Now that the Harry Potter series will be available as e-books beginning in October, I may actually get around to finishing the books. I read the first two volumes way back in the early Aughts, but somehow never made time for the rest. I could easily borrow the books from my fan-girl sister, but I don’t mind contributing a few dollars to Ms. Rowling’s cultural empire. As long as I can read them on any device of my choosing, I’ll have no complaints. But now I must decide whether to see the final movie before reading the rest of the books. Thanks to the spoilerific nature of the Internet, I know the generals of the story’s ending, but not the specifics.

What say you, Potter-maniacs? Will seeing the final movie affect my enjoyment of books 3-7?

You’ve seen Pulp Fiction, right? Have you seem it with everything edited out except the bad language? Because you will now. Warning: Extremely NSFW unless you’re Rahm Emmanuel’s personal secretary.

The weird thing about this video is that it still provides a rough outline of the movie’s plot. I’m tempted to show this to someone who has never seen Pulp Fiction, followed by the movie itself. Afterwards, I’d ask which version they found more entertaining.

Some of you know that I serve on the board of directors of VSA Minnesota, a small nonprofit that works to make the arts accessible to and inclusive of people with disabilities. They do great work with both kids and adults with disabilities who might otherwise have very little opportunity to experience and create art. Due to recent federal budget cuts, VSA is facing a severe funding shortfall. There is no other organization like VSA in Minnesota and I want to see it continue bringing art into the lives of people with disabilities. Please consider giving VSA a donation to help me ensure that will happen.

Even though I may be unemployed soon, I’m going to donate $50 to VSA as soon as I post this. If even a handful of my readers could give $10 bucks each, that would be amazing. If 10 people donate because of this post, I’ll do my best not mention anything about fishnets for a week. Or so.

The Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled this week that driving around in a wheelchair or scooter while drunk is not a criminal offense. The court overturned a man’s DWI conviction because the scooter he was operating does not meet the definition of a motor vehicle according to state statute.

This decision is important for two reasons:

1. It demonstrates that our legal system is still capable of achieving true justice. 
2. It means that I can start planning my post-layoff drunken binge without fear of legal repercussions.

Today was one of my more depressing workdays. Both my union and our agency’s commissioner held meetings to discuss the implications of an increasingly likely state government shutdown. Much is still unknown regarding which state services, if any, will be deemed essential by a judge and continue to receive funding. I can survive for a time without a paycheck, but I’m beginning to wonder how my health and nursing care will be affected. The state is already sending notices to 600,000 recipients of public assistance that benefits may end on July 1st. During the 2005 shutdown, Medical Assistance benefits continued without interruption, but that shutdown was much smaller in scope.

My own circumstances are further complicated by the fact that I’m enrolled in a Medicaid buy-in program that allows for higher income and asset limits in exchange for paying a premium. If I get laid off, I can remain in the program for a few months before having to liquidate my retirement account and other assets. That should be enough time, but it’s a powerful reminder for me that long-term unemployment would probably force me onto Social Security again. I haven’t collected a Social Security check since 1999.

Of course, all this could be avoided if the Republican leadership in the Legislature would be willing to meet the Governor halfway on the issue of tax increases. Instead, they remain fixated on balancing the budget exclusively through a package of cuts that will disproportionately affect the poor and disenfranchised.

I came to Minnesota because it’s one of the few states in the nation that offered both the assistance and opportunities I needed to build a life of independence. The life I have simply wouldn’t be possible in most other places. But I’m beginning to fear that the Minnesota that welcomed me fifteen years ago is transforming into a meaner, harsher place where those of us who need assistance of one type or another are seen as burdens rather than neighbors. I hope I’m wrong, but I’m feeling pretty discouraged at the moment.