I love schedule pickup and finding out my kids’ schedules, teachers and subjects even though I won’t know one teacher from the next. (Well, except my daughter happily got the same teacher again for math.)

I loved creating schedules like I did for high school and college. The only time it didn’t go well was during my freshman year of college. All the good courses were taken and I ended up taking a class that I wish I had never taken. I liked figuring out what courses I needed to satisfy my graduation requirements.

My daughter’s high school does it differently than mine did. She doesn’t get to pick her teachers. At my high school, seniors would go register first. Then juniors, and so on. We’d go into the cafeteria where the teachers were sitting by subject area and we’d go sign up with them. Of course, that wouldn’t work well in my daughter’s school of 2600 kids in 11th and 12th grade. Crazy.

The only thing I don’t know is who will be my youngest’ teacher. We’ll find out next week. That’s probably the most exciting one because I know many of the teachers at his elementary school. (We’ve been with this school since 2000 as the older two went through it.) He’s had a good track record in being assigned to the right teacher.

With schedule pick up comes buying school supplies, checking out spirit wear, joining PTA and going in shock in how much we’re spending in one week for all of this. And we didn’t have much spirit wear in high school. I had none in elementary or middle school. The only thing I had was a letter jacket. High school — I recall having a senior shirt, a sweatshirt for a senior girls’ group and a letter jacket. Yearbooks? That was a high school only thing.

And my parents had to shop for all of my school supplies. I’m grateful to the PTA for making that the easiest part of all this. The PTA works with school supply companies to order things in bulk. We just select the grade, write the check (of course, 3rd and 7th grade have the most expensive supplies in both schools!) and it’s done. Thank goodness, high school doesn’t have school supplies. The kids get what the teacher recommends or pickup what they need like folders, paper, writing instrument

I love back to school time. Yes, I do! It’ll be great to get back on a regular schedule. What’s your favorite thing about this time of the year?

Brain food…

• Quixey: Find apps that do what you want.
• 7 Ways for Marketers to Maximize Google+ Now. I like the tips in this one. Ironic, though. I couldn’t find the author’s social media links on his company website. Make sure yours links to your social media IDs.
• How to Write Better Using Humor. Crackers. Quixote. Cargo. Did I make you laugh? In editing an article, I noticed the author used sarcasm — in the same way I would. Except, it struck me as mean not funny. I better watch that!
• The Little Productivity Tip of a Zen Master. I love this one. I tend to do this — address things on the spot, unless it takes more time than I have. If I don’t, I fear forgetting and don’t always think to make it a task. Same concept as going through mail as soon as you get it.

For fun because we’re allowed…

• Angry Birds Superheroes: Who needs ordinary when you get the Avian Torch!
• 12 Coolest Things Inspired by Harry Potter. That dog! Too cute and funny. Those cupcakes. Yum!
• 62 Ways to Show Love. “I love you always works.” It’s nice to surprise and show in other ways.

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I don’t think the weather realizes this as we continue breaking all kinds of records with this heat wave.  Uh oh! Now I’ve got that “Heat Wave” song playing in my head. Both versions. Marilyn Monroe and Martha Reeves and the Vandellas. It’s too hot for a picture. It’ll just fall off the page or pop more popcorn.

This one is brief. Didn’t sleep well and you know how I get when I don’t sleep enough. It’s my fault that I didn’t get to bed on time. I became absorbed in some work I needed to do and time escaped me.

Brain food…

• Complete Google+ Cheatsheet. Shortcuts, photos, chat boxes and other helpful tips.
• Do you obsessively check your smartphone? I do, but it’s better than obsessively checking email on my computer where I might let myself reply to a message that can wait. It’s less tempting to reply on my smartphone because it takes more work to type on it.
• Draft Your Platform Action Plan: 5 Worksheets. All writers have a platform, and that includes new ones. [Link: Porter Anderson]
• AlternativeTo. Find alternatives to applications you want to replace. [Link: Kevin Smokler]

For fun because we’re allowed…

• 12 Hilarious Blue Screen of Death Appearances. Will BSOD ever cease to exist? Well, only if Microsoft changes BSOD from blue to red
• 30 Creative Bag Advertisements. [Link: Elisa Miller, my sister]
• World’s Youngest … I’m the youngest of three, but that’s all. I hope these kids are having some semblance of a childhood.
• 12 Hilarious ELAS fails. Math much?
• Summharry: The Complete Harry Potter Story in One Comic. Wow. Impressive.

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My parents have three kids, four grandkids and four granddogs. Three of those kids would be my fault. The fourth is my 14-year-old niece who is exactly 18 months older than my second child. Like the rest of the US, I’m melting. Even the pool is too warm for me, and I’m one of those who needs it to be at least 95 degrees outside to go in the pool. It’s so hot that the nearby water park pour ice into its big pool.

Credit: http://alles-ausm-kopf.de

Drink lots of water and check on others who may need help especially seniors.

It’s so hot … [fill in the blank].

Brain food…

• Why I’m Loving Google+. Debbie Ridpath Ohi, author and illustrator, shares her views of G+. I’m still figuring out how to make it work for me. My problem is that I’m spending more time in social media and that’s not good because it cuts into other things.
• 3 Types of Savings Every Freelance Writer Needs. Very important especially when it comes to quarterly taxes.
• 8 Reasons Books Fail. Focuses on self-published books. Bad cover art is a biggie. I know … I know … don’t judge a book by its cover. An author who doesn’t put effort into producing a catchy cover expects us to invest our time to read it. I don’t think so.
• Memorial researchers get the cinematic treatment. Who says the annual report must be a snore? Memorial University doesn’t. LOVE it. [Link: Daphne Gray-Grant]
• How to Make Your Own Book Trailer. Excellent recipe.

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• Voice Actors: The Voices of Our Childhood Heroes. It always surprises me  when my husband tells me, “Hey, that’s so ‘n so’s voice.” I can’t fathom being able to recognize an actor’s voice. I can believe people recognizing the voices of family and friends — but famous people? There are so many.
• 12 Most Creative Origami Towels. I went on my first and only cruise in 2000 and I looked forwarded to my origami towel surprise every single day.
• The Real Cost of a Hogwarts’ Education. Have you considered room, board, uniforms, wand, accessories, books and all that? Yikes. And pet not included!
• Final Scenes in Movies. Can you guess what they are? Answers way down at the bottom of the post.
• Summer Nights from Grease in Lego Stop Animation Motion. I <3 musicals and actually know this song from Grease. Totally enjoyed. Even reflects every little move from the movie. Except, I think it missed Sandy crossing her arms. Legos don’t bend that way.

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It’s over. No more HP movies. No more HP books. (Supposedly.) Sure, Rowling created the Potterworld, but it’s not the same. Part of me has an inkling that Rowling won’t rest and she knows the marketing machine won’t roll forever without some fuel. The other part of me thinks all good things must come to an end. To continue something for too long will dilute it.

What do you think? Should Rowling start a new series with one of the characters? Should she create a new series revolving with the new students at Hogwarts? Or just forget it all?

Brain food…

• Blogging: Seth Godin and I are doing it wrong! Refreshing. I try not to let the blog stress me. Not worth it.
• The Brutally Honest Guide to Naming Circles in Google Plus. Now using Google Plus is stressful. I’m spending too much time trying to listen to conversations and engage. Now to add another?
• 41 Awesome Blog Post Ideas for Your Company Blog. Ideas work for all kinds of stuff, not just blog or companies.
• 40 Google Plus Tips for Newbies. I think we’re all new. Find my experiments and connect with me at gplus.to/meryl.
• 10 mistakes made in freelance writing career and 10 steps to setting your freelance writing fees. Two valuable articles from Anne Wayman.

For fun because we’re allowed…

• The Evolution of the Entrepreneur [Infographic]. Technically, this isn’t a true infographic because it has too much text. Nonetheless, it made me laugh.
• Retro Tattoos Dedicate Skin to Pac-Man. Wacka … wacka …
• 12 Awesome Hot Air Balloons. Don’t think I’ve ever met a balloon that didn’t make me smile.
• Lorem Ipsum Generators: 10 Ways To Make Your Dummy Text More Fun. “The Force is strong with this one. I have you now. She must have hidden the plans in the escape pod.” [Link: Yvette Chin]

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School is officially out on Monday. We had to make up two days due to the FIVE snow days we had this year. Although I like the school year schedule, I’m glad it’s out for a little bit as the kids need a break. No more nagging about homework and studying for a couple of months. Nonetheless, wish school would be year around with more breaks instead of one long break and two medium ones. But I know that’s not efficient for a lot of reasons and summer gives kids a time to take part-time jobs, go to camp or do special programs.

What’s one of your most memorable last day or last week of school memories?

Brain food…

• 10 Modern Dilemmas Twitter Presents on a Daily Basis: Thanking for tweets is a big one. I tend to limit that to DM or if it’s something different, I’ll do it in public. Don’t want to add noise to stream thanking for my own stuff.
• Words We Don’t Say: Hugo Lindgren shares a list of words and phrases left by the previous editor. Words You Don’t Say: People wrote in sharing words they never want to read again. The one word I always change in every article I edit… “utilize.” I think that’s my ultimate cringe-worthy word.
• B2B Fail: Confessions, Apologies, and Questionable Motives: Did you get a bunch of “Are you taking on clients?” emails? Me, too. The story behind that…
• Nurse reveals the top 5 regrets people make on their deathbed: In the past few years, I’ve been making an effort to live my best life so I don’t have these regrets.
• Top Ten Myths About the Brain: All those characters conking their heads and forgetting their life? Myth. Writers, find another gimmick. [Link: Diana Adams]

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• 10 Amazing Ultrasound Photos: I think the rock it dude is really doing the I love you sign.
• The Value of the National Spelling Bee in the Age of Spell Check and Predictive Text: My almost third grader is the only one of my three kids to learn how to write cursive in second grade. It used to be covered in third grade, but with so much more material to cover and the use of computers — they changed when they learn cursive. I’m just glad schools still teach it. I hope the handwritten note never goes away. I get chills whenever I come across something my dad (in loving memory) wrote as he had a writing style that I always knew was his. Actually, every member of my family does except me.
• How to Make Harry Potter Butterbeer: The weather grows warmer and the last film comes nearer. I actually made this for my family using this recipe. The whip part was the best. I stirred the whip into the drink, but just didn’t quite warm up to it. Very easy to make.
• Douglas Adams … on Kindle … how meta is this? [Link: Esther Schindler]

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I thought about naming this the Aquarium edition in honor of the field trip I went on with my son’s second grade class this week where I loved seeing my son’s face as he was in awe of some of the discoveries. (Like in this photo.) However, Thanksgiving is a delightful holiday, perhaps my favorite because it contains no pressure and no stress. The only stress for some folks may be the cooking. There’s no shopping for gifts, sending holiday wishes and preparation outside of cooking like decorating the home.

My mom does all the cooking. And guess what? She says Thanksgiving is her favorite holiday. Her and Dad’s anniversary always falls around Thanksgiving. They married on Thanksgiving in 1955. Though Dad passed away in 2007, I sent her a note on her anniversary date. Mom appreciated the senitment. So if you know someone whose spouse has passed away, go ahead and drop ‘em a line on their anniversary date. Just because a mate is gone doesn’t mean you have to forget the date.

Just be with your fave people (OK, maybe Uncle youknow gets on your nerves — remember people don’t live forever and you don’t have to see them daily)  loved ones and relish the time together. For my family, add “watch the Dallas Cowboys.” Yeah, yeah… they lost in an exciting come from behind game. You gotta give ‘em credit for trying when their playoff hopes are long gone.

Brain food…

• How to Enchant Your Customer: I rarely link to popular sites and experts, but this one from Guy Kawasaki is a worthy read.
• How to Be an Original in a Blogosophere Polluted with Regurgitations: I’ve covered topics that many others have. One thing I try to do that no one else can… be me without focusing on me as my life is not that interesting.
• Six Dilemmas That Freelancers Face Over the Holidays: I take some time off. I hope you do, too. Gotta give that brain of yours a break and experience joy.
• achieving, without goals: Yes, it’s possible.

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• Pac-Man Cookie Cutters: Is it me or do these shapes make those cookies look more delish?
• 12 Funniest Misspelled Billboards: Oddee says it best, “Misspelling is not good, but to have it in a super size panel makes it much worse.”
• Butterbeer?! Oh Yes, Friends! Butterbeer!:  Sugarbear’s recipe looks simpler than some of the others posted. I must just try this. I wonder how using sugar free cream soda compares.

Tell us about your Thanksgiving.

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I’ve been watching CaptionFish for weeks eagerly waiting for a local theater to carry Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 with rear window captioning. I have been Harry Potter movies right when they came out and without captions, but I’d rather go once and get the full experience. Daughter did catch the midnight show and reported when she got home: “I’m home. It was amazing. Good night.”

First the Texas Rangers make it all the way to the World Series and wins one game. Now FC Dallas, a team in the original sport known as football (soccer in only the U.S.), heads to its first-ever Major League Soccer Cup final! I guess the other Dallas-area sports teams are trying to make up for the Dallas Cowboys’ embarrassing season. (Oh, and the Cowboys managed to pull out a win in the first game with Jason Garrett coaching.) Maybe Thanksgiving won’t be Cowboy-less after all.

Brain food…

• Mobile emulators: With more people accessing the Internet on mobile devices, you don’t want to lose opportunities with your website — so you want to test to see how it looks on different devices. Two resources: http://ready.mobi and 10 Excellent Tools for Testing Your Site on Mobile Devices.
• PC Magazine‘s Favorite Blogs 2010: Web Worker Daily made the list! I haven’t written for them in a while; great to have confirmation they’re an amazing resource for telecommuters.
• When it comes to writing, economize: Excellent advice for new and experienced writers.
• Book Blurbs and Interior Design: The Creative Penn shares tips for writing the back blurb and picking the right interior designer for your book.

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• 12 Coolest Doors: First I’ve seen such unusual doors like these.
• 10 Funniest Windows Errors: Ah, I remember my first computer error that drove me batty: “REENTER?” Now, that may look logical to “re-enter” something… but this was 1984. Without the dash, I read it as “r-ee-nter” (like “renter with a long e) as opposed to “re-enter.” And speaking of old computers and 8-bits…
• Pixel Star Wars: Welcome Back to the 8-Bit Days: Games on the Apple ][+ contained stick-figure style graphics, blocky graphics or text-only a la Zork.
• Joy of Tech on the Beatles: Apple’s website announced that “Tomorrow would be unforgettable.” All it did was announced Beatles available in iTunes. Sorry… that’s not unforgettable.  I guess company forgot we can put our CDs in our computers and transfer the songs to iTunes. (I’ve had Beatles on my MP3 for a long, long time.) C’mon. Aw, dang it. Now company has  me talking about it — bet that’s what it wanted.

My little guy with his teacher

I admired the incredible and teachers who inspired everyone in attendance last night’s Teacher of the Year event. Attendees donned red to signal they’ve been inspired by a teacher in their lives.

Each year, all the schools select one experienced teacher of the year and one beginning teacher of the year. Selected experienced teachers went beyond the expected teaching requirements. Beginning teachers show they have maturity, leadership and instructional ability to become an outstanding teacher in the future.

I don’t know how today’s teachers do it when I see the kinds of things my kids learn at a younger age. Plus, they communicate on a regular basis thanks to emails and phones in the classroom (not in my day).

One Teacher Who Inspired Me

My 10th grade English teacher was an inspiring teacher. I knew her before she was my teacher as her daughter and I played soccer together. I was relieved to finally leave the English teacher I had in my freshman year and somehow again in 10th grade. Awful teacher. Opposite of inspiring.

Shakespeare became interesting thanks to her. That year we did Julius Caesar and I had to memorize the “Friends, Romans and countrymen” speech. I dreaded memorizing poems, but the speech gave me a greater appreciation for the play. That year, we also read The Masque of the Red Death and The Telltale Heart and discussed the meanings behind the stories. I loved the discussions. Maybe that sparked my love for English and literature? Who knows. But I haven’t had many classes that led to interesting discussions like Mrs. Graves’ did.

Brain food…

• Stop! Look! Listen! Transitions for Writers: Excellent tips for dealing with big and small transitions. [Link: Debbi Ohi]
• Are You Really Going to Post That? Fabulous advice on thinking before blogging, tweeting and whatnot for writers. “It pretty much boils down to this: online stupidity can last forever and haunt your career.” I love the photo that accompanies the article.
• Writerly Tip: Know the Signs: Save time and read these signs of what to look for in an ad so you don’t bother answering the ad. Also, read Don’t Pay if you’re considering paying to join the Elances and Gurus.
• The most basic business lesson taught by World of Warcraft: “If you’re not open for business, no one can buy from you.” [Link: DJ Waldow]
• Should You Create a Facebook Fan Page? Jane’s right. “There’s no right way to do this.” I created a business Facebook page by trying to focus on the content — the platform — you get from this blog rather than my business. It needs work.
• How to Position Your Business in Three Sentences: Fill in the blanks. [Link: Valeria Maltoni]
• Nine Tips to Get the Most from a Writing Mentor: Love this post since it focuses on writing rather than basic business mentors.

For fun because we’re allowed…

• Molly and McGee: Owls in a barn on video 24/7. Molly is the female, McGee is her mate and they have four owlets. People are fascinated with these owls. You can also check out Molly’s blog and Twitter page.
• 8 Websites You Need to Stop Building: From The Oatmeal… you can always expect hilarity from ‘em.
• 12 Coolest Coffee Tables: Organized freak in me loves the Hexa Coffee Table. Most people have a bedroom set that includes a headboard and a small lamp table on both sides of the bed with one or two drawers. Mine has two mini-lights built in, shelves and three drawers plus space just above your head where I store my magazines.
• Top 10 Greatest Minor Characters in Geek Fiction: Characters come from Real Genius, Harry Potter, Star Wars and Princess Bride. Can you guess?
• French Ball Point Pen Art – Simple and Stylish: Wow. I love a good ballpoint pen especially blue and red ink with soft medium points.
• Inspiration: 33 Creative and Smart Print Ads You’ll Love: May be a couple not safe for work. Very creative work. [Link: Jon Ferrara]

Tell us about a teacher who inspired you.

Spoilers in this one, but I’ve attempted to write a benign paragraph so no one accidentally sees anything. I can’t help but write another post about Harry Potter as the story takes up much of my thoughts since finishing the book. The Leaky Cauldron’s Leaky Lounge has a absorbing discussion going on around the finale.

Jim Hines is collecting lists of books to read next now that Harry Potter ends. One person mentions Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game. Paul loved Ender’s Game series series. When my oldest was into Harry Potter and we finished the latest book, she got into The Chronicles of Chrestomanci.

Movie

OK, my additional Harry Potter thoughts. I saw Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix last weekend. Paul said he saw a blooper where it said 11 Grimmauld Place instead of 12. I suggested it was showing the place next door, but Paul said it was definitely the Phoenix hideout. Anyone catch this? He also made another good catch, but we know the movies don’t capture every detail from the books. The photograph of the original Order of the Phoenix showed Mad Eye Moody with his fake eye. The photo was from 14 years ago — Mad Eye didn’t have his eye yet.

Details, Epilogue and Rowling

Search the Internet and you’ll find plenty of discussion about how Rowling left out details or didn’t bring closure. I think we all see different details as more important than others. Paul wanted to know more about the Kreacher cupboard and the genealogy. I didn’t give second thought to that.

Some people expressed disappointment in the epilogue saying it should not have been included or it didn’t cover the right things (careers, for one). I think having an epilogue was good. Sure, it could’ve been better, but at least we got some insight into their lives and that Hogwarts continued business as usual retaining the four houses including Slytherin.

We also wonder if Rowling will write something completely different for the joy of it. Maybe she plans to take a long holiday and enjoy her three children.

Careers

Harry mentioned in an earlier book that he considered becoming an auror, but I doubt he did that after a lifetime of battles in his short life. Hermione was a genius. What careers are there for smart witches other than teaching? Obviously, she didn’t become a teacher since she wasn’t going to Hogwarts. Since Kingsley took over the Ministry of Magic — I’d suspect at least one of them would work there.

Children

The names of the Potter children made sense and I liked Albus Severus, but can’t figure out where Rose and Hugo came from. Thought Ron would name one child after Fred. A Victoire was mentioned as Teddy was snogging her. Assumption is that she’s the child of Bill and Fleur considering the French name.

Deaths

I was relieved that Ron, Hermione and Harry lived. I worried most about them. Considering the war, we had to expect casualties even if it meant Lupin, Tonks and Fred. While we didn’t learn how Lupin and Tonks died, we couldn’t expect Rowling to cover the details of every death. It was a war. Hedwig and Dobby were tough losses, but it gave the story more authenticity or else it would look like Rowling was trying to make everyone happy.

Griffindor Sword

A member at Leaky Cauldron thought the sword appeared in the Sorting Hat because only the heirs of one of the founders could pull it out of the hat. But I’d think someone has to put it in there in the first place. Goblins don’t give up their work easily.

The Potters

Harry inherited enough money from his parents that he wouldn’t have to worry about money for a lifetime. So what did the Potters do? Can’t even begin to guess. Since money wasn’t an issue, maybe Harry was a stay-at-home Dad. Hey, he saw more in his short 17 years than most people see in a lifetime. I appreciated the insight into Lily’s childhood. Would’ve liked to know more about James. Why would Lily fall in love with a guy who seemed to be the school bully / trickster?

What thoughts flow in your mind about the series?

Update: MSNBC conducted an interview with J.K. Rowling and puts it all on its Harry Potter section. The articles reveal bits and pieces of the interview, which is a long read. It answered most, if not all, questions we discussed.

Paul has been saying that it would be a bad move for J.K. Rowling to kill Harry Potter in the last book. While it could make for an exciting and depressing ending, the publisher would lose out on potential sales as future readers won’t want to bother reading a whole series knowing the main character dies.

My 12-year-old has lost interest in reading the series, but Paul is currently reading the seventh book to my 7-year-old who is into it and even tries to read it though it’s above his level. It wouldn’t surprise me if he decides to read them again when he is ready to read at that level — but his (my three-year-old, too, I hope) and future generations won’t want to bother reading the series knowing Harry dies at the end (like no one is going to find this out before picking up the series).

Paul believes that’s why the The Chronicles of Narnia series didn’t catch on as much as it could have. Few people read beyond The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe because of what happens at the end of the series plus a couple of the books weren’t as good. A Wrinkle in Time also had this problem — the books that followed weren’t as good.

Rowling has done an superb job with the flow and making each book an exciting read. Sure, some books aren’t as strong as others, but they’ve withstood the challenge of hanging on to the reader because she planned them as a series from the start just like The Lord of the Rings.

To ensure a series of books survives for years after they’re completed not when they’re released, authors must:

* Write an ending that won’t turn away future readers
* Make each book strong
* Look at the whole series before writing the first book

Consider Six Feet Under. The main character died in the last season (not the last episode, however). I had been watching the show on DVD and knowing this fact lowered my interest. I’m still watching the series — but I believe the show won’t have as many people renting / buying the series as it would have had the character lived.

We know Rowling is killing a couple of characters, but if her publisher wants the books to become a classic like The Lord of the Rings, then Harry must live.