Harry Potter

Harry freaking Potter. I love it. I love it all equally. I love the ridiculously long novels, the strange vocabulary, the fans who dress up as his or her favorite character and the strange food the theaters provide for individuals such as myself to enjoy.

Let's talk about it.

So me and 3 others decided we would brave the crowds and the insanity to be part of the epic midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Excellent decision all around.

Question: Have YOU seen a grown man dressed as a house elf hobbling around the theater in nothing but a burlap sack?  (no really , he literally hobbled around ALL night)

Answer:I have. And if that's not dedication, I don't know what is.

Also, I have to take the time to defend my love of Harry Potter. I can't help but be surprised by how many people think it's outrageous that someone of my age (I'm only 23 by the way) would still enjoy this stuff, but I've got to tell you, I saw exactly one person under the age of 16 all night.

Adults running around in dress robes, carrying wands, and drinking butterscotch foam (or coffee for those who weren't used to staying up past 10pm.) It was like Christmas for these people (myself included). Everyone was smiling and slurping icees.

 Mind you, we arrived promptly (well, three minutes late, but that's not my fault) at 10:00 pm to get our seats which left a solid two hours to take everything in.

The best part is that everyone was so happy to be there and behavior that would normally set off a generally impatient person (like myself) did not.

As people were clambering over my legs and stepping on my feet to get a third, fourth, who knows, maybe fifth refill of popcorn, all I could do was smile and say "Oh, it's fine. No really, just push on through. " or "Ouch...oh no, it's perfectly ok! I didn't really need that toe anyway. Don't worry about it!" All while smiling.

Or, while waiting in a line for concession (that wrapped around so many times I'm sure it looked like a cinnamon bun from above), I was grateful it only took 25 mins to get twizzlers and an icee that I had to carry with two hands. I actually said the phrase "Oh, you should go get popcorn! It really only took us 20 or 25 minutes" to someone. (He did-and he got a refill).

Now, in retrospect, I have to admit I'm stunned at some of these observations, but I can guarantee I will be in the exact same place. at the exact same time (hopefully not 3 minutes late) to do it all over again for the final Harry Potter installment.