The same old roller coaster of ‘The Heather Show’ that the Grand Producers in the Sky keep on insisting I go along with has been moving steadily along. If only they’d stop and let someone else experience all the constant ups, downs, barrel rolls, and puke-tastic bunny hills, then that would make life so much more bearable. But this unending bipolar insanity, it’s… well, insane. But at least with the latest lows, I’ve had some highs, so finally I have some good news to report!

    My friend Alicia kicks serious butt. You know why? Totally out of the blue, she sent me the nicest present. I met her AGES ago, when I created what is now a rather infamous message board from the Daily Prophet. It was known as The HP4Discussion Board, and holy crap was it fun. What started out as a simple outlet for Harry Potter fans to theorize about the then-upcoming fourth Harry Potter book quickly became a cherished online clubhouse of sorts. I only advertised it on the Daily Prophet for a short while, because after a few weeks, the board had collected this beautiful mass of people who were so much fun to talk to. Our days were filled with all sorts of interesting and hilarious discussions, and quite soon, we all clicked so well with each other that our discussions started drifting from Harry Potter and into more in depth, hilarious, and personal discussions and debates about such a wide range of topics. Quite suddenly it was more than just a message board – it was an online home for people from all over the world, people who quickly became close friends. Some of my most treasured friendships came out of that message board, among whom was a girl who went by the nickname of “Moony.” She was so young when we first met, but somehow I had a hard time believing it. She was so mature, so wise for her age. She was always the first to calm an argument, put a fresh perspective to a plaguing problem, or add a bit of intelligence to juvenile discussions. I respected her greatly, and in fact, I still do. Watching her grow up, albeit from afar, was an honor, because with each year that passed on the message board, she only because all the more mature, confident, and intelligent. Every time I thought of her, I always thought of that old saying, that someone has an “old soul.” Moony embodied that, and yet she always maintained the enthusiasm and freshness of youth.

    After a few years, I could no longer look after the message board. But those who still looked at it as a sort of surrogate home didn’t want it to just die out. I always knew some day I’d leave it, and there was never a doubt in my mind that I’d want to leave it in the capable hands of my friend Moony. So when the time came, several board members came to me as a group and asked to be named the new moderators. I was pleased that Moony was among them, because it meant I could leave the board with absolute confidence that the board, and everyone who inhabited it, would be treated fairly, and with love.

    “Moony”, as I later came to find out, was really a young woman named Alicia. Sadly, with both of our lives being quite busy, I was never able to keep up with Alicia as much as I wanted to. I always felt terrible about that. We’d email from time to time, but you know how life gets in the way. It had been quite some time since the last exchange of emails, so imagine my surprise when a package arrived for me a few days ago. Inside was a pair of absolutely gorgeous peacock feather earrings that I had been coveting for literally over a year. Seriously, those earrings have been on my wishlist for over a year! And along with those earrings was a note, from Alicia. I was so surprised – I didn’t know I had a present coming, let alone that Alicia sent it. Heck, I didn’t even know she read my blog! I was thrilled and surprised by her out-of-the-blue kindness. It was great to know that she thinks of me as kindly as I have always thought of her. And it brought back so many wonderful memories from way back when the HP4 board was my second home. It was a safe place where I could go, surround myself with friends, and dive into beautiful, uplifting conversations.

    The HP4 Board is still around, but it’s much quieter now. Occasionally we’ll pop back in to say Hi, to catch up with old friends, and swap memories with each other. It will always hold a special place in my heart, and now thanks to Moony/Alicia, I have a beautiful reminder of those days and our friendship. Thank you, Alicia! You’re such a rare and beautiful person, so wise beyond your years, and so full of kindness. I’m so grateful to have met you, and I consider myself fortunate to have your friendship. I have the greatest respect for you, and I always will. Thank you for that wonderful surprise; it brightened my day, and has completely overshadowed the negative things in my life right now.

    Seriously. After writing all that, the bad news I was going to mention totally pales in comparison. It seems so pointless. Basically, I think I have a tonsil infection of some sort. I woke up with one side of my throat feeling as if it had been punched on the inside. It hurts to swallow, and the left side of my jaw and neck feels like it’s about ten times its normal size. It’s uncomfortable, it hurts, and it sucks. But who cares? I get to eat all the ice cream I want since that helps with the pain, and I have beautiful peacock feather earrings to make me smile. 🙂 So forget that crap about the roller coaster – my friends are continually making up for the bad behavior of the producers of The Heather Show. And thank goodness for that. 🙂

P.s. Hehe, I just can’t help myself… You have to see the latest thing I added to the wishlist. It’s HILARIOUS! I just about died laughing when I first saw them. And ooooh, I want them sooooo bad, no matter how juvenile they are. Hehe, check it out… You may laugh at me, you may think it’s terribly juvenile, but after you get over the shock of it, I’m positive you’ll want a set too. After all, how could you not? It’s absolute genius that they were able to make that cute… 🙂