End of my first month living in the big city. I really like it...Jay's fun to talk to and Kirt's fun to laugh with. I do miss hanging out with Aaron, even though we've been hanging out quite a bit lately.

I've finally found a real job. I really didn't want to continue subbing, so it's quite a relief. I think I'll be making more than enough money, which is always nice.

After reading some Raymond Chandler books and having watched some movies based on his books, I've decided that dialogue is, for me, the single most important aspect of a book or a movie.

Watching the Star Wars prequels has only cemented this belief.

It's almost a new year, which is always exciting. New calendars. Having to remember to write 08 when I go to the bank or sign stuff. And I'm about to move in with a couple of my best friends, which is also exciting. I mean, my mom didn't make me pay rent. And she made me food. And I'll be moving into a smaller room. And I'll have to share a bathroom.

But Kirt does produce some pungent odors, so there are some downsides too.

I'm looking forward to it anyway.

It's raining today, but it's not very cold. I've only worn a sweater once this winter and it's the end of November. I know it's a desert but come on! It's like some unseen phenomenon is causing the world to get hotter and hotter.

As a sub today I had the class watch Transformers. And since it was 6th grade that meant watching the first 50 minutes of Transformers 4 times.

Once was more than enough.

I didn't sub Wednesday and watched American Gangster at the new theater in Casa Grande. It was a solid film but I don't know...it didn't floor me.

No Country for Old Men was by far the best movie I've seen this week. I think that fact that there were aspects to the film (the Chigurh character or the dreams described at the end of the film) that are important for reasons that I don't understand...but I still know they're important. If nothing else it gives me something to think about.

Well I had every intention of posting lots of extremely interesting stuff this month, but it just didn’t happen. I will now, however, respond to Jason’s call-out with my thoughts on Dumbledore’s coming-out.

First, I don’t know what possible relevance Dumbledore’s sexuality has to the story of Harry Potter. I was able to read through all seven books and not at one time even think about whether Dumbledore was a tad queer. Looking back now that Rowling has said he is gay, I suppose it fits. I mean, there was never mention of a wife or female love interest. However I don’t think that alone is evidence enough to assume he was barebacking in the broom closet.

Which brings me to my second thought: books are set in stone. Not literally of course, but they started out that way (i.e. ten commandments) and we started setting them in paper just because of weight and cost issues. And this applies almost exclusively to fiction (i.e. ten commandments), but once a book is written and published it should be fairly self-contained. All the information about the characters, settings, and the universe that that book creates should be contained within the pages of that particular book. Some gaps may be left for the imagination of the reader to fill, but that is left up to the discretion of the reader. What Rowling did was fill one of these imagination-gaps with information of her own and since she wrote the books and created the Harry Potter universe we take her words as gospel, as if her words were written in one of the books. But they weren’t. And since Dumbledore isn’t a real person and only exists in the pages of the seven Harry Potter novels then he’s not gay unless: 1) In one of the books it says he’s gay or 2) It’s left up to the reader to assume/imagine he’s gay. Well option 1 isn’t true which leaves the matter of Dumbledore’s homosexuality up to the discretion of the reader and not with Ms. Rowling.

Now, I don’t doubt at all the Rowing had the intention of making Dumbledore gay but it is so ancillary and inconsequential to the story that I really don’t see the relevance other that to cause a stir by revealing Dumbledore as a bender and to maybe trick some anti-gays who like Dumbledore into rethinking their values.

Anyway, enough of that. It’s Halloween and I think I’ve talked enough about gay warlocks.

Almost missed my deadline. I don't know why recently (and by that I mean since February) I've found it so hard to find stuff to write about. Not that I was ever that prolific, but a short paragraph once a month is pretty anemic, although it is a valid reflection of the life I lead.

Basically what I’m trying to say is that I’m going to try and post more.

I started substitute teaching last week. For the most part it’s really pretty good. There of course are kids that are annoying or cause trouble, but it’s always a small minority. A minority of the students as a whole I mean, not a short black or Mexican child. Although…

Anyway, that’s pretty much it. Fall break starts next week so it looks like I’ll have some time off. I’ll use the time to try and think up stuff to write about.

I got my substitute teaching certificate today. The plan is to sub until I find something better. That's pretty much been the extent of my August. I've enjoyed my time off and I've really enjoyed the fact that this was the first summer were I didn't have to prepare for a new year of school, but it's starting to get a little monotonous and I'm glad to finally have something to do.

Well it's done. It's all over. I've dreaded the day when I would be able to say this for the past, wow like 7 years, but...

...there will be no new Harry Potter books.

Ever.

They're all done. I will never the rest of my life be able to look forward to reading a page out of a Harry Potter book for the first time.

Never.

Now obviously I'm embellishing a little for the sake of humor, but not that much really. I'm seriously sad that I've finished reading all the Harry Potter books. I started reading them (reluctantly I might add) after the 4th book had already been published so I was able to read through the first 4 books without interruption. I envy people who haven't even started reading them as they'll have that luxury with all 7 volumes. However, I think that having to wait a few years in between books only made them more enjoyable. It's probably akin to waiting for The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi to come out, only with better writing.

My only consolation is that Mrs. Rowling won't follow the path of a certain jowly director and ruin a perfectly good epic with a set of disdainful follow-ups.

At least I pray to god she doesn't.