No need to call me "sir," Professor

I have a month and a half left of summer, and I've finally figured out what I should do with it. Get ready, guys. Hold onto your undershorts. This is creative, out-of-left-field, and totally never been done before.

I am going to reread all of the Harry Potter books.

Yes. Fine. It's not original, but does that make it any less necessary? We are approaching the end of an era, people! In one year, the last incarnation of a beloved character that we have literally grown up with will trot off the silver screen into his happily-ever-after! And not just any happily-ever-after! Oh no! We don't leave him as a 17-year-old with the whole universe in front of him. We leave him as a middle-aged man with a wife and kids and probably a mortgage and responsibilities. What's the fun in that?

Like I said, it's the end of an era, and that era is our entire childhoods. I was 8 when I first read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. I waited for my letter from Hogwarts with every other 11-year-old. I was 13 when Harry lost Sirius and 15 when he lost Dumbledore--and despite my advanced teenage years and maturity, I cried like a tiny, tiny baby both times.

Most importantly, though, I was 17 years old when Harry finally accomplished the goal he'd been moving towards his entire life. I was Harry's age when he killed Voldemort, and for some reason, that means a lot to me.

I'm not sure if you realize it, but I fucking love Harry Potter. I love the world, I love the characters, I love the story. I love that the plot-lines grew darker and more dramatic as the characters aged. I even love that J.K. took out half the cast in the last book (probably just because she could) because it showed that the tiny skirmishes that had been introduced in the first book had transformed into a full-blown war that even protagonist status couldn't save you from.

(I will, of course, never forgive J.K. for killing Fred. Too far, lady. Too far.)

My point here is that I was 8 when I first met Harry and Ron and Hermione and Draco, and I'll be 21 when I have to let them go. The obvious solution is to drown my sorrows in vats of alcohol immediately following the second 7th movie (which I will be doing, believe me). But I'm not someone who easily lets go of the past. For example, as I write this I am wearing a Tintin t-shirt that I have had since I was 9. It is threadbare and I cannot wear it in public because I will be laughed at. But I fell in love with this fictional character when I was 9, and I can't let him go, even at 20. I fell in love with Harry and his entire world when I was 7, and I can't let him go.

So I'll read all the books again. And again. And again. Why should I stop? If you're going to try to hold onto your childhood, I think reading is a pretty healthy way to do it.

And my kids had better love these books as much as I do because they are going to be hearing me read them over and over and over again.