I'm Dating A Celebrity

Harry Potter dropped 5 minutes ago in H-town, but I wasn't there. I've actually been sitting here in my boxer shorts for the past 3 hours, and I have no plans to read the new Harry book. I've read the first book, and it just wasn't my thing. However, I totally support the books because of their revolutionary ability to interest young kids in reading (and because the religious right is anti-Potter, which makes me pro-Potter by default). Kids aren't the only people who enjoy Harry Potter. Lots of college-age students and beyond dutifully follow the chronicles of Harry and his posse. Jordana has been keeping pace with Rawling's creations, and pre-ordered a copy of the book at a local bookstore in D.C. All pre-ordering customers were given a raffle ticket and a wrist band, and were told to show up at the store for the 12:01 AM release. Jordana had been partying with some friends, as is the typical Friday night college pasttime. She headed out to the bookstore a little tipsy, and as the winning raffle number was called, she was able to steady her vision enough to discern that she had the winning ticket! As the grand prize winner, she had the honor of standing before the crowd and opening the first book as the clock struck 12:01, to a chorus of cheers, photographs, and hullaballoo! This was the first copy of the book to be sold in Washington, D.C.! She called me in utter excitement to tell me that all sorts of people were photographing her, the manager of the store signed her book, and she was given her copy free of charge. She doesn't think any reporters were there, but keep your eyes and ears open in tomorrow's news coverage of the worldwide book release. Perhaps you'll see a familiar name! These are the only details I know at the moment, as Jordana was whisked away to a celebratory pitcher of beer by her zealous friends. I am dating a celebrity!

I guess the rest of my day pales in comparison to the recent excitement. I continued to use the pimp office at work, and my boss discovered me there and immediately ordered that a key be given to me for the remainder of my summer at the lab. I now have elite 24-hour access to a gigantic office, bigger than that of all the graduate students! Kraig, Kevin, and I went to Two Rows for dinner, and were in time for Happy Hour ($2.25 pints). Once full of burgers and beer, we came back to my place for more beer and then immediately hit the tennis courts during a lull in the rain. Unfortunately, the pool temperature has dropped about 10 degrees since we last swam due to all the rain we've been having. Shrinkage!

Kraig is moving into his condo this weekend, but the first task will be a repainting of all the interior walls tomorrow morning. I'll be reading, writing, and labbing all weekend, but we're going to find time to see the new movie The Wedding Crashers tomorrow night. I hope to get some ideas for Kevin and Laura's wedding...

The heavy rain is projected to continue for the next few days, marking about a week of pure deluge. Of course, Hurricane Emily is threatening Texas in the middle of next week, and with a water-logged ground already, I have visions of Tropical Storm Alison all over again. Keep your fingers crossed that the hurricane will stay south of H-town!

Macho macho man: overcompensating for something?

Music of the Moment: "Vertigo" by U2