Christine Amsden

I’ve just finished the last book in the Harry Potter saga and it was, in a word, amazing. From page one this book grabs you by the heart and does not let go. There was sadness, fear, hope, loss, and almost desperate moments of hilarity that came as a welcome relief. At points I cried and at others I cheered right out loud.

This isn’t a kid’s book anymore. Harry has grown up and so has the story. Rowling has taken her gloves off and she means business. This book is a departure from all the others — even the darker fifth and sixth books. The wizarding world is in a desperate state and Harry faces challenges beyond any he has faced before.

I will have my spoiler-filled appraisal of the book up later this week, but for those of you who still have not read the book I wanted to say: Hurry up! Make sure you have a box of Kleenex and a full night to stay up reading because you won’t want to put this down.

Confession time: With the release of the last Harry Potter book only a week away, I have been spending a lot of my time thinking about it, re-reading the previous 6 books, chatting on message boards about unlikely theories, and watching the clock tick down on Mugglenet.

I love the books. I can’t wait for the last one.

A week from today my husband and I have an entire Harry Potter evening planned. We will see the movie, go to a release party, get the book at midnight, and then spend as much of the weekend reading as possible. We’ve already lined up my parents to come in and watch Drake for the entire weekend.

So, with no further ado, here are my unlikely theories and predictions, set in stone so that I will have to eat my words in another week. Rest assured that as soon as I finish the book (it may take half a week or more since my husband has to read it aloud to me), you will get an eyeful from me. :=)

First of all, I think Harry will live. Ironically, I believe this because it is so clear to me that Rowling could choose to kill him. She has done a superb job of creating the proper tension and fear in me and convinced me that his life is in danger — far more than the heroes in many *adult* novels I have read. Nevertheless, now that she has done all that so well, she has no need to kill him. The tension is enough. The fear is enough. If I have to chew my nails down to nubs, the least she can do is keep him alive. :=)

Who will die? Well, lots of people, according to the author. I place my bets (no money, just bragging rights) on:

Voldemort (of course)
Neville (heroically)
Belatrix (at Neville’s hand?)
Mad-Eye Moody
At least one Weasley, but not Ginny
Wormtail
Hermione (and this will make me bawl…I better put kleenex on my shopping list)

Other random theories:

Harry will become Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher (and stay there, after he kills Voldemort and breaks the jinx on the job).

Harry and Ginny will hook up. (Come on, it’s been obvious since book 1, hasn’t it? Besides, they only broke up because Harry didn’t want Ginny to get hurt. He still loves her, and love is the thing he’s got the Voldemort does not have.)

The locket is in Serius’ house, where his brother (RAB) put it after stealing it.

Dudley will be the character who performs magic under extraordinary circumstances. (I would say Petunia, but Rowling already quashed that one.)

Snape is evil. (I was looking for middle ground on this for a while, but as I’ve re-read the series, I just can’t find an out for him. Maybe Rowling will surprise me. You never know, but I very much hope she doesn’t go along with the corny but popular theory that Dumbledore asked Snape to kill him.)

Percy will find some way to make up with his family again. (At least, I hope so.)

There you have it…the truth will be revealed in 7_1/2 days.

Well, once again I find myself in a position where I have to lose some weight — fifteen to twenty pounds if you ask my doctor but more like ten if you ask me. I’ve always felt better being just a bit rounded — and it’s an easier weight to maintain. I got pretty skinny a few years back and all I can remember is month after month of counting calories and feeling guilty every time I put anything in my mouth. Put me in a size 10/12 though, and I can usually stay that way without any trouble.

Of course, times of stress can mess anything up. :=)

So here I am, dieting again. I’ve done it before. Back in college I wandered up to about 220 lbs. I was barely fitting my size 18’s and fingering a pair of size 20 pants when I got my reality check and decided enough was enough. Besides, back then I wasn’t eating well at all — fast food all the time and sweets whenever I could get my hands on them really isn’t healthy.

I have a huge sweet tooth. I had to get it capped to make the diet work. Capping a sweet tooth isn’t easy. There’s a period of withdrawal involved that can make you pretty cranky, not to mention insatiably hungry.

That was a long time ago, and some days I still keep my sweet tooth capped through sheer force of will. When I start to feel stressed or depressed, the cap comes off and I put on a few pounds. Now, it’s time to lose it.

I’ve done a lot of successful dieting over the years. My favorite way to diet is by breast feeding. I don’t care what the miracle diet pill people want to tell you, the only real way to eat a lot of food and still lose weight is to have it coming out another way. Alas, I had to wean sometime. :=)

Aside from that, I have usually lose weight through restrictive 1200-calorie diets that leave me hungry and irritable. These diets are very easy to quit. When I’m on that kind of diet I go through life dreaming of my next meal and then feeling disappointed when I get there. They require a lot of willpower and I don’t always have that. Picking up the size 20 pants might have been a good motivator, but in the meantime the thought of a 1200-calorie diet makes me wonder if size 14 is really that bad?

So I’ve got a new plan this time, and we’ll have to see if it works. It will undoubtedly lead to far more gradual weight loss than the more restrictive diet, but I think I will be happier following it. Basically, I’m only reducing my calories to 1400-1500. Those few extra calories allow me to eat a real dinner that I can look forward to and keep me from feeling ravenous throughout the day, even if I’m not entirely satisfied.

I am also starting a daily walking program - something I had been doing a few months ago but stopped for various reasons. I got back into it today, on one of the hottest days of the year. If I can do it today, I can do it any day, right?

We’ll see. Wish me luck!