A Reread of HP

I read Harry Potter multiple times during high school, but just reread the series over the past half year or so while I was traveling to/from work. It is still a great series but of course now there are some nitpicks that bother me now when I'm older haha. Of course, spoilers below...

Was Harry really that close to Sirius? They only knew each other for 2 years, from the end of the 3rd book to the end of the 5th. The 4th book he was in hiding the whole time, only talking via fireplace, and besides the summer before the 5th, Sirius was confined to the mansion the entire school year. Besides the summer at Sirius’ mansion, I feel like they saw each other in person for only a few times. When Harry is a parent at the end of the series, he only has spent 2 out of his 30 years knowing this person. Did they even mesh that well? Sirius even acknowledges once that he is disappointed Harry is not more like his father.

This is related to how Harry names his kid James Sirius. I get how the best friends are “reunited” through this, but honestly I would expect Harry (or Ron/Hermione) to name at least one of their kids Rubeus. Hagrid is Harry’s first true friend, muggle or wizard, and probably besides Ron/Hermione, whom he spent the most time with in person during Hogwarts. He is one of the few people who genuinely is always there for him because he is pure-hearted and cares for them as people, no ulterior motives. And what does Hagrid get in return? No recognition whatsoever…or maybe one of them named their pet after him.

I remember thinking the 2nd book was the worst growing up, but after rereading the series I definitely think it’s the 5th. It takes forever for the plot to progress in the beginning. A lot of wandering dialogue interspersed with teenage angst. Took forever to actually get to Hogwarts where the plot finally picked up.

The 6th is my best book in my opinion, reads like a mystery novel more than any other while going deep into Voldemort’s past, Malfoy’s secret plan, the Prince’s identity…

The 5th book mentions the Ministry’s entire Time-Turner stock being destroyed. I feel like the pivotal goal of either side, good or bad, should have been to create their own or acquire illegal ones. If you are able to rewrite time, I don’t see how you could lose.

Everyone in the books can basically blot out the whole second half of June as crazy stuff happening. The books always climax at the same dates…

James and Lily were only 21 when they died, I guess the movies made them seem a lot older…

I believe objectively that the worst death is…Fred. A lot of adults were killed but at least they had already accomplished great things in life, and left behind a legacy/offspring. Fred’s death was like killing 2 people, because he and his twin were inseparable. George has to live the rest of his life running the business without his best friend. The Weasley death will forever haunt the family. Fred had his whole life ahead of him. For the same reasons, I would rate Cedric’s death as a lot higher than most would.

Oh and I tried getting through Cursed Child but I couldn’t even finish half of it, it was pretty bad…

Hosting Tidbits

For the past couple months, I've been an Airbnb host for my parents' recently bought second home. It was a pretty big learning curve at the start, but here are my lessons learned so far.

• The first thing you should do when you create a listing is temporarily deactivate it, so that no one can book while you are inputting all the key details. I found this out the hard way....
• Promptly replying to inquiries is key. I've seen most other hosts have a 100% response rate, with an average of within a few hours of response. I guess it's easier if you have a job at which you're sitting at a computer...
• Start with a high price and go down. I thought starting low would be good to "get the name out there", but demand is higher than you think, and you don't want people to think there's a sketch reason for your property being cheap.
• Pricing....may take a long time to settle correctly. Depends on number of rooms, day of the week/time of the year, cleaning fee, etc. Airbnb lets the host add a lot of extra stuff to the base fee that the guest wouldn't see on the actual listing.
• Availability...more strict if you don't actually live in the house. Would possibly add advance notice, gap days to clean, minimum night stays...
• What to offer amenity-wise. Typically anything a hotel would offer, guests may expect as well...but no need to go all-out for replaceable amenities.
• Give guests the benefit of the doubt. I feel Airbnb has a nicer clientele compared to, say, a hotel would...guests can be accommodating if you communicate well.
• But sometimes mistakes can happen, and things can go missing. Best to label things that you think people may take accidentally...
• Welcome document - details you should probably include: How to check-in/check-out, Smoking/Pets/Shoes rules, Wifi, Garbage, Heating/AC, Contact Info, Local Stores/Attractions, Nearby Transportation, Parking

Europe

This is the follow-up to my LA/LV vacation post from 2 years ago...First time in Europe, with my friends VK, CH, and KP. Too many pictures to count, so I just picked out a few highlights...

Favorite city: London
Favorite food: Escargot at Sketch

Paris

Arc de Triomphe (near hotel)

Hamburger Macaron + Baguette on the river

Fanciest restaurant we went to all trip (Robuchon)

Louvre

To get to Versailles...

Quite crowded inside

I'd rec biking there

Really nice lawn

Because going to the top would take too long

London

First afternoon tea (Charlie + Choc Factory themed)

Second afternoon tea

Macarons class

Making the cookies

Adding the filling

Amsterdam

Canal tour

Windmills on countryside

Biggest biking city I've seen

Canals on canals

Most interesting dish of trip

Copenhagen

They love rye bread

Not knowing how to bike here

Figured it out

Tons of boats around

Chillin at a castle

On top of a tower