The (Un)Official Guide For Coping with July 16, 2011...and Beyond

A dark day is coming. No, not Jan 1, 2012, but one even closer: July 16, 2011. A day we all have been dreading. The day that we shall rue for all our lives.

I am, of course, talking about the day after the final Harry Potter movie comes out.

Step 1: See the movie again

• There’s a decent chance that you have missed some movie moments from all the cheering, crying or even blinking
• This does not cover bathroom breaks because who leaves the theatre to go to the bathroom during Harry Potter?!
• If needed, invest in a set of vision-boosters so you don’t miss a thing. Look how happy this fan is:

"I am so excited"

Step 2: Sing Your troubles away

• Find comfort in A Very Potter Musical or any of the many Wrock bands
• Then again there’s always this song from the awesome Hank Green

Step 3: Take reassuring breaths. Then make someone cry.

• Take a deep breath
• Then, go on some entertainment website and start insulting the Twilight “SAGA”
• When Harry Potter depravation occurs, nothing soothes a wounded soul like making a Twihard cry. The younger the better.

Emergency Code Emerald (In honor of Mr. Potter’s eyes): “Accidently” bump into Madame Rowling

• Buy a ticket to Edinburgh, Scotland
• Visit The Elephant House and Balmoral Hotel, the hallowed grounds where Madame Rowling wrote and, in case of the latter, where Deathly Hallows was finished

Please remember MOBFD does not endorse stalking.

Ok, ok I kid (mostly). But the truth is, July 15^th is going to be an end of an era for me and many other Potter fans. I began reading Harry Potter in 2000 and have been going to midnight events since the 3^rd movie in 2004.

In 2009, when my sister & I visited family in Italy, we realized we would be in a non-English speaking country when movie 6 came out. Clearly the logical thing to do was to fly to London to see the movie. (Thank you RyanAir for having super cheap flights)

I realize this is crazy, but it was also great fun and something I’ll always remember. (Not surprisingly, my Italian family thinks we are NUTS)

These crazy people are having a great time

And this summer will be the last new event. Eleven years of celebrating this series and it’s going to be over July 15^th- At midnight with all my other nutter friends, of course.

So after July 15^th, I have no idea what the hell I’m going to do and I'll have to come up with a real coping plan.