Day 193: July 31

From the newsdesk...

Happy birthday Jo (and Harry)

Dear Jo,

First off, happy birthday. The purpose for writing this letter isn't solely to wish you a happy day for when you were born; it's a thank you letter. 

Thank-you for writing. Thank you for being on that train that day and putting down the idea of Harry Potter on the that serviette (or napkin - what do they call it in England?). Thank you for creating our favourite red head family - to the tricks the twins play to Ron's fear of spiders (why couldn't it be follow the butterflies?) to Mrs. Weasley's 'NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH' one-liner that had the whole cinema cheering. Thank you for creating the Malfoy's, a family that just mirrors our reality. Thank you for creating Lily and James and McGonagall and Dumbledore and Snape. Always. Thanks for creating Hermione to show us that girls can be warriors to and thanks for Lupin and Tonks and Mad-Eye and Luna to show that different is good. Finally, thank you for Harry. We saw him (and Dan) grow up from a small boy whp lived under the stairs to a man who duelled with Voldy. As it is said 'there won't be a person in this world who won't know his name'.

Thanks for Hogwarts and Hogsmeade and Azkaban. Thanks for all the time and effort and energy you have put into this series of books. 

I remember when I was about 9, and my older sister was reading Harry Potter and my mom said to me "oh, why don't you read this?" and I looked over at the book and I said to her "No, it looks bad". And if I could take back any words I've said, it would be this. I think maybe a few months later, I thought to myself, why not? I started the Philosopher's Stone - and never looked back. 

I remember going to line up for the last book. We had a countdown and we took it straight back home and my sister read it in 9 hours straight. I took it from her and devoured it. It was like I had been waiting for a part of my childhood to come along and this was it. I finished it. And you never once let us down Jo; not once. 

One more thing I remember is the premiere of the last movie. The last ever Harry Potter movie to show in cinemas. I went to the midnight screening with my best friend of the time, my younger sister (who had since become obsessed) and her friend. We dressed up; I was Hermione and my sister was Luna. We walked in and see Ron's, Harry's, Weasley twins, a Lucius and even a Malfoy. The atmosphere was brilliant. We went into the cinema and the movie started. I think it was about two hours. People cried, people laughed. I certainly laughed, but I didn't cry. I just watched the movie, reliving everything from the books. And then it finished. We just sat there for about ten minutes, taking it in. NO MORE MOVIES. But then I thought, I've got the books. They're taken me through 5 years of my life and they will continue to do that. 

So Joanne (Kathleen), thank you for my childhood. 

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By extension, happy birthday to Harry Potter. 

To the Boy Who Lived, 

Thanks for the years of laughter and fun and tears and spells and magic and flying and Polyjuice Potion and crying and Ford Anjelicas and transfiguration and the Snitch and Fluffy and Fang and fights and duels and you pretending to be dead and your glasses and your scar and just you. 

Thanks for being apart of my childhood. 

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On a really unrelated note, I cut my hair!! Since I came to Australia (2005) I have had long hair and I was just getting really sick of it and it was just there I wanted it cut. For once I actually like my hair cut. 

Hair today, gone tomorrow