#52: Harry Potter, Beast of Burden & Gift Ideas.

Apologies for our sporadic blog posting the past few days; we were hit by an unexpected internet outage here at the base camp. The downtime led Nina to ressurect a hobby of hers that hadn't surfaced in a while: Harry Potter. She is now in the midst of an intense (some might say obsessive) HP binge, something I find baffling and mysterious. It is possible that I won't see her for a few days only to have her reappear, slightly haggard and pallid, with a devoured stack of Ms. Rowling's tomes in tow.

When the Potter bug strikes Nina, it always entertains me to no end. First and foremost is the fact that you couldn't pay me to read the books (believe me, I've tried stealing glances over her shoulder). It isn't a bash against the book, though; ever since I can remember, I have been entirely turned off by anything having to do with sorcery, wizards, and witches (or, for that matter, knights, princesses, and mysterious forests where Strange Things happen). Maybe I'm just missing that gene. However, this is the stuff of nerdy dreams for Nina, who loves indulging herself in fantasy worlds where bizarre creatures scamper about and objects take on magical qualities. Indeed, you can see it reflected in much of her art. This contrast has been one of those "opposites attract" elements of our relationship, perhaps analogous to my love of post-bop jazz or watching baseball on television.

Another noteworthy aspect of her Potter fixation is the degree to which Nina becomes visibly excited (not like that) while reading the books. She gets this adorably goofy grin glued to her face and lets out the occasional involuntary giggle. Or, like last night, she'll pause her reading long enough to look at me and say something like "I wish I lived in a magical wizard world!!!" before promptly returning to her spot on the page. And yes, the statement comes with three exclamation points. I wonder how many of our blog readers are pro/anti HP?

Lastly, in a few days we'll be launching a special D&N gift guide... you know, because you needed another. If you have any suggestions you'd like to submit, just send us an e-mail: gifts[at]dannyandnina.com. We look forward to reading your ideas!

xoxox
Danny