Harry Potter

I've gone through books 1-4 already and am about 1/4 of the way through book 5. They get much better as he gets older. The last 2 were great. So far, the one I liked the least was the 2nd book. For some reason that one seemed very, very kid-like and was less compelling than the rest. It was a good adventure, don't get me wrong, but if you read these don't expect too much greatness from that one. The characters are now fully formed and have definitely taken a life of their own.

I went to Tahoe a weekend or two ago. The picture up top is on Fallen leaf Lake. Really pretty. It's odd though, as my last memories are from February of this year and there was sooooo much snow. It now looks like that never even happened.

I've signed up on GoodReads.com. Listed all the books I've read over the past 3 years plus a few others. I'm amazed at myself for having read that many. Pretty cool. It's nice to know there are other people who love to read books too. I think that's a first for me, seeing this many readers in one place.

I'm working on my spinning back-kicks. Apparently they are the most powerful kicks. I have to get my aim and power down to be able to break a board to move up to my next belt. I suppose I should practise my form too, as I'll need to do that well too.

Harry Potter-Mania

I finished "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling yesterday. It was really good. A nice, quick read. It's hard to comment too much on it, as I've seen the movies. I couldn't let my imagination get away from me too much, as I already have an idea what the characters look like. There were quite a few things that I forgot and got to a imagine though. I started the second one and am enjoying it now that I finished the first 2 chapters. This one started out very kid-like. Where she has these parenthetical notes that were bugging me. I think she's finally doing away with them and getting into the story. I can't wait to get to the 4th and 5th ones, where the movies leave off so that I can have way more fun imagining everything. I truly cannot remember the movie for the one I'm reading now, so that's good I suppose. Ia am kinda itching for more characters though and am hoping that I get a glimpse of a few more. Her writing style is good. I do realize that these books are geared more to children, which I think I need to keep in mind more.

Went to my martial arts class last night, back from vacation. That odd guy is still going strong about coming almost daily. I find him very aggravating. It's the personal space that still bothers me. When we're doing our stretches & warm-ups, he somehow inches closer and closer into my area. I hate it. Now, you have to remember that he's really tall & lanky, so sometimes I think he just doesn't realize how much space he needs. But I have to keep moving more and more away. It's super annoying. That's my gripe for today.

More to come on Harry Potter!

After Nantucket

I finished "Cherry" by Mary Karr in Nantucket and then started and finished "Picture Perfect" by Jodi Picoult. "Cherry" was okay. It was a lot like the "Liar's Club", interesting read, but nothing all too captivating. That's it for memoirs for me for a little bit. Although I do want to read the new David Sedaris book and the new Augusten Burroughs book sometime in the future. "Picture Perfect" was utterly captivating. It was a great read and had me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire story. I didn't want it to end. She is a great author. Really knows how to grip you from page one. I plowed through the book any free moment I had. Worked out well on Nantucket. It really was a good book to have there. I read on the beach, at our friend's dining table, in their backyard and before I went to sleep. Literally if I wasn't hanging out with someone or swimming or eating, I was reading. So nice. What a great way to spend a vacation. I actually got to relax and enjoyed every moment.

I even got to go to the record store in Boston that I've been ordering CDs from for the past few years. I bought the new Coldplay there. It was absolutely awesome. I felt just as giddy when I was about 18, fresh in college and my friends took me to Berkeley for my first trip to Amoeba and Rasputin. It was intoxicating. Then an Amoeba finally opened in SF and then finally one here in LA. Although I hate to admit it, but I haven't even stepped into an Amoeba Records in a few years. Strange how that happens. Well, Newbury Comics in Boston had the same feel. It was awesome. I'm definitely going to keep on ordering my CDs from there. Sooo worth it!

I finally started the Harry Potter books. I'm almost done with the first one. They are truly a fun read. I'll update as I finish them...back to work.