Yeah, This Is What I Celebrate

Have a very Happy Birthday, Sir Peter Jackson.

(And, er, Happy Halloween, too.)

Adorable

I am about to make your day in

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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Quotes II

Picture by Jake Parker
But from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend. There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.

"You've got to stand up to him, Neville!" said Ron. "He's used to walking all over people, but that's no reason to lie down in front of him and make it easier."

"You know how I think they choose people for the Gryffindor team?" said Malfoy loudly a few minutes later, as Snape awarded Hufflepuff another penalty for no reason at all. "It's people they feel sorry for. See, there's Potter, who's got no parents, then there's the Weasleys, who've got no money--you should be on the team, Longbottom, you've got no brains."
Neville went bright red but turned in his seat to face Malfoy. "I'm worth twelve of you, Malfoy," he stammered.
Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle howled with laughter, but Ron, still not daring to take his eyes from the game, said, "You tell him, Neville."

"Keep the egg in the fire, 'cause their mothers breathe on 'em, see, an' when it hatches, feed it on a bucket o' brandy mixed with chicken blood every half hour. An' see here--how to recognize diff'rent eggs--what I got there's a Norwegian Ridgeback. They're rare, them."
He looked very pleased with himself, but Hermione didn't.
"Hagrid, you live in a wooden house," she said.

"This is Harry Potter an' Hermione Granger, by the way. Students up at the school. An' this is Ronan, you two. He's a centaur."
"We'd noticed," said Hermione faintly.

"Neville," Ron exploded, "get away from the hole and don't be an idiot-"
"Don't you call me an idiot!" said Neville. "I don't think you should be breaking any more more rules! And you were the one who told me to stand up to people!"
"Yes, but not to us," said Ron in exasperation.

"But Harry--what if You-Know-Who's with him?"
"Well--I was lucky once, wasn't I?" said Harry, pointing at his scar. "I might get lucky again."

"After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure. You know, the Stone was really not such a wonderful thing. As much money and life as you could want! The two things most human beings would choose above all--the trouble is, humans do have a knack of choosing precisely those things that are worst for them."

Random Ramblings

Living up to my slogan of "Random Ramblings", here are a few opinions, thoughts, and questions about nothing in particular:

You know that old question, "Which came first the chicken or the egg?"

I know the answer.

It was the chicken who came first.

If the egg had been first, it would have never hatched because there wouldn't have been a chicken to incubate it.

Also, science claims that tomatoes are fruits, not vegetables. Which I think is just ridiculous.

Technically, they're fruits because there's some sort of rule that any plant that has seeds is a fruit. Well, maybe they're the exception to the rule.

It's just not common sense.

Have you ever put tomatoes in a fruit salad?

And I don't care if Pluto is now classified as a "dwarf planet". Scientists just seem to have nothing better to do than turn tomatoes into fruits and planets into dwarves.

You'll always be a planet to me, Pluto.

One more question: "Is the glass half empty or half full?"

For me, it depends. If you fill a cup up, it's half full. If you pour some out, it's half empty.

It's just logic.

Jealous

In Wales, a man named Simon Dale decided to build himself and his family a "Hobbit house". I am so exceedingly jealous.
Aren't you?

Because of Winn-Dixie

Because of Winn-Dixie
by Kate DiCamillo

I've always really liked the book. Just recently, I realized that I hadn't read it in years and decided to do some serious re-reading.

Isn't it wonderful when a book is even better than you remembered?

I've never had a book melt my heart before, but this one did. It made me both laugh and cry.
Because of Winn-Dixie just tells you a story in a honest, open-hearted fashion. It was as if a close friend was telling me all about Opal and her dog, not as if I were reading it. Reading it was like looking deep inside someone's soul, and being trusted to do so.

Man, it's such a good book.


Objectionable Content: A few uses of the Lord's name in vain.

Related Reads:
Bridge to Terebithia-Katherine Paterson
The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs-Betty G. Birney
The Tiger Rising-Kate DiCamillo

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Quotes Part 1

Picture by Brittney Lee

He hurried to his car and set off for home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination.

Piers, Dennis, Malcolm, and Gordon were all big and stupid, but as Dudley was the biggest and stupidest of the lot, he was their leader.

Of course, his birthdays were never exactly fun--last year, the Dursley's had given him a coat hanger and a pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks. Still, you weren't eleven every day.

"Well, it's best yeh know as much as I can tell yeh--mind, I can't tell yeh everythin', it's a great myst'ry, parts of it..."

"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."
"You'd like one?'
"Wanted one ever since I was a kid--here we go."

"Oh, are you a prefect, Percy?" said one of the twins, with an air of great surprise. "You should have said something, we had no idea."
"Hang on, I think I remember him saying something about it," said the other twin. "Once-"
"Or twice-"
"A minute-"
"All summer-"
"Oh, shut up," said Percy the Prefect.
“How come Percy gets new robes, anyway?” said one of the twins.
“Because he’s a prefect,” said their mother fondly. “All right, dear, well, have a good term - send me an owl when you get there.” She kissed Percy on the cheek and he left. Then she turned to the twins. "Now, you two--this year, you behave yourselves. If I get one more owl telling me you've-you've blown up a toilet or-"
"Blown up a toilet? We've never blown up a toilet."
"Great idea though, thanks, Mum."

"You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there."
He held out his hand to shake Harry's, but Harry didn't take it.
"I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks," he said coolly.

Percy the Prefect got up and shook his hand vigorously, while the Weasley twins yelled, "We got Potter! We got Potter!"

"What's the matter? Never heard of a wizard's duel before, I suppose?"
"Of course he has," said Ron, wheeling around. "I'm his second, who's yours?"
Malfoy looked at Crabbe and Goyle, sizing them up. "Crabbe," he said. "Midnight all right? We'll meet you in the trophy room; that's always unlocked."
When Malfoy had gone, Ron and Harry looked at each other.
"What is a wizard's duel?" said Harry. "And what do you mean, you're my second?"
"Well, a second's there to take over if you die," said Ron casually, getting started at last on his cold pie.