Harry Potter turned 33 years old today. It's also J.K. Rowling's birthday.
Carus baked cupcakes to celebrate.
212/365
(Happy B-Day Harry Potter!)
Blue velvet (because we didn't have red coloring) with purple cream cheese frosting (we really love that frosting recipe - easy and delicious) and blue lettering.
The rest of the first day (and the second, third, and fourth days) was packed and exhausting. Sooo much awesomeness that I just cannot write about it all. We'd get up, get to the convention center and then go to as many lecture sessions/classes/group discussions/meetups as we could fit, then stumble home to crash and then get up and do it again the next day.
Carus posed with as many costumed people as possible. The opening ceremony was brilliantly written, performed, and funny. I took video of the final number of the opening ceremony. Again, the quality of my video skills is lacking and it's also crooked (didn't look crooked when I was filming) but hey, I have video. See it here. (They uploaded a MUCH better quality video, here.)
We met up with friends (me, Carus, Bethany, and Jen)
Met the author of Eleanor and Park, an awesome book (and was too starstruck to ask for a picture or autograph, but did get this button).
Got more button bling. Fangirl is Rainbow Rowell's third book that I'm excitedly waiting for the release of, as well as a Hufflepuff pin and Doctor Who 10 and a Doctor Who 11 "Bow Ties are Cool" pins.
We met another awesome person, a friend of Bethany's, and posed with Vladimir Snape (I told you about him yesterday). And then went to more discussions/sessions/etc.
Carus and I were part of the attempt to break the World Record of most people in one room wearing fake moustaches. Prelim numbers were that 2,225 people participating and that breaks the previous number of 1500.
Carus playing Quidditch. She played two rounds - one where she was a chaser (the one that throws the ball through the hoops) and one where she was the seeker (who catches the snitch) and she caught the snitch (and I got it on video, which is here). (Rules/how to play the game can be found here with the International Quidditch Association ("Yes, that's a thing. No, we cannot fly. Yet."))
I'll continue uploading pictures (I'm about halfway through now) to this set on Flickr. And here is the slideshow:
Anyone want to sponsor me going to LeakyCon next year? It's in Orlando, FL and I would LOVE to go! I might even take the rest of the family along. You know, if they're nice.
The conference kicked off with a 5K run/walk. Carus and I participated, and walked it. A friend with a distance tracking app on her phone said it was actually more like a 6K. It was hot and muggy and I twisted my ankle halfway through (and continued to walk on it - a lot - for 4 days, which was probably not a good idea, but I wasn't missing anything I didn't have to miss). Everyone we met were extremely friendly and kind. There were amazing costumes and dedicated cosplayers.
Near the end of the 5K 6K, when we were hot and sweaty (did I mention how muggy it was Thursday; like 90% humidity) and ready to be done we came across a few dementors. They were there to encourage us rather than suck out the energy; though it was a little disappointing they didn't provide a few cold spots.
Carus, being awesome on the walk with me.
I didn't know Portland had a Lover's Bridge (like Paris's Lover's Bridge). Pretty cool if you ask me.
Fittie 5K slideshow:
These images can be seen on Flickr. More LeakyCon photos on Flickr, here.
Dude, the LeakyCon conference was amazing AH.MAZ.ING. and crazy and busy and exhausting and exhilarating and the absolute greatest. I'm going to work on getting caught up with posts this week and show as many photos as possible. I'm so glad I have this second half of vacation to recover from my first half.
Day 5
me - I made snitch ornaments and boxed a few up formyfriends that were coming up for LeakyCon.
Carus - her nails all done up for LeakyCon.
Day 6
me - Got home after a very long first day at LeakyCon and Robert gave me my birthday present cause he sucks at waiting for the actual day. I'm okay with this, mostly. (I get presents early so yay, but don't get presents on my birthday so boo.)
Carus - Carus meeting Professor Snape (Vladimir Snape) for the first time of the weekend. (Not Alan Rickman, who plays Snape in the movies, but a rather convincing doppelganger and good Snape impersonator.)
Day 7
me - Oops, I blinked.
Photo the result of me screwing around after drinking most of my birthday drink, a blue Hawaiian. (No, I was not drunk, or even tipsy. I was feeling good and happy and goofy.)
Carus - Seen at LeakyCon. Those people are AWESOME! There were a few of these post-its of "Peeves wuz here" posted throughout the convention center where the conference was held. Some of the other signs posted around (some for Sherlock and some for Doctor Who) were just as awesome. You'll see those later.*
*If you can't wait for me to get LeakyCon posts up, check out the set on Flickr.
7 Days has returned for the summer run. If you haven't heard before, 7 Days is a Flickr group that, four times a year (spring, summer, fall, winter), takes self-portraits for seven days straight. It's a lot of fun.
This is the week I've been looking forward to for months, especially the past few weeks where things have just been crazy and busy and nerve-racking. I've been looking forward to it, not just because of 7 Days, but this week is also LeakyCon, which is in Portland this year. Because of LeakyCon, I'll get to meet a coupleonline friends (fellow 7-Dayers). I am working three days this week and then going on vacation until the second week of July. And last, but surely not least, it's my birthday week. I've never had a huge deal made of my birthday, but in my head the celebration is enormous.
But wait! They are having LeakyCon in Portland on my birthday week. Can't get any bigger than that, can you?
(173/365) 7 Days, day 1 Reading Clockwork Angelby Cassandra Clare
Today, Adam had a few friends over for a gamer party and sleepover. He and his friends play a game called Dragon Age that is along the same lines of D&D (Dungeons and Dragons) and video games. The group started out at 7 and ended up at 4 (including Adam). We went to the grocery store this morning to get some food for the party - veggies, watermelon, some soda, chips and salsa - and ordered some pizzas. We know teenage boys can pack away the food and we wanted to be prepared.
We were.
To keep the boys from being annoyed by Carus the little sister, we sent her off to her friend's house for a sleepover.
Because of the sleepover, I got the kids and Robert to clean my house this week while I worked. So yeah, this is totally a win. :)
(Carus is planning in participating in 7 Days, but as she's at her friends house tonight sharing it will have to wait until tomorrow.)
Goodbye to 7 days once again.... until next time, the Summer 7 days run. I'm super excited for it because it will be LeakyCon!! And I'll meet a fewonlinefriends.
Who says pugs aren't cute? Definitely not me. Yoda cracks me up daily. My sweet puggy dog.
The other night Robert posed a hypothetical to me, "If someone offered you a million dollars for Yoda, or Leia, and you knew it was a good home where they would be spoiled, would you give them up?"
Nope.
Though I did admit that if I was asked in the middle of the night when Leia had woken me to go out for the 500 millionth time that night to go out but refused to go out alone, I would be sorely tempted...to pay them to take her.
I would, however, take their money and find them another pug and lab, or other dog(s) of their choice.
I've been re-reading the Outlander series. I've been reading very slowly and pausing to read other books so I've been reading Outlander for a couple months now. I have almost finished and will move on to the next book, Dragonfly in Amber, after I re-read Harry Potter in anticipation of LeakyCon in June. (So much to read, not enough time.)
I am intentionally trying to read the Outlander series slow, for one, so that the words can really sink in. There was a lot that I missed in my first read because I read them so quickly wanting to know what happened next and not being able to wait to find out. And for two, so that I am more patient in my waiting for the next book in the series that is supposed to hopefully come out this fall (if all works out as it should). Diana Gabaldon (the author) is still writing that book (book 8 - Written in My Own Heart's Blood) so no promises yet.
I came across the following quote in my reading this morning, and I really liked it.
"It is possible to act in strict accordance with God's law and with one's conscience, you comprehend, and still to encounter difficulties and tragedy. It is the painful truth that we still do not know why le bon Dieuallows evil to exist, but we have His word for it that this is true. 'I created good,' He says in the Bible, 'and I created evil.' Consequently, even good people sometimes, I think, especially good people," he added meditatively, "may encounter great confusion and difficulties in their lives." (Ch. 40)
