My Black Hole

My stab at blogging started out the way every one of my journals has - full of good intentions. This time around, I had hoped I'd be a bit more successful at writing more faithfully knowing that someone besides myself would be reading it. Alas, that would not be the case.

A quick scan of my apartment reveals that other areas of my life have been getting a bit neglected over the past 2 weeks too as evidenced by the clean laundry piled on a chair, an unpacked bag from a weekend trip, dry goods in a grocery bag waiting to be put away, an inbox full of new messages, and plants wilting on the balcony.

So what do I have to say for myself? Two words - Harry Potter. Every now and then something comes along that occupies my interest for a spell. Up until this year, I've ignored and dismissed the Harry Potter mania but after watching the third movie last year (the only one I've seen), my interest was peaked. So, from the beginning of this year, I began working my way through the book series.

Over the past 2 weeks however, I've not only read books 4 and 5, I've been consumed by them. They've become my personal black hole as though, from out of nowhere, I've been sucked into something I could not have imagined or foreseen. At break times at work, you can find me curled on the sofa or tucked away in a classroom reading. At night I've found it easy to make excuses to skip my evening run in order to get in some extra reading time. And though tiresome mornings of kindergarten have me longing for a nap on my lunch break, the thought of resting has already been replaced with the excitement of reading by the time break time rolls around.

I can still remember the summer when book 5 came out and how my roommate suddenly seemed to vanish, submerging into the solitude of her room to read. I was thankful that we worked together because that was becoming the only time I saw her other than the occasional retreats to the bathroom or kitchen. I remember, too, how sick she was feeling that week and even had to call off from work for a day, though I don't think she entirely minded a day at home confined to her bed reading. What I could not understand at the time, I finally understood about 2 weeks ago as I became captured by book 4, probably my favorite one. I too would not have minded a sick day to have a little extra time to spend reading.

Though I began book 6 yesterday, I've decided to give myself a bit of a break this evening to come up for air and connect again with the outside world. In some ways I'll be glad when I've made it through book 6 but saddened at the same time. While there's a satisfaction in completing each of the books and knowing more of the story, there's a sadness too in leaving behind the excitement of racing through the book to find out what happens. One great thing to come out of it is that I've been returning back to the book loving days of my youth. I'm happy I've taken the initiative to read more this year.