Saturday, July 21, 2007

Harry Potter and The Incredible Relay Delivery

My daughter likes the Harry Potter books and movies; I don't get it. In fact, I would tell secrets of great importance (if I knew any!) in lieu of being forced to watch a Harry Potter movie or read one of the books. Who cares about anything enough to read 800 pages of made-up stuff in eight books or so? But, in preparation for the last book which came out today, my daughter re-read all the previous books and watched all the movies before leaving for camp. I admire that some people are so interested in the Harry Potter lore, but it does not capture my imagination.
Since my daughter was anxious for the next book, I pre-ordered it on Amazon for guaranteed delivery on launch day. They showed it was shipped UPS. At 10:30 am I did the tracking of my package and it showed delivery at 10:20 am, signed for by Donald. I ran up and down the street in my nightgown to make sure it was not accidentally left at a neighbors. And I knew none were named Donald.
Since I was frantic, my husband called UPS. They told him the delivery address, which was the nearest post office, as they were to deliver it. I checked the door and mailbox every few minutes, until, at 2 pm, I ran outside, still in my nightgown, to find the mail carrier JUST putting it in the mailbox. FYI, her vehicle was full of books.
I admire that Amazon made such a great effort to deliver it -- hence, the incredible relay delivery trick, with a series of time-sensitive handoffs.
It is on my daughter's bed, awaiting her return home tomorrow. The package says "Dear Muggles, Do Not Open Before July 21." I don't know what a muggle is, nor do I care, but no worries, I will not be opening it. That did not prevent me from reading the last two pages of the book, which we happened to see at Best Buy and Costco. I often read the end of books first.
So, now I know who dies, --- not that I intend to find out more about it, but it was just the fact I had to know since everyone was making such a big deal about it.