One does not simply 'Apparate' into Hogwarts!

EDIT: The New York Times has published the first review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Warning: here there be not-quite-spoilers, but broad references to events in the book - the ending is not revealed, but if you want everything to be a surprise, do not read the linked article. Apparently, J.K. Rowling is not very happy about the early reviews...not because they're critical of the book, but because they're way freaking early and giving away hints! On a side note (and speaking of giving things away), Boing Boing has an article with links to the torrent sites where the digital camera images are available (I still don't understand why they took pictures of the pages, instead of scanning them...?), and a story was posted in Times Online about how metadata on the digital images might lead to the individual responsible for releasing the images...if they aren't smart enough to have altered it.

If you're into movie spoilers , you can always get a fix by visiting:

The Movie Spoiler

Ruined Endings

It's things like *this* that have me avoiding certain sites on the intertubes for a little while. At least until I've read my copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. So - bandwagon jumping time, ya'll! CNN has posted the story, as well, with the URL's of two of the sites that posted early "spoilers" (that were about as accurate as theories I've bandied about with friends and on this very blog - trust me I read them) and now Time has a short blurb on their website. J.K. Rowling posted a statement on her official website asking people not to post "spoilers" and fans to ignore anything that may show up online, and many of the fan sites are promising to not allow spoilers to get through to the casual site visitor. I seriously hope Amazon is on the ball with shipping these things out. I want my copy in my hands post haste.

The B&N up the street is selling Hallows at a slight discount, but you have to be a "member" to really see a good price cut like you're seeing with other retailers, which seem to be banking on sheer volume, and the sale of other merchandise at full price, to balance out the discounts. It IS all about making money, after all. As my husband likes to remind me, B&N is "eeeviiillll". Of course, he thinks Disney is evil, too. So take his opinion for whatever it's worth.

I had a acquaintance call me a super-geek yesterday after I told him about sitting in a car talking about Harry Potter for an hour and a half on Saturday night. I had a few choice words for him in return. Hippie. Drunkard. Lag-about. Then I chased him out of my office screaming "MADNESS? This is HOGWAAAARTS!" So, you know. I was my usual calm and collected self...

And just to prove that I'm not nearly as crazy as a lot of people, here's a story about a lady who decided to beat and choke another lady over their places in the line for Disney World's Mad Tea Party Tea Cup ride (How appropriate! I'm dubbing this "ride rage" - feel free to use as you please in the appropriate context). Grandma is hard core - don't make her have to choke a b!tch.