The Bourbon Logs

Water finds its own way as i’ve said before, and so will people. A curious and interesting response to the 7/7 bombings in London has been that Londoners are taking to the streets - on their bikes.

More and more people will cycle into London this week as the fear of being caught in a terrorist attack on public transport overrides concerns of being knocked off their bike by a car, experts say. [full story]

Ride on for peace, ride on…

It is, very much so. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is a thrilling, delightful, and heartfelt piece of work. The thing has pace and flow, inhabiting all of the best landscapes of previous books and introducing another layer of depth to the mix. We learn more, and we are left wanting more. I like the many millions (of Annabels and Williams) am holding my breath for the finale. The storytelling is sharp as an arrow and Rawlings aim is dead on. If i had a criticism of the last book it was that it seemed to go on at times. There was some dreary patches in it when Harry was full of anger and doubt and the book just seemed to drag. There is none of that in book six: it moves with purpose through its paces, with enough story to keep us turning the pages and more economy than in the previous effort.

I’ve also come to the thick-headed realization of what it is that Rawlings is saying in her books. It seems to me that it is exactly this: there is magic in the world, and everyone can partake in it. That magic is called imagination, and by making good use of it we can turn a Dursley-like existence into a Hogwarts with a flick of our mental wands. In a sense the magic she is talking about is art: bring art into your life and you will bring magic into your life. Of course there’s some other stuff there about loyalty and love and a ripping good yarn, but i think the principle message is clear. Imagination: use it or be a muggle.

We picked the book up on Friday at midnight and I handed it over to Chris at 9:00 or so Sunday morning. Your turn.

A new book in the celebrated Harry Potter series is big news, if you’re a fan, as we are. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was legally available for purchase on Friday at midnight, and we wanted to be part of the scene at its unveiling.

We’ve been fans of the book since the early days, having kids who were once into that sort of thing and being interested in what they might like to read, and always looking for new and interesting stuff by shopping at places like Vancouver Kidsbooks where the salespeople actually know something about the genre. We bought it for the kids, but like so many adults, we read it for ourselves. And what mileage we’ve got out of the thing, literally. We’ve often used the books as a sort of defacto vacation getaway, picking up a book in the series when we need to get away but can’t exactly justify a “holiday in the sun”. We have learned that when a break is what’s called for we can with the proper perspective pick up the series and sort of fly away on a broom of our own.

Over the years the kids’ interest in the series has waned, but we’ve kept the torch burning and have eagerly anticipated the release of a new book as much as any. When the last book, Harry Potter and The Order of the Pheonix, was released we ordered our book from Vancouver Kidsbooks and attended the midnight release event to boot. The book could be had “cheaper” by getting it from some place like Costco or Superstore or Walmart, but the resonance to be had from sharing the release excitement with hundreds of people more than makes up for the few bucks more they charged for the book.

The crowd at Kidsbooks for the release of book six was bigger by far than last time. The books and the event have gotten “bigger” together. There was a grand entrance by three large delivery vans, all sporting the Owl Post logo, and a street-level jazz band decked out in eccentric wizard attire provided a New Orleans carnival atmosphere. Hagrid on a motorbike led the procession. Many people in attendance were in costume, be they child, teen, or adult. The phenomena of Harry really has transcended the generations, as teens in Hogwarts sweaters and scarves shared the same enthusiasm as senior copies of Hagrid, Dumbledore, Mad Eye Moody, Trelawney, and more; and many a young Harry or Hermione rode on the dad’s shoulders. We saw a Malfoy and a Talking Picture; a McGonagal and a Vela. We attendended with my brother Rob and his potion’s partner Joanne, who are no less enthusiastic about the series than the most ardent young reader enchanted by Harry’s world. I was in costume as myself….

It was an energizing scene to say the least. The Mayor himself, Larry Campbell (as Dumbledore) made an appearance on the small stage they set up in the parking lot where the books were to be handed out, and did his best to communicate with the crowd using a megaphone, but we really couldn’t hear what he was saying. No super-stereo digital public address system here, and none wanted. The event is still small enough to benefit from a lack of marketing. It’s all about fans - readers - and marketing to this crowd would not only be wasted, it would be an insult.

I had some personal pangs of regret, watching kids about the same age as mine standing in groups with their Hogwarts uniforms, chearing madly when the countdown started, and their parents nearby, dressed in robes themselves and sharing the excitement of the event with them. I’d get more out of sharing a joint with my kids than this kind of “excitement”, but as they say in Hogwarts, ‘adava kedavra’.

We counted down with everyone else and politely waited to pick up our copy. The book in hand we paused for a photo and then made our way back to the car.

Friday’s are magical, as my old boss said, and here was the proof in the pudding. We sent a Patronus galloping down Broadway and headed home….

Rode through a deluge this morning to get to work. It was a rare summer ride where i donned the wetsuit: hi-tec rain pants (poor-man’s goretex), booties over my bike shoes, rain-proof jacket (poor man’s goretex again), and even waterproof gloves (guess what kind of material?). In the end i get sweaty so i don’t exactly arrive “dry”, but i arrive comfortable and in a reasonable state.

Took me 23 minutes to cycle the 10 k down Kingsway. You could not drive it that fast, nor would it ever be as fun in a car. It’s a puddlelicious world out there. Dig it….