And all this empty space that you create

Currently Playing: Brand New - Jude Law and a Semester Abroad

I finished Book 6.

The following is a review of the book based on my opinion only. There are NO spoilers. If you care at all about spoilers though, do NOT go around reading reviews, as some people feel it necessary to ruin the story for others just because they had a problem(s) with the way the book turned out.

This may be an "in-the-moment" sort of assertion, but Book 6 is the best book of the series so far. While lacking the extent of the child-like wonderment of the first two books, the fast-paced action of the third and fourth books, and the dark, forboding tone of the fifth book, Book 6 is as compelling a page-turner as the other books of the series as it delves much more deeply into the psychological aspects of the plot; in particular the dark childhood and adolescence preceeding a certain wizard's transformation into the Dark Lord. There is a definite sense of maturation, both in Harry and the series. Harry Potter is no longer a children's book. This is not to say, however, that there isn't enough action to keep even the most casual reader happy. There are enough twists and turns to keep you guessing and a cliffhanger ending that, unlike the previous books, leaves you with no idea of what will happen next - making it all the more difficult and depressing to wait for the final installment of the series.

To sum up: GO READ IT NOW.

I really need to talk to someone about the book, so if you have finished it, talk to me!

Just a little change

Currently Playing: Disney - Beauty and the Beast

This past weekend was quite eventful.

Tiffany's friend from the U.K. flew over to visit and to attend Anime Expo up in Anaheim. It was interesting to see an Asian girl with a British accent. Definitely many bonus points for the accent.

Both Tiffany and her friend Stephanie were staying at my house for the weekend, so we drove up to Irvine on Thursday night. The girls, my brothers, and I spent the next four days at AX. There wasn't really much of interest to note. Arden had asked me to find him "something cool" and under $20 at the convention. I wasn't even able to find anything suitably cool enough for me, let alone enough for Arden (some slight sarcasm here).

Tuesday the girls went to the San Diego Zoo. Jon, Arden, and I picked them up around 7:30 pm and went to Hooters for dinner. The hostess at Hooters gave each guy an "I *heart* Hooters" sticker. There's a whole other story about the stickers that I won't tell here, but let's just say there was some grabbing and yelling going on between Arden and Jon after the stickers were placed in some choice spots in the chestal area. I'll leave the rest to your imagination. Between the five of us, we were able to finish all 50 chicken wings and fries.

Wednesday Tiffany, Stephanie, and I went to Disneyland, the self-proclaimed most magical place on Earth. I haven't been to Disneyland in over ten years (I remember the last time I went, the Indiana Jones ride had just opened), but I do have to say, it does still live up to its billing. Maybe it's all the nostalgia, maybe it's the people, maybe it's just plain fun, but even after all these years, Disneyland still leaves you with feelings of awe and wonderment.

We went on almost all the rides we could, even the Winnie the Pooh ride. Unfortunately, both Splash Mountain and the Teacup ride were having technical difficulties the whole day, so we weren't able to go on them. Also, Space Mountain was open for a preview session, but by the time we heard, the line was too long and it was too late.

The best ride we went on, and quite frankly, the best ride ever, was Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters. This ride alone was worth the steep $56 admission price. It was so good that we went on it three times - despite the long wait time. The ride is your basic Disneyland go-along-a-track-looking-at stuff ride with one awesome twist: you get a gun. You shoot at various targets and accumulate points based on the difficulty of the shot. You can also get bonus points for hitting a target that is lit up. At the end of the ride they have this cool thing where they e-mail to you the picture they took, with the scores and everything. Here are the pictures, along with some of the other random ones we took:


The girls on their second Astro Blasters run.


My first try.


My second try. Note the awesome score and 23rd ranking. I did cheat a little because the ride stopped in the middle, but we could still shoot and accumulate points.


Third run through. A non-cheating score.


The girls by It's a Small World.


Simba and Rafiki!


Main Street at night.


Tram pictures!

Randomness: You know what I noticed recently? Everyone says "like" too much. Almost once a sentence in most cases. I mean, I do it too. Sometimes without even realizing it. It's a little disconcerting. I've been trying to make a conscious effort to not say "like" unless absolutely necessary, but a lot of times it just slips out. Does anyone else realize this? Or care? ...Am I the only one??

Rant: I do not understand why people would tYpE LyKe diS, or not follow proper grammar and stylization rules, like punctuations and paragraphs, when posting or writing in a public forum like a blog or website community. I can understand, and even accept a few spelling or grammar errors, but there is no excuse for doing it on purpose. The reason the rules exist is because they make things easier to read. If you are writing something for other people to read or that other people can read, then please be considerate enough to make it readable. Don't make me try to read something that hurts my eyes...I'm blind enough as it is.