Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Like many Harry Potter fans, I had my book the first day it came out. Okay, I didn’t run to the store at midnight; I had it shipped to me. But I had it. So, how was it? In a nutshell, it was worth the hype. Ms. Rowling crafted a magnificent tale, spanning seven years in the life of her characters (and twice that in her own life), and she crowned it with an action-packed finale.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows starts with a bang and doesn’t let up. As expected, this book builds to a great battle between Good (Harry and his supporters) and Evil (Voldemort and his Death Eaters). This is war; it’s messy, and many lose their lives, including some beloved characters. Yet in the midst of the chaos, life goes on. Both a wedding and a birth take place in this book. And the final chapter is an epilogue, giving you an idea of what happens to some of the characters several years later.

Be advised that this book does not review what has happened in the past. As all the loose threads are pulled together, it might be a good idea for the reader to brush up on the past volumes before reading this one.

This book provides a spectacular ending to an amazing, enthralling tale. Well done, Ms. Rowling.

(Note: This is the type of work Master Bennet does. Master, I am very interested in hearing what you think of my efforts here.)

The county fair, with its 4H competitions, is coming to a close. My son took 5 projects. They all received blue ribbons. That sounds great, doesn’t it? But what does that really mean?
I remember the days when things were given placings—first, second, third, etc., up to about 5th or 6th place. If you weren’t in that top group, you didn’t get a ribbon. Then, they began to worry about those kids who got nothing. So they went to a system of blue ribbons, red ribbons, and white ribbons. Okay, I guess. They still recognized the good projects, those that were okay, and those that needed more work.

But what about the feelings of the kids who get white ribbons? Maybe we should worry about that. So now there are very few white ribbons. I heard of one at the fair this year. Can you guess what is happening now? That’s right. The red ribbons are starting to disappear as well. Can’t hurt their feelings. Got to give everyone a blue.

There still is some competition left. Most livestock classes have a champion and a reserve champion, (which used to be called first and second place). In the non-livestock competitions, the best projects are chosen to compete at the state fair. Perhaps someday those will be eliminated as well.

What is the effect of this squashing of competition? I think it lowers the standards for all. Let’s look at my son. Of his five projects, I think at least one definitely did not deserve a blue ribbon. The judge seemed to think he could have worked harder, and she was right. But he got the blue. He had a couple of other projects that could have been stronger, better. As a matter of fact, if you have read my posts, you know that I had to push him to put effort into any of his things. I can’t help but wonder, if he thought he would be embarrassed by the white ribbon, would his attitude be better? Would he LEARN to put more effort into his work, to make sure it was something he was PROUD of?

I realize that I am a very competitive person. I like to compete, and I like to WIN. Neither of my sons seems to have inherited all of my competitiveness. But there is such a thing as not enough of a good thing.

I have asked Master for his thoughts about competition in general. As of yet, he has not answered. I am still interested in your views, Master.

What is a dominant? What separates him from a selfish ass? Is there a difference? Yes, of course there is.

A dominant cares for the slave/sub in his charge. Although he uses her for his pleasure, although he tells her what to do, her well-being is his chief concern. He must be sensitive and compassionate in order to understand the needs of the one in his charge. A submissive is not just a toy, a plaything, to be used and cast aside. She is a HUMAN BEING. She deserves the understanding of others, including, especially, that of her Master. A true Master, then, must actually be a very sensitive person.

“Dominants” who lack this understanding are simply users, takers, wannabes. They care only about their own needs, wants and desires. Others are nothing. They sit around and expect the world to come knocking on their door, taking care of their needs. In their minds, others exist only to make them happy. Others are important only if they benefit the “dominant”. These people are self-centered and small-minded. I have no use for them.

I’m sure you know which category I believe Master Bennet falls into. I have always been impressed with how sensitive, as well as intelligent, my Master is. I have come to realize that such characteristics are necessities to being a good Master.

I had my first mammogram. I am 44, so I must admit that I am a bit late. But I have a what looks like a cyst that I want to have removed, and of course they want to examine things with a mammogram first to be sure there are no problems.

I was nervous. I don’t think I have anything more than a cyst, and I have no reason to think that there is anything abnormal. I was not nervous about the results. I was nervous about the test itself. What would it be like? I know it is a test, like a pap smear, that women often dread having. In some instances, the test is painful. I have heard of women who had the test done once, and it hurt so much they refused to do it again. They would rather risk undetected breast cancer than go through it again. So, I was afraid.

I used a mobile service that came out to my little town. I went into the trailer, stripped from the waist up, wiped off the deodorant I had just applied, and put on a poncho-like gown. The technician was a woman, perhaps a few years older than me. I had to stand next to a machine. My breast was laid on a shelf, and another shelf was lowered snugly down on top of it. This is the part that is so painful for some. I suppose the size and shape of a woman’s breasts affect how difficult it might be to do the test. For me, I have a large breast size, and yet, I sometimes feel my breasts are like balloons with some of the air let out of them. Perhaps that is from losing weight. Perhaps it is just a result of being on this earth for more than 40 years. Anyway, there was no trouble positioning for the pictures they took. Although my breast was firmly in the machine, I wouldn’t say it was painful. It occurred to me that in Master’s hands, I might have found the effect…titillating. But in any event, the result was only a mild discomfort.

The strangest thing happened that night. I received an automated message from my insurance provider, encouraging me to get a mammogram. How bizarre was that!

Less than a week later, I received a letter giving me a clean bill of health.

Master has been strangely quiet about this test. Perhaps because I have assured him that no bad news was expected. Perhaps because he has loved ones who have struggled with breast cancer. I am sure, however, that he will be happy to know that there were no problems.

Songs About Me by Trace Adkins

I met a guy on the red eye
He spotted my guitar
and said what do you do?
I said, I sing for a living,
Country music mixed with
a little rock and a little blues
He said I'm sorry
but I've never been crazy
'bout that twang and trains and hillbilly thing
What ever made you want to sing stuff like that?
I just looked at him and laughed and said

cause it's songs about me
and who I am
songs about loving and living
and good hearted women and family and God
yeah they're all just
songs about me
songs about me

So I offered him tickets
I said you'll see what I mean
if you show up tonight
he said I doubt you'll change my opinion
I'll be kind of busy, but hey man, I'll try

Then later on when we finished our songs
about scars and cars and broken hearts
I saw him, he was standing there
right next to the stage
and he shouted
man you were right
it was like you sang those

songs about me
and who I am
songs about loving and living
and good hearted women and family and God
yeah they're all just
songs about me
songs about me

So I'll just keep on singing
'til I hear the whole world singing those

songs about me
and who I am
songs about loving and living
and good hearted women and family and God
yeah they're all just
songs about me
songs about me

This song explains why I like country music. There are so many songs about me.
There are songs about how, although we often complain, we are truly blessed. (I’m A Lucky Man by Montgomery Gentry) I have written about this a few times. It’s nice to know that others think about it, and to be reminded that, despite the little things we complain about, things are really very good.

There are songs that talk about the times of youth. (Drive by Alan Jackson, Different World by Bucky Covington) In this youth worshipping country, it’s nice to go back and not only remember the past, but celebrate it as a part of who I am.

There are songs about important issues, like domestic violence (Independence Day, by Martina McBride) and child abuse (Concrete Angel, also by Martina McBride) Although, by the grace of God I have not experienced these things, the topics are emotionally charged, the kind of songs I like.

But what does this have to do with Master? Are there songs about bdsm? Well, I can’t think of any. But, as with and genre of music, songs about relationships abound. The Good Stuff, by Kenny Chesney, comes to mind. This is song celebrates two lives lived together as “the good stuff”, the stuff that makes life worthwhile. This is a relationship. And this is what Master and I have, above everything else. We have a relationship, which is the good stuff of life.