Hey. I'm supposed to be writing a play right now for READ issue 16. But I'm not. Don't tell anyone. What happened was, I started writing it and then I started zoning out, and then something else came up, and then I had to go to the library, and then it was lunch, and then something else came up, and then we had a meeting, and then I came back, and then I came here, and now here I am. Fascinating stuff, isn't it?

So I've been reading up on my Harry Potter. Is it a sin that I haven't read these books yet? Yes. Yes it is. Well, I've always meant to read them. And now I am. I'm taking it slow. As long as I finish all 6 before the final one comes out (sometime this summer), then I'm good.

My thoughts on the series so far:

Book 1 - The Sorcerer's Stone - Very good. It was a great introduction to the characters and gave me a slight complex about being a muggle.

Book 2 - The Chamber of Secrets - Not so good. I thought that Book 2 was basically Book 1 mangled, mashed, and regurgitated through a straw. OK, so Harry hates living with the Dursleys. Got it. OK, so Harry is smarter than the average wizard. Got it. OK, so Hermione is annoying. Yeah, definitely got it. OK, so Malfoy is Harry's nemesis. Yup, got that, too. Everyone goes crazy for Quidditch; there's a bad guy and a showdown. Dumbledore says something wise and Snape seems to be evil but really isn't... or is he? I don't know yet! But I do know the awful spoiler that is impossible to not know in this Harry Potter crazed world so let's just leave it at that and hope that things work out in the end. Yeah. Book 2 gave me nothing that Book 1 didn't already... except the heebie jeebies. Thumbs down. Not a big fan.

Book 3 - The Prisoner of Azkaban - I just finished this one. Much better! I truly enjoyed it. Sirius Black is a serious dude. I have a lot more respect for Harry now and all the garbage that he has to put up with for just being Harry. I loved how quick the ending came. One second, Harry and Ron and Hermione were walking away from Hagrid's hut (invisible under the cloak), and the next second... BAM! Welcome to the denouement, son! But was it the finale exactly? Nope. First, there was an entire chapter of storytelling that explained pretty much everything that happened in the rest of the book. (I'm being terribly vague for the 4 or 5 people out there who haven't read it yet.) Usually, if I'm reading a book and the ending comes with a pre-packaged storytelling device, I get very angry. Not here, though. I don't know why or how, but something about Ms. Rowling's handling of the whole thing had me spellbound and mesmerized. And if those are the same thing then I was in both places at once. How can you be in two places at once? Read this book and ask Hermione. So there.

So now it's on to Book 4. I'm not going to hit it right away. I'm working on a couple other reads first. I like to take my Potter in spurts as opposed to a non-stop thrill ride. It's for the best... if you're me.

Hey, so you want to talk about Harry Potter? Leave a comment below! But do me a favor and don't ruin the story for anyone (especially for me). Don't give away major plot points, that's all I ask.

Oh, and totally unrelated... did you see the Little Miss Muffet video in the post below? It's pretty cool. just click on it and it should start playing. Tell us what you think! It's the first time we've included video on this blog and I'm curious to know how it is received.

All right... enough stalling. Back to work...

Peace.