a charmed life

I've lived a charmed life for the last decade. I have attended an incredible school and met some fascinating characters. I have flown alongside a seeker as he raced after the golden snitch. Once-invisible thestrals -- truly magical creatures -- took me on a journey of understanding from innocence to experience. A giant friend introduced me to his (gianter) half-brother. A funny pair of twins introduced me to delicious treats and hilarious hijinx like puking pastilles. Hermoine taught me that house elves have rights, too. (Who knew?) Mostly, I think, I will leave this journey with a better appreciation for the values of loyalty, friendship, trust and patience. Yes, I've seen the darker side, too. There have been moments of complete disillusionment at my care-givers, along with some terrible losses of friends and family.

It is truly amazing to me how authors create entire worlds out of thin air. J.K. Rowling took a panoply myth and magic already present in real (muggle) world folklore and, with a delicate touch, wove it into an intricate parallel world. In this world, she told a complex story of growing up. A story of learning about friendship and enemies. A story of black, white and ever-present gray.

We have grown from the awe-filled, wide-eyed world of a first-year student to the darker, world-weary cynical world of political intrigue and war. It has been quite a journey! Thank you, Jo, for letting us into your rich and wonderful world.

This summer's biggest highlight for me was the release of the 7th Harry Potter book. I have to admit that, this summer, nothing else really compared to this book. The rest of the season I've pretty much just phoned it in. Yes, I worked hard at composing music for the fringe festival and I had an OK time in Cape Cod (yawn), but nothing has compared to the visions of big HP7.