen when a true fan directs a movie. I have never been happier with a movie adaptation of a novel than I was with “The Lord of the Rings” series. If I was a Time-Warner exec. I might even consider bringing in a die-hard fan as a consultant on the films. Or, and this may sound presumptuous, they could just get me to direct them. If that sounds like a plan, and any Time-Warner executives are reading this, just post a comment that you want me to do it and I will get you my contact information any way I can.

Well, the day has finally come. I have been waiting for this day for a long time. Well, although today isn’t technically the day that Harry Potter 7 is available, this is the day of the Harry Potter party. The “Great Hall” was set up last night, picture forthcoming, and it’s looking pretty good. I was unable to stay the whole time they were setting up, but I was able to help somewhat. The walls have been covered with large sheets of gray butcher paper to make them look like stone. There have been props set up everywhere. The Hogwarts house flags hang from the ceilings, surrounded by stars. This should turn out to be an exciting party.

So, the Harry Potter party is set for this coming Friday. We have had a great time getting things ready. We spend several hours yesteday making the invitations this is what they ended looking like. We spent over an hour trying to make a decent wax seal, and ended up going with the one we had that worked which was a “H” my brother carved out of wood. Tomorrow we will start decorating a room in our house to look like the great hall. I hope that it ends up looking as good as we want it too. We have most of our activities planned as well. We are going to post a big board full of characters names and have all of our guests put a tic mark under each person who they think is going to die. We also plan to have everyone write down predictions for the books major plot points. The ensuing discussion could be brutal.