Harry Potter Festival-Chestnut Hill, PA

Carefully moving my tulle tail out of the way, I plopped down on the train seat. I jumped on my phone. I wanted to see everyone's pictures. I wanted to read about how much fun the people that I encountered during the day had. I starred at my phone perplexed. All I saw were complaints, lots and lots of complaints. I just had a spectacular day. Others did not. So essentially this post is about why I had a good time at the Harry Potter Festival in Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania. 


- I Researched and Kept up to Date 

From the moment I decided to go to the Harry Potter Festival, I kept up to date on the goings on. The website, the Facebook page, everything discussed how limited, and how terrible the parking would be. The festival highly recommended taking the train. Being someone who follows instructions, I listened. 

Taking the train was easy, and a lot of fun. The train station was a buzz with festival attendees. 

Professor Mcgonagall was helping some students figure out the festival map. 

On the train there was a newbie who used a sorting hat app to determine what house she would be in. When her results came back,

her friend yelled out,

    "My friend is a Hufflepuff!" Then all of the Hufflepuffs on the train began chanting,

"One of us, one of us," Lost Boys style. I was having the best time ever, and I hadn't even left the train. 

When we arrived at the station, it was even more fun. 

I didn't end up waiting for the train that was dubbed, "The Hogwarts Express," I took the train before that one, so that I could get to the festival early. The extra time allowed me to have a line-free treat. My chocolate-peanut butter truffle snitch from Bredenbeck's was really yummy. 

I also arrived in plenty of time for Dumbledore's opening address.

 The other thing that I kept on top of during my research, was how the crowd would be. I noticed that the Huffington Post, as well as several other major websites, did articles on the upcoming Harry Potter Festival. I knew this would attract people to the festival beyond just the locals. Every so often I would look at the event's Facebook site. I saw that a lot of people from New York planned to come. People from Indiana, North Carolina, and other places around the country showed an interest in coming. I concluded that the crowd was going to be bananas-bonkers. I figured that I could either decide not to go, or I could embrace the mayhem. I chose the latter, mentally prepared, and dived in. 

Yes, it was crowded. Maybe because I travel a lot and/or attend a lot of concerts, but it wasn't the worst crowd I've experienced. I worked with it, not against it. 

Now I will admit that I was solo. I had no stroller, children, or anyone to keep up with. I have a great eye for people free pockets, so I was able to bob and weave freely. 

There were places to get a bit of respite if you took a little time to find them. Knockturn Alley was quiet, and had some nice places to sit.

-I have Great Deductive Reasoning and am Flexible

I saw the line for beer.

I also saw the line for the bathrooms. 

I figured that having a beer = having to use the bathroom, which = spending a good part of my day waiting in lines. Therefore I chose to wait in the much shorter hot chocolate line. It was a bit nippy, so hot chocolate was a nice treat, and the cup was smaller than the beer, so there was a good possibility I wouldn't have to wait in the bathroom line. I skipped the Butterbeer. I think I'm good for about one Butterbeer per year, and I already had one recently at the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child book release party I went to. 

I spent my time partaking in the abundance of activities. My favorite activity was doing a slow motion, dementor fight video. The line was very short, I think because people would walk by and mutter about how it probably cost too much money, but if they inquired, or stopped for a minute to observe like I did, they would have found out that it was sponsored by Philadelphia's Kimmel Center, and was completely free.

It was fortunate that I ended up with two other girls behind me who were solo, so we took turns taking pictures of one another. It was nice chatting with them in line. I love bonding with fandom people. Fighting the dementor was super fun. 

I'm supposed to get the video in my e-mail, but so far I haven't received it. It's cool, it was fun even if the video never appears. I could have stayed and watched people fight the dementor all day. The facial expressions people made were highly entertaining. 

I also chose to watch some of the shows because they didn't have a line. Because people have short attention spans, they tended to wander away after only a few minutes and it was easy to get up relatively close.

The Secret Circus Philly show was very cool.

If they had a place close by in South Jersey, I might need to take up a new hobby. 

I also enjoyed the owl show. 

There were crafts. They were the Horcrux Stations. They had lines, but by 2:30 pm, the lines had dissipated, and you could walk right up to them. I can never pass up a free bookmark. 

The multiple photo op spots had short lines, and seemed like a lot of fun. 

I intended to see a Quidditch match, but I was having so much fun, I lost track of the time, and by the time I realized what time it was, the matches were pretty much over. Just something I'll need to do next year. 

- I'm Just Here for the Cosplay

I love any excuse to make an outfit and dress up. I had so much fun working on my Fawkes outfit. After seeing that it was going to be cold and rainy, I made a few adjustments, and added layers, but it didn't effect the overall outcome. I highly recommend that everyone invest in a set of good quality base layers. 

I spent my day in cosplay heaven. 

People yelled to me, or they yelled to Fawkes. I waved. One girl yelled,

"What the Fawkes!" Which was my favorite comment of the day. More than one person told me I was beautiful, which made me consider dressing up like a Phoenix everyday. 

People asked to take pictures of me, or asked to take pictures with me.

It completely made my day. 

I in turn, asked other cosplayers if I could take pictures with them. Especially the other Fawkes.

I also geeked out over many of the endless, and awesome, cosplays. 

 I saw so much creativity and imagination. I was overjoyed. Aren't fandom people the best? 

-I am an Uber Harry Potter Geek 

I loved how all out the town shops and residents went all out to to get into the Harry Potter spirit. 

Since I am an uber Harry Potter geek, the highlight of my day was getting a picture with the official Harry Potter and Dumbledore of the Harry Potter Festival. I didn't even need to say anything, and Harry Potter was like,

"Dumbledore, it's Fawkes." Again, completely in my glory. Thanks to the girl whose name started with a C (I'm so sorry I completely blanked on your name). She was behind me at the dementor video station, and took my dementor pictures. Then, unexpectedly, she turned up behind me just in time to snap this shot. She was like a photography guardian angel. 

I made sure to get to the stage early, so I could have a good spot for the closing ceremony. I had a great time chatting with a Moaning Myrtle and her friend, as well as some other super cool fans.

There was a kid dance party happening on the stage. This mini-Draco was hilarious. He really played the part, pointing to his eyes, then back at the audience a few times. We were all cracking up. 

Dumbledore's closing remarks were fantastic. 

He tallied up the house points, being sure to give Gryffindor some amusing (and of course completely bogus) "bonus" points. He then lost track of the math. The audience was trying to tally it up for him, but also kept getting the amount wrong, so Dumbledore remarked,

"It's okay, we all know Hogwarts doesn't teach math." Everyone laughed. Dumbledore was pretty outstanding. 

The festival concluded and I left on a fandom high. 

The sunset on the train ride home was spectacular. 

I thought on what a wonderful day I had, on how many wonderful, interesting, creative people I met, and how happy I was to be alive in a world where Harry Potter exists.

My High Altitude Simulation Test Experience

When I looked up information on having a High Altitude Simulation Test (HAST) completed, the information was vague, brief, and clinical. I couldn't find anything about what the experience of having the test done would be like. I thought I'd post my experience for anyone who might be looking for a little more than the clinical explanation.

When I met with my pulmonary hypertension specialist, one of the first questions asked was when did I first experience symptoms. Of course I couldn't tell that story without it being revealed that I travel quite a bit. Because I fly in airplanes several times a year, my specialist thought it would be a good idea for me to have a HAST completed. The test would mimic conditions in an airplane and would evaluate my oxygen saturation levels to see if I needed to bring supplemental oxygen with me when I fly. 

I arrived at Penn's Perelman Center for advanced medicine bright and early. This is my second visit to the center. It feels a little like visiting a fancy hotel. There are staff everywhere offering to help you, directing you where to go, there is even someone who coordinates the elevators. It makes you feel kind of special. 

I reported to Pulmonary Diagnostic Services and was greeted by Michael, who would be administering and evaluating my test. 

Michael was awesome! He was extremely friendly and very funny. I sat down on something that was halfway between an examination table and a chair. It was kind of like an examination throne.  

After getting some basic information, Michael explained in detail, step by step, exactly what the test would entail. I then had to sign a consent that said I wouldn't hold anyone responsible if I passed out or had a heart attack during the testing. 

The set up process took some time. I had sensors put in place to hook me up to an EKG machine. Another sensor was then placed on my forehead, and then my forehead was wrapped in a headband. The forehead sensor measured my oxygen saturation. I was informed that the forehead sensor is more accurate than using a finger clip. I was cool with that because the finger clip always makes me fidgety. I looked quite the sight. 

Next, Michael inflated a giant bag with a mixture that included only 15% oxygen.

The final step was for Michael to put nose clips on my nose, and for me to put the breathing register, that was connected via hose to the bag, into my mouth. 

The timer was then set for 20 minutes. 

For the first 15 minutes, I just had to sit and breath normally. Michael was great. He was talkative so I got to hear about his daughter wanting to attend college in Japan, he talked about the plane ride to Disney World, and a whole array of subjects. He kept what could have been a very boring and slightly awkward 20 minutes, interesting. At specific intervals, Michael would record my oxygen levels, my heart rate, and print out my EKG readings. Actually he said he was printing out more than the usual EKG readings because it had been a while since he had seen such beautiful heart rhythms. They were so perfect, I was clearly created in a lab by the government. Yes, that was my backstory. I must have escaped and I no longer have any memory of my time in the lab, but soon, according to Michael, I will discover that I can move things with my brain. Did I mention how great Michael was?  

After 15 minutes, I had to get up and walk. Some people are fine when just sitting, but when they get up and say, walk to the bathroom in the airplane, that's when they have troubles. This would explain why Betty in the Sky with a Suitcase (podcast) always has stories of people passing out on the plane. 

Michael started out walking with me, and then he broke out some entertaining dance moves. After walking for 5 minutes, the test was complete. It ended up being easy. Probably the worst part was that there's a growing saliva issue as the test progresses, and by the time you dislodge the breathing piece from your mouth, well it's sorta gross. 

Two things that could have happened during the test that didn't happen for me-  

- If they had trouble getting good readings, they would have to check my blood gas levels. Michael stated this is always avoided if at all possible, because getting your blood gas level checked is an unpleasant experience. 

- If my oxygen levels dipped under a certain number during the test, Micheal would have hooked up an additional tube into my breathing register. He would then start to pump in oxygen increasing the amount until my levels were at a safe range. This would have determined how much oxygen I needed on the plane. 

Fortunately neither of these events were necessary during my testing. 

Micheal unhooked me from everything. I joked about keeping the headband so that I could cosplay Eleven from Stranger Things. Michael happened to be watching Stranger Things so we geeked out together about the show. 

The good news, my oxygen levels never fell below the mid-80s, so at least for now, I don't need oxygen when I fly. Yay! 

Due to the nature of pulmonary hypertension, I'll probably have to repeat the test at some point in the future, but as long as Michael is there, I don't mind.

Because I'm a child at heart, and firmly believe that one should always be rewarded when having to endure medical tests, we stopped by Federal donuts.

Guess what they have? A churro donut! We ended up getting three donuts. I got the churro donut, Shannon got the blueberry pancake, and we split a tres leches. 

They were all really good. The churro donut however, was magical. 

The Franklin Institute-Science After Hours-Wizard School

From the moment we entered the Franklin Institute's main lobby at 7 pm, I knew it was going to be a fun night.

There were so many activities going on, and only three hours, so I had to make my choices carefully.

Only a few days before the event, Science After Hours revealed an added surprise, Harry and the Potters would be performing in the Planetarium. I've always regretted never seeing a Wizard Rock band play live when Wizard Rock was at the height of popularity, so I was ecstatic over the idea that I would get to see the most famous of Wizard Rock bands play. 

Before entering the Planetarium, we grabbed a beverage. Science After Hours is a 21+ only event. There are bars set up around the museum.

Pumpkin Juice - Juice + Butter Beer - Butter = Pumpkin Beer 

There were also at least two places with free alcohol tastings, but the lines were super long, so we skipped them.

Seasonally approved beers in hand, we stepped into the Planetarium. It was already very cool, and the concert hadn't even started yet. 

The Franklin Institute really knows how to throw an event. 

They changed the ceiling a few times during the concert. The moon was especially fitting during the My Teacher is a Werewolf song. 

The concert was amazing! They are really good musicians. 

Harry Potter, Harry Potter, and the ghost of Cedric Diggory had a ton of energy and really knew how to work a crowd. 

There was quite a bit of running through the audience and a little audience participation as well. 

I was so excited and had so much fun. Seeing Harry and the Potters live = Life Goal Complete. 

I saw people during the concert holding up their light up wands. I knew making a wand was what I wanted to do next. Unfortunately wand making proved to be so popular that they quickly ran out of supplies, so no wand for me. 

Since I wore my Hogwarts Express outfit, I wanted to get a picture in Franklin Institute's train room. 

The entrance was decorated. 

It was the perfect place to get a picture. 

I still feel strange about asking people if I can take a photo of them, but I did manage to get a few.

One of best things about being at The Franklin Institute at night was getting to go to the roof to see the giant telescope. 

It was an extra cloudy night, but we were still able to see the star Vega with the telescope. It was neat. 

After the telescope, there was only a little time left before the big finale, so we wandered into the Quidditch room, but all of the matches were over. There were tables where you could make origami snitches, but it looked a little too involved for the time that we had left. 

We did have time to try the dragon's breath. It involved graham crackers in liquid nitrogen. 

We were instructed to chew the graham crackers quickly and to not let them adhere to our tongues or to the inside of our mouths. The effect was a lot of fun.

The big finale took place in the lobby. Everyone gathered, and with wands held high (those who were able to make their wands before the unfortunate wand shortage that is) began the count down,

then a shout of INCENDIO!!!

The finale was spectacular. The fireball could have burned the eyebrows off of at least fifty Seamus Finnigans. 

It was a great night. I was extremely impressed by how organized the event was and by how many activities there were. Small touches and details really made the night. It was well worth the $15.00 admission. 

The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia hosts Science After Hours events every month. Each has its own, unique theme. I can't wait to attend another one. They sent me a survey and in the comments I suggested a Doctor Who night, fingers crossed.