Do you feel the magic?

Now that my wallet-finding euphoria has worn off, I have found myself quite busy so far this week.  I completed my writing assignment for one class, but I am already having to think about the subject of my final major writing assignment for the same class.  Meanwhile, I continue to face the daunting task of working at a real job while keeping up as a manager in my fake/simulation job.  The fake one is proving to be a lot more work and stress.  Go figure.

In the midst of all this paper-writing job-delegating fracas, something magical is about to happen.  Can you guess?  Hint:  the word "magical" was specifically chosen as an adjective.  Got it yet?  Hm.  Maybe this will help - da dum de da dum de daaa dum, da da de da de dum....  (Sing this part.)

No luck?  I guess I can tell you.  The first half of the final Harry Potter segment comes out this week.  You are probably assuming by now that I am a big fan of Harry Potter.  This is true.  However, I should probably make a careful distinction.  While I wholeheartedly love the BOOKS, I am not always as enthusiastic about the movies.  My father, on the other hand, has clearly chosen the movie adaptations as his favorite (and only) source of HP magic.

I should probably also clarify that I am not a die-hard fan.  This sort of lifestyle is best left to the experts, like my friend Mary.  Little Mary will be standing outside the theater on Thursday night to watch the midnight release showing of part one of "The Deathly Hallows."  Just in case the excitement overwhelms her, she will be taking the day off on Friday to recover, so I will sadly have to wait for her recap until Monday.  To illustrate Mary's die-hardedness, I will tell you that her current phone ringtone is the theme song to HP.  Lest you think that she pursues this lifestyle alone, I will also tell you that her boyfriend is a big time HP fan himself.  They recently purchased a HP 2011 calendar to keep track of their mutual engagements.  Is that true love or what?

So the real question you're asking now is probably whether or not I intend to see the movie.  Honestly, I do not know yet.  Although I have read all of the books (several times), I have yet to see the fifth and sixth movie installments.  I don't know why - they've always done a decent job with special effects and the acting is actually OK.  I guess I'm one of those weird people who get a little skittish about destroying their personal mental images that were created upon initial reading of the story.  Once I've seen the movie version, I have a visual that may not match with my own version, and this can be a bit traumatic. 

Yes, I am 30, and yes, I should be able to get over it.  But still. 

Anyway, in honor of this big moment for HP lovers everywhere, I will share a picture that I drew for Mary a few weeks ago.  It was in response to an article I read that blamed the HP series for glamorizing the use of owls as pets in India.  Apparently there has been a rise in black-market sales of owls and in their use in black magic ceremonies.  Personally, I think owls are pretty cool, but I realize that fictional owls or even the trained ones used in the movie would not persuade me to keep one as a pet.  They are much better left to their mysterious ways in their natural habitats. 

Sorry for the sidetrack.  However, when you see the drawing and see the writing on Harry's scarf, this should help explain my artistic choice a little better. 

I know he doesn't say SHAZ-ZAM, but I like to say it, and I'm the artist.  So deal with it.

UPDATE:

There is going to be a costume contest at the movie theater where Mary and her BF are going to see the show tonight.  The prize is $500.  This is what we are hoping to do: