Who is John Galt?

A holga photo of Bec in Orlando

It's been a while. I've been working furiously on my grad apps and I'm down to 1 more. That's right, ONE! San Diego State. Then comes 2+ months of waiting. I don't even want to think about that!


On a side note, I've picked up my copy of "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand again. Periodically I read about 100 pages and then I read other books, then I pick it up again. I think I'm finally to the point where everyone says it gets great. It is certainly an interesting read, and gets your mind rolling. A couple quotes I found interesting:

"Did you get your money by fraud?....By doing work you despise for purchasers you scorn? If so, then your money will not give you a moment's or a penny's worth of joy."

"Consistency is not a habit of mind which it is wise to practice or to expect of the human race."

Do the Charleston

After the people-packed parks of Orlando, the quaint, Southern town of Charleston was a welcome change of pace. We were there for less than 24 hours, but I immediately fell into the blase, at-ease attitude of the city's inhabitants.

Good Ends

This Christmas, instead of having an event of gift-giving, my family wanted to take a trip together. Well, it was a surprise to us children, and Christmas morning we opened a box that said we'd be going to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Studios.

I've been a Harry Potter fan since Book 1 and have been so thankful for the thrilling, imaginative childhood it gave me. How incredible that a BOOK SERIES became such a phenomenon, that it led to successful, albeit not always spectacular, films, and now a theme park devoted to the world created by JK Rowling. At the core of the series was always the theme of love, the power and beauty of it. She found an adventure-filled, enchanting, new way to share this belief. Now I sound very much like a "Harry Potter nerd". I am. I rejoiced and wept through those books for 9 years. My little sister experienced the books recently and she too, shares my love for them. So, naturally, she and I were quite excited about getting to see this world in the flesh. Despite my distaste for theme parks (although I do love roller coasters) I couldn't help a smile creeping across my face.

In Orlando we did some other stuff as well. We visited the Universal Studios park, Islands of Adventure, saw a performance of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", and went on adventures with E.T. and the Mummy. Seuss Landing was decorated beautifully for Christmas!


But my favorite part was undoubtedly the Wizarding World. However, the multitude and masses of people was incredible, yet just as I expected. We spent four hours in Hogsmeade drinking butterbeer from the Hogs Head, walking and riding through Hogwarts, shopping in Honeydukes, Zonkos, Dervis & Banges, and the Owl post, and eating at the Three Broomsticks. After the four hours, I was spent. My body got the best of me and we left the other world and returned to the muggle world.







After finishing up in Orlando sooner than expected, we decided to leave early and make a quick visit to another beloved city.

Next stop: Charleston.