Parchment Paths

         Anyone who’s watched the Netflix original series StrangerThings will find themselves nostalgic for the 1980’s, cassette tapes, arcades, big hair, and the now classic movies that influenced every kid who saw them.           Most of us 80’s and even early 90’s kids longed to find pirate gold, fly our bikes over town, and save the town from evil, yet hilarious witches. Stranger Things brought back all of those childhood adventures and the feeling that while being a kid was hard, it was also amazing, adventurous, and inspiring. Being an adult can be all of those things, even if we are not helping neighborhood kids defeat monsters.           So, if after watching all three seasons that Netflix has to offer leaves you wanting more of similar adventures then here are five suggestions for you. 1. The Goonies (1985) Much like Stranger Things , young kids...

While the USA T.V. show Psych is not currently on the air, it remains, in my opinion one of the best shows ever, perhaps of all time. It’s smart, funny, nerdy, heartfelt, deals with crime and has some amazing scenery. The show deals with a very clever, but lazy man, Shawn Spencer who finds himself claiming to be   psychic  to the local police to get himself out of trouble. It leads to more trouble, because he’s so observant and good at acting that they believe him and hire him as  psychic  consultant. Hilarity ensues as he and his best friend, Burton Guster solve crimes, make friends with the police, and in Shawn’s case, grow closer to his father. There’s also romance, delicious food, and tons of movie and TV references.   Through all the wacky fun, there’s some great themes, my favorite being friendship.  Shawn and Burton (called Gus) have been friends since elementary. While they share a great many interests, they are very different people...

June is only a few days old and I’ve already had some summer fun. My Dad and I went to a yard sale hosted by a local radio station, WRGN. The sale was held on grounds large enough for a barn stuffed with items for sale that ranged from a vintage children’s coat, to old china, to tools. Outside the barn were tents selling books, movies, holiday decorations, baked goods and loose leaf tea. Dad and I had a great time browsing the items and taking in the beautiful countryside. It was a great start to summer.

For years, I’ve wanted to visit a local oddities parlor, you know, the kind of store that sells taxidermy, antiquated medical equipment, creepy dolls, Gothic jewelry, maybe even a few human skulls. When I heard that The Strange and Unusual OdditiesParlor has added a Harry Potter themed café, I wanted to go even more. A friend and I made the visit a few weeks ago and were not disappointed. The café part of the shop is very small and has a limited menu, but we didn’t mind at all.   The café is a perfect little nook in the shop and what they do serve seems to be excellent. We both ordered Butterbeers and thoroughly enjoyed them.   They are a bit like a tastier version of the smoked butterscotch latte Starbucks served a few years ago. Keep in mind that they are not like the cold soda versions from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, but are still delicious and very pretty. The shop itself was amazing, though perhaps not for the faint of heart  , ...

  We only have a few more months until season three of Stranger Things airs on Netflix.   During the wait, I re-watched the first two seasons and made some interesting comparisons and contrasts. In both seasons, the Byers's home undergoes  drastic transformations.  Season one, Joyce hangs the lights and paints the letters on the wall to better communicate with Will. Later, she hacks a hole in another wall, and the house sustains substantial damage when an attempt is made to burn the Demogorgon out.  Season two, the transformation is not quite as damaging, mostly hanging Will’s map all over the walls and floors and boarding up the windows. However, some minor damage occurs during Steve and Billy’s fight, mostly broken dishes and the dent in floor made by Max swinging the nail studded bat. Another similarity between the two seasons is that they both feature poor Steve being beaten up. In season one, by Jonathan, in season two by Billy. He seems to boun...

The most recent adaption of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express has been out for some time now, but I only just recently watched it. I’d already seen two other movie versions and wasn’t sure how I felt about another being made. The plot is ingenious, but it does not always translate well to screen, also Hercule Poirot is an amazing but difficult to reproduce character.           Though it had been awhile since I read the book, I could tell right away that some aspects of the story had been changed for the movie.   A whole new case (at least new to me) is created to explain why Poirot is traveling on the train.   The book does begin with him wrapping up a case, but very few details are given, whereas the movie has him giving a brief recap of the case and revealing the culprit.            Without spoiling the movie by explaining all of changes, I can say that while the plot remains b...

One of my favorite scenes from the Harry Potter books never made it into the movies. It’s from the last book, The Deathly Hallows . Things are not going well for Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley.  The three teenagers are hunted by a corrupt government and separated from friends and family as fear and evil spread over the Magic and non-magic worlds.             The three find themselves at a school friend’s home. While the point of the visit was to speak to her father, in the book the trio wonder into her room during the visit, where they find that their friend, Luna, has covered her walls with paintings of not just them, but of a few of their other friends as well. Linking the portraits are what look like gold chains, but what is really the word “friend “repeated over and over again in gold script.  It was then that they realized not only how much Luna cared for them, but how much they cared for her. ...