Quick report over chili fries

[chipotle]

I’m back safe and sound from Pittsburgh, and had a wonderful time at the con. I’ll try to write a more useful con report by the weekend, before the information is too stale.

Currently, I’m in a Taxi’s Hamburger in Santa Clara, before a showing of Harry Potter and the Overpriced Movie Ticket I’ll be joining jakebe, toob, Malin and a bunch of other locals at. The Taxi’s here not only has free wifi, it has free WPA secured wifi, which is pretty cool. Unfortunately, it’s still a Taxi’s, but what can you do.

I’d entertained fantasies of getting going again on a couple projects in the hour—45 minutes?—I’d have before it’d behoove me to get in line, but that seems highly unlikely. That’s okay, though. It’s about time to head out one way or the other.

I’ll try not to give spoilers to the estimated 3 people in America who don’t know what happens. Yes, as strange as it may seem, some of us are not actually reading the books, and it’s a little grating that it was completely f—ing impossible to have avoided learning that Darth Vader killed Dumbledore.

Anyway. See you all on the flip side!

Comments

[prickvixen.livejournal.com]

I've eaten in that Taxi's. Pretty unremarkable, isn't it? The buffalo planks are okay.

[chipotle.livejournal.com]

I've eaten in a few different Taxi's and they're all pretty consistent. Not really *bad,* but they seem to be under the impression they're a much better burger joint than they are. There wasn't anything else around I was more interested in going to for dinner last night, though.

[mordrul.livejournal.com]

and it’s a little grating that it was completely f—ing impossible to have avoided learning that Darth Vader killed Dumbledore.

NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!


*ahem*

[jadedfox.livejournal.com]

You know... It's rather shocking that you of all people are *not* reading the books...

[chipotle.livejournal.com]

Truth be told, I wasn't particularly interested in the books when they started coming out -- were I still in high school, I'm sure I'd have been reading them from the get-go. But I've had a mild antipathy to young adult books for years (like it or not, it's been about two decades since I was in the target market, and that often shows), and a much stronger antipathy to series in general and fantasy series in particular for nearly as long. Some have been very good, to be sure, but an awful lot have felt like they were series for the sake of recurring sales, stories stretched out because, darn it, it worked for Tolkien. In college I found myself starting multi-volume series far more often than I found myself finishing them. Eventually, I just stopped starting them in the first place. But, the first Harry Potter movie was only a commitment of a couple hours. That was an easier risk to take, as it were. I liked it enough to keep going back every year or two.

This might have been for the best, anyway; I'm not sure I'd have had the patience with the books. The world itself is charming, as are many of the surrounding characters, but Harry himself has spent the majority of time in wide-eyed, confused passivity -- the central conflict of Harry versus Voldemort didn't actually kick off until book/movie 4. The first three parts were essentially slice of life stories, stuffed with signs and portents that something big and dark was approaching. Everyone told Harry he was a great and powerful wizard, but it wasn't until Goblet of Fire that he got forced into a situation where he had to prove it. It wasn't until this current movie, book 5, that Harry truly started taking matters into his own hands.

[katrinahawke.livejournal.com]

Greetings!

If it helps any, there are equally reasoned arguments that say Darth Vader did NOT kill Dumbledore.

-B

[chipotle.livejournal.com]

I've heard that, although for obvious reasons I haven't delved into details. It would seem somewhat out of character for him based on previous books (well, movies); he's been antagonistic toward Harry, but certainly not--in the overall plot sense--a true antagonist.