Saturday, June 30, 2007

Harry Crack or Crack Potter

I am ashamed to see how long it's been since I last blogged. Let me just say that I've been busy. It might even be true.
I don't know about the rest of you, but I am really looking forward to July 21st when the final Harry Potter book comes out. When I first started reading the stories book three had already been released but since then I've been consistantly reading the lastest books soon after they've been released. None however, have I waited for more anxiously than the one I wait for now, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The reason is that the last book didn't really resolve and furthermore I am extremely curious about the actions of two of the characters, Snape and Dumbledore.
I made thing worse because I decided that in order to prepare for the new release I would reread all of the books. It wasn't a bad idea, but forgetting how fast, easy and addicting they are, I started far too early. I read through all six books in less than two weeks so I already finished them all.

Warning, Book Six spoiler to follow.

The question on everyone's lips is, "Why did Dumbledore have such faith that Snape was good?" It is obvious that Snape was a double agent, the question is where did his loyalties really lie? If both Dumbledore and Voldemort where convinced that Snape was on their side then obviously Snape managed to fool one of the greatest wizards of all time, but who?
I've a theory though. Maybe neither was fooled. I think that Snape was a true Death Eater working for Voldemort and Dumbledore knew this all along. There have been several times when Dumbledore mentions that love is the strongest magic of all and Voldemort doesn't understand this at all. I think that Dumbledore was trying to use love, in this sense forgiveness, to bring Snape back to the good side. I think that he pretended to trust Snape in order that he could persuade Snape to win Snape over, not through fear but through acceptance.
Dumbledore knew that this would take a while yet he felt that as long as he were around he knew that he could keep Snape in line. That is why when he was lying helpless at the end of book six and Snape showed up he was pleading and fearful. He knew that his experiment had failed and that Snape was still evil.
I think that near the end of this book Harry will be battling Voldemort and Voldemort will manage to disarm him. He will be about to kill Harry and Snape will be convicted all of a sudden due to Dumbledore's previous actions and he will help Harry, changing alliances at the eleventh hour. In this way Dumbledore will be proven correct that love is the most powerful magic. That's just a thought, I'll have to wait until another three long weeks before I can learn for sure what happens. I don't know that I'll make it.

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Life

A wise man that I met a few weeks ago said of life, "It makes you laugh, it makes you weep." The more I learn the more I realize it's true. It's possible to go through life somewhat disengaged. I however, prefer to get swept up in the current of life. There is no time that I realize the power of life more than when I consider the five senses we have to experience life. Each sense can experience profound levels of joy.
Sight, smell , taste, touch, and hearing. Each unlocks new beauty. There is always beauty around, often ignored. Right now I can turn to see the rain fall, the wind blowing softly through the trees. A Chopin record is playing in the background, the taste of my coffee, there are divine gifts surrounding me, waiting only to be noticed.
What better place is there for a Michael Chrichton quote, from The Lost World? Malcolm the mathematician is discussing all sorts of philosophical theories with two young kids and Thorne, an engineer, dismisses them with a wave telling the kids,
..you feel the way the boat moves? That's the sea. That's real.
You smell the salt in the air? You feel the sunlight on your skin?
That's all real. You see all of us together? That's real. Life is
wonderful. It's a gift to be alive, to see the sun and breathe the air.

Life is also a pendulum though, swinging from joy to tragedy with unpredictable swiftness. Each sense, a double edged sword revealing beauty and also cutting to the core of the heart.
Yesterday I learned that a friend died in a car wreck. I never knew her really well, but she came to our house countless times, I can picture her laugh clear as if she were here beside me. Life, it makes you laugh, it makes you weep.

Ecclesiastes 3

A Time for Everything
1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

Monday, June 4, 2007

She's Playing Me Like a Violin.

I was thinking about blogging about my weekend, it certainly was interesting enough to warrant a blog. I could write about how my alternator gave up outside of Wetaskiwin and how I left it there for the night to attend a wedding. I could write about how we bought parts and went to fix it and my car wasn't there. I could then tell about how we discovered that my car got towed and was impounded. I could tell about how we got to the impound and discovered that two windows on my car had been smashed and there were muddy footprints on the roof, likely explaining the big dent beside the sunroof. I could moan about my stolen cds, cd player, and new wrenches that were supposed to be returned. But I actually have a more tragic story to tell.
For those of you who followed my previous myspace blog you'll be aware of the blog I wrote about Karen Gomyo. (I'll post the relevant excerpt at the end of this blog.) As you may know, I was surprised to receive a reply from Karen who also had a myspace profile.
Now when I wrote the first blog about Karen it was totally tongue in cheek. I had no intention of contacting her, nor did I expect ever think of her again. When I learned that she had a myspace profile I sent her a link to my blog but didn't expect her to read it. Well she did read it and then she wrote me a reply setting into motion an unfortunate chain of events.
The first problem was that I wasn't lying when I wrote that Karen Gomyo is beautiful. Nor was I lying when I said that I find musical women attractive, and Karen is a professional musician. The next problem is that I suffer from the same disease that most guys suffer from, basically if a girl pays attention to me I optimistically think that she's interested. The final problem is that Karen perfectly fits into the category of girl that I always fall for, unattainable.
We kept up a correspondence for a little while and likely she was just kindly sending out a few emails to a fan. I however, feel that she had a more devious plan in place.
The first email that she sent was short, a polite reply to the blog I sent. She ignored my reply and I thought that I had heard the last of her. Then a couple of weeks later, out of the blue, came another email much longer and more personal. I was very surprised. I wrote back but she did not reply; not for a couple more weeks anyhow. I replied but this time I was kept waiting, and waiting. There were no more replies.
A few weeks later I went to write her another email and to my surprise she had deleted her profile. I was quite shocked, this time I knew it was over. I was quite disappointed and not just because I wanted her opinion on some violin recordings that I discussed in one of my blogs.
A week later I received a myspace email from someone named Karen. Her profile was completely blank except for her name, age and location. It was her, or perhaps someone playing a cruel prank on my, giving her opinion on the recordings. She had read my blog, and then created a profile solely to write me. This time I didn't know what to think .
The thing that she managed to do was write me an email just when I had lost all hope that I would hear from her again. I would always got through the same cycle of surprise at an email, hope for another reply, followed by disappointed resignation. Each email that she sent though, would further the reason for hope and those emotions would grow stronger with each cycle.
The problem is that now I see the pattern of receiving an email only after I've given up hope. Now I've lost hope that I'll hear from her again yet I know that it is in this time that she sends an email so I am unable to give up hope. She's got me stuck in an awful limbo. Obviously she is just toying with me for fun. Miss Havisham would be so proud.
The other thing is that I've got so many questions to ask her. "Is there time to sightsee when playing in foreign cities? Do you enjoy traveling so much? Have you visited the John Lennon Memorial in Central Park? Do you have the Stradivarius at your house when not touring or is it locked up? Will you marry me? What does Ex Foulis mean?
Man if she knew what she's done to me.