The Weekend Looms
Mar. 31st, 2011 02:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lydamorehouseCheck out my friend Doug Hulick's Big Idea on Scalzi's Whatever! It's becoming a Wyrdsmiths tradition.
I'm sorry I've been away. I hear the ol' LJ has been acting up in my absence. Well, I'm back now, so y'all need to behave!
Today was my busy day. I didn't entirely finish Tate's #3 as I'd hoped. I ended up doing a lot of running around. I still haven't made it to the grocery store, but I did get Shawn's birthday present so she'll have something to open tomorrow morning. I thought today was the last day that the Milton Avenue location of Amore Coffee would be open, so I planned to stopped by there for a final cafe Vienna. Alas, I seem to have arrived a day (or more) late. They were moving furnature and other equipment out as I pulled in. Since I'd hauled myself there, I stopped in for lunch at Bread & Chocolate. I wrote a bit, and continue to be amazed by the relaxed way in which this book seems to be coming to a close. Usually, there is much rushing and writing and such in the final days, but I wrote a very lesuirely and detailed scene today. Weird. I hope this isn't some kind of bad omen. At any rate, I have a couple more scenes to write and then I will have reached another "the end" milestone.
Mason and I are re-reading HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE. We just got to the part where the fourth year Gryffindors have had their first Defense Against the Dark Arts class with Professor Moody. I'm going to assume that I don't need to put the next bit under an lj-cut for spoilers, because the book has been out forever, as has the movie, but if you haven't read GOBLET OF FIRE and don't like spoilers, for God's sake stop reading. Okay, onward -- so we all know that Professor Moody isn't, shall we say, _himself_ at this particular moment. Upon second reading, this struck me as VERY interesting. "Moody" shows a surprising amount of what appears to be sympathy toward both Harry and Neville. He comes off like a good guy, a brilliant instructor, even if he is a bit VIGILANT (and a bit odd, of course. But who at Hogwarts isn't a BIT odd.) If I'm reading this right, it means that Barty Crouch, Jr., is actually, on some profound level actually a decent human being.
Or a _really_ good actor. Because, as we learn in Old Trek's "Mirror, Mirror," it is much easier for the civilized man to pass as a barbarian than it is for a barbarian to pass as civilized.
Regardless, I would posit that Barty Crouch, Jr. is one of the best Defense Against Dark Arts teacher that Hogwarts ever had. Considering how otherwise completely unredeeming a character Barty Jr. is, this is a rather noteworthy observation, IMHO.
I suppose that, once again, I'm arriving rather late to this party with this thought, but as it just ocurred to me, I wanted to share it.
And, since I have to rush off to go pick up Mason from school, I'll leave you with it.
I'm sorry I've been away. I hear the ol' LJ has been acting up in my absence. Well, I'm back now, so y'all need to behave!
Today was my busy day. I didn't entirely finish Tate's #3 as I'd hoped. I ended up doing a lot of running around. I still haven't made it to the grocery store, but I did get Shawn's birthday present so she'll have something to open tomorrow morning. I thought today was the last day that the Milton Avenue location of Amore Coffee would be open, so I planned to stopped by there for a final cafe Vienna. Alas, I seem to have arrived a day (or more) late. They were moving furnature and other equipment out as I pulled in. Since I'd hauled myself there, I stopped in for lunch at Bread & Chocolate. I wrote a bit, and continue to be amazed by the relaxed way in which this book seems to be coming to a close. Usually, there is much rushing and writing and such in the final days, but I wrote a very lesuirely and detailed scene today. Weird. I hope this isn't some kind of bad omen. At any rate, I have a couple more scenes to write and then I will have reached another "the end" milestone.
Mason and I are re-reading HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE. We just got to the part where the fourth year Gryffindors have had their first Defense Against the Dark Arts class with Professor Moody. I'm going to assume that I don't need to put the next bit under an lj-cut for spoilers, because the book has been out forever, as has the movie, but if you haven't read GOBLET OF FIRE and don't like spoilers, for God's sake stop reading. Okay, onward -- so we all know that Professor Moody isn't, shall we say, _himself_ at this particular moment. Upon second reading, this struck me as VERY interesting. "Moody" shows a surprising amount of what appears to be sympathy toward both Harry and Neville. He comes off like a good guy, a brilliant instructor, even if he is a bit VIGILANT (and a bit odd, of course. But who at Hogwarts isn't a BIT odd.) If I'm reading this right, it means that Barty Crouch, Jr., is actually, on some profound level actually a decent human being.
Or a _really_ good actor. Because, as we learn in Old Trek's "Mirror, Mirror," it is much easier for the civilized man to pass as a barbarian than it is for a barbarian to pass as civilized.
Regardless, I would posit that Barty Crouch, Jr. is one of the best Defense Against Dark Arts teacher that Hogwarts ever had. Considering how otherwise completely unredeeming a character Barty Jr. is, this is a rather noteworthy observation, IMHO.
I suppose that, once again, I'm arriving rather late to this party with this thought, but as it just ocurred to me, I wanted to share it.
And, since I have to rush off to go pick up Mason from school, I'll leave you with it.
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no subject
Date: 2011-04-01 03:07 am (UTC)I bet a lot of dark magic came from Ravenclaws who were just experimenting. You know, For
ScienceMagic.no subject
Date: 2011-04-01 03:01 pm (UTC)I love Fred and George, for instance, but I would not want to be on the butt end of one of their jokes.
Again with GOBLET because it's the one I'm re-reading, there's some poor sod who gets sorted into Slytherin and Fred (or perhaps George) boos them as they're joining Slytherin's table and I thought, "And you call Slytherin snobs!" Seriously, this kid could be awesome, for all they know. I do wish I had time to write fanfic, because I'd love to write a Slytherin hero.
Also, I'd write "Professor Longbottom and the Malicious Mandrake" and other continuing stories featuring an adult Neville at Hogwarts.