Hello, all

[Eustace_Scrubb]

Since I've been lurking about for around a month now, getting a feel
for the cataloging, I suppose I should discard the invisibility cloak
for a moment and say, "Hi!"

I've been following the main list since sometime shortly after OoP
came out.  I come to the Potterverse having progressed from Narnia to
Middle-earth in my formative years (a long time ago in a galaxy known
as the 70s) and also taking in the fantasies of William Morris and
Lord Dunsany.  I grew up (at least some think so) to become a museum
curator, so I've spent a lot of time cataloging 3-dimensional
objects--it remains to be seen whether that's an advantage or
disadvantage on this project.       

My son, now 9 1/2, was given SS by a family friend when he was about
6.  He's always been a pretty avid reader and started into the book on
his own but got through about 9 chapters a couple of times and
stopped.  I think he got to Fluffy and couldn't take anymore at that
stage.  Instead he had me read him The Hobbit and then all of LOTR,
which took about a year.  Meantime, he'd been given CoS and the SS
video.  We'd told him he couldn't watch the video until he'd read the
book and finally the floodgates opened.  Between about Christmas 2002
and May 2003 he'd read the first four books and dragged me into it. 
So unlike those who'd gotten an earlier start on the series we only
had to wait about a month for OoP--which makes the current interregnum
a new experience, and following HPfGU's been part of that.  (I
probably shouldn't admit it, but just for my own interest and my
son's, I've been writing something that's not quite fanfiction--it's
set in the WW during the same year that OoP unfolds but is set on my
side of the pond, (upstate New York, that is) and doesn't involve any
of JKR's characters directly--mostly just as fiction-writing practice
and entertainment--on the other hand, it's rather long now and my
audience (both of us) is going to insist it gets finished.)

I've not been an overly prolific poster (especially in the last month
or so), but you may have seen me under the pen name Eustace_Scrubb.

Anyway, I'm glad to join you all and hope to make a modest
contribution to the project!  Happy New Year!

Cheers,

Doug