had a physical today to see what all this tiredness lately has been about. the doctor said that it could be masked depression and stress. i told him that i think i’m depressed because i’m so tired all the time, and i can’t do all the things i want. i mean, i was fine just a couple of weeks ago. and stress? it took me a while to think of what could be stressing me out–oh, yeah. finances, the usual.

he also said–like everyone else has–that it could be the weather change. here in Chicago, the change was very abrupt. a week ago this past Friday it was in the 60s and Brian and i were strolling around the Botanic Gardens, and this last Friday it was in the 20s!

it could be the time change, too. i never did understand the daylight savings time thing. i mean, not all countries even do that, right? i don’t even think all 50 states change the time.

anyway, he looked in my chart and said that it was almost a year to the day that i had my last physical and bloodwork done. last year, there was some speculation that i might have a thyroid condition because i gained so much weight so quickly–it turned out to be the Lamictal. they won’t have the results for a couple of days, and then we’ll see.

adventure/fantasy. Daniel Radcliffe. Emma Watson. Rupert Grint.

it’s Harry Potter’s fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry–a special year, because the school is hosting the Triwizard Tournament, a centuries-old competition in which one champion from each of several wizarding schools around the world compete against each other by completing 3 dangerous tasks. although students must be 17 years old to enter their names into the Goblet of Fire, which chooses a champion from each school, 14-year-old Harry somehow ends up being chosen.

of the Harry Potter books JK Rowling has written so far, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is one of the longest. therefore, it’s no surprise that much from the book has been left out, and even still, the movie is 2-1/2 hours long. however, what was omitted is not essential to the main plot, that is, Harry’s competing in the tournament. the scenes shift abruptly though, and in that sense, it seems that potentially crucial scenes were left on the cutting room floor.

Snape and Slytherin fans will be disappointed because the antagonism between the former and Harry was touched upon more lightly than in the past; this is definitely a Gryffindor movie.

the effects are spectacular and the costumes fabulous, especially for the Yule Ball. as always, the 3 young stars do a great job of portraying their characters, especially since Harry, Ron, and Hermione have reached the age where they view members of the opposite sex from a new perspective. the awkwardness of that stage in life is excellently conveyed by Daniel Radcliffe, especially. a definite must-see for Harry Potter fans.

Frappr! is a new guest map you can add to your blog or Web site that i swiped from Dariana. heehee. i’m a sucker for maps and knowing where people are from, and since no one ever signed my Bravenet guest map (except for April because she’s a true blog friend ), i thought i’d try this. it’s new and unfamiliar, so maybe it’ll pique people’s curiosity. anyway, Bravenet has evil, evil pop-ups, and if this does, too, i want to hear about it! because if it does, it’s going down. and i just said i cleaned my sidebar, right?

people who sign your map can also subscribe to it to see when other people add themselves. all you do is put in your zip code (not sure about those outside the US), so it’s more accurate than Bravenet, too. signers can add photos and messages, and you can actually put a slideshow of the people who’ve signed your map onto your Web page, though i imagine it’ll only make things longer to load. i’ll add the slideshow to the extended part of this post, just so we can all see how it works.

there’s also a public directory of people’s maps, and when you create your own, you can add tags so people with similar interests can find you.

so go to town, already, and sign my map!:

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i love ice skating outside, and i haven’t done it in years. they used to have an outdoor rink at Navy Pier, but they don’t anymore. they have one at Millenium Park, though, and i’ve never even been to that park! well, it’s pretty new, and when am i ever in the Loop?

what i’d really like to do is start playing hockey again, but for now, skating outside will do.