MORE Pottermore

In my last blog, I blogged about Pottermore... and forgot to say what my username is...

I believe it really captures my personallity - like it was made JUST for me...

DreamMugwump63.

That's right. I'm the dreamiest Mugwump you'll ever meet.

Anyone else get through (well, yeah, I'm guessing there are a million people with ubercool usernames right now).

Which level did you get through on, and what's your username?

Sam

Spinebreaking Pottermore!

What a week! Not that I've been up to much, but I feel like this week has been manic. I think mentally I have been in turmoil, from worrying about my internet not working, to getting my 1st year grades (PASSED! WOO!), to finding out my boss (and really good friend) is leaving work next Friday (Is it wrong that I will miss my boss?!), to frantically trying to get early registration on the new Harry Potter website, Pottermore, to trying desperately to get involved in the website Spinebreakers (more on that below).

It's been one of those week where I feel like I have progressed... maybe not mentally, but in some way or another a progression has been made....

Yep - my internet stopped working this week, which was annoying for 3 reasons. The first reason was mostly due to the fact that I got the email from OU to say that my grade was available on the website for my first year... and I couldn't get onto the site to get it. I finally managed to get on the site after a few hours and saw the only word I needed to see - PASS - which made me quite happy, but made me realise I need to pay for my next year... which I don't want to do because I don't want to see that much money exit my account in one go! But... I know I have to... so I'll suck it up at some point and do it. I'm just putting off the inevitable!

Other things I have been internally stressing about for no reason what so ever is this new Harry Potter website Pottermore. I don't even know what it's all going to be about, but they were allowing 1 million people to submit themselves for early registration, so they can help with the development, point out bugs etc. and I just HAD to try to get in. It's not like I wouldn't have been able to join at the usual time in October, but... well, I didn't want to be left out. However the stupid website was putting up clues to be answered to win a space at the most stupid hours of the day. I.E when most people are at work, or asleep, so the only time I could actually try to get on the site was today, on the LAST day. And I managed it. I knew it was going to be between 12am and 3am that the clue would appear, and on Friday nights I don't go to sleep until about 3ish anyway, so I stayed on the site and got in there straight away! It's sad, how much I want this site to be good, and how excited I was when I signed up. But Harry Potter has been a huge part of my life - keeping me reading, and keeping me watching films and it's the thing that made me actually start my internet life - when I first signed up to Mugglenet and got on the forums, which led to working on forums making graphics for HP sites, and then being admin on a HP forum, and then watching certain people on Youtube who loved HP and made fan videos, and even setting up Blogger, because by that time there was no point not doing it because I was already living a seperate life via the internet anyway! So you see, I couldn't abandon HP now!

I've also been trying to join Spinebreakers, which is a website for Penguin books. It's a place where people review books and get the breaking news on new books coming out and it just seems like a great community. So I'm in the middle of trying to get into being a contributor and trying to get on the forums (which I can't get on at the moment for reasons unknown) - but as reading and writing are where I see my life heading more and more these days it's a place I really want to be involved in. Who knows - I'll try not to dwell on it until I hear from the admin folk, but it seems like such an exciting site I can't wait to get involved!

Well - I'm off to watch crap TV now, and for the rest of the day (Hello, The Audrina Show), and tomorrow I'm off into Manchester to watch Super8 at the IMAX (woohoo).

Have a good weekend folks!

Sam

The Deathly Hallows - what they are and how to find them.

OK

I'm not going to tell you what the Deathly Hallows are OR where to find them, as I believe Voldemort would kill me without hesitation if I even uttered the words, but I AM very excited about the films' release!

I love Harry Potter! It's just one of those things that you hate to admit, because it causes people to either rejoice with you - thus annoying me because I hate it when people show interest in the things I like - or else causes people to roll their eyes in an 'I don't get it' kind of way - which annoys me because Harry Potter is amazing and people should just read it and love it. I'm a very complex person!

The books are SO different from the films, and I love that. I like the books in a different way than I like the films (did that sentence even make sense?). The books create such a magical universe, which is brilliant on many levels. The characters are cool - even the bad ones - and you can really get sucked into it. Everyone has their own opinions of who is bad and good etc. which makes for good debates with friends!

The films are mental. Just because they have made up a completely different universe from the books. The characters are totally different, the story lines lead to different conclusions. But in it's own way that's the joy of the films. It's a new avenue of the street of Harry Potter. Plus, Ron, aka Rupert Grint, is just amazing!

Like I said, I'm just thuper exthited to thee the film. (that was my inner nerd talking).

I think if I had to write an essay on Harry Potter I would do a wonderful job (... actually, no, I probably wouldn't.). As it happens, the essay I wrote the other day WASN'T on HP. Sadly. It was on Cleopatra and Christopher Marlowe - their reputations etc. It went OK. I got my grade back the other day and feedback from my tutor. He actually highlighted an entire passage I wrote and asked if I had wrote it, saying it was different from the rest of my work and if it was from a book I should reference it correctly! I emailed him to tell him I wrote the whole thing myself (how rude) and he apologised and said I had done a great job on that section and he upped my grade. Good times. I was miffed, but still - it's kind of nice to think something I wrote was considered something that may have been in a book! Go me!

I had to stop writing this part way through to watch Gilmore Girls. I'm glad my study days are broken up by TV moments. Not distracting at all!

Sam

STARBUCKS EGGNOGG LATTES THIS MONTH: 3

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Well..

Its not, but today I had that Christmas-y feel. I can't be the only one who gets that... its like, a feeling... that's specific to a certain time of year. I guess I felt goodwill to all man or something. Except I didn't, because I was at work at the time, getting trained on something... voluntarily. Yes, I said it! I volunteered to be trained on this subject. Wowzer. Maybe that's what brought this feeling on.. maybe I am more bookish in the winter months..? It could be true. Just yesterday I looked outside and saw it was raining, and so I thought to myself "Sam (Yes, I speak to myself like I am not myself), Sam (I said), Maybe its time you started that new Stephen King book you bought the other day, you know, the one you bought even though you said you weren't going to buy anymore books until you have read every last one of the ones you bought previous to this internal discussion...?"

Of course, I chose to ignore myself, because at the end of it all, I didn't feel like reading at all (trust my internal dialogue person to butt into my music listening, email writing time!!). But that must be it! When the weather isn't so savory, I want to bury my head in knowledge. Perhaps knowledge is the kindle to the souls fire, and if the soul is warm, so is the body? Yeah. A load of old crap. But hey! They pay me to make this stuff up on the spot.

Ok ok. So I don't get paid... damn it. I should get paid, right?!

Listening to music is once again my main focus in life. But I am in the age old spot of what to listen to. I was shown this music programme the other day and I haven't looked back. But as it turns out, the blessing is also a curse. Too much choice isn't always good for you. Especially when you don't actually KNOW what you want to listen to. Bring back Internet radios, that fine tune your listening and suggest artists you might like... what? They are still out there? Phew! Ok! I will still keep good old Jango in my favorite toolbar!

I was given a postcard of an artist yesterday by a friend, Just Lianne, and honestly, this guy is a great artist. Just check out his site. I love finding cool little arty things through other people - so thanks, Li-Li, for ripping the post card out of the book for me, and wrecking the perfectly kept cards - I will treasure it forever! Sadly, I can't find the one I have in postcard form on the website, but hit the link for James Jean and be away with yea!

Sorry for all the links. I am just in a linking mood right now! HA!

Life has been super mad-hectic recently. I don't even know why, but I have been busy pretty much every night of the week for the past couple of weeks. Which A. isn't like me, and 2. Isn't like, me. (you have to imagine me saying the last point with an American twang, like, totally...)

I am such a lazy bugger, I love staying in 60% of the time, and then thinking about going out 40% of the time. But I haven't had a choice. I have been trying to squeeze seeing friends into the week, as well as squeezing in seeing the B'f. I ain't complaining, because I do actually like the fact that I have stuff to do, but please... just a few days off? I really need a holiday. I dream of fiji... *sigh*, although I don't want to go back to Fiji.. its Aaaages away. I need a break from work etc. I really need to go back to America for a while, and I really want to hit the Cannucks side of things at some point too! Anyway, what was I saying? Oh yeah. Busy, busy, busy. But its all good.

I have been putting make up skills into practise - already have 1 wedding under my belt, and I have another one on Saturday, only thing is, its not just a show up, throw some make up at some faces, and go and get in the bath... no... alas, this is a friends wedding! So, I have to be up and out for 9 and then that's me out for the rest of the night. no rest for the wicked it seems. I have to take all my own stuff and get ready on the road (not literally outside, on the road.. can you say Brrrr?). I like home comforts when I am getting ready. But I guess i can make do. It wouldn't be so bad if my car was available, but my brother basically killed it. I would be madder, but I am just glad my brother is OK, so I can't be 'mad' mad about it, but it does put a slight damper on the whole freedom thing. I have to get lifts everywhere.. this wedding being one of them, and yes. I have already been through the ordeal of having to get a new outfit for the wedding. Today, Actually.

I hate shopping with a firey passion. Not because i hate clothes, but because nothing looks good on me. Ever. I just hate putting clothes on and feeling crap, and that's what shopping is for me. But in the end of a painful 2 hours shop, I got a canary yellow dress (which will be re-used for any other wedding I may attend, if I make it through this one alive), with some cute little black shoes, with purple on them (yellow and purple.. its ALL the rage!). I guess its not so bad. I can afford to spend however much I spent - luxury of living at home, although I have decided just recently that I COULD live without such luxuries - and plan to go through all my expenses and see how much goes out each month, and on what... I might have to cancel some subscriptions (the charity can go, but I am keeping my cinema pass) - and now I have a new car on the way, I have to see what that will set me back, but the final decision of the past week has been that I need to move out. And find a job I actually like.

The joys of being at the decision stage of my life. Luckily I have a good support system with my friends, and my new (ish.. is he still new? I don't know anymore), fella. Still, I will miss my Just Lianne - Just keep in touch, and let me know when you have a new place. I am SO coming to see you!

And that's all she wrote!

Sam

On a P.S note - I saw Harry Potter the other day... it was OK - except the lack of actual story and the sexual innuendos..... trust me, that wasn't a spoiler.