Harry Potter Madness

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It's about 12:45 and I just got back from my local Barnes & Noble, where I (and countless other Harry Potter addicts) waited for the clock to tick down to midnight so we could purchase the final(!) book in the saga -- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

The atmosphere at the University Park B&N was carnival-like, to say the least: more like "Harry Potter and the Agoraphobe's Nightmare." But resourceful D had gotten a reservation ticket this morning and we were in group Gold B. We managed to get out at 12:30 A.M. Woe unto those that had not planned ahead.

Costumes abounded (lots of zigzaggy marks on foreheads and wands), and there was even a roving band of middle-schoolers toting a boombox with the John Williams' score. Obnoxious but fully keeping with the spirit of the evening.

We got our two copies (eliminating arguments over who gets to read it first) and headed home.

I will now get my flashlight, bury my head under the covers and start reading. There will be a slight moratorium on all non-essential aspects of my life until I finish.

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