The Long Goodbye and Hello

Written by: Andrew Lee and Robert Lanto

Goodbye.

That was one thing Robert and I never got to say to the readers of The U-Bend. I had always wanted to end The U-Bend properly, but never got the chance. In its short-lived life, The U-Bend brought you many famous articles, including: Choking Ron: Evil Harry and You, Are You There Jo? It's Me, Andrew (and Robert) and Half-Blood Pie: A Musical Review. Before then, I wrote a few other articles, including one of my all time favorites: Don’t Do What Diggory Did. But I digress…

There comes a time when everyone has to face their destiny and set the record straight. For myself, that time is now. It never sat with me correctly the way the column abruptly ended, leaving our five fans in the dark. In late January I was finally asked by the MuggleNet editorial staff about the final status of The U-Bend. And rather leave the column as it was, I felt it was time to say the things that were never said before: Think of this as the long goodbye. During this long goodbye, The U-Bend will continue to be written for as long as I can find time.

This obviously leads to the next question: Why are you trying to resurrect The U-Bend?

Well, I guess it can be two things. One: I was asked very nicely. Two: I missed writing The U-Bend. A lot of time has passed since I last wrote this column and I came to a realization. It was fun. Sure, I missed deadlines and work would get in the way. But when the weekend rolled around and I had an idea, it was probably some of the most fun I’ve had in a long time. So that’s why I’m back in the writer’s chair.

As you can see, Robert is gone. He said something along the lines of, “It’s not you, it’s me,” and has left the column in my control now. Alas, Robert’s involvement with the Potterverse ended with the last words of Deathly Hallows. After much discussion it was decided that I would carry on The U-Bend’s legacy by myself. So long, Robert, we wish you the best of luck.

Now, to be totally fair, continuing to write alone will be hard. With Robert gone, I will have to limit myself to one column a month. Also, with the entire Potter series released and the films wrapping up in the next few years, new content will be hard to come by. So, where does that leave The U-Bend?

If there was anything that I tried to establish in The U-Bend, it was that there were no rules to this column. We wrote what we thought was different and (hopefully) funny. I’ll still provide some remaining theories, questions and issues that I have left while making some entertaining observations about the Harry Potter universe. Trust me when I say that there are still a few questions that only The U-Bend could ask.

So here’s to the future! I hope to see you again in that little corner known as The U-Bend on MuggleNet. There’s only one more thing to say: Hello and welcome to The U-Bend!

2/7/08