Visitors to the Ollivanders wand shop at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter will step into one of the most iconic scenes from the bestselling from the bestselling Harry Potter books and blockbuster feature films. With the assistance of a live actor, along with amazing special effects, guests of Ollivanders will get to experience the same type of magical moment Harry had in “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” when a wand “chooses them.”

Universal Orlando Resort has worked closely with Warner Bros. Consumer Products and the Warner Bros. Harry Potter brand team to make this moment as authentic, magical and immersive as possible for guests – a theme carried throughout the entire experience at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Inside Ollivanders, visitors will be surrounded by thousands of multi-colored dusty wand boxes stacked on shelves from floor to ceiling. They will be welcomed by an inquisitive Wandkeeper, who will guide them through an enchanting experience to find their very own wand. First the Wandkeeper will ask the guest a few special questions and then select the first wand for them to try. Just like Harry, the guest will be prompted by the Wandkeeper to give the wand a wave, and a series of magical mishaps will occur until the right fit is found.

In addition to the magic featured in Ollivanders, guests will experience many other magical happenings at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, including a Howler featured in the Owl Post shop front window whose ranting can be heard by guests as they pass by; The Monster Book of Monsters in Dervish and Banges that will snarl and growl at anyone who tries to get too close, and the Hog’s Head which can be seen puffing his jowls at visitors who visit the Hog’s Head Pub.

Inspired by J.K. Rowling’s compelling stories and characters – and faithful to the visual landscapess of the Warner Bros.’ films – The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal’s Islands of Adventure will provide visitors with a one-of-a-kind experience complete with multiple themed attractions, shops and an eating establishment. This completely immersive environment will transcend generations and bring the wonder and magic of the amazingly detailed Harry Potter books and films to life.

Say you’ve spent the first 10 years of your life sleeping under the stairs of a family who loathes you. Then, in an absurd, magical twist of fate you find yourself surrounded by wizards, a caged snowy owl, a phoenix-feather wand, and jellybeans that come in every flavor, including strawberry, curry, grass, and sardine. Not only that, but you discover that you are a wizard yourself! This is exactly what happens to young Harry Potter in J.K. Rowling’s enchanting, funny debut novel, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. In the nonmagic human world–the world of “Muggles”–Harry is a nobody, treated like dirt by the aunt and uncle who begrudgingly inherited him when his parents were killed by the evil Voldemort. But in the world of wizards, small, skinny Harry is famous as a survivor of the wizard who tried to kill him. He is left only with a lightning-bolt scar on his forehead, curiously refined sensibilities, and a host of mysterious powers to remind him that he’s quite, yes, altogether different from his aunt, uncle, and spoiled, piglike cousin Dudley.

A mysterious letter, delivered by the friendly giant Hagrid, wrenches Harry from his dreary, Muggle-ridden existence: “We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.” Of course, Uncle Vernon yells most unpleasantly, “I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!” Soon enough, however, Harry finds himself at Hogwarts with his owl Hedwig… and that’s where the real adventure–humorous, haunting, and suspenseful–begins.

Download : The Sorcerer’s Stone

I’m am quite certain most people know who Harry Potter is.  I’m also certain that you know him well enough than your classmate seated on your left, or your co-worker on the right cubicle, or the neighbor at the end of the street, or maybe the man who delivers the milk in the morning. Unless you live in the boondocks, under the sea, or maybe off this planet.

It would be time-wasting to write Harry’s biography and it would even be more futile to write a review.  We know what he is and what happened to him in the end, and yes, we all love him.  If you don’t, there is something seriously wrong with you.

On June 30th 2010, Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone celebrates its 13th year of publication. I know I’m six months early but just for fun, I’ve decided to revisit our favorite wizard by re-reading the series. I’m gonna post some things that crossed my mind while Harry was in his first year in Hogwarts.

I recall when I first stepped off from the world of Muggles, the place that captivated me the most was Diagon Alley. Maybe it’s the inherent female-shopping gene kicking in (but strangely I don’t really shop that much in real life), or probably just the out-of-this-world coolness of the stuff that’s been sold in that place that attracted me (Yes, robes are sexy.  LOL!).  So I made a shopping list of the 10 things I’d like to buy in Diagon Alley if there would be a crack in the space-time-reality-fantasy continuum.  (Some things listed are not necessarily mentioned in the series, but given the chance, maybe it could exist in Harry Potter’s world!)

10 Things I’d Like to Buy in Diagon Alley

1. The trendy witch hand bag. Like a bottomless pit, you can fill it in with all your knick knacks without worrying about space or weight.

2. Rita Skeeter’s notepad. Very handy for dictations.

3. The wizard’s version of a camera. Wouldn’t it be cool if your pictures are moving?

4. Self-stirring cauldron (or pot). Saves time and effort on cooking.  If there’s a self-frying frying pan that’s sure not to burn what you’re cooking, everybody will be gourmet chefs!

5.  Rememberall. Very handy for people who forget names or places .. like me!

6. Nimbus 2000 broom. Your hybrid’s got nothing on this baby. It’s greener with zero carbon emissions.  Saves 1/4 of your life by reducing time spent on mind-numbing traffic, and its parking space is just a closet.  Also, you can probably use it in manual cleaning activities too.

7. Love potion. Self-explanatory.:-D

8. Wizard’s Tent. Making your outdoor travel comfy.  If I have a tent like what they have, I probably wouldn’t buy a house anymore.

9. An Owl. Yes, we have real owls here on Earth, but these owls in Harry’s world seem smarter than dogs. Plus they make sure all your correspondence reach the person, they’re more reliable than e-mail (Mailer Daemon error blah blah).  And I think they’re good pets as well.

10.  Skele-Gro. I can now attempt all the stupid sports I’d like to try without worrying about breaking my bones … I just have to make sure though I won’t get killed or this thing will be useless.

]]> http://harrypottergirl.wordpress.com/2010/01/05/harry-potter-and-the-sorcerers-stone-chapter-6/ Tue, 05 Jan 2010 21:10:59 +0000 harrypottergirl http://harrypottergirl.wordpress.com/2010/01/05/harry-potter-and-the-sorcerers-stone-chapter-6/

The Journey from Platform nine and Three Quarters

You cannot imagine how relieved I was to find that the Dursleys were almost nice to Harry the last month of his stay. Hey, I mean being ignored completely is better than being almost abused. I didn’t think they were going to take him to the train either. I was pleasantly surprised by that fact. And the joke is on him for not having faith in platform nine and three quarters. Shame on you Mr. Dursley.

Of course there would be a complication with getting on the platform. It’s magical. Duh! I have to give props to Mr. Potter, running full tilt at a solid wall takes some guts. (Guts that I definitely do NOT have) Needless to say, I am glad that Harry’s small body is not pasted on the side of a brick wall at King’s cross section.

Again, I think that being scrutinized by everyone, just because you are the stuff of legend come to life before their eyes, would get a little old. But, at least he gets a train buddy out of it! (Plus, I know enough to gather that this will be a budding friendship!) Oh, and the Weasleys lived up to all of my lofty expectations about them. They are not only hilarious, but Gingers! Love them!

So, for me at least, that much sugar and a fast moving train would mean the window would open for me to puke out of it. Harry and Ron should all rights be sick! Of course, that may or may not be from Draco Malfoy’s visit. (Let the rivalry begin!) And of course, Hermione and all of her ridiculous genius enters the scene. I’m going to love her as much as she is going to irritate me.

And so the goal of Hogwarts has been achieved. Dude, I want to live in a castle. Like seriously. Maybe like this one.

This has been a chapter for beginnings! So many characters come onto the scene. (including the ever toad-losing Neville). Chapter 7 is next!

CV

Question for the comments: If you were Fred and George, what prank would you pull at Hogwarts?

Hey everyone!

My posts were necessarily delayed because of the holidays, but I am back with Chapter 5, Diagon Alley.

This is definitely a place I would want to visit. Sounds like you could find some equally creepy and awesome stuff in the back corners of these stores. But I think that people coming up to me from all sides saying they’ve waited their whole lives to meet me might freak me out just slightly.

So Gringotts is basically the worlds oldest, fastest, and most totally made of awesome wooden roller coaster ever. Period. The ride kind of reminded me somewhat of the the roller coaster ‘Thunder Mountain”. I haven’t been on it in years, but i think that’s what it’s like. But don’t be fooled…despite the fact that the first car is a train (As seen in the picture) It actually is a pretty intense ride. Plus, the fact that there’s just piles of gold waiting for you at the bottom of the awesome ride just clinches it in the ‘can I do this everyday?’ category. Now….what is in the very secretive vault 713?? Hmm…I’m guessing time will tell that one.

So robes, books, cauldron, and pretty white owl later we’re off to the wand shop. I wonder how much destruction occurs in that shop from people being incorrectly matched to wands….I wouldn’t want to be the janitor in that place. I’ll bet you the fact that Harry and Voldemort have similar wands will come into play later in the series won’t it Harry Potter people?

I don’t like the fact that Harry has to go back and live with the Dursleys for any extra length of time. But oh well, there’s nothing to do about that. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see how bad his punishment is. Until then!

CV

Merry Christmas Eve everyone! (Especially from Hagrid, who I’m sure who make the sentiment loud and bold)

This post will be brief, because it is Christmas Eve! and I don’t want to take up a lot of your time.

Speaking of Hagrid, he showed up! Yay!

There’s not a terrible lot to say about this chapter I’m afraid, other than it was filled with the infodump of exposition that HP ignorant people like me need. Although there were a few things I will mention.

1. Hagrid’s coat. This coat is obviously made of awesome. It is an entire universe in and of itself, and probably has it’s own gravitational field. Plus it holds the ultimate cornucopia of everything that you might possibly need. Ever.

2. Hagrid’s Temper. I like him, he’s a ‘lets react now, and say sorry later’ kind of guy. I can be like that, so I definitely relate. (P.S. even if I had gotten expelled, I would have had a REALLY hard time NOT using magic anyway)

3. Aunt Petunia’s freak-out. Let it out girl, you know it had to come out sometime.

4. The Owl’s payment. Ok, so maybe this will be explained later, but when Hagrid told Harry to feed the owl, I thought that he would feed him one of the mice or something. What is an owl going to do with money? Or does that go to the newspaper? Confusion!

Oh, and kudos that Harry finally gets a decent meal from Hagrid, and that he gave Dudley a pig tail.

Alright, that’s all I can think of right now. I hope everyone has an absolutely fantastic Christmas Eve and Christmas day!
CV

This whole…I’m going to read one chapter at a time thing….yeah. This is hard. You all are going to have to keep me in check! I really, really, really wanted to read chapter 4. But alas, that is Thursday’s task.

So Harry’s in the cupboard. and he has to stay in there for a pretty long time I guess. So long that school was already out when he was allowed to escape from that dank prison? That’s ridiculous. Was he allowed to go to school? cause if I was his teacher I would ask questions if Dudley kept showing up to school and Harry didn’t. Weird.

I like the name of Dudley’s new school: Smeltings. The word smelting means to melt down metal, which led my mind’s eye to the image of Dudley melting in his own fat…which needless to say made me smile. Oh and the uniform….

Maroon Tailcoat: 40$

Orange Knickerbockers: 30$

Ridiculous straw hat and pretentious stick: 60$

The image of Dudley Dursely looking like Tweedle Dee and Dum from Alice in Wonderland? Priceless.

Oh, and by the way, for those of you who were wondering what Knickerbockers are, I looked it up. They’re those really ugly midget pants that have elastics right below the knees so that those who where them look like they are continually wading in some sort of pond.

The smell that greets Harry from Aunt Petunia dyeing his ‘new uniform’ makes me wonder what on earth she was dyeing the with. I’ve dyed stuff before and it really doesn’t smell bad. Hmmm….maybe we don’t want follow that line of thought too far. Also, for the record, I agree with Harry. If he did ever end up wearing those clothes, he would indeed look like he was wearing bits of old elephant skin.

Ok, so I’m pretty sure I know who the letter is from…but I’m not really sure. So I was just as angry as Harry about not getting to read it. And as soon as the Dursley’s that they might be in trouble they move Harry to a better room. I knew that if someone threatened them they would cave, and this wasn’t even a threat! at least for Now Harry has better sleeping quarters.

As I read this chapter, I was sitting in Wegman’s (Where I’m writing the post as well) and I was giggling out loud every time the letters kept coming back. (At Mr. Dursley’s expense of course.) Lesson learned, you don’t mess with magic dude. Just don’t do it. Even when they run away he thinks he confuse the people who know where Harry sleeps? hahaha. Nice one Mr. Dursley.

I’m very curious about who is at the door, though I have a suspicion. Guess I’ll have to wait for Thursday!

CV

Question for the Comments: Which is worse? Having to sleep in a tiny dark space infested with spiders? or in a crusty shack that could be taken out by a wave any second?

Here we are at Chapter two, and ten years have passed! Talk about your major time gap there!

The Dursley’s house seems like it has turned into one of those houses where you walk in and almost vomit because the parents are so obsessed with their own children. The pictures, the ribbons, the cutest baby trophy; it just makes you sick. The comparison of Dudley to a large pink beach ball as a baby is awesome.

<——– My image of Dudley = PUFFBALL!

And poor Harry is stuck in the middle of this like a ghost. I feel bad for the poor kid. I got a little bit of a Cinderella vibe too when it was revealed that he lives in the closet under the stairs. (And can I just say that I could not handle that? It’s full of spiders, and I am deathly afraid of spiders.)

Ok, so he’s making breakfast. Not the worst job in the world for now, at least he gets to make sure his own food is good! Dudley, the Pig in a Wig by Harry’s own description, enters and begins to count his presents. Ok — Hold the phone. Who in the world would complain about getting 37 presents for their birthday? Hello! So the parents go out to buy to more just to beat last year’s total of 38? Oh. My. Gosh. If I could reach into the pages and smack this child I would! Ok. I’m breathing. I promise — Anyway, Dudley the marshmallow wonder opens his ridiculous extravagance including 16 video games. No wonder the kid is so fat! His brains have turned to mush dribbled into his stomach from staring at screens all day.

So, even though some weird things happen to Harry, (because of all of his dormant wizard awesomeness) I don’t really see why the Dursley’s are so completely opposed to taking him anywhere. It’s not like Harry is going to become a psychopath and go on a killing rampage in the middle of the zoo, he’s a ten year old for goodness sake! No matter, I’m glad Harry got to go to the zoo, and that he ended up with ice cream: from the truck and Dudley’s left-overs.

Snakes. I’m really not a big fan of snakes. They’re not as bad as spiders of course, but still not a big fan. Obviously the reptile house at the zoo is not a place where I would be spending a lot of time. However, it does kind of make sense that the brat bully and his little minion would like it in there. It makes me giggle that the snake knew the whole time, and purposely ignored Dudley. That makes me like him.

I read the passage where the glass disappeared several times because at first I thought the glass had broken. Then I realized that Harry had unintentionally made the glass disappear after he felt bad that the snake had never been to Brazil. Although, as a 10 year old he probably didn’t realize that there was no way for the snake to get to Brazil from England.

Not exactly a happy chapter ending with Harry sent away to his cupboard with no food. Where is Social Services we might ask? Oh well, I know it’s only a matter of time before things get better. And while I wait, I get the first glimpse of Harry’s past — a flash of green light. I guess I’ll jsut have to wait and see what else he can remember!

CV

Question for the comments: If you were in Harry’s situation, what would you have done to sabotage his birthday?

And so it begins….this journey through seven of the most famous books of all time.

I have to say, in today’s society and all the hype around Harry Potter it has been impossible for me to not be spoilered. So I can almost guarantee you everything will not be a surprise, but in my expereince books are almost always better than movies and have a lot more depth and detail. It is that I’m looking forward to.

So Chapter 1.

The description of the Dursley’s is pretty comical, almost ridiculous. I had fun imagining how long of a neck you would have to have in order to peek over fences.  The Dursleys may pride themselves on being normal, but I must say they seem incredible boring. They’re the kind of people who’s lives I enjoy watching get turned upside down. So A cat reading a map is a welcome surprise, although that would probably shake me up  a bit too.

Ok, hello! What is wrong with Mr. Dursley? Why is he being so judgemental about the cloak thing? I like cloaks. I think they’re incredibly awesome, and I still want one. If I end up receiving a Snuggie for Christmas I might be awesome and pretend it’s a cloak. SO THERE Mr. Dursley! *Mutters ‘Judgemental fool* under her breath* Anyway, there are alot of people in cloaks, I’m cool with that. I already know they’re wizards, so checkmark off the list. What happens next?

I like the fact that Mr. Dursley yelled at five people in person and a couple more over the phone and this puts him in a good mood. I don’t think I would enjoy destroying that many people’s days. And drills? Seriously? I can appreciate a good drill, I love power tools. But how can you be so obsessed with drills that you son’t noticed hundreds of nocturnal owls swooping past your window in the middle of the day? Woah…talk about unobservant.

It’s strange to me the Mr. Dursley is SO worried after the mention of the Potters. Don’t they ignore them whenever possible? So what effect would anything the do have upon his family. Sure all the stuff from the whispers, to the owls, to the shooting stars (Which I still don’t get) is weird, but I don’t think that it should at all keep him from getting a good night’s sleep.

I knew there was something awesome about that cat. And on that note, Professor McGonagall is inherently awesome because she chose to shape-shift into a cat, which are the coolest animals ever. Sorry all you dog fans out there. She seems pretty up tight though…hmm. We’ll have to see about her.

It’s here that we hear the inciting incident. Although I already know who these characters are (And it helps because they’re not explained in this chapter), it still seems surprising that someone with so much power disappeared after attacking a baby who doesn’t even have control of his faculties. Oh well, I know I’ll find out more about that later. In the mean time we’re left with the classic baby-on-the-step chapter closure. Although I don’t envy Harry the step. Good luck with those people!

CV

“A delightful award winning debut from an author who dances in the footsteps of P.L. Travers and Roald Dahl.” exclaims Publishers Weekly about J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” is a fictional tale of magic and adventure, which grasps the reader every line. I was transported to a new world of Hogwarts with this novel.

“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” tells the story of you guessed it, Harry Potter. Harry Potter lived with his aunt, uncle and their son because his parents died. Harry dreaded his life because of the way he was treated at home, that was until his 11th birthday when he found out he was actually a wizard. Once he learned this, he was sent off to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry quickly makes friends with a boy name Ron Weasley and eventually Hermonie Granger. They become the Three Musketeers of the book. They are a curious group always exploring restricted areas and finding out anything they can about mysterious things. Lord Voldemort, who killed Harry’s parents while Harry miraculously survived, is after Harry’s life. Harry, Ron and Hermoine find out about the Sorcerer’s Stone and suspect the cruel Professor Snape is trying to steal it. Will they manage to get the stone before the enemy does and stay out of trouble?

The theme of this book is you must do what seems good in your heart. I believe J.K. Rowling chose these theme as many people don’t do things they should because of the fear of what will happen and what others will think. She did a good job in bringing out the theme by complexly developing the characters. Also by having Harry face tough decisions, which he followed what was in his heart and ended up succeeding. The characters ages in the book widely ranged, but mainly focused on pre-teens and older-aged adults. The author developed all the characters to have their own distinctive personalities and quirks. The complexness of the characters really keeps you drawn to the book as you get attached to the characters. The main characters also really helped to portray the theme by what they went through and the decisions they made.

This tale took place at Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the majority of the book and was in modern day. The setting strongly added to the story because it gave a much more magical sense with all the secret places and majestical feel Hogwarts produced. Hogwarts has magical moving staircases, pictures that needed a password to allow you into rooms, ghosts wandering the halls and much more. The fact that it was in modern-day also added to the story as it gave the feeling that this could actually occur and made me envision myself in the story.

The author, J.K. Rowling is a writer and had her claim to fame with this series, “Harry Potter.” J.K. Rowling earned a French and Classics degree at Exeter University and began writing the “Harry Potter” books on a delayed train trip. She worked on outlining the plots for the books and wrote “the Sorcerer’s Stone” for the next five years. J.K. Rowling has a very smooth reading, yet very detailed writing style, which keeps readers hooked to her books. I really enjoyed how she wrote the book in third person from a narrative point of view. I also liked how she used humor through the characters dialogue. Especially through the Weasely twins such as, “Now, you two – Behave yourselves. If I get one word that you’ve blown up a toilet or – ” “Blown up a toilet? We’ve never blown up a toilet.” “Great idea though, thanks, Mum.”

“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” is currently my favorite book and is the reason much of my time will now be devoted to finishing the “Harry Potter” series. J.K. Rowling is a great author whose very descriptive writing style give you no choice but to keep reading. I believe this is a great read for anyone who enjoys wonderful writing and adventure, as well as learning valuable lessons. If you decide to pick up this book, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed. As USA Today says, “you don’t have to be a wizard or a kid to appreciate a spell cast by Harry Potter.”

I had a passion for the Roman and Greek mythologies, since I was reading the Harry Potter series. It returned when I learned about the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. I learned the latter from a thread/topic from the Pinoy Exchange website. I admit that, I haven’t read the latter book series.

I started reading the Harry Potter series, after I watched the first/1st Harry Potter film (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in the U.S. and other countries like the Philippines, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in the U.K. and other countries). Same thing happened with the Chronicles of Narnia series. I watched the movie version of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. I don’t how I learned about the Chronicles of Narnia (started with the ‘The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe).

I had also a passion for the Norse Mythology, when I was playing then the Ragnarok Online. I had also watching the animated Ragnarok TV series. I had also a passion for the other mythologies from other countries. But my passion for the Norse Mythology and other mythologies from other countries don’t have that strong passion than the Roman Mythology.

I admit that I have dream to be a writer. A novel writer (novelist), that is.

Here is the second trailer from “Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Lightening Thief”.

Based on the novels by Rick Riordan, the film stars Pierce Brosnan, Uma Thurman, Sean Bean, Kevin McKidd, Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario, Catherine Keener, Rosario Dawson and Steve Coogan.

Christopher Columbus (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets) is directing.

You know how it works. Celebrity does something blog-esque, and within the next week or so (in this case a few days), blogs are lighting up with similar entries.

Recently,  Quentin Tarantino made a video listing his 20 favorite films since 1992 (the year he officially became a director). Now, I originally wasn’t going to make a list of my own. Then it dawned on me, 1992 is also a year of significance to me; it was the year I was born.

Tarantino’s List

I will construct the list as he did; one definitive favorite (favorite doesn’t necessarily mean best) followed by 19 more in no particular order. So, on to my top 20 movies since the year I was born. These are the films that made me love the medium; they have shaped my personality more than any person could:

Favorite – Clerks. (1994)

The Rest (19, In no particular order):

-Pulp Fiction (1994)
-Fargo (1996)
-There Will Be Blood (2007)
-American Splendor (2003)
-The Dark Knight (2008)
-Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
-The Wrestler (2008)
-Sideways (2004)
-Being John Malkovich (1999)
-Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)
-Ratatouille (2007)
-Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005)
-Bowling for Columbine (2002)
-Chasing Amy (1997)
-Unforgiven (1992)
-Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003) and Vol. 2 (2004) (I’m counting these two as one)
-Hot Fuzz (2007)
-Thank You For Smoking (2005)
-The Iron Giant (1999)

——————————————–

That’s it. My 20 favorite films since 1992. What did you think? Like it? Love it? Loathe it? I’d love to read some feedback, good or bad.

-YeOldeJacob

So here is a continuation of my attempt to make my life sound interesting:

I got to Economics late. I’m always late. It’s usually not a problem, but with a class of 320 students in a classroom with 300 seats, things can get a little tricky. I ended up setting up camp in the very back of the class, on the floor, in the corner. Very conducive to learning. As my professor monotonously continued droning on about aggregate supply and demand, I searched for an internet connection. In the big classrooms it can be tough sometimes to

Meh…I am bored with that.

I really have wanted to be a writer since I can remember. I mean, obviously I had the stereotypical childhood hopes and dreams that everyone has at some point: fireman, astronaut, artist, toll booth worker, college counselor, car wash-er. Okay, so maybe a few of those are a bit odd, but you catch my drift.

I wrote my first novel when I was ten, which might as well be your death bed if you compare that to the work of other child geniuses. Mozart had already written an entire symphony by ten. My parents used to mention that when we would play Candy Land, and there I was trying to lick the board. Right on track. When my teacher told our class one morning that we were going to be writing novels, I immediately knew I would shine. My favorite novel at the time was, of course, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. As I wrote my own masterpiece, I tried to keep in mind how J.K. Rowling crafted her best selling series.

When I finished writing, I read my novel to the class. It chronicled the life of a boy, who at age eleven discovered he was a wizard and left to attend a school of witchcraft and wizardry. He made two friends, one boy and one girl, and was constantly haunted by the death of his parents. Brilliant, if you ask me. I felt I had definitely proven myself worthy to be considered alongside other child geniuses. Mozart wrote a symphony, and I wrote a novel. Basically equals.

Unfortunately, Mrs. Gadd apparently couldn’t recognize brilliance if it hit her in the face, and she spent the next thirty minutes lecturing us about plagiarism. It must have been difficult for her to be struck with such envy towards such a young boy. I eventually managed to forgive her.

Despite my apparent “theft” of the plot of an already existing book–hogwash, if you ask me–I was still very attached to my first novel. I knew it would be important to keep so that documentaries recording my life would have material to start with.