Happy Birthday JK Rowling!

“I would like to be remembered as someone who did the best with the talent she had.”
– JK Rowling

Today (July 31) JK Rowling turns 50, and Harry Potter turns 35 years old. In honor of this festive occasion, I am listing 50 things I love about Harry Potter (in no particular order).

Once in a Blue Moon

“It is a beautiful and delightful sight to behold the body of the Moon.” -Galileo Galilei

Tonight something special will occur that only happens once in a blue moon.

It’s, well, a blue moon. No, the moon will not actually be blue.

Quite simply put, it’s the second full moon to occur within a calendar month. This month, for example, there was a full moon on July 2 – and now, squeezed in at the last second, there will be a full moon tonight, on July 31 – a blue moon.

Blue Moons are possible because the moon goes through a full cycle every 27.3 days, making it actually shorter than a calendar month. Over time, the days accumulate, and after 3 years, the blue moon graces the night skies, and instead of the typical 12 full moons a year, we get a rare 13.

So look to the skies tonight and enjoy a rarity of nature. And turn on some Billie Holiday while you’re at it.

 

 

 
They are starting to put ads on our blog. We do not approve these and are not getting any residuals whatsoever, so I apologize for the content. I’ll see what I can do about it.

Hiccups

 

“I never make the same mistake twice.
I make it five or six times, you know, just to be sure.”
Unknown

 

Yep. My blogger’s worst fear happened.
I was writing notes for a post: scattered, patchy, rambling unfinished thoughts that I quickly jotted down as hubby was calling from the other room, “Come on! The movie is about to start!”

“Give me a sec!” I yelled back.  “Let me just get this idea down and I’ll be right in.”
I typed fast and went to close out the page, but instead of pushing the “Save Draft” button, I pressed the “Publish” button.

The Beauty of Imperfection

“There is a crack in everything,
that’s how the light gets in.”
Leonard Cohen

“We are all flawed creatures, all of us.
Some of us think that means we should fix our flaws.
But get rid of my flaws and there would be no one left.”
Sarah Vowell, Take the Cannoli

“Wabi-Sabi nurtures all that is authentic by acknowledging three simple realities:
Nothing lasts,
Nothing is finished,
Nothing is perfect.”
Richard R. Powell

Ah, the beauty of Imperfection. This is the core of Japanese aesthetic.  Evanescent and incomplete, wear and tear, full of character, rich with history – the kind of beauty that sees the natural course of life as the epitome of allure and value.  The Japanese call this Wabi-Sabi.  And I’m pleased to report that it’s more than art.  It is a philosophical and spiritual way of life.

I think our modern culture could be all the richer for this mindset.  In a world where perfection is the goal: wanting more, doing most, being best – and getting there is too often an exhausting journey, Wabi-sabi veers us off the road to Crazy Town and sets us gently in the high country where we can breath the fresh air and view life and ourselves with perspective – with authenticity over perfection.