Midnight Release

Last Thursday I waited in line for five hours. When it started to rain we weren’t troubled, we just opened our umbrellas. This evening was the culmination of ten years of memories. My friends and I saw the final Harry Potter movie, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2” at midnight.

I went to a Harry Potter midnight release in November a few years ago. It made things a little complicated for those college students who had class the next day and homework due. People were working on their laptops, reviewing their notebooks and reading textbooks in the lobby before we were allowed to take our seats in the theater. Hopefully they didn’t have any early morning classes. I was fortunate not to have any Friday classes that semester.

Luckily, this year the movie was a summer release meaning there was no homework or classes to worry about for the next day. While waiting in line, we played cards, did trivia with the people near us in line and watched people show up in elaborate costumes.

Despite the short-lived rain, it was probably the most fun and memorable midnight showing I’ve ever been to. The movie theater set up a canopy outside at the front of the line and handed out umbrellas to the people who didn’t fit under the canopy. My friends and I had our pictures taken twice, once while in line and once while sitting in our seats. Both pictures ended up on the theater’s website.

It’s been a good summer so far. I know that it’ll be ending soon when I see new student orientation listed on the Moraine Park Technical College’s online calendar. One more month to go!

Fourth of July

Just about every year I start my Fourth of July celebration at the Fourth of July parade in West Bend. This year it was packed despite the fact it was so very hot outside. One of the floats had a machine that shot mist into the crowd. The kids in the crowd really enjoyed that.

Later in the afternoon, I met up with my friends and went to the park. We brought a cooler along and had a picnic. It’s a good idea to show up early to claim a spot. It’s nearly impossible to move around easily or to find people after dusk. Calling someone’s cell phone and telling them your standing next to a tree isn’t the easiest way to meet up with someone after 8 p.m. at the park. I also brought my new giant checkers set and cloth game board, like the one we had in our fifth grade classroom. I just love it. I’d almost forgotten how to play it’s been so long.

The fireworks show was nice. It wasn’t windy and we picked a great spot so the fireworks were easy to see. They had beautiful golden fountain fireworks that everyone ooed and awed at. Unfortunately, the batteries in my camera died before I could take a picture of them.

It seems that every year the rest of the summer flies by really quickly after the Fourth of July. Soon it will be August 22, and I will be in class at Moraine Park for the fall semester.

My Summer Visit to the MPTC Library

It’s been more than a month since the end of the spring semester and I haven’t spent any time on campus since then until recently. I had a morning free, so I decided to stop at the MPTC library for a few hours.

While walking through the halls, I noticed some construction going on. It looks like the West Bend Moraine Park bookstore is getting a makeover. There was a sign saying it has moved temporarily to a different room.

The campus was a bit livelier than I had expected it to be, though not as busy as it is during the fall and spring semesters. I suppose there are quite a few people taking advantage of summer classes and the library’s computers. The cafeteria was open, too.

I spent my time looking through some Web design books. There is a section in the library where those books are kept so it was easy to browse. I freshened up on some basics and learned a few new things. If I have time, I’ll come back in a few weeks to browse through the books again. Only two months of summer vacation left!