9.21.2006

Boots and Dragons

My roommate has finally gotten around to reading Harry Potter for the first time. She’s about to finish book 6.

Of course, I got jealous watching her have all the fun. So, tonight I picked up book 1 again—the one I carried everywhere with me for a week in my first experience with it, reading and re-reading, absorbing the power and humor and courage of the story, hating the very thought of taking it back to the library even to exchange it for book 2.

Reading it tonight, I got a sudden surprise. A line of Hagrid's reminded me of someone:

“Hagrid,” said Harry, panting a bit as he ran to keep up, “did you say there are dragons at Gringotts?”

“Well, so they say,” said Hagrid. “Crikey, I’d like a dragon.”

It made me laugh. Like children everywhere, I looked up very much to Steve Irwin—it wasn’t possible not to; he lived like he enjoyed life. And he ‘went out with his boots on’, doing what he loved; it seems that he’d have wanted that. It just happened way too soon.

It was good to smile at the memory of him tonight. And I have a feeling that had they lived in the same world, the tempestuous but gentle half-giant and the bright, wonder-filled family man from Australia would have found a lot to talk about in their love for their different monsters.


There it is again... that odd mix of happiness and sadness. That juxtaposition has apparently been decreed for me this week.

P.S. All right, Chris. No fair
posting about Harry Potter when Blogger still won’t let me comment on your blog! Especially not fair putting up such a good post. I should have more to say later.

2 comments:

  1. Hey, it's not MY fault that Blogger won't allow comments right now! Or maybe it is: I *was* pretty stupid to have hit the button to "upgrade" to this beta crap without really thinking about it first, huh? :-\

    (But I *won't* let that happen to me when Windows Vista comes out, no matter how much Microsoft says from the start that it's "good for you"! :-)

    BTW, I just started re-reading Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone this past week too. Lisa says I should read Eragon instead, but I'm not going to wade into any new fantasy until after my school board campaign is done in the November election. Until then I'm sticking to stuff I already know :-)

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  2. Hah, you did it again... posted another Harry Potter blog. I guess I should do the same soon... maybe then I could stop talking my very patient roommate's ears off about those books... ah well.

    But I definitely want to let you know how much that post about immortalism encouraged me. You've pulled some of the same ideas from those stories that I have, and I couldn't have written it all down better! The ideas you put forward, echoed in three great storylines, were a perfect reminder; it put some good perspective into my mind and heart, and I needed that. So thanks!

    ReplyDelete

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