Big City Nights

So, as some of you may know, I'm just another single guy living in the city. I support myself, chew with my mouth closed, take the occasional shower—in other words, I'm a great catch waiting to happen. Which is why, the last two nights, I read the entire new Harry Potter book and went to a soccer game.

Now I'll admit, part of the reason I stayed in (for the most part) is that I'm still fighting off this stupid cold (brought on, I presume, by the combination of chilly AC and the ridiculously hot and humid weather we've been enduring lately). But another part is, I admit, that I really wanted to read the latest Potter installment.

And I know—I'm 34 years old, I should be over this stuff. It took me a while to start, actually. My sister brought me back the first three books after a trip to London a few years ago, and for a good year afterwards they just sat on a shelf collecting dust. I'm not sure what caused me to open the first volume, but once I did, that was that. And of course, having the originals of the first three books, I needed the British versions of the following volumes as well. I bought the fourth on eBay, before realizing I could simply order each new one as it came out from Amazon.co.uk.

I'll skip spoilers and simply state that the latest book (6 of 7) is everything I've grown to expect from J.K. Rowling. Her books may be primarily aimed at children, but I'd venture to say that anyone who enjoys a good tale would get a kick out of the Potter series. Well, if there's still anybody out there who's not reading along. I felt intense disappointment at the end of volume 6—not because the ending was bad, but because the ending arrived. It'll be a long wait for No. 7.

As for the soccer game, that was MetroStars (no more NY/NJ, as per their instructions) vs. FC Dallas (FC stands for Football Club, and is a European affectation adopted by the MLS) on a potentially stormy Wednesday night. It rained as I approached the Port Authority bus terminal for the ride to the Meadowlands, but cleared rapidly before kickoff. In fact, the temperature, which hit triple digits earlier in the day at JFK, had dropped below 80 by gametime.

Still, the potential for horrific weather must have changed a lot of minds. Giants Stadium hardly ever looks terribly full for a soccer match (especially when it's strictly MLS), but this was particularly bad. Listed attendance was 7,000-something, but the actual crowd had to be less than half that. The final was 3-2, MetroStars, with the heralded "King of Goals" adding one to the winning effort.

Anyway, more later. I'm just happy it's 80-something degrees out.