It’s Addison, lol

Finally, I can update about something that’s NOT my wedding!

Oh, did I mention I’ve perma-linked my Flickr? The wedding pictures are on there now, too.

As many of you know (and for those of you who don’t, shame!), at midnight on Friday, July 20^th, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the final installment of the series about a boy wizard, was released. Eight years of my life – my brief, twenty year old life – have been leading up to this book, from the day I bit the bullet and read Philosopher’s Stone in an attempt to shut my brother up. It has now spanned years of my life, and has encompassed my 44 year old father, my 10 year old cousin, and my 25 year old college buddy. If you haven’t read them, and believe them to be foolish children’s books, take it from someone who was there – someone intelligent, thoughtful, and literate – they’re a real jewel. But make sure you at least read to the end of the third book, Prisoner of Azkaban, before you pass judgment. Trust me.

So we drove immediately to Fredericton after work on Friday, and I attended a midnight release party with some friends. Ahh, the joy! Addison actually read to me in the car on the drive to my mother’s house after midnight. We crawled into my miserably creaky old bed together and I continued to read for about an hour after that.

The plan the next day was to go to Sackville (NB) to visit my friend, Rian (female), and see her in a play. On the drive up, we decided to stay in a hotel. Addison had slept terribly at Mum’s, as it was A) uncomfortable, and B) hot. So we stopped at the Holiday Inn Express on the highway, and made a reservation (we didn’t actually check in, because they said they still had to clean the rooms, but our reservation was good).

We returned to the hotel at around 1 am, after seeing Rian’s play and having a drink (of Pepsi, lol) and chatting. I was tired and cranky, and Addison was in pain. So when the gentleman at the front desk informed us that they had accidentally overbooked and had no room for us, I had to bite back a retort. He continued quickly:

“However, we will be sending you to another hotel, where we will pay the night’s fare for you, as well as for one long distance phone call to inform your family where you’ll be sleeping. This is all free of charge. Here is a letter to present at the front desk…”

Hot damn – a free night in a hotel? Sounds like a sweet deal to me! And only 3 kms up the highway, too. However, as we approached the car, I started to have my doubts.

“They’re probably gonna put us in some crapbox motel,” I muttered darkly, buckling up and starting the car. “Have you ever heard of the Future Inns, honey?”

Well, let’s just say that if you, fair reader, have in fact heard of it, you realize now that God was having a good chuckle at my expense the entire time. It was AMAZING. We were given an executive room - $227/night – and free breakfast. I have been to literally dozens of hotels in my life, and I have NEVER seen as much space between the toilet and the bathtub in a hotel bathroom as I did there. King sized bed, brand new mattress. Climate control. It was incredible – and incredibly free of charge. I have never had that marvelous a sleep – EVER – and 100% intend to return there at some point in the future.

Oh, and Deathly Hallows? I finished it this morning at 2 am. Wow…just, wow. I mean, obviously I knew that Luna and Snape would end up snogging, and Dumbledore being resurrected as “Dumbledore the White” was just plain old clichéd (though I’m still not sure why he proceeded to destroy Hogsmeade with a herd of rabid goats), but Voldemort being made of chocolate? Did NOT see it coming.