July 30

On this, Harry Potter's birthday, it seems appropriate to post on such a subject. First, background.

I've been in physical therapy for over a month now, recommended so as to do away with residual back and neck pain from my semi encounter.

The Friday before the final Harry Potter book was to be released, I was making conversation with my therapist:

Me: "So have you been following the Harry Potter books?"

Him: "No, but I've been watching the movies and I've really enjoyed those.... That's right, the final book comes out tonight."

Me (likely trying to rein in my anticipation): "Um-hum."

Him: "I hear Harry dies."

Me, aghast: "No! I don't want to know!"

Him, penitent: "Well, I don't know for sure. I think Voldemort has to be destroyed, but maybe Harry doesn't have to be the one to do it. The latest movie had the prophecy stating that they couldn't both live, but my theory is that Dumbledore will be the one to kill him."

Me, admittedly with some spite as I let go the climax of Book 6: "But Dumbledore's already dead..."

Him, as he sees I've had my revenge: "NO!"

Fast-forward one week. The assistant is checking my progress while I am face down. Then I hear a whisper in my ear: "So...does Harry die?" In muted tones, I attempt to fill her in, a difficult task when she hasn't heard of horcruxes nor the Deathly Hallows.

9:11 PM

Friday night Eric and I made ourselves comfortable in Borders, him with his Aristotle, me with my yarn. We were waiting to purchase the final installment of the Harry Potter series.

My goal was to finish it before returning to work Monday. The primary reason for this is because I have issues with spoilers. I can't even fully enjoy trailers for movies I know we will see; the images stay in my head so that while watching the movie months later, I recognize scenes from the preview and can predict the upcoming dialogue or action scene. Should I learn information about this final book -- will Harry survive? Is Snape truly evil? -- I couldn't fully engage and my enjoyment would be lessened.

My problem was compounded when we ran into a couple high-school students we know, both avid fans. One in particular wanted to discuss certain things he had read online leading up to the release; he'd even looked at what purported to be the leaked book. When conversation steered this way, I slipped in my earphones and departed with my sock, knitting as I wandered around. Since we knew the high-school students from the church youth group we volunteer in, I knew I should now finish before Sunday or chance having details spoiled.

So I wandered with my sock. Trust me, I was not one to draw any attention with my double-pointed needles, as there were far more interesting sights in every direction (one brave man dressed as Hedwig, the owl). My sock only attracted fellow knitters, which allowed for some pleasant diversions throughout the night as they noted my progress (several inches were gained as I patiently waited).

Borders' PA system was broken, so it was difficult to learn how to proceed once midnight came and the variously colored wristbands were to organize; we were to later learn one of their registers had broken down as well, diverting the attention of staff. At 12:40 AM, with no clear end in sight, we bolted for Wal-Mart and secured a copy as soon as we entered the store.

At 1 AM, I was found curled up in my room with the book (Eric had to drive friends to the airport at about 4 AM, so we elected to remain awake until he returned).

Fortunately, I'm a quick reader. By Saturday evening, I had attended a Shakespeare event "Shakescenes," slept 4 1/2 hours, eaten complete meals, and read all 759 pages.

Certainly this book has been greatly hyped and anticipation was high, yet my reception to it was positive. I felt what needed to happen did happen, but so as not to diverge details, you should read it yourself or talk with me in person. I stifled specifics from Eric (no small feat), but had a chance to hash it out with the above-mentioned high schooler this morning.

I encountered this series later than most, discovering it after half of the books has been published, so I don't think I'll suffer the bereavement of those who have followed it from the beginning, especially those who can trace their childhood with the books. Nevertheless, I look forward to rereading the series down the road...likely at a more measured pace.

First Comes Love, Then Comes Hubris

One perk of timing our anniversary immediately following a national holiday is that we are always guaranteed to have the day before it off, if not an extended weekend.

In fact, we often begin celebrating our anniversary on the Fourth. This year was no different and found us celebrating a nice dinner out last night. We had an anniversary discount, so when our waitress returned to our table with the credit reflected in our bill, she parted with the words, "Happy Fourth!" My instant thought was "How did she know we've been married four years?!" until I realized she was referring to something a little larger than our marriage. Lucky for me that I'll only make that mistake once.

To continue with the literary allusions, we have the anti-Midas touch. In the last week, we have replaced a DVD player, sunk money into my car, tinkered inside a laptop with dubious results, and bemoaned the state of my digital camera as it interchanged between complaints of 'Zoom Error' and 'Focus Error.' Unless it can be revived through some laying on of hands and saintly intercession, I do fear that I will need to send it into the Great Beyond.

You may want to keep us far from appliances, off of airplanes, and away from babies until this passes.

Out of Context

Last week Eric pointed me to an article on Hans Reiser.

I had never heard of this Linux individual before. He's now imprisoned awaiting trial for the murder of his ex-wife. The details surrounding his divorce and his wife's disappearance reads like fiction. I offer one quotation to intrigue you:

"Should the government be keeping me from showing my son how to direct brave goblin suicide bombers against their elven oppressors?"

Sure, it's taken out of context, but now you're curious, aren't you?

Two Weddings and a Father's Day

Eric and I returned from a full trip to Iowa.

I notice that when people gather for a large event, it can become difficult to have quality conversations: take weddings and holiday gatherings. I spoke to everyone at our wedding, but in the same stead I spoke to no one.

Unfortunately, weddings and holiday gatherings have been the primary reasons for our visits home as of late. This visit home, however, offered ample opportunities to bond. I was able to get to know some spouses of good friends, see new children, share leisurely meals with loved ones over conversation. It was one of the more special visits home.

In family news, my older sister is now formally engaged. This gives me no end of relief, since for over two years now I have been referring to her fiance as my 'almost' brother-in-law. Now there is hope that I will soon be spared from adding this additional qualifier. Even though our family offers many characters, we're pleased we haven't scared him off yet. My sister offered one unforgettable response when Chad was on his knee in an expensive restaurant: "Are you serious?"

When in northeast Iowa, one surprise was discovering a grape vineyard while walking with Eric's parents. It seems as if Iowa wouldn't offer the right climate for grapes, but they are spreading in popularity.

Another personal weakness Eric and I needed to come to terms with while away from home was an admitted addiction to high-speed internet. Fortunately, the local library offered such, and it was there I found a sign boasting the following in one such aisle:

Large Print Books
Puzzles
Cake Pans

I admit, my small-town library growing up offered games and puzzles, so the former didn't surprise me. It was the offering of cake pans that caught me off guard. However, I can't disagree with the practice. It makes sense when you consider it: why not share such items in a lending library instead of letting them sit unused in cupboards for much of the year?

Two weddings on consecutive weekends concluded our time in Iowa, and we returned with unending frozen steak and ground beef, much to Eric's delight. Truly a perk of having family with a dairy farm.


Sunday ended and we were delighted that our return drive took fewer than eight hours, which we understand is a symptom of being truly sick, since there should never be cause for delight when spending a third of a day confined in a car.

One car stop resulted in discovering a group of statues immortalizing a common scene, and the rain held off just enough for me to snap a picture.


Hospitality from friends and family was appreciated, but there's something special about returning home to your own things. And Augustine, while she was well tended by friends, let it be known that she missed us and doesn't approve of being left home for ten days.

One mystery remains: who was the generous neighbor who mowed our lawn in our absence?

Just Another Day

Yesterday I was signing a document at work and referred to the calendar for the date. When I was younger, it would have had a measure of significance to me. Now, I barely register.

So yesterday, I pined away the day and decided I'd stretch my luck. Finally, just before eleven, I approached Eric. In mock hurt, I curtly said, "Do you know what today is?"

After referring to his computer, he turned to me and hesitantly answered, "June 13."

I encouraged his confusion with an, "And..."

When his response of "Wednesday" was met with a huff, I decided I would help him out.

"And three months from today is...?"

"Your sister's birthday?" he responded blankly. And then caught himself quickly as he declared, "YOUR birthday?"

"So that makes today..."

Eyes were rolled as he made the connection. Yes, yesterday was my 3/4 birthday, and nary a gift or card in sight. Truly my life is hard.

In all seriousness, though, I remember when even half birthdays were celebrated in school. In elementary school this was especially useful for students who had summer birthdays, since they too should get to share in bringing treats and receiving original cards and treated as if it was indeed Their Important Day. Then that transforms to little pomp and circumstance as the years increase. You still go to work and have deadlines and bad things can still happen and people don't automatically know by looking at you that they should cater to your needs and resist the urge to just treat this as another typical day. Unless you're perhaps wearing a birthday crown, which would lead people to knowing of the occasion, but perhaps steering clear of you in the future.

In knitting news, I have finished Fetching. Charity termed her pair Fistacuffs. I chose the same yarn I am using for my first cabled scarf, but I have also cast on another pair in a lighter yarn for those times you just need to take the edge off. Verdict? Super fast project, nearly instant gratification.


And the campus squirrels are getting braver.


During lunch, I found one just about to scavenge through the purse at my feet. I grabbed it up out of his reach but did snap a couple photos while he tried to beg from me and, when disappointed, as he sprawled in the heat.

Ostentation in Two Acts

Last night, after a warm-up game, Eric and I ended the night with another rousing round of Pretentious Scrabble. Our theme? Things culinary. Seeing as how our tastes run to the simple, this was actually difficult at times. If you examine our board, however, I think you'll only find one instance of breaking from our topic.


In a further example of putting on appearances, a squirrel scurried ahead of me to scale a tree as I left work. That, in and of itself, is nothing to gawk at. His find, however, had me taking a closer look. For it appears campus squirrels have tired of the nuts in their native form. Instead, they've taken to having them covered in a delectable mix of chocolate and caramel with a hint of crispy rice. Yes, this swank squirrel prefers the Nestle 100 Grand in a handy snack size.


Once he noticed my attentions, he even affected this seemingly unstudied air as he subtly tried to release his treat.

(For the record, I do hope he was unsuccessful.)

Wisdom No More

I have less wisdom than most, as demonstrated in the fact that I was only blessed with one third molar.

While it was originally determined that my big mouth had room for this lone molar, this decision was ultimately thrown out when it was discovered that the tooth was coming in crooked.

Thursday morning found me at an oral surgeon for a dreaded extraction. Having nursed Eric through his recovery from four impacted wisdom teeth, I was skeptical as to my ultimate prognosis, especially since I wouldn't get the joy of going under (rumor had it that the worst part was the sound effects).

I worked studiously on my sock until they called me back, where they encouraged me to knit during the 12-minute video, since I was sure to have experience knitting while watching TV. I am not one to disappoint, so when the attendant left the room, I grabbed my camera to document the occasion.

As the oral surgeon surveyed my x-ray, I asked for a ballpark estimate as to how long this tooth removal would take.

"One minute," he surmised. "It doesn't take much training to do one as simple as this."

Sure enough, when my time came, the oral surgeon confirmed the local anesthetic was doing its job, placed a tool in my mouth, and then suddenly they were rinsing the area and telling me to bite down on the gauze now present. I'm not even sure thirty seconds passed. Due to this, I was told I should have neither pain nor swelling.

After hearing of this recovery, a friend grudgingly said, "I bet you'll be one of those people that will have an easy delivery some day."

One can only hope.

Here and Back Again

Forgive me for saying so, but South Bend is not the cultural epicenter in the Midwest; such titles can be given to the Twin Cities or Chicago, but not our little metropolis. When residents hear we have visitors, they understand the difficulty we have as far as entertainment is concerned.

Nevertheless, during Charity's visit, we have made a respectable attempt at exploring. Until the weekend time was leisurely spent as we joined my regular yarn group for one evening and just enjoyed the weather.

By the end of the week we were ready to branch out. After an indoor picnic due to the rain, we wandered the Snite Museum of Art. The museum was deceptive from the outside -- very unassuming and not disclosing the caliber of works inside.

Perhaps because of my English major background, I entertained myself with finding titles of works that caught my eye. Some were written down because of their overly descriptive nature, some for the interesting subject matter, and some just for the choice of words. Just imagine what some of these titles could have represented by their descriptions (the last two are my favorites):
- Canyon at 4 AM
- Gutentag IV (Study for Homage to the Square)
- The Roll Call of the Last Victims of the Reign of Terror
- Little Silver Hole with a Painting in It
- Figures on a Roadway by a Pond, Underneath Ruins
- The Bird Has Flown
- Cupid Playing with a Butterfly
- Neopolitan Fisherboy Playing with a Tortoise
- Ratskin
- Horse Attacked by a Panther
- China Christ
- The Hovering God
- The King is Dead
- Futuristic Cheesecake of America
- A Circle Never Sleeps

We also took the token tour of Notre Dame. Despite our presence here, we don't know a lot of the folklore about the campus. Despite some of the propaganda we were told, we also learned why we play Navy every year, and a lovely story why the residence hall Sorin College has its name.

Furthermore, we visited the South Bend Chocolate Company. The most sacrilegious line of our chocolate factory tour, you ask? Well, it was found in the video: "In the beginning was the word, and the word was chocolate." It then proceeded to play the Hallelujah Chorus and as the music swelled, visions of melted chocolate swam before our eyes.


Another appropriate venue is the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. Unfortunately, it was difficult to find ourselves inside, so we filled our time instead with a trot around one of the lakes and took pictures of the delightful waterfowl.


After our third attempt, we finally found the basilica open and empty, so we introduced Charity to opulence.


Add some mini golf, the farmer's market, and Guitar Hero with some reading, writing, and knitting, and you have our time.

Alas, she is gone away, leaving us to anticipate her next visit. Until then!

Random Thursday

I have been quite busy as of late. It's probably no surprise that I finished another pair of socks (stock pattern from Interweave Knits 2000 -- while I intend to branch out soon, I don't like to mess with a good thing). And I'm not too far from another pair being done. In fact, I started knitting before the high-school group at church. It calms me during the loud chaos before, and it's actually a good conversation starter. I vow that I will teach a high-schooler to knit before all is said and done (as long as Eric and I stick out the awkward beginning volunteer time and actually develop some relationships).


And there's been another project up my sleeve. Here's a glimpse:


Any idea what this zippered pouch could hold? It even has a removable strap.


Give up? It's a sleeve for my new laptop.


That's right. I have switched from my desktop to a laptop, and I'm quite delighted. Much time was spent transferring files over, but I'm pretty much set.

I considered (and actually began) knitting a case, but it was quite time-consuming and I feared it would stretch out with use, so I switched to fabric. I did fight with it as I attempted to sew in my first zipper. It took a few tries and lots of time with the seam ripper before it was satisfactory. I won't say it's without error, as the corners caused me to come up with some creative solutions, but I don't mind going out in public with it, and I like the fact that few actually realize that small pouch holds a laptop. Furthermore, this is one of the first times I've worked a project without a set pattern, so I'm surprised it came out. Apparently I have this idea that I need set directions. In fact, I hate deviating from recipes and patterns and remain in awe of those who can alter either without a second thought, so I'm somewhat aghast that I just whipped this out.

Currently, we are entertaining my youngest sister Charity. She was to take Amtrak all the way here earlier this week, but as can be the case with trains in the summer, there were some major delays due to rail construction. She was to leave Iowa around 8 AM and didn't depart until almost 2 PM. No surprise that we chose to meet her in Chicago instead of forcing her to arrive in the middle of the night (in addition to having to reschedule her last leg of the trip, as it was long gone).

When we arrived at Union Station, well in advance of her arrival, I amused myself with my camera, Eric dutifully trotting alongside. There was quite the variety of subjects just waiting to be captured.

Here's the stock Union Station photograph.


Near the ticket counters was a small garden with some bright flowers.


Not too far from those was a fountain.


And there were some creative lamps casting out slight lighting.


Let us not forget the stone stairs, showing evidence of the thousands of people who have trod upon them.


I'll spare you with the many others taken of clocks, benches, arcade games, ticket counters, and the glass ceiling. And the stories of three requests for money from different individuals in the span of about half an hour.

Instead, let me introduce you to a delightful couple that has taken up residence at Notre Dame's reflection pool.


Forgive them for being shy. They were in the midst of their choreographed swimming routine and I didn't want to interrupt.