Only 1 more day...

So, for longer than I am willing to admit, I have been anxiously awaiting the last Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. When I say anxiously, I mean OBSESSIVELY waiting for that magical day when I have the book in hand and can finally KNOW the answers to all my many questions. Here are just a few things that illustrate my obsession:

• Since about, oh, March, I have been giving my coworkers a daily update of how many days are left. I think they are really getting sick of it.


• In January, I started listening to the HP books AGAIN. It took me until April to finish 1-6. I decided that I needed to get away from them, because I still had more than 3 months to wait. So I tried to start another series, The Work and the Glory series by Gerald Lund (what a change in genre there!). However, TWATG couldn't quite keep my attention. After 2 books, and still with more than 6 weeks to go, I gave in and went back to HP.


• My conversations with my sisters, nieces, husband, and whoever else will listen to be have been peppered with references to the books and theories I have and questions about their theories and also, of course, how many days are left.


• Constant trips to the Leaky Cauldron website to see if any new developments have occured in the world related to HP that might tide me over til I get my book.


• And on and on and on...

Finally, tomorrow is the day. I can't believe that it's here. I have plans to take my son Thomas (dressed as Draco Malfoy, which was HIS choice of character!) to the local Potter Party. My sister Suzette will meet me there with two of her kids, and we will wait in line and get our books together, and then head to my house where I am sure we will read late into the night. I have looked forward to making this memory almost as much as getting the book. I'm excited that Thomas will have his own memory of the last Harry Potter book. As a kid, how many times do you get to leave your house at 10pm and go to a store and do fun things, and then stay out past midnight? I'm excited that my sister and nieces will be there too, so they can remember it with me.

I'm a little sad, because once tomorrow is here, no more HP books will come after. For me, it feels a little like the feeling of Christmas Eve: that happy anticipation of presents and family and good food that is somehow tinged with sadness that it will all be over soon and then you will have to wait another year to feel that feeling again. In a strange, twisted way, I would rather have today, the day before, when all the anticipation is there. Today I can be excited without any sadness of knowing it's almost over. It's the same reason why I like Thursdays more than Fridays.

So, where will YOU be at 12:01 on July 21?