Above: Old piece. Black construction paper strips, vaguely a la Mondrian.
Nothing special to add. I've been painting and drawing some things for myself and for projects. Once the semester starts I'll post the bits and bobs that I can. The Summer has been mostly me being stressed about all the artsy things I'm trying to get done and not doing them because I'm stressed. That happens a lot. I don't feel like I accomplished much, but part of the slowness is related to concern for my hand and its bouts of swelling. There hasn't been another incident since I starting using vinyl gloves religiously... for everything. But I still think it's at least partly a mechanical thing--not just an allergy thing. It could just be scar tissue. Whatever the case... I'm being careful. I'll draw for a few hours and feel that sensitivity. The skin a little raw. The sense of something foreign in there with my bones. So I rest and wait. Take a day off. Seems okay so I work again. But it's always the same feeling and it worries me. Makes me cautious.
With that caution, I head into my gazillionth semester at the JC. Taking a website building class and Advanced Etching. I should really take silkscreen, but I'm so attached to etching right now that I want one more semester of it. See if I can manage anything I really like.
Big changes in family and their jobs. Speeding right ahead.
Not me. I'm still putting along. Aiming to get my driver's license finally. Practicing with my permit. Trying... no... I will close the deal this time. I will get my license before 2012. Chyeah!
As for the lightning... POTTER!!! Deathly Hallows pt.2 was great. Were there silly additions? Of course. Was time wasted on unnecessary non-canon stuff? Of course. But I thoroughly enjoyed it nonetheless. Here's the thing. The books are about Harry discovering his history and his role in it. They are about mothers and their sons. They are about sacrifice and love. They are about Snape. Far more time is spent on these things than on Voldy and his cronies.
The movies, on the other hand, focus disproportionately on Voldy and his cronies... arguably the least important aspects of the books.
IMO: The overarching plot of the series climaxes at The Prince's Tale and Harry marching to his own death.
However, the climax the movies always built towards was the Harry vs. Voldy showdown. Because of this, it's a letdown by default.
In the books, Voldy's death is epic, but it's not the most epic thing that happens at the end. When they translated that to the screen, the death was not epic enough for all that build-up. The movie-viewer is left feeling like, 'that's it?', because the epic book stuff is downplayed or not included at all.
...This is getting long and I didn't think I was going to write about this. ANYway, the stuff that came from canon was really well-done. Alan Rickman is a BAMF. I was pleased with The Prince's Tale. Overall, the young actors did wonderfully. *applause*
For the record, I saw it in 3D and 2D and preferred it in 2D. But the 3D Potter glasses are nice souvenirs!
For giggles.
I started reading Potter in the Summer of 1999. Books 1 and 2 (3 wasn't out yet). That December, I picked up Book 3. Loved everything about them. PoA was such a joy to read! I drew fanart and made my own Potter memorabilia for fun.
Clay figurines included! They're totally crappy, but I love the associated memories and that I cared enough to do it. They are pre-movie, so their look is purely inspired by the American edition illustrator Mary Grandpre and my brain. I'm grateful that I was invested into the books long enough before the movies that the characters are still my own.
When I pick up any of the books to re-read, the Harry in my head looks like he did in 1999. He isn't Dan Radcliffe. Alan Rickman, though I adore him, looks very little like my Snape. I'm glad for that.
Blah blah blah.
Pottermore is amazing. Got registered within the very first minutes of the Magical Quill Challenge and then got my beta welcome e-mail last night... at the end of the first day of the site being opened. The extra stories/information from Jo is priceless, entertaining, and amusing in a way that she has such a knack for.
The Sorting Test is a little questionable seeing as I was sorted into Gryffindor. I am totally not a Gryffindor. Doubtless, the Sorting Hat would shriek, "RAVENCLAW!" before it even touched my head. Ha. That's okay. Ollivander's wand test is completely fantastic and there is a MASSIVE amount of background information about wandlore.
Pottermore:
I am AurorSeer155. Gryffindor. My wand is Cherry with a Phoenix feather core, 10 and 3/4 inches. Slightly yielding. I'm 81% into brewing an Antidote to Common Poisons and have so far earned 28 house points. w00t!
For all of the Potter lovin'... Thank you Jo! <3
