Comments on: Elvendork of the Month: Pat Acton, Iowa http://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/elvindork-of-the-month-pat-acton-iowa/ Thoughts for the Serious Reader of Harry Potter Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:44:04 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.3 By: revgeorge http://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/elvindork-of-the-month-pat-acton-iowa/comment-page-1/#comment-4183 revgeorge Sun, 13 Jul 2008 17:54:57 +0000 http://hogwartsprofessor.com/?p=419#comment-4183 I came into reading Harry Potter fairly late in the game. It must have been six months or so after HBP came out 'cause I picked up a hardback copy of the book. But once I started reading them, I didn't stop. I must've read the series 5 times or more before DH came out. Plus various books on the series, especially John's Looking for God in HP. And listening to podcasts, of course. Arabella, know what you mean. Many times while reading through the series, I had multiple cats on my lap. :) I came into reading Harry Potter fairly late in the game. It must have been six months or so after HBP came out ’cause I picked up a hardback copy of the book. But once I started reading them, I didn’t stop. I must’ve read the series 5 times or more before DH came out. Plus various books on the series, especially John’s Looking for God in HP. And listening to podcasts, of course.

Arabella, know what you mean. Many times while reading through the series, I had multiple cats on my lap. :)

]]> By: pj http://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/elvindork-of-the-month-pat-acton-iowa/comment-page-1/#comment-4182 pj Sun, 13 Jul 2008 02:27:12 +0000 http://hogwartsprofessor.com/?p=419#comment-4182 I risk repeating myself on this thread...but I didn't read any of the books until the summer of 2006 after graduating from So IL Univ-Carbondale. I can't explain the delay except to say that I knew I wanted to do them justice and didn't want to share reading-for-grade time with reading-for-pleasure time. Worth the wait? You bet! Best graduation present I could have given to myself. The only release party experience for me came last year when DH came out...my Texas family reserved the book as my Mother's Day surprise and we trouped out to their favorite Barnes & Noble in July to negotiate the twisty-turny lines with other Potterphiles. I waited until we returned to the house to literally closet myself until 4am, reading as fast as I could! Then I had to wait until "down time" over the next two days to read on! I did finish on Sunday afternoon...and began rereading on our trip home later in the week. I haven't stopped reading the series since. I risk repeating myself on this thread…but I didn’t read any of the books until the summer of 2006 after graduating from So IL Univ-Carbondale. I can’t explain the delay except to say that I knew I wanted to do them justice and didn’t want to share reading-for-grade time with reading-for-pleasure time.

Worth the wait? You bet! Best graduation present I could have given to myself.

The only release party experience for me came last year when DH came out…my Texas family reserved the book as my Mother’s Day surprise and we trouped out to their favorite Barnes & Noble in July to negotiate the twisty-turny lines with other Potterphiles. I waited until we returned to the house to literally closet myself until 4am, reading as fast as I could! Then I had to wait until “down time” over the next two days to read on! I did finish on Sunday afternoon…and began rereading on our trip home later in the week. I haven’t stopped reading the series since.

]]> By: Arabella Figg http://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/elvindork-of-the-month-pat-acton-iowa/comment-page-1/#comment-4181 Arabella Figg Sat, 12 Jul 2008 18:53:17 +0000 http://hogwartsprofessor.com/?p=419#comment-4181 I had to think to remember our GOF release experience. We'd read the first three during the hype preceeding GOF's release, maybe a year before it. GOF was the first book (in history?) you could reserve in advance for $5 down. So we had our reserve and got it the morning after the midnight party. This was the book whose first run was short of expectation; many people couldn't get it and I felt sorry for them. My husband and I took turns. I got it by day, he had it in the evening. When OOTP came out, I had just severly sprained (shredding a ligament) and broken my right ankle and was laid up for the summer. My husband got our reserve OOTP and I spent several days in the depths with Harry, wondering, what the heck? And then, rereading it. (Thank heavens a certain Professor was able to shed some light on this dark book.) Both my ankle and my appreciation for HP were never the same. Thank heavens for a cat on my lap... >^..^ I had to think to remember our GOF release experience. We’d read the first three during the hype preceeding GOF’s release, maybe a year before it.

GOF was the first book (in history?) you could reserve in advance for $5 down. So we had our reserve and got it the morning after the midnight party. This was the book whose first run was short of expectation; many people couldn’t get it and I felt sorry for them.

My husband and I took turns. I got it by day, he had it in the evening.

When OOTP came out, I had just severly sprained (shredding a ligament) and broken my right ankle and was laid up for the summer. My husband got our reserve OOTP and I spent several days in the depths with Harry, wondering, what the heck? And then, rereading it. (Thank heavens a certain Professor was able to shed some light on this dark book.)

Both my ankle and my appreciation for HP were never the same.

Thank heavens for a cat on my lap… >^..^

]]> By: RedHeadDo http://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/elvindork-of-the-month-pat-acton-iowa/comment-page-1/#comment-4180 RedHeadDo Sat, 12 Jul 2008 18:40:00 +0000 http://hogwartsprofessor.com/?p=419#comment-4180 When GoF came out I was still reading the books aloud to my sons, (at the time 9. 11 and 15). The oldest left for lacrosse camp the day after GoF went on sale. He made the rest of us SWEAR we wouldn't read a word until he came home. Once loaded into the vehicle after 5 days of camp. I pulled out the book and started reading on our 1 hour drive home while my husband drove. My husband just didn't get it.... and still doesn't. He's watched the movies, but doesn't know what he's missing in the details of the books. To me the biggest loss in the movies is the depth of the characters and understanding the complexity of their relationships. It's hard to have sympathy for and care about characters that have no depth. When GoF came out I was still reading the books aloud to my sons, (at the time 9. 11 and 15). The oldest left for lacrosse camp the day after GoF went on sale. He made the rest of us SWEAR we wouldn’t read a word until he came home. Once loaded into the vehicle after 5 days of camp. I pulled out the book and started reading on our 1 hour drive home while my husband drove. My husband just didn’t get it…. and still doesn’t. He’s watched the movies, but doesn’t know what he’s missing in the details of the books. To me the biggest loss in the movies is the depth of the characters and understanding the complexity of their relationships. It’s hard to have sympathy for and care about characters that have no depth.

]]> By: Nzie http://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/elvindork-of-the-month-pat-acton-iowa/comment-page-1/#comment-4179 Nzie Fri, 11 Jul 2008 18:06:02 +0000 http://hogwartsprofessor.com/?p=419#comment-4179 well, in July of 2000 I was.. really not a part of Potterdom. But hey, on the flipside, I didn't have to wait for any books but the last. I think this guy Acton's stuff is fantastic, he really enjoys it and makes beautiful models. He's working on a huge Minas Tirith right now, and so far it looks great. Check out more of his works: <a href="http://www.aacton.gladbrook.iowapages.org/id4.html" rel="nofollow">Acton Family Website</a>. ~Nzie well, in July of 2000 I was.. really not a part of Potterdom. But hey, on the flipside, I didn’t have to wait for any books but the last. I think this guy Acton’s stuff is fantastic, he really enjoys it and makes beautiful models. He’s working on a huge Minas Tirith right now, and so far it looks great. Check out more of his works: Acton Family Website.

~Nzie

]]> By: cigar95 http://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/elvindork-of-the-month-pat-acton-iowa/comment-page-1/#comment-4178 cigar95 Fri, 11 Jul 2008 15:09:20 +0000 http://hogwartsprofessor.com/?p=419#comment-4178 Kathy talks about reading DH after watching Tour de France coverage. (As we come up on the one-year anniversary, this will become topical, so I don't feel *too* bad about being slightly off-topic.) Well, a late book arrival wouldn't have helped me. I had gone full media blackout around Wednesday, about the time we began to hear reports of leaks. (I hadn't planned on going dark until Thursday or Friday.) I did read some of Travis' blog comments during that time - his reactions, illustrated through photos of his daughter, were priceless. But my blackout even included skipping the British Open - a big deal for a golf fan like myself. I did watch the final round on Sunday, after I had finished the book, and the camera at one point zoomed in on a young boy in the gallery reading . . . Deathly Hallows! And the commentator took him to task for not paying attention to the golf. Nicholas Kathy talks about reading DH after watching Tour de France coverage. (As we come up on the one-year anniversary, this will become topical, so I don’t feel *too* bad about being slightly off-topic.)

Well, a late book arrival wouldn’t have helped me. I had gone full media blackout around Wednesday, about the time we began to hear reports of leaks. (I hadn’t planned on going dark until Thursday or Friday.) I did read some of Travis’ blog comments during that time – his reactions, illustrated through photos of his daughter, were priceless.

But my blackout even included skipping the British Open – a big deal for a golf fan like myself. I did watch the final round on Sunday, after I had finished the book, and the camera at one point zoomed in on a young boy in the gallery reading . . . Deathly Hallows! And the commentator took him to task for not paying attention to the golf.

Nicholas

]]> By: Arabella Figg http://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/elvindork-of-the-month-pat-acton-iowa/comment-page-1/#comment-4177 Arabella Figg Thu, 10 Jul 2008 22:04:02 +0000 http://hogwartsprofessor.com/?p=419#comment-4177 To add to my note above, picture the following: "Michael, why are you wasting your time painting on that stupid ceiling when the shed needs painted?" "Leo, quit doodling and get in here this minute! You've got homework, young man." "Man, that Picasso, what's he drinking? Brother!" "Georgia, quit painting dirty flowers and take time to smell them." "There goes an expensive education. [Insert impressionist] just paints these ridiculous daubs nobody wants. He's the laugh of Paris." "I've told little Pat, time and time again, not to play with matches!" >^..^ To add to my note above, picture the following:

“Michael, why are you wasting your time painting on that stupid ceiling when the shed needs painted?”

“Leo, quit doodling and get in here this minute! You’ve got homework, young man.”

“Man, that Picasso, what’s he drinking? Brother!”

“Georgia, quit painting dirty flowers and take time to smell them.”

“There goes an expensive education. [Insert impressionist] just paints these ridiculous daubs nobody wants. He’s the laugh of Paris.”

“I’ve told little Pat, time and time again, not to play with matches!”

>^..^

]]> By: Arabella Figg http://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/elvindork-of-the-month-pat-acton-iowa/comment-page-1/#comment-4176 Arabella Figg Thu, 10 Jul 2008 21:47:18 +0000 http://hogwartsprofessor.com/?p=419#comment-4176 Rather than elvendorkish, I see this as HP artistic expression. It's a marvelous work of art--taking "matchless" skill. :-) We can expect to see paintings, sculpture, and other art forms using many materials coming down the line--tapestries, wouldn't that be interesting! Can you imagine sketches on grains of rice? HP provides so much grist for artistry. This guy has a life and it involves creativity. Others work hard and for years at various forms of artistic expression, why not him? Ack! Luscious Badboy just "painted" the wall with his dirty tail... Rather than elvendorkish, I see this as HP artistic expression. It’s a marvelous work of art–taking “matchless” skill. :-)

We can expect to see paintings, sculpture, and other art forms using many materials coming down the line–tapestries, wouldn’t that be interesting! Can you imagine sketches on grains of rice?

HP provides so much grist for artistry. This guy has a life and it involves creativity. Others work hard and for years at various forms of artistic expression, why not him?

Ack! Luscious Badboy just “painted” the wall with his dirty tail…

]]> By: Kathy http://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/elvindork-of-the-month-pat-acton-iowa/comment-page-1/#comment-4175 Kathy Thu, 10 Jul 2008 20:51:36 +0000 http://hogwartsprofessor.com/?p=419#comment-4175 This is the first book I had to wait for . . . it arrived on my porch by 8 am and I started reading it while siting in the pedicure chair that morning. At the time, I wondered if I'd finish the book before I left for a 3-week trip to Rome, Assisi and Florence to attend World Youth Day 2000. Wow! What a summer that was, and why I was so worried I wouldn't finish GoF before my trip, I'll never know . . . seems so completely silly in retrospect. After that OotP, HBP and DH all arrived on my porch the morning of release (no midnight parties for me!). I read OotP at Kentucky Lake, HBP in Luray, VA and blocked out the entire weekend of July 21-22 to read DH at home. DH arrived a little late in the morning, so it didn't interfere with coverage of the Tour de France -- serendipitous! and nothing else interfered with my reading. Ahhhh . . . sweet bliss it was! This is the first book I had to wait for . . . it arrived on my porch by 8 am and I started reading it while siting in the pedicure chair that morning. At the time, I wondered if I’d finish the book before I left for a 3-week trip to Rome, Assisi and Florence to attend World Youth Day 2000. Wow! What a summer that was, and why I was so worried I wouldn’t finish GoF before my trip, I’ll never know . . . seems so completely silly in retrospect. After that OotP, HBP and DH all arrived on my porch the morning of release (no midnight parties for me!). I read OotP at Kentucky Lake, HBP in Luray, VA and blocked out the entire weekend of July 21-22 to read DH at home. DH arrived a little late in the morning, so it didn’t interfere with coverage of the Tour de France — serendipitous! and nothing else interfered with my reading. Ahhhh . . . sweet bliss it was!

]]> By: John http://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/elvindork-of-the-month-pat-acton-iowa/comment-page-1/#comment-4174 John Wed, 09 Jul 2008 18:48:27 +0000 http://hogwartsprofessor.com/?p=419#comment-4174 FYI, this story is <a href="http://www.matchstickmarvels.com/Comingin2005-2006.htm" rel="nofollow">almost two years old</a>! Hat-tip to Travis and the Hog's Head crew for reporting this back in 2006. FYI, this story is almost two years old! Hat-tip to Travis and the Hog’s Head crew for reporting this back in 2006.

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