laceblade

The Fourth of July
Okay, so in my rush to slap a blog post up, I totally forgot to blog about my Fourth of July activities, which is sad because it was so much fun!

Firstly, I didn't have to work, so that was cool. And Antoine didn't have to work, either! He came to my house and we started a Final Fantasy V game.

Then we joined some of my fellow pages/friends on the lawns of the Capitol for Concerts on the Square: Special Nation's Birthday Edition. They had some fifties-ish music, but also played the 1812 Orchestra AND SHOT CANNONS. I WAS SO EXCITED. One of my co-workers made some amazing sandwiches, and the rest of us brought things like potato salad and chips and brownies and goodness (and yes, we ate the leftovers all day Thursday).

THEN, after Concerts on the Square was done, we went inside the Capitol and, after tidying up, went upstairs and outside to the Observation Deck, which surrounds the entire Capitol. We could see fireworks being set off from about four different towns surrounding Madison, and it was amazing (also, some illegal ones being set off inside the city limits!). The sun had gone down by that point, so the temperature was nice, too - especially on the north side, where you could feel the wind. Also, on the Observation Deck, we're right beneath the giant Greco-Roman statues that are up there, so that was awesome, too.

Right before we left, we went inside and up a little bit more to the Trumpters' Balcony, which goes around the circumference of the Rotunda inside the Capitol. We were much closer to the mural that's up on the very top, and could also see the beautiful marble floor and pillars, tiled mosaics, and portraits of all four floors of the Capitol at once. So awesome. It was a very nice Fourth of July.

Saturday
My family came down to visit me, which included both of my parents, my sister Julie, her husband Kevin, and their 3 children: Olivia, Dylan, and Amelia.

They arrived around 9:30am, and the first thing we did (after showing them my room) was go to the Farmers Market. It was insufferably hot outside yesterday, and my family, parents especially, don't do well in heat. We made it halfway around Capitol Square and then went inside to walk around. My sisters children were very pleased with the incredibly beautiful Capitol, considering it to be an upgrade from my previous job at ShopKo. I love walking around inside the Capitol, but truth be told, it makes me a little sick. I can think of a lot better use for taxes than marble floors and oak paneling.

After that, we picked up Antoine and drove out to McDonald's for lunch (when there are lots of people, cheaper is better!). From there, we went to Half-Price Books (OMF, I got a volume of manga for $2; WIN), and then to Trader Joe's. I think that overall, the family was impressed with both stores, although they didn't buy much. I came out of Trader Joe's with food that will get me through most of the week, and also a new plant. I've kept my Lucky Bamboo alive for like, 4 months now, so now I have a new one. I like the idea of plants in rooms, but I also like it more when they're alive.

After Trader Joe's, everyone was tired and hot, so we came back to my house and watched some of a Harry Potter movie that was on TV, while I followed Amelia and Dylan upstairs to my room and tried to persuade them that it wasn't necessary to touch all of my things.

We ate dinner at Ella's Deli on my family's way out of town, and Olivia, Dylan, and Amelia enjoyed two rides on the carousel. Saying goodbye wasn't very sad, because this coming weekend, I am going home. So, friends from high school take note! I will be home the 13-15, and will definitely be up for doing something Friday after dinner.

I did end up going to see "Paprika" with Antoine, Creighton, Carolyn, Kristen, Louise, and other various people from Anime Club at the new Sundance Theatre. It was...amazing. Very trippy, ridiculously well-animated (really, I couldn't even believe some of it), great music, interesting premise, and masterfully executed, as is usual with works done by Satoshi Kon. Highly recommended!

Of course, afterward, everybody came over to our house. I struggled to stay awake, but eventually just came upstairs and crawled into bed,

Harry Potter
Hey, did you guys know that J.K. Rowling has confirmed that the bartender at the Hog's Head is Dumbledore's brother, Aberforth? I hadn't! Yay.

Anyway, everything else contains SPOILERS FOR BOOK 6, THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE. If you are one of those people who only watches the movies and doesn't read the books, then, well, what the hell is the matter with you. The books are 80,000,000 times better. Anyway.

( Why Snape is not evil )

Sometime before Book 7 is released, I'll put up a list of all the things I think will happen, or just what I want to happen before the end. I really love being around as this fandom has evolved over time. I never wrote fanfiction or anything, but just reading the news online and discussing the books with both my friends from school and with people all over the world through the Internet has been amazing. I'll be sad when it's over.