The Eve of Potterdammerung

It’s 10:30 on Friday. I should be out and about, but no; I’m in the middle of a project too absurd to even go into. I keep being tempted by the Harry Potter parties â€” it’s the last book! I’ve never gone to a midnight party, despite my obsessiveness! â€” but sometimes it just works out that once you’re in for the night, working on a stupid project and sipping Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine (which you swiped from your boyfriend, if you’re me), you’re in for good.

But Books Without Borders is just blocks away …

But if I go alone, I’ll feel … old.

The book will arrive tomorrow. I have some pretty serious guilt about pre-ordering from Amazon, but I did it for my own sanity: If I picked it up at midnight (which, if I go to a party, I will be hard pressed not to do), I wouldn’t sleep. I just wouldn’t. I read the last one in two days, hardly sleeping. I have a metric fuckton of things to do this weekend, and I need my sleep.

So the reading will start when the post-lady arrives tomorrow, and it’ll be documented here. No spoilers, I promise. Just … reactions. My emotional rollercoaster, in words! And maybe some thoughts about the End of Potter. Or maybe I’ll save those for the paper.

Either way, I promise to buy a book at my local independent bookseller within the next month. A hardcover even, to make up for my Potter disloyalty.

I hope you’re all having fun out there.

I might still show up.

Maybe.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!