The Day o' Harry Potter

Some would argue that it isn't smart for a graduate student to waste an entire day watching Harry Potter movies. Well, this is exactly what I did yesterday. Think that you can't watch three Harry Potter movies in one day? Oh yes, my dears, you most certainly can. Everyone needs a day off (or ten), right? And what could be more comfortable than relaxing under covers and just watching movies all day?

I went through Harry Potter 4 (Goblet of Fire), Harry Potter 2 (Chamber of Secrets) and Harry Potter 1 (Sorcerer's Stone) - in that order. For those doing the math, that is a minimum of about six hours of movies, if not more (some of the Harry Potter films are quite long). But what could be better than imagining oneself able to do magic? It's kind of like reading, except instead of taking in words and letting your imagination run, you're taking in images and letting your imagination run. For those who enjoy an occasional day of solitude and quiet (which can be a surprisingly restful thing), such a day might be what they might call a "mental health day." Not that everyone's job allows these - but there are always weekends.

And maybe some of it is a way to distract those of us quieter types from the fact that we are quieter types. It isn't really socially acceptable to have such a personality (at least, not in the United States) and in a way, it can be like living in some kind of underground subculture.  And some of us spend much of our young years chasing after things that can be done quietly and alone. This doesn't mean that social interaction becomes taboo or looked down on; not at all. It is simply a way for those of us to be able to "recharge" as some call it.