Of the Deathly Hallows.

Finished. I think that's fast - I started around five, and finished around nine. Beat /that/, world. Maybe even finished first - and wouldn't that be a laugh? It's nine, or nine-ish, as I type this.

... and for the record? Ms. Rowl!ng, that was too easy. Beautifully tied together, elegantly set up, but entirely too easy. That having been said, I'm glad that my sympathy for Snape was not misplaced. I am amused that Voldy screwed himself so damn thoroughly - that was /such/ an elementry mistake, though.

And, so that I can post this within ten minutes of having finished the damn book, I'm going to stop now.

Of books and spoilers

Okay, I admit it, I caved. My copy of the last HP book is on route to me via Amazon (if it isn't on my doorstep by tomorrow, I get it free - dunno what to hope for). I may post a scathing opinion of it, after I'm done reading it.

If I do, don't be surprised if I get specific. If you're reading it, and you haven't read the book, then don't go whining to me about spoilers - it's not like I haven't gone and warned you.

I honestly don't expect much. The last couple of books seem to be Ms. Rowl!ng trying to top herself, and that is not impressive to me. The last one I /enjoyed/ was OotP, and mostly for the deserved comeuppance that was gifted to Prof. Umbridge. If ANYONE deserves to be practically stomped to death by centaurs, it was her.
I know someone will die. It might be Harry, it might not. Surely, if he lives, he will Pay in Blood for his success. Probably Fred's, or Hermione's, if it comes to that.
Character I have most sympathy for? Snape. That poor bastard, he's stuck in the middle with so few options.... I don't know whether to hope he survives or not.
Butbutbut! Oh, shut up. The last book slapped a geas on him, for shits' sake! What the hell was he supposed to do, anyway?
And anyway, I'm not predisposed to hate the man /just/ because Harry does. Sweet, innocent little Harry ... Gods. No, sorry. This poor kid has had his life turned over, upside down, inside out and backwards, yes. He's been screwed from the start. Cry me a river, kiddies - there are people in the real world who've suffered worse (and no, I ain't one of 'em).

So, tomorrow I'll read the book, whenever it gets here, and we'll see if Ms. Rowl!ng has completely screwed herself. There's a rumour going around that she's gonna write more in this reality. To that I say, Bully for you - but for the love of the Gods, woman, don't let them pressure you into publishing! Write the next stories for yourself, the way the best authors do. If you /want/ to publish them, then do it. But if you don't, if you'd rather keep them to yourself, hold them close in your heart, then do it. Don't let anyone guilt-trip you into sharing, if that's not what you want.

Of cats and quizes

Which probably just goes to prove .. well, everything. Heh.

Snagged from almost everywhere:

Your Score: Cheezburger cat

78% Affectionate, 62% Excitable, 62% Hungry

Sure, you deserve one. You helped popularized lolcats from a running gag to an online sensation. Now mainstream media writes asinine columns on this 'phenomenon', students write theses on the topic, programming languages adopt the grammar, and losers write tests about them on dating sites. Now take your cheezburger and never touch the internets again.



To see all possible results, checka dis.

Link: The Which Lolcat Are You? Test written by GumOtaku on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

You forgot the bacon!

What?

Of an urge to whine....

Shouldn't, but I'm going to anyway.
It's my birthday. Whoopie. I don't know why I'm disappointed - I didn't expect anything, and I stopped expecting things after my 21st. Not many made any particular effort then, and not many make one now. So my expectations have lowered. A lot.

... but I'm still disappointed. It's not like I expect (or even /want/) a big party, a fancy cake and a mound of gifts I can't see over, but I'd like to see a little effort made, you know? Some little surprise here and there, something I don't necessarily see coming.
I think I'm 26. Milestone? What milestone? But a lot of my family is busy, my extended family either doesn't know or is busy (not that I actually expect anything from that quadrant), and my very few friends ... well. They have their own lives, and it's not as if I always remember their day. So it's just another day. And I'm disappointed, and disgusted (mostly at myself for being disappointed), and well-meaning efforts just ... don't seem to mean anything, even though I do appreciate them.

Maybe it's that when I /do/ sort something out, I tend to want to make an effort - not to show that I've noticed and remembered, that's just shallow - but because I like to surprise people, to see them happy. I put a lot of effort into it, and it's worth it to me to see the returns in smiles, if not in words.
I don't like the reasons I'm coming up with for why no one seems to think enough of me to do the same, and I don't like that either, because it feels selfish. I don't want to be selfish.
I'm disallowing comments. No point leaving an opening for anyone to encourage me to whine. Now, where did I put that cheese....