Harry Potter Arrives
Trip Start
Mar 10, 2007
1
83
188
Trip End
Jan 08, 2008
Auckland,
New Zealand
Saturday, July 21, 2007
That was the plan anyway.
Alas, I forgot about the rugby. I was forced, from amid a crowd of rugby fans, halfway down the stairs to the platform, to watch my train slide out of the platform. The next train did not leave for an hour, though fortunately Border's had extended opening hours for the release, so I was not going to miss getting my book. I just went to do my shopping to break up the wait and, once I had stocked up on snack food and goodies to sustain me through my evening's reading I made my way back to the platform to catch the next train. From this point my evening progressed much more smoothly. I collected my book (complete with a free Hedwig beanie toy - a pleasant surprise) and made the connecting train straight back to the city centre and wandered back to the hostel to settle in for the night with Harry and his final adventure.
It was not my intention to be up as late as I was, I had decided to go to bed relatively early as I was at work in the morning so I had no real chance to complete the book in one sitting, and I had been pulling long shifts for the better part of the week so I was quite tired. As I said however, reading is my vice, and I found that whenever I went to go to bed, it wasn't quite late enough, and I always had the energy to do just a little more - one more chapter and then bed... I ended up reading until 5.30am, only going to bed when two of the guys in the hostel came back from the casino, slightly drunk and decided that it would be entertaining to disturb me in just about any way possible. They found it difficult to believe that I had sat still reading for nine hours. Like I said, it is my vice, and I could have worse. I cannot say that I was really amused by being disturbed either, I do not like to be disrupted when I am reading and I especially hate being asked inane questions such as "Is it good?", "What has happened?", "Who is dead?", and "Are you still enjoying it?" one after the other, as one of the guys (who I do not really like) insisted on asking, despite the fact he does not know any of the characters and after I had told him that I didn't want to have a conversation because I was enjoying reading.
"Is it good?" No. I have just read until dawn because it was utterly boring and sleep is not somethig that I require at all! Honestly. There are few people that I do not find something to like about, but he is one of them. Something about him makes me uncomfortable. I do not like it. That was not the end of the matter though, as once I had dissuaded one from his stupid questions it was the turn on Max, and though he asked the same silly questions he did it in a much more pleasant manner. Or maybe I am just more disposed to approve of Max as he is a more open person. It was still irritating though. In the end however, I think I have to say that it was a good thing that they disturbed me as it prompted me to go to bed and I really did need the sleep. Left to my own devices I probably would have ploughed through to the end of the book and paid for it at work in the morning - not something I am keen to do.
I don't think that anyone will have a chance to let something slip tomorrow, so I will still discover the ending for myself, which is partly what the manic reading level has been for.
