I might tell too much of the book, don't read if you don't want any clues or spoilers.
After reading in my spare time since Sunday evening, I finished the Half Blood Prince. I liked the book as a whole, but hated how it ended. I waited for the "big twist" Rowling seems to enjoy adding in, but it never came. It's a grim book, not as grim as book 5. I can see how it has set up book 7 and I have a few ideas as to what will happen.
I will admit, Harry is not my favorite character. I like him, I read his exploits and enjoy his story, but I don't enjoy the books for Harry Potter.
What I wonder is, how much facination will the next book hold? It looks like many of the things I liked the most will not be present in book 7 and I don't really know how I feel about that. I guess that, in JKR's mind, after the ending of book 6, the Potter fans will be ready to see if book 7 will give them the satisfaction to make up for all the tradgedy that was in HBP.
The sad note is, bookwise, this seems like filler to me. It, unlike the other 5 books, couldn't stand on its own as a good book in itself. I liked it as a whole BECAUSE I had already read the others.
So I sit here typing, with that "punched in the gut" feeling, digesting how I feel about it all.
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Higher education and hogwart's
I spent most of the day calling schools about returning for my BA degree, and calling about finacial aid. This will continue tomorrow. I discovered if I go the easiest route to get financed, I have to take a leave of absence to student-teach one school semester. I was floated several options otherwise, but more infomation will come tomorrow.
It seems funny, they WANT people to work their way up in the schools, predicting less turnaround. But I either:
A. Go the traditional route and leave my full-time job as ISS co-ordinator which is hard since I depend on that money. Or,
B. Take a BA in a related field and possibly become qualified to do a better paying job.
I have about two years to decide my fate. Nathan and I discussed education in great length, he is sick of it, I love it. I see the downside as minor, bad kids come and go, I feel an efficient class management approach could do away with alot of the "headache" that makes teaching miserable. I like guaranteed holidays off, long summer vacations, and incredible job security. Nathan sees it as another dead-end job. I don't.
Besides, honestly, I see teaching as a means to an end. I will most likely continue my education after that as well. Who really knows where I might end up
My first session with Best Buy will be in two weeks. I get to be brainwashed by the four hour in-processing/ re-education center. Means to an end, means to an end......
Re-started my low-carb diet from last year. So far, so good. When I get a slight sugary craving, I turn up a diet rootbeer/carbsmart icream float. Good stuff. Robyn had an impropteau birthday cake for her youngest daughter, and oh it looked so tasty! I was almost misty-eyed trying to reassure myself I didn't NEED cake. But oh, I wanted just a sweet little taste. The next few weeks will be Hell as I wait to get my body acclaimated to fat-burning before I can have an occasional treat. I wanted to start exersicing today, but with more college knowledge-seeking afoot, I won't likely get the area I need cleaned off.
Also, hampering progress is the new Harry Potter book. So far, I've enjoyed reading it, and I'm about halfway in. I'll be finished in a day or so if I don't pace myself. I like to read slow and savor the imagry. I took a week to read book five, limiting my self to only reading at bedtime for about an hour.
I never had a chance to read much when I was a kid. My folks would constanly be running me around to fetch their stuff. Couldn't sit in one spot long enough to read many books. Ironicly, I'm a very good reader, and not a bad writer either. Sometimes I wonder what I could do if I could nurture a few talents.
I saw a few people I graduated with this past week, and most of them looked bad, REALLY bad. Some of them seemed ashamed to be in a sorry state and avoided speaking. I know one of them was while I was delivering pizza, so he had to have felt abit better about himself, I didn't. Nate said something about feeling comfort knowing people are doing worse than you, I think he's right.
Speaking of him, our little Chess rivalry is fun. He's got a slight leg up on me in total wins, but we seem to be much more evenly matched that I originally thought. He is a much more cautious player than I, and I am a quicker thinker than he. I look forward to our next games as I've soaked up a bit of his strategy. More fun & games to come.
It seems funny, they WANT people to work their way up in the schools, predicting less turnaround. But I either:
A. Go the traditional route and leave my full-time job as ISS co-ordinator which is hard since I depend on that money. Or,
B. Take a BA in a related field and possibly become qualified to do a better paying job.
I have about two years to decide my fate. Nathan and I discussed education in great length, he is sick of it, I love it. I see the downside as minor, bad kids come and go, I feel an efficient class management approach could do away with alot of the "headache" that makes teaching miserable. I like guaranteed holidays off, long summer vacations, and incredible job security. Nathan sees it as another dead-end job. I don't.
Besides, honestly, I see teaching as a means to an end. I will most likely continue my education after that as well. Who really knows where I might end up
My first session with Best Buy will be in two weeks. I get to be brainwashed by the four hour in-processing/ re-education center. Means to an end, means to an end......
Re-started my low-carb diet from last year. So far, so good. When I get a slight sugary craving, I turn up a diet rootbeer/carbsmart icream float. Good stuff. Robyn had an impropteau birthday cake for her youngest daughter, and oh it looked so tasty! I was almost misty-eyed trying to reassure myself I didn't NEED cake. But oh, I wanted just a sweet little taste. The next few weeks will be Hell as I wait to get my body acclaimated to fat-burning before I can have an occasional treat. I wanted to start exersicing today, but with more college knowledge-seeking afoot, I won't likely get the area I need cleaned off.
Also, hampering progress is the new Harry Potter book. So far, I've enjoyed reading it, and I'm about halfway in. I'll be finished in a day or so if I don't pace myself. I like to read slow and savor the imagry. I took a week to read book five, limiting my self to only reading at bedtime for about an hour.
I never had a chance to read much when I was a kid. My folks would constanly be running me around to fetch their stuff. Couldn't sit in one spot long enough to read many books. Ironicly, I'm a very good reader, and not a bad writer either. Sometimes I wonder what I could do if I could nurture a few talents.
I saw a few people I graduated with this past week, and most of them looked bad, REALLY bad. Some of them seemed ashamed to be in a sorry state and avoided speaking. I know one of them was while I was delivering pizza, so he had to have felt abit better about himself, I didn't. Nate said something about feeling comfort knowing people are doing worse than you, I think he's right.
Speaking of him, our little Chess rivalry is fun. He's got a slight leg up on me in total wins, but we seem to be much more evenly matched that I originally thought. He is a much more cautious player than I, and I am a quicker thinker than he. I look forward to our next games as I've soaked up a bit of his strategy. More fun & games to come.
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