The Opening of Pottermore

      I think anyone who's read this blog knows that I am not a religious person. This is why it irritates me when I  hit next blog on blogger and it continuously sends me to a religious site - usually Christian. It is either a site for a Christian family praising their god or it is for a ministry or church group. I really want to know how these sites are similar to mine. I see no resemblance to it in my ramblings about atheism, Harry Potter, family, and work. To Blogger: stop sending me to these sites, Thank you.
      Because I work weird hours now and rarely have the time or money to get out and mingle with my peers, I have recently joined Eharmony - don't judge. I think it is kind of exciting to know that I could meet someone from anywhere in the world online while I'm stuck in this stupid little cow-town. I want to move but I have neither the money nor the job that would relocate me. My dream town would be near Wilmington, NC. I have a friend who lives in Shallotte, NC and from the pictures I've seen of it, the town looks really nice. The good thing is I am gaining experience at the job I currently hold and it will help me if and when I decide to move since  security officers are needed everywhere. For now, I will just have to keep saving up my money until I can afford to move elsewhere.
      In other news, I started working on my story again. I've been perfecting my map so that I have a reference to work from. I've also started working out a history timeline; it is more like a history of the planet but it provides a basis for me to know more about the world I'm writing about. I like how I started writing and then I felt like I was taking a history lesson, the history of the planet just fell out of my brain onto the page. By the time I finished up this morning, it looked like I'd copied parts of an actual history book. I found this approach the most helpful and easiest to work on so I may take the same approach to other aspects of my story, from the characters and animals to places and significant objects.
      I got the inspiration to continue my story after J.K. Rowling's site Pottermore opened over the weekend. I was working the night shift Saturday when I got a text at about 4:30 am stating that Pottermore had opened to the public. When I got out of work at 5am, I was extremely excited. I rushed home and instead of catching up on sleep, I played on Pottermore until about 9 or 10 when the struggle to keep my eyes opened had reached an all time high and I  fell asleep shortly after lying down. Pottermore is fun for about the first day. I loved reading J.K Rowling's notes but I felt that there should have been more for all the hype the site was getting. Not to mention that out of the 7 books, only the 1st one is currently available on the website. For the excruciating wait the fans have had to endure for the site, I was expecting more. More of what? I'm not sure exactly but after getting through the first book on the site, I felt after the hype it was very anticlimactic.
      I probably won't have any more posts for the week because I've volunteered to take on more hours at work. And also my allergies are acting up making me very irritated with the world in general.

Movie of the Day: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Song of the Day: Joey by Sugarland (DON'T drink and drive)

A Little of This and That

      I noticed today that I forgot to leave a movie and song of the day on my last post. I decided I will give two songs and two movies today to make up for it.
      Today, being the bright spring morning as it was, first it snowed then sleeted then heavy snow then rain and now sunshine. I mentioned before the odd weather we have here and now I am once again wishing I lived somewhere else. I would prefer a beach setting but I also love white winters (not to mention I've always been a sucker for lighthouses - rain, snow, or shine).
      I tried knitting a scarf today because I want the practice so I can make a baby blanket for my brother's baby. I've been wanting to make a baby blanket to get the practice for when I have my own child but I haven't known anyone having a baby until now. I think I might be more excited for the baby than my brother is though because I can't go into a store now without looking at the baby department with a longing sensation. If I am to be honest with myself, I've been feeling like I am waiting for my life to happen instead of living. When I'm not working, I'm normally by myself with no other human interactions aside from my immediate family members. I think getting away from where I currently live might help but there is no possible way I could afford to move unless I did buy a house (because so far a house payment would be cheaper than paying rent). The only problem I have with buying a house is that I don't really feel comfortable that I have job security. Not to mention if I did ever find a job in my dream area (the area I really want to live: ie near Wilmington, NC) I would be stuck with a house in NY or PA that I would have to sell first before I could move. Problems like these are why most days I wish I had never gone to college. The debt that I am currently paying in college loans could pay for a really nice house and I would actually be paying less per month because the current student loans I have equal $800 a month for the next ten years - most mortgages are for at a minimum of fifteen years meaning the monthly payment would be far less than $800.
      I try not to dwell on my problems because I know that owning a house, renting, living where I want, and student loans are petty problems compared to the real problems people across the globe face. I know there are young mothers who don't know how they're going to feed their kids or where they'll sleep tonight and I know somewhere there is a kid who is considering suicide today because he is being bullied so bad at school and no one understands. These people are the ones who have real problems that often don't have solutions and I know my problems are nothing but a small irksome that I really shouldn't be hovering on.
     

      To lighten the mood a little before I depart:

Movie of the day 1: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
Movie of the day 2: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2


Song of the day 1: O' Children by Nick Cave

Song of the day 2: This is War by 30 Seconds to Mars

New and Improved

      I updated the site today to give it a new look. I like to change it up because even I get bored looking at the same site over and over and over. A new look is a simple way to change it up a little.

      I found the house that I love but I will never be able to afford it. It cost a little over $100,000 and is a little smaller than my dream house but it was still really really nice.

      I also found a practical house and it is only $35,000 on almost 3 acres of land but it needs a lot of work and it is in North Carolina. In perspective, I live in New York now and work in Pennsylvania. This house would have to be my weekend fixer-upper (and possibly allow my parents to rent it from me while I stayed in New York. This is a big decision and I am going to need a while to think about it. I would have to sell my truck to make the down payment but the mortgage would be $2 less than the truck payment is now. To be completely honest, I really don't think it's likely I will buy the place but it is nice to dream.

   In other news, I finished the Harry Potter series of books again at work. This time it only took me 6 days to read all 7 books. I still cried when Sirius died in book 5 and Snape died in book 7 - I think I always will; ⏃ Always. It is still hard for me to grasp that there will never be another HP book and it makes me want to cry. I liked the movies but the books will forever be my cryptonite. My favorite in order are: The Order of the Phoenix, The Deathly Hallows, The Prisoner of Azcaban, The Sorcerer's Stone, The Half-Blood Prince, The Goblet of Fire, and the Chamber of Secrets. 

      My parents returned from their trip and they brought me back two cases of Ale8 from Kentucky. If you've never had it, it tastes like a Mellow Yellow flavored Root Beer. It is only made and sold in Kentucky and I had them make an unscheduled stop just to pick me up some. I recommend you try it at least once if you're ever in Kentucky.

      I started a tumblr site today but it didn't live up to my standards so I closed my account already. I still think I prefer blogger's site, I just think tumblr is flashier. I also switched shifts today so that I could work more days. I am now on night shift and working 4 days a week instead of 3. I think having 3 days off a week will be plenty and if I want to take a vacation at any time, all I have to do is request the time off. I think working 4 days will give me enough money to catch up all my bills and hopefully pay off my truck sooner so that I can start saving up for a house or an apartment.

I think I will call it a night now so have a good one.

Of A Generation

   Hello all and sorry for my lapse in writing. I lost the urge to write for a while and have only just rediscovered its lure. I have been working for my new job at a security company contracted out to work for gas companies. We make sure that the sites are secure and safe while they drill for natural gas. I will say that I was unsure of the 'frac' process and the dangers it could possess to the community and the environment before I was hired but after I became more education on the subject I really learned the immensity of the safety precautions companies like Shell have in place to protect the community and the environment as well as its workers. I don't find the process as dangerous as I once did because I know more about it and I think this is true for many people. I think the majority of people against fracking don't really understand the process and have no idea of the ways companies are protecting people from the potential dangers. Someone really can't complain that their water is contaminated if it was already found to be contaminated 50 years ago when fracking wasn't even in the area. (On a side note, I found the use of the word frac to be hilarious in this industry because it was used in place of a curse word on the popular television series Battlestar Galactica [spelled frak]).
   April 1st or April Fools Day if you prefer was the first day of trout and salmon fishing in NY State (and also Fred and George Weasley's Birthday!). I had to work so I went Monday morning. I froze my behind off (almost literally). My fingers were so frozen they felt like they were on fire and I still didn't catch anything. I adopted a dog from the local Humane Society. She is a 7 year old pitbull named Lilly (like Lilly Potter from the Harry Potter series). She loves to play and cuddle.
   At work, I have a lot of down time. My superiors tell us that we can do anything we want to keep us awake as long as we don't fall asleep on the job. To keep myself awake, I've been reading the Harry Potter books by JK Rowling. I read all 7 books in 7 days and watched all 8 movies in a day and a half. This has hardly held me over at work because I am now reading the books again and will probably watch the movies again as well. I grew up on these books. I was in 6th grade when I read the first one and I had to catch up but I was one who waited for each new book to come out at Borders or Barnes and Nobles. I went to the midnight showing of all but the first two movies and I cried when the credits rolled for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. I think this series of books helped raise one of the most knowledgeable, caring, thoughtful kids of a generation and I am saddened to know that kids today don't have the morals and anticipation that the Harry Potter Series brought out in us. When I actually think about what kids these days have to look forward to (Twilight, the Hunger Games, etc) I am actually fearful because these books cannot compare to the HP books. One of my favorite things I found online was this quote, "Twilight has Forks but Harry Potter has a theme park in Orlando." (I sooooo want to go to The Wonderful World of Harry Potter).

   I've also started making videos on Youtube again now that I have the time. I am getting better at using my Sony Vegas which is allowing better quality videos (even though my personal appearance needs a better quality still). I've been doing a lot of stuff online to pass my time and I found a site called Stealth Operatives which is a rpg sort of like Mob Wars except you are a spy and you fight the bad guys. I am also waiting for Pottermore to open up. The website says it will be open the beginning of April (I think they need to hurry up). I was hoping it would be a mmorpg like Lord of the Rings online or World of Warcraft but I think it's just going to be a forum/reading type of thing which is still cool just not amazingly cool.
   I was also watching a new series called the River on ABC. I found it because Bruce Greenwood is in it and I really like him as an actor. It mixes the action horror genre very well and it is a nice escape to lose myself in. It is also a relief that new shows can be made well considering shows that I use to watch like Eureka and One Tree Hill are in their final seasons. I know Grey's Anatomy and NCIS will probably be packing in withing the next few years as well just because they have been around so long (because they're AWESOME).
   I can't wait for the weather to warm up so I can start up my outdoor activities again. I found some trails in my area I want to hike and my tent is still ready for camping. I am excited now because I found that Letchworth State Park in New York is only $20 to camp at night and that park is beautiful in the summer. I will have to let Lilly get a little practice before we tackle anything too difficult but I am excited anyway.
 
   With that, I will leave you (sorry it was so long today - lots on my mind)

Song of the Day: 9 Crimes - Damien Rice
Movie of the Day: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone