Harry Potter and the Zigzag Quest

My own case of Pottermania struck very late when I found that my son would not be getting his copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows the night it was released as previously expected.

My son was on vacation with relatives and due to start summer camp over the weekend, and suddenly all of the plans to get our copy on its US release date had fallen through, for a wide variety of unplanned reasons. The choice was to either go ahead and wait for it from a previous online reservation, or start from scratch and venture out into the night and try to get it from one of our local retailers... at about 10:15 pm on Friday night. A friend was visiting the area, and after about thirty seconds of deliberation we decided to give in and venture forth on a quest to obtain a copy at midnight on Friday, so we ventured forth.

Luckily bookstore and retailers abound in Eastern Pennsylvania, so it seemed to be more a matter of choice than chance, so we thought, so into the car we went in search for the book that was said to be the best selling book of all time by retailers such as Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and Borders. They had already reported that more orders had been placed for this book than for any other in history, and American publisher Scholastic had announced an unprecedented initial print run of 12 million copies.

We took off for the double-decker Barnes & Noble near Oxford Valley Mall and there found lines of happy Muggles of all ages celebrating the event. Some had been reported to have been there since early Friday morning. We also found that we couldn't pull the old "I just want to go in and get a cup of your coffee" trick. After talking to a number of people and store personnel there, who reported that they had more than enough books to go around, we decided to take a look at Borders, which was just a couple of miles down the road.

At Borders, there were no lines outside, but there was a huge party going on inside that immense store, so we went in, hoping to get a reservation for a copy of the book. Ran into a few friends who wanted to chat and party, but we were on a quest. We tried to get our reservation, but no such luck, as we were told that they had already sold out, though one employee said that there "might be more later" due to people not coming in for their already-reserved copy. That sounded rather vague.

At this point it seemed to be wise to go back to Barnes & Noble and get whatever reservation they were offering, even though it seemed that we were now following some zigzag pattern just to buy a book. We drove back over our previous route, parked and walked to the entrance where we were cheerfully offered a wristband which guaranteed that we would get our book, so this seemed great. The wristbands were being issued in alphabetical groups on a first-come-first-served basis, with each group having a vague number of people. One person said that there were hundreds in each group, and our blue wristbands indicated that we were in group "V" which meant that we might be there when the sun came up, as ours would be the 22nd group of "hundreds" to be let in.

We looked at each other and laughed, deciding that we may as well stick it out, but already feeling a bit tired, it was time for a large cup of coffee... but we still couldn't get into Barnes & Noble due to the fire marshal now restricting the number of people who were allowed in the store. Feeling confident that we would at least get a copy, we went back to the car and then drove down to Borders once again. The store was even more jammed than before, and the people were having a grand time as midnight approached. We went to the coffee line in the back of the store and waited.

The coffee line was moving slowly, but that was OK since we knew that we were going to have to wait for our copy at the other store. That might have been fine except that when we were only about three people away from getting our now-necessary beverages, they shut down the coffee service, apologizing that their water was not functioning, of all things.

We left, and another quest for coffee began, which we finally located at a local Wawa 24-hour convenience store. Then it was back to Barnes & Noble shortly before 1:00 AM, coffee in hand, where we found that they were just admitting people with wristband marked with "I", the 9th group. That meant that we were going to have to wait for 13 more groups to go in. Resigned to the fact that we might be waiting for a couple more hours, we decided to make the best of it, chatting with others around us who had broken away from the formal lines.

We were standing watching the after-midnight socializing, when behind us a young women (whom I won't name) commented that she was amazed at the lines with all of the people waiting when the Borders Express within the Oxford Valley Mall still had over 200 copies available for anyone to pick up. Since our quest had already taken a few strange turns, I asked her what she meant, and she replied that she worked that store and she had heard about the long lines and had come down to see for herself. I was skeptical until she pulled out her employee ID badge. At this time a few other people heard her words and began to sprint for their cars. I kissed her on her cheek, thanking her profusely as she giggled, and we headed quickly towards our car.

We pulled up to the food court entrance of the mall as she had suggested, and joined a few more people with whom we had been standing at the other store, all of us entering together. We made our way past the darkened food court, then left and down to the brightly lit Borders Express. As we entered, an employee walked up and just handed me our new copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and said to be sure to ask for our free poster when we paid for the book at the register.

So that's how we ended up with our copy of the book and the promised poster at exactly 1:11 am, and at 40% off as well. And now you know why I've referred to this as our own "Harry Potter and the Zigzag Quest."

My son knows, and can't wait to get back to start reading it...

Technorati Tags: zigzag quest, harry potter, deathly hallows, lexidiem, jargontalk, pottermania, muggles, oxford valley, no pule zone

I've got a bad feeling about this...

Terror Plot Uncovered in the UK

Woke up Thursday morning to the news of an alleged terrorist plot to "commit mass murder on an unimaginable scale." British law enforcement authorities had arrested 24 suspects who had planned to explode 10 to 12 aircraft in mid-flight between Britain and America using liquid explosives.

The plot was said to be just days away. British authorities said that the plan bore all the hallmarks of an al-Qaeda plot.

The twenty four suspects are said to be British citizens, many of Pakistani origin. This was three more than the 21 announced earlier in the day. British security sources felt that all the main targets had been arrested.

Here in the U.S., Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff raised the nation’s threat level to Severe, or Red, for commercial flights originating in the United Kingdom bound for the U.S. This adjustment reflects the Critical, or highest, alert level that has been implemented in the UK. He also raised the threat level to High, or Orange, for all commercial
aviation operating in or destined for the U.S. Chertoff called the plot "comparable to 9/11."

Also implemented was a new series of security measures, prohibiting any liquids, including beverages, hair gels, and lotions from being carried on airplanes. British authorities have implemented similar measure due the potential dangers that could be caused with many simple household liquids.

The UK threat level remains critical, according to UK Home Secretary John Reid, who noted that the main suspects were in custody but it was right to "err on the side of caution." The British government also released the names of the suspects. The oldest person is 35, and the youngest is only 17.

Now ponder these facts, and see how you feel:

• Last Tuesday the FBI had announced that they were looking for 11 Egyptian exchange students who arrived in the U.S. last month, but never showed up for class at Montana State University. Some are now in Federal custody.


• Oliver Stone's World Trade Center film is now playing in theaters (see the YouTube video trailer).


• The fifth anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks is just a month away.


• Homeland Security Chief Chertoff stated that "currently, there is no indication of plotting within the United States."



• ABC News has just posted an audiotape provides one of the clearest and most accurate records of the United Flight 93 hijackers on September 11th.

I for one can remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when 9/11 happened, and all these facts are just a bit too coincidental to make one rest easy. At the time of this writing, the current HSAS level in Pennsylvania, where I live, remains at yellow, though Governor Ed Rendell urged resident to be observant and "vigilant at all times." It can make the observer somewhat uneasy watching these events roll by like a parade before our eyes.

In the film Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977), there was a classic line, a quote that I'll share here:

I've got a bad feeling about this.
~ Hans Solo (played by Harrison Ford)

My sentiments exactly, and I truly hope that I'm wrong. I was very close to the 9/11 relief efforts and to some of the people involved in the recovery (see the archived UCanHelp.com Website at the Library of Congress).

World Trade Center Video from September 11, 2001

Homeland Security Advisory

Resources, should you (hopefully never) need them:

• Department of Homeland Security
• Terrorism Awareness and Prevention: A Self-Study Guide
  from The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
• FBI Homepage & Local Offices
• FBI Tips & Public Leads
• U.S. Department of Justice
• Red Cross: Family Disaster Plan

Technorati Tags: 9/11, airline, al-Qaeda, bad feeling, WTC, terrorism, security, London, lexidiem, jargontalk, YouTube, video, Chertoff, Homeland Security, John Reid, liquid, Pakistani, September 11th, World Trade Center, Ed Rendell, United Flight 93, 2996,

Our lexidiem is uneasy.

August 11, 2006

Marilyn Monroe: A Diamond is Forever

Marilyn Monroe was found dead in her home in Los Angeles on August 5, 1962, and thus a legend began.

She was discovered lying face down and nude on her bed. There was a telephone in her hand, and empty prescription pill bottles were all around the room. Dr. Thomas Noguchi conducted a preliminary autopsy, the results were analyzed, and Coroner Theodore Curphey determined that Marilyn died from an overdose of barbiturates. The Los Angeles police Department concluded that her death was "caused by a self-administered overdose of sedative drugs and that the mode of death is probable suicide."

Whether Marilyn committed suicide or not has been the source of great debate for 44 years and conspiracy buffs have had an endless field day with their speculations.

Marilyn Monroe was born Norma Jean Mortenson in Los Angeles on June 1, 1926. Her mother suffered from emotional problems, so a string of foster parents and in an orphanage brought up Norma Jean. At the age of 16 she married James Dougherty (1921–2005), an aircraft factory worker. He went to sea in the merchant marine, and she began work at the Radioplane Company. Asked to model for an article in Yank magazine, she soon quit her job to become a full-time model.

In 1946 she divorced Dougherty and went to Hollywood. She signed a short-term contract with 20th Century Fox, taking as her screen name Marilyn Monroe. She had a few bit parts and then returned to modeling, posing nude for a now-famous calendar in 1949.

Marilyn began to attract more attention in 1950 after her minor role appearances in The Asphalt Jungle and All About Eve. Audiences took note of the voluptuous blonde, and she soon won a new contract from Fox. Her acting career escalated in the early ‘50s with performances in Love Nest (1951), Monkey Business (1952), and Niagra (1953). She won international fame for her sex-symbol roles in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), and There's No Business Like Show Business (1954).

She attracted further publicity when she married baseball legend Joe DiMaggio in 1954, but they divorced within a year. It is said, though, that DiMaggio was the great love in her life.

The Seven-Year Itch (1955), in which she starred with Tom Ewell, demonstrated her talents for comedy roles, and featured the classic scene where she stands over a subway grating while her white skirt billowed up by the wind from a passing train. Directed by Billy Wilder, moviegoers loved it. She studied with Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio in New York in 1955, resulting in a well-reviewed performance in Bus Stop (1956). Marilyn's third marriage was to playwright Arthur Miller in 1956. She made The Prince and the Showgirl in 1957 with Laurence Olivier, which was not a commercial success.

She rebounded in 1959 and gave an acclaimed performance in the hit comedy Some Like It Hot, starring with Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, and directed by Billy Wilder. Filmed in black & white, it has been acclaimed worldwide as one of the greatest movie comedies ever made, ranking first on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest comedies, as well as #14 on their list of the 100 best American films. The film won the Golden Globe for Best Comedy. Marilyn Monroe won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in Musical or Comedy, and Jack Lemmon won for Best Actor in Musical or Comedy.

This is the original movie trailer for Some Like It Hot:



Let's Make Love (1960) had Marilyn paired with Yves Montand. The final movie that she completed was The Misfits (1961), in which she shared star billing with Clark Gable, Montgomery Clift and Eli Wallach. It was directed by John Huston and written by Arthur Miller, whom she divorced just one week before the film's opening.

There was speculation that Marilyn was considering reconciliation with Joe DiMaggio. After being on a plane flight that experienced trouble, she sent DiMaggio a telegram on September 22, 1961 that stated, "When the plane was in trouble I thought about two things, you and changing my will. Love you, I think, more than ever."

Marilyn's first nude movie scene was filmed for Something's Got to Give, but her chronic absence from the set caused her to be fired a week after her 30th birthday on June 8, 1962. She was eventually re-hired, but the film was never completed. Video clips of her nude pool scene exist.

Acclaimed photographer Bert Stern had three sessions with Marilyn Monroe for Vogue magazine in late June 1962, just six weeks before her death. These sessions produced some beautiful and unique images of Marilyn, and they were later published in a book, Marilyn Monroe: The Complete Last Sitting. There is an excellent YouTube video of some of these images set to the tune from the Norma Jean & Marilyn movie.

Monroe was suffering from depression, and was under regular psychiatric care by 1961. During the last months of her life, she lived as a virtual recluse in her bungalow in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles. Her housekeeper, Eunice Murray, noticed Marilyn's bedroom light on after midnight on August 5, 1962. The door was locked and Marilyn didn’t respond to the housekeeper’s calls, so she called Marilyn’s psychiatrist, Dr. Ralph Greenson. He responded and accessed the room by breaking a window. He found Marilyn dead when he entered the room and the police were called. The subsequent autopsy found a fatal amount of sedatives in her system, and her death was ruled probable suicide.

Over the years there have been a number of conspiracy theories about her death, and most of this focus is around love affairs she was alleged to have with both John and Robert Kennedy. The theorists claim that the Kennedy family had something to do with her death because they feared she would make their love affairs public, along with other "government secrets" she was gathering. Robert Kennedy, then Attorney General in his older brother John’s cabinet, was in Los Angeles on August 4, 1962, and the Attorney General was alleged to have visited Marilyn on the night of her death. The conspiracy theorists claim that he quarreled with her, but the credibility of these and other claims is questionable.

So besides numerous retrospectives, photos, conspiracies, FBI files and speculation, what are we left with? That can be debated from a number of points, but the some of the lyrics from a song Marilyn sung in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, "Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend" may give us the answer.

Time rolls on and youth is gone
and you can't straighten up when you bend
but stiff back or stiff knees
you stand straight at Tiffany's
but Diamonds, Are A Girl's Best Friends

According to Advertising Age, the #1 advertising slogan of the century is "Diamonds are forever", which has been used by DeBeers since 1948. If that’s true, then Marilyn Monroe has left us with diamonds with all the films, music and books that survive her.

Forty-four years after her death, Marilyn Monroe still remains a major cultural symbol. The unknown details of her final performance only add to her mystique.

Our lexidiem is diamonds.

Giving-Credit-Where-It’s-Due Department: This piece was actually inspired in a roundabout way by an article written by my friend Amit Agarwal in Digital Inspiration, entitled No Diamonds please, Girls prefer Plasma TV, to which I responded with suitable comments.

Additional Material

YouTube: Candle In the Wind by Elton John
YouTube: Beautiful - a tribute to Marilyn Monroe
Amazon.com: Marilyn Monroe DVDs



Technorati tags: Marilyn Monroe, Norma Jean, Joe DiMaggio, Robert Kennedy, suicide, conspiracy, Seven Year Itch, Some Like It Hot, Lexidiem, JargonTalk, nude, sexy, DVD, Diamonds are forever, video, YouTube, Digital Inspiration, Amazon.com,

You can google, but don't Google!

It's official, you can now google someone. Just don't say that you're going to Google them.

According to Merriam-Webster Online, google is now recognized as a verb. To some of us this isn't new, because using google as a verb has been going on for years.

goo·gle. transitive verb. 'gü-g&l 1. to use the Google search engine to obtain information about (as a person) on the World Wide Web. Inflected Form(s): goo·gled; goo·gling. Usage: often capitalized. Etymology: Google, trademark for a search engine.

Example 1: "I need to google for a map of Florida."
Example 2: "Wanda was googling for a new boyfriend yesterday."

Incorrect usage: "You can Google, but you can't Yahoo! to find that!"

Just remember, Google™ is a proper name, a trademark identifying Google Inc.’s search technology and services, while google is proper if it's used as a verb.

By the way, there's a sample online of the nearly 100 new words and senses from the 2006 copyright version of the best-selling Merriam-Webster's Collegiate^® Dictionary, Eleventh Edition which should be available in most bookstores this fall.

Sometimes we google to do a little lexpionage, as we search out new words and phrases. And then there's the massage that warns you of what will happen if you google yourself. If you take your googling experience serious enough to want to know what's hot, then you can always visit the Google Zeitgeist site, where you can "search patterns, trends, and surprises." And if you want to get the story behind some of the top queries in a video fashion, visit Google Current.

You can have fun while googling:

What does "Google" mean - officially?

The name "Google" is a play on the word "googol," which was coined by Milton Sirotta, nephew of American mathematician Edward Kasner. A googol refers to the number represented by a 1 followed by 100 zeros. A googol is a very large number. There isn't a googol of anything in the universe -- not stars, not dust particles, not atoms. Google's use of the term reflects our mission to organize the world's immense (and seemingly infinite) amount of information and make it universally accessible and useful.

More interesting information about Google, Inc. can be found here, or you could just google it.

Tags: google googling googled merriam-webster lexidiem

2006 Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest Winner

The winner of the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest for 2006 has been announced.

Jim Guigli of Carmichael, California, submitted 64 entries into this year's annual contest, which is sponsored by the English Department at San Jose State University. Mr. Guigli is a retired mechanical designer who impressed the judges with his "appalling powers of invention," according to Scott Rice, a professor in SJSU's Department of English and Comparative Literature.

Here's a sample of the entry which gave him top honors in this years contest:

"Detective Bart Lasiter was in his office studying the light from his one small window falling on his super burrito when the door swung open to reveal a woman whose body said you've had your last burrito for a while, whose face said angels did exist, and whose eyes said she could make you dig your own grave and lick the shovel clean."

Guigli is said to have commented that he had aspired to write detective novels at one time but, "I never got a good start on it."

Professor Scott Rice has organized the bad writing contest since its inception in 1982. Since then, it has drawn thousands of entries each year, and the judging has been covered quite extensively by the press.

Guigli will receive the traditional "pittance" (said to be $250.00) as a reward for his winning entry. Guess that now raises him from the ranks of an amateur to a professional writers.

The annual contest is named for Edward George Bulwer-Lytton, whose 1830 novel "Paul Clifford" began with the frequently-mocked beginning, "It was a dark and stormy night."

It should also be noted that in his day, Bulwer-Lytton was possibly more popular than Charles Dickens, who was a contemporary. The line was also made popular by Snoopy's typewriter excursions in the Peanuts comic strip by the late Charles M. Schulz.

There's an extraordinary Lyttony of Grand Prize Winners which lists all of the winners since 1983, and some of these entries are truly extraordinary, including this jewel from 1992 by Laurel Fortuner:

"As the newest Lady Turnpot descended into the kitchen wrapped only in her celery-green dressing gown, her creamy bosom rising and falling like a temperamental souffle, her tart mouth pursed in distaste, the sous-chef whispered to the scullery boy, 'I don't know what to make of her.'"

Note to Professor Rice: though the verb "google" is now recognized by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, it doesn't list the word "lyttony" but it can be seen being used (perhaps improperly) in a few areas in the 'Net. Is this word perhaps just a 1st Baron Lytton pun on "litany" or am I a bit off track here?

Congratulations to Jim Guigli, the 2006 Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest winner!

And our lexidiem is lyttony.

Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest
Bulwer-Lytton
Jim Guigli
google
lexidiem
lyttony

Paris Hilton with camera

Posted by: lexidiem on Buzznet

Paris Hilton with camera
Paris Hilton, using all her expertise and experience at being in front of a camera, doing what she does best: posing.

On second thought, maybe posing is what she does second best.

Paris Hilton