We are Tulsans again.

Well, we are all moved in. Kind of. There is a lot less room in the new place, but we knew that. Our stay here is completely temporary, so we just have to decide what not to unpack. I think the china and the comics are staying in their boxes.

What we do have room for, apparently, is bugs. Lots of bugs. All kinds of bugs. The kitchen was pretty filthy when we got in there, and we slowly started seeing the signs of an infestation. We cleaned everything real good, put all kinds of traps and what-not down, sprayed inside and out, then called an exterminator. He came yesterday and now the house is airing out. It should take care of the problem with minor maintenance here and there.

I really hate that I'm renting again. The majority of what we have to unpack is out, we just have to find a place for it all.

Jackson is very excited because he got a toddler bed shaped like a VW Beetle. Now all we have to do is get him to actually go to bed in it. Jackson, like his father, doesn't like to go to bed early. He'd rather stay up and see what everybody is doing. So we usually have to put him in his crib at bedtime, and once he realizes that we mean it, he'll settle down and go to sleep. The car bed has no rails or anything, so he'll just get up, and come out of his room. We're working on that.

My Dad is coming to visit tonight and for the weekend. I get to see him rarely, and Jackson gets to see him even less, so I'm really glad they'll be able to spend some time together. Our new house is right by the Baseball field and my dad is a big baseball fan, and the Drillers* are The Colorado Rockies' farm team, so there is that, too. Other than that, we're going to do some touristy shit, and have a generally pleasant time.

Then we get a weekend to ourselves, and then my Mom is coming down for a visit while we plan a very belated birthday party for Jackson.

If you wanna come, let me know. Jackson likes tractors and fruit snacks.

I finished the new Harry Potter book, and I have to say it is a bit of a let down.

!!!! Spoilers !!!!

The whole series has been building up to a show down between Voldemort and Harry, and hinting all along that Harry will ultimately prevail because he has the ability to love, and Voldemort doesn't and ergo Harry is better no matter what. So after 6 big books and years and years of build up, Harry wins because of a wand mix-up. Lame.

Also, I spotted a major continuity flaw: Dumbledoor gets the Elderwand because of a duel. They make a big deal about how that wand was unbeatable in a duel. You can steal it, but you can't win against it in a duel. What's up with that?

The previous book set up a situation where the three main characters quit school and go hunting for the remaining horcruxes. The pay off here was a big let down. They spent the majority of the time hiding in a tent for months on end wondering what to do next.

I did love the Battle of Hogwarts, Though Ron and Hermione were strangely absent for most of it. In fact, most of the action scenes were awesome. I do have to say that I like the Voldemort of the movies better than the one of the books. He way more menacing.

!!!! Spoilers End Here !!!

Well that's all I got for now.

-JP

*why does their logo look so communist propaganda-ish?