Texas: Part 1

Good day from Southern Texas!!

Wait, what?? Texas??

Yes, that's right. Many of you know by now, either via Twitter, Skype, or the Leaky Lounge that I had moved to Texas, but I am finally getting around to a long overdue blog about the whole thing.

And what better place to start than the beginning? (which is why this will take more than one blog post)

In February, one of the guys I had gone to college with, Ryan, (we were both Business students) came back to visit and also do a presentation about the company he was working for down in McAllen, TX. They had some openings and he was looking for people to fill them. I sat in on the presentation, mainly to just hear what he had to say and also visit with some other friends who had also returned for a visit at the same time. I talked with him briefly about it, but didn't really think much of going to Texas. I wanted to stay in Wisconsin close to family (on my mom's side) and also so I could visit my sister, a junior in college, and my brother, who is going to be a freshman this fall.

Well, the job opportunities I was looking at in WI fell through and I really had no idea what to do. Then, I thought of Ryan and his presentation. The company he was working for was expanding and there was something I was at least interested in trying--at the very least it was in my field of study at college (and finding something like that in this economy is becoming increasingly difficult). So, I contacted Ryan via Facebook and he was very excited that I was interested. See, in 2008, we were both on the same team for our Business Capstone project--basically we had to come up with a brand new company and create a business plan and present it as a viable company to our "investors". So, we had past working experience together and he knew how I worked.

Anyway, we got talking and then his dad called me to talk about the business (he is the owner). It was starting to look like the job opportunity was shaping up and I was headed to Texas. But then I didn't hear from them for about 2 or 3 weeks. I knew they were supposed to be calling me back, but never did. I was getting a little worried and my dad said I should probably start looking for something else just in case.

Well, I really didn't want to do any job searching. I kinda looked at some stuff, but really had no interest. (Although, there was a job opening as a CSR for Blizzard at their complex in Austin, TX. I really liked that one.) I decided to just text Ryan and see what was up. He immediately texted back with sincere apologies at dropping the ball. Some issues had come up at work and everyone was busy, etc. I understood, and said I was still interested.

Then, all of a sudden I was telling them that I would be down in Texas by the end of the month of June....

What??

LeakyCon '09 -- Best Week of My Life!

Yes, I know LeakyCon happened a month ago. I just found time to write this blog. Don't get your wands in a knot....

Anyway, did you know that it takes approximately 36 hours by car to get from my town in Montana to Boston, MA? For that matter, who would be insane enough to drive that far anyway?!

Well, I'm that insane because I did it last month to get to LeakyCon.

My family is anti-Harry Potter. They are pretty much close to how the Dursleys would be like in real life (on the subject of magic, that is --- no, I am not forced to live in a cupboard under our stairs). So, when I took this trip to LeakyCon, it was like leaving Privet Drive and arriving at Hogwarts for the very first time. The events of that week were just that magical.

To tell everything that went on there would take several weeks worth of blogs. So, I'll just try and touch on some of my favorite highlights.

First off was meeting my fellow Lily and Stag Inn staffers. I finally got to meet in person staff members I had only chatted with and worked over the internet with. It really was an amazing meeting, spouting Leaky Lounge names and putting the Lounge names with the real people. My fellow staff members there in the L&S Inn are some of the awesomest people in the world!! Not to mention that out of the 25+ staff members in that section of the forum, I'm the only guy. Yeah, it's a pretty good life. =D

Meeting the Pottercasters (Melissa, John, Sue, and Frak) in real life was simply amazing. Not only that, but I ended up staying in a suite right next to theirs (dubbed the "Leaky Suite"). Yeah, that was really, really cool.

Secondly, I participated in my first ever wizard rock concerts (or "wrock" as it is more commonly known as). The only wrock I had ever really heard before was the first Jingle Spells CD which I own. But, I found out that I really love wrock! I didn't think I would; didn't think it would be my style. But I'm so glad that I was wrong! It is amazing music (and Ministry of Magic is my favorite!).

Third, I met some of the coolest people on the face of this planet. I had no idea what to expect for this conference, but the Harry Potter fandom is one of the friendliest, most welcoming, most closeknit fandoms that I know of. I made some awesome friends and long-lasting memories. Where else could I go with a group of fellow staffers and throw tea in the St. Charles River (Boston Harbor was too far, unfortunately)? Where else could I dance the night away to wrock and "Total Eclipse of the Heart"?

Where else could I finally be myself?

Thank you, LeakyCon 2009, for everything. I'll see you in Orlando, FL, in 2011!!

A little introduction

One of the things I've been meaning to do is start my own blog. Well, I finally got around to it and can scratch one more thing off my to-do list. Yay!

Anyway, my name is Daniel. I'm 23 years old and just graduated from college with a degree in business management. I currently reside in Montana where I was born and raised. My only disappointment is that I wished I had grown up on the western side of the state in the mountains instead of in the badlands/plains of the eastern side. I love the mountains! One of these days I hope to live close to mountains...

I digress...

What is this blog going to be about, you ask? Anything and everything, I answer. Maybe it's something I've been thinking about, a funny story, comments on a new movie/book, etc., or just randomness. One of the subjects that will definitely be incorporated a lot is Harry Potter.

I work for The Leaky Cauldron, one of the largest Harry Potter news/fan sites on the web.
Check it out here -------->>>> The Leaky Cauldron

And just what jobs do I perform there? I work in the forum section of TLC called the Leaky Lounge. And you can check that out here ----------->>>> Leaky Lounge

The section I work in is the Lily and Stag Inn, the Reading Group forum. We read through the Harry Potter series and do chapter-by-chapter discussion of each book with lots of fun randomness thrown in with it. And speaking of discussing, the Reading Groups are going to start discussing Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix starting June 20th!

If you love discussing Harry Potter or just want to hang with some of the coolest Harry Potter fans in the world, please check out both sites!

Enough shameless plugging for my place of work. =)

And that's me! Until next time...