On Saturday I did not, as I anticipated, either buy or begin Harry Potter. My father called from a store and said he could buy it for about $15, and since he volunteered, I figured I would let him. I know how silly this sounds, but I really wanted to go and get the book on my own. I wanted to gleefully stand in front of the bookcases, admiring all the green and purple glory of the sixth installment, and then take my place in queue amongst the other fans. But my parents don't really understand this kind of take on life. They're (especially my dad) pretty practical people who use coupons and dislike wasting anything, including emotion and sentiment on things they don't understand. That sounds harsh, but well, I love the Harry Potter series and there are so few events that I'm interested in attending. Anyway, that was that.

Went to Annie's party in New Jersey. It was fun, although Meredith was right, it really did feel like a scene from Garden State. I'm baffled by New Jersey. The whole thing turned into a 'drinking in the basement' affair, which was pretty reminiscent of my high school days. I mean, we sat on a huge comfy couch, watched bad tv channels over which no one would agree, and failed to make interesting conversation. Then a piece of soundproofing foam collapsed from the ceiling and on its second bounce, hit Sarita's head. It was around the fourth time that I had been told "you're at the Koski's, you have to drink here or you get out" that I suddenly felt that basement culture had lost some of its old-world charm. Nonetheless, a few shots and a game of ping-pong later, I was back in top form. I think Annie herself had a good time, which was really the most important thing. Her family had made this cardboard cutout plastered with pictures of her in all ages. I could never see my parents doing something like that. And Annie looked so happy in all of them. It pleased me to see so many faces of a girl I know, all of them beaming out at me with the same sense of goodwill.