Even though I'm totally free from reading any books until I decide I'm ready again (damn my English Lit degree for making me hate reading) ... I've halted all tv watching for some intensive reading. Of course it's not like I'm reading War & Peace or even finishing one of the novels I never completed during my degree (eg. Middlemarch), I'm re-reading the Harry Potter novels in preparation for the new book!

Re-reading the books is getting me into a frenzy of excited anticipation. I even ordered Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince at Amazon.ca so I could get the discount and the Saturday home delivery.

The Harry Potter books are basically the only novels I've read for pleasure during the last few years of my English degree. I'm impressed at how J.K. Rowling is able to enthrall me in the story and the universe - no other book has done that for me in a long time.

I did have to stop myself from critiquing the books for areas of simplicity and remember that they are aimed at kids (even though Rowling clearly works to include an adult audience).

Things I've done instead of watching television shows and reading Harry Potter (yeah long weekend!!):

- Watched War of the Worlds: Very exciting and Tom Cruise didn't ruin it for me. I appreciated the modernized adaptation of the novel, particularly how the slow parts of the novel were sped up and they cut out the second plot (the brother's escape) which slows down the story in the book. There were some really cool shots - particularly when the explosions were shown through the rear view mirror.

- Watched Cinderella Man: Maybe it's that I'm PMSing but I was totally in the mood for a sappy feel-good movie. Russell Crowe totally embodies Jim Braddock - it really is an impressive performance. I also loved seeing Toronto transformed into 1930s New York and New Jersey.

- Attended the Dream in High Park's Much Ado About Nothing: I always enjoy Shakespeare, so it was fun. Beatrice and Benedick are absolutely the best part - I'm a big fan of romantic sparring banter, less so of the insipid romantics of Claudio and Hero. Dogberry (the constable in charge of the watch) is such a hoot with his continual misuse of words.

- Watched a CFL game (Canadian Football League): A few of my friends are really into football and are nice enough to explain it to me, so it can be fun to watch with them.

- Hiked on the Kay Gardener Beltline Trail: It was a beautiful day today (the heat had sort of broken) so my friend and I had a relaxing 2 hour hike. We even ran into some guy we used to vaguely know in the early years of university.

- Ate out a few times and had a good time hanging out with friends. I enjoyed a really yummy Strawberry Margarita last night.

- Bought a bathing suit. I ended up paying way more than I wanted, but I think it looks cute. Now I can actually go swimming when I'm up in Manitoba and Northern Ontario in a few days (yeah access to lakes that aren't as disgustingly polluted as Lake Ontario!).

I stayed up late last night finishing Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Mental note: don't decide to read "a few pages before bed" if I'm nearing the climactic chapters. I got totally hooked (despite already knowing what happens) and couldn't put the book down.

A few very random things that I like about the Prisoner of Azkaban:

1. Professor Lupin: He's just so patient and calm, and cool (best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher ever!!).

2. Rowling explores problems within the friend group of Harry, Ron and Hermione. I get all teary when Hagrid talks to Harry and Ron about how upset Hermione is by their anger with her.

3. The Animangus stuff is cool!!

4. The time travel stuff is very well-done (they also did a good job of it in a movie). I don't understand physics or anything science very well but my understanding of time travel is that it should work the way it does in these books - the stuff that Harry and Hermoine travel in time to do should already have happened the first time Harry and Hermione experienced those events (when the viewpoint is from the time traveling Harry & Hermione we just get more info/insight into what happened but new stuff doesn't technically occur). My thinking is that if it doesn't happen this way, it creates a paradox. I'm not sure if this makes much sense - I'm having a hard time explaining it.

5. The themes of family and friendship that dominate this book (and are also in the other Harry Potter books). I'm a big fan of the idea of a chosen family (although I'm fortunate to have a close relationship to my biological family) and like how that's explored in the Harry Potter books.

I'm now trying to resist reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire until I'm actually traveling on Wednesday. I now feel confident that I will read all the books by the time the 6th one arrives at my apartment door!

After finishing the Prisoner of Azkaban I felt free to watch last night's Entourage episode today. I'm loving it (not in the McDonald's commercial jingle way, but in the real life actually loving something way). Bob Saget guest starring as himself is totally fun. I'm now all worried about whether Vince will get the Aquaman role (the writers have really developed some good tension and conflict around this issue). Jeremy Piven continues to shine as Ari - it's so sleazy-agent him when he picks up his daughter from school only so he can harass the Warner's exec (the fabulous Constance Zimmer - Sister Lily from Joan of Arcadia). I'm all excited for when they go to Sundance!

When I was in Indigo getting a nice hardcover edition of Anne of Green Gables (a token of our childhood friendship) as a wedding gift for my cousin, I also checked out the bargain table .... and discovered 2 Buffy script books!!! Since they were only a few dollars each I snapped them up. It will be excellent reference and research for my television writing. Of course my Buffy-fan self is just excited to read the scripts!