Harry Potter and the Tuning Fork of Steel

I had a really odd double bill yesterday: a workshop at the North American Jewish Choral Festival (http://www.zamirfdn.org/index.php?p=7) plus the new Harry Potter movie. But there was a certain Old Testament feeling linking the two events.

First I went on Fandango and ordered my tickets. Since I had promised my kids the movie as a reward for accompanying me to my gig I couldn't risk not getting in. I picked a movie theater in Fishkill, NY so that we would be halfway home when it was over.

Then we drove up to the Hudson Valley Resort and Spa in Kerhonkson, NY. The weather was perfect and the views stunning. We arrived in time for lunch (cod, pasta, latkes, salad, cookies and fudge brownies) and set up for a whirlwind hour and half Western Wind workshop presentation. BZ, EZL and I each took a group of singers and taught them a piece (or in my case two). My group did nicely. We worked for a hour and then got back together to sing for each other. And then it was suddenly over. The kids had time to browse the lobby, which was full of Jewish tchotchkas for sale. They got an object lesson in the difference between Jewish culture on the one hand and Unitarian upbringing with an awareness of Jewish background on the other.

We bundled into the car and drove to Fishkill. I wanted to get there in time to pick up the tickets and see if the line for seating was so long that we would have to eat sandwiches while we stood. But there was almost nobody there. The kid at the ticket booth snickered at me when I asked how long the line might get. So we went to Charlie Brown's Steakhouse, next door, and ate. They had a veggie burger, so M was happy, and a regular beef one, which pleased J. I ate a plate of stuff from the salad bar, mostly artichokes and mushrooms on lettuce.

HP6 was... like all the others. Dark. Threatening. And based on the same "they tried to kill us, they lost, let's eat" formula as much of the Bible, not to mention the previous 5 books. This time of course the ending was tragic (for AD), with an appended attempt at peaceful resolution. Draco Malfoy has grown into a mighty handsome young man -- if only he could display facial expressions other than a sneer or a snivel. Harry has become a fine-featured poetical type, and Ron a big bruiser. Jim Broadbent did a terrific guest star turn as Slughorn. The kids loved it. I am over the whole extended franchise by now. Two more movies, sigh!

We drove home, listening to the Beatles. Classic.