While I share my love of all things Harry Potter with many friends, over the course of the past few movies there has developed a tradition of me trekking up to North Carolina to take in the latest adventures of the Boy Who Lived with the lovely Stephenie and Roxane (Jason made it up once, too.) With the final installment of this epic film series rolling into theaters this July I knew that I’d be taking the Hogwarts Express north again. Fortunately, Steph is always kind enough to provide shelter and entertainment and this time was even willing to allow me to use her and Evan’s apartment as an Echo Base for exploring the region a bit. This little trip would also have the added benefit of helping Steph with some wedding planning given that she and Evan are recently engaged.
It wouldn’t be movie time until Friday, but I decided to head up on the Tuesday before. That way I could join my Raleigh folks at Drinking Liberally which Steph has been singing the praises of for a while. (Katy and I had planned to start going to the Atlanta meeting a while back, but we ended up just going out on our own and talking to each other. Frankly, we’re both so interesting and fabulous that we don’t need any crazy liberals bringing us down.) My plan was to leave around 8 am, but of course that didn’t work out. In addition to the numerous Harry Potter buttons that I had to mail out to get to people in time for the movie (I was also taking a huge bundle to NC with me), I also had to mail a last minute purchase from my Esty shop. (A Dale Murphy painting headed up Dacula way, if you’re interested.) I also needed to pop into the Best Buy to get a new iPod-to-car-stereo-adapter, my last one having not survived Brooke & Carrie’s March to the Sea (the account of that journey will be delayed slightly, but is forthcoming.) Then, of course, there is my genetic predisposition for lateness. I ended up leaving Atlanta around 10am. Realistically, it could have been a lot worse.
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| The results of my HP obsession and going mad with the power of the button maker. |
With only the minor diversions of gassing up (sadly I had to do so in South Carolina) and obtaining a much needed caffeinated beverage (these new McFrappes or whatever you call them are quite tasty for a McDonald’s product --- but it was no Moolatte) it was smooth sailing all the way up to the Raleigh metropolitan area as I listened to the first half of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows audiobook so as to get psyched for our movie watching. I made it to Steph’s shortly after 5, and we immediately headed over to a neighborhood watering hole to drink in a liberal manner. I started the evening with a locally brewed beer called Green Man, which I only selected because of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but it was still good. (The North Carolina barbecue that I had for dinner was not the best, however. What can I say? I was raised on Hudson’s and it’ll be Hudson’s till I die --- with occasional visits to Fox Brothers. I mean, they do have a bar there; a girl can only drink so much sweet tea.)
Conversation was pleasant and lively covering politics, reality television, and swordplay (yep, actual swordplay.) But the most interesting part of my Drinking Liberally experience came from a new visitor to the group. She was nice enough, and an avid conversationalist (read: loud), but there was something a little off. She supports a cigarette tax because smoking is bad but she is opposed to an alcohol tax because if people want to do something bad for them they should be able to. (Closely following this declaration she claimed that her middle name was “Consistency” - no lie.) She believes that being gay is a choice, but I’ll admit that she seemed to turn around on that quickly. And she doesn’t believe in Evolution --- she believes in the “Adam and Eve Thing.” It actually took a while for us to determine if she was really anti-evolution or if she was being sarcastic; there were some awkward moments. (I’m tempted to go on a harangue about how frustrating it is when people act as if you either believe in God or you believe in Evolution, as if those are the only two options. I’ll skip it though.) Anyway, back to new girl, I think she was well received by the DL group, which is nice. And while encountering such opinions out in the world (especially in Georgia) I did find it amusing that Steph brought me to “Drinking Liberally,” where I met an anti-tax, gay-is-a-choice, the-Earth-is-only-6000-years-old kinda person. New girl did have a positive effect on me; she, as an exuberant Phillies fan (I was flipped off multiple times for being a lover of the Braves) has finally cemented me as a hater of the Phillies. As an Atlanta fan I should already hate them, but I’d always resisted. Resistance over! (I mean really, the Philadelphia Phillies? Can you think of a less original name?)
We made our way home. I made a tentative travel plan for the next two days (Virginia and West Virginia) and went to sleep.
Uninteresting Detail: Raleigh, while still rather hot, was soooo much less humid than Atlanta. Though I suppose that’s like telling someone that they’re less insane than Glenn Beck. Anyways, it felt nice up there.
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