Harry Potter Dead Pool!

Ok, I figure I better get this out before the darn book comes out!

Based on a conversation between Doug Foster and myself a couple months back, its time for the Harry Potter Dead Pool!

If you follow Harry Potter and have kept an eye on Rowling’s mutterings about the next book, she has revealed that another “prominent” character will die in “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” due out in just a couple weeks. So here’s your chance to either a) prove your prognosticating predilections, b) wow us with your vast and comprehensive Harry-Potter knowledge put to the task of deduction, or c) enjoy a darkly macabre bet using a children’s book. You make the call!

The Rules:
1. Buy-in is $5. This gets you one guess as to who the prominent character is that will bite it somewhere within the hundreds and hundreds of pages of upcoming text. Simply go to www.bergerfamilyblog.blogspot.com and announce your choice in the comments thread of the post that has this text there. Also, feel free to trash-talk other choices or justify your own.
2. You can make more than 1 bet. Each is $5.
3. Feel free to announce your choice at any time, but the bet isn’t official until I have the money. Non-Arizona folks, please appoint a “regional captain” to collect the dough. If the captain has the money, your bet is official. Some delay in collection is fine. Just so long as you are good for it. If you shirk, I know a Navy Seal!
4. If more than 1 person selects the “winning” character, then the money will be split between them.
5. If no-one selects the “winning” character, the money is to be spent on booze at a party for those involved to discuss how good/bad/long the new book is. Regional captains, take charge of your region’s parties. This is why you don’t need to send the cash in until there is an official ruling on the “winner.”

There are a lot of character lists out there at various fansites. Here’s one: http://www.hp-lexicon.org/wizards/wizards_list.html

Please, pass this on to those you know who will appreciate any of a, b, or c above!

Oh, and this is a birthday cake that Katie made for me. It was quite good. Thanks Katie!

THANK YOU PHOENIX! GOOD NIGHT!

AND THEN WE HAVE THE AEROSMITH ENDING! RAWK ON!!!!!

As we reached the end, everyone had tubes of confetti. This was festive, and what I'd expect from a graduation.

Did I mention the ceremoy was boring?

Yes, that is Dr. Laura Schlessinger. She got one of 12 honorary doctorates handed out this year. 12. Next year, everyone in the town of Soux City, Iowa gets one! Frankly, I loathe her intolerant, reactionary rantings, but hey.

The actually ceremony was, of course, pretty boring. I passed the time sticking "reserved seating" notes to the Ph.d in front of me.

This is just after we walked in. I was in the second row, but basically the front row as no one was in front of us. This diminished my mischief potential, but I got a great view of the laser show! Yes. Lasers. Woo.

Bah, the camera phone did poorly during the main event. This is the only barely legible pic of us waiting to go out on the floor. Dr. Beggs (on the left) is the chair of the Communications Department and a great guy.

Again, the Frontline kids performed while the crowd started to show.

I eventually got a job moving faculty robes around, since I was going to be sitting with them once again. Jennifer (my boss) stole a neat hat.

Behold, its Jumbotron majesty! This is about 10:30 am. Still setting up.

All hail the mighty Jumbotron! We worship no other purple diety!

So we were told to wander through the underbelly of the arena, learning the lay of the land. The place is big, it was easy to get lost. Even with a map. This was the loading dock....maybe.

We were early. Really, really early. As you can see, they were still setiing up. We found out later that we weren't actually needed until around noon. People were angry.

I got there at 9am for Kelly's Curbside Breakfast Tailgate. Kelly has the shades on, my boss is to her left.

Graduation was held at Glendale Arena, a 15,000 seat fascility, indoor, that was originally built for the Phoenix Coyote's hockey team. They are building a much larger outdoor stadium nearby.

The campus looks really strange for the two or three days the water lasts. Ok, enough for now, need to do some more work. Next: Graduation itself!

See! We have water out here! Another interesting thing: GCU has flood irritgation. Which means once every two-three weeks in the summer, the campus grounds are literally flooded. Happened during graduation. Just what parents want to see: big pools of stagnant water!

Ok, so Phoenix First Assemby has a stage. With three jumbo screens. And two more up to either side you couldn't see. They had at least 4 cameras going to. Including a steady-cam and a boom-cam! Anyway, this was Frontline, the musc-based youth ministry of Phoenix First Assembly. They were ok. Just a bit loud. The guy with the poofy hair in front of me is the Chairman of GCU's Board of Directors, I believe.

Is there a doctorate in the house? Why yes! Probably the neatest thing about the whole graduation experience was getting to be part of the faculty by virture of teaching online. Did I necessarily deserve to be there? Well, maybe. But I'm all about taking undeserved perks!

Ok, the long delayed graduation pics. Happened May 6-7. Friday night was Baccaulautate. Or however you spell it. Was at Phoenix First Assembly, one of the biggest churches I have ever been in. They have three tiers of seating!

Ok, here, Nick looks eeirly like me. Seriously, take the hat and change the beard.

Apparently, he finally escaped the burden of college. And, I might add, is gainfully employed at a Tennessee power plant. Hopefully not one of the nuclear ones...I kid! I kid!

Congrats Cate and Nick! Happy Graduation!

Another sunset. This one crappy camrea phone (CCP) caught a little better. On GCU's campus.

Hey, Cactus can flower!

Quick picture dump. Here is Heather playing skeeball from this past week. Got a new high score (not shown).