Prior Incantato: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Part 4

This entry is part 4 of 6 in the series Prior Incantato: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Prior Incantato: In Harry Potter, a spell that can reveal the last spell performed by a particular wand. In other words — magic revisited.

Harry Potter

And we’re back! This week we tackle the next three chapters of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, which gives us our awesome first game of Quidditch, trolls, tricks and leviosas. At the end of Part 3, Harry had just been sorted into Gryffindor, where he found out that Snape hated him and all was not quite what it seemed at Hogwarts. What mysteries will he stumble upon next? Continue reading →

Prior Incantato: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Part 3

This entry is part 3 of 6 in the series Prior Incantato: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Prior Incantato: In Harry Potter, a spell that can reveal the last spell performed by a particular wand. In other words — magic revisited.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Welcome, Muggles, to Part 3 of Prior Incantato, where we’re digging into the world of Harry Potter on a chapter by chapter basis with constant vigilance. At the end of Part 2, Harry received his ticket to the Hogwarts Express, and now eagerly awaits the escape from his evil captors, the Dursleys. Continue reading →

Prior Incantato: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Part 2

This entry is part 2 of 6 in the series Prior Incantato: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Prior Incantato: In Harry Potter, a spell that can reveal the last spell performed by a particular wand. In other words — magic revisited.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Welcome to Part 2 of my re-read of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. We last left Harry at the worst vacation ever, warming himself near a fire fueled by a bag of potato chips as he awaits his birthday. When the clock strikes midnight, someone knocks on the door. Continue reading →

Prior Incantato: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Part 1

This entry is part 1 of 6 in the series Prior Incantato: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Prior Incantato: In Harry Potter, a spell that can reveal the last spell performed by a particular wand. In other words — magic revisited.

I don’t want to introduce this thing too heavily, but if you’d like to know more about why I’m doing this blog series, see these two Harry Potter related posts. The story of the Boy Who Lived is, I feel, one of the greatest modern pieces of writing about death, redemption and sacrificial love – and I don’t know if anything will challenge that title for a long time to come.

I wanted to take some time to dig through the halls of Hogwarts again, to see Harry Potter grow up, to analyze the way J.K. Rowling develops characters and sows the seeds of mystery. Hopefully, I can become a better writer as a result, and we can grow to appreciate Harry’s tale a bit more together. After all, even though the Boy Who Lived is gone, the ones we love never truly leave us. Continue reading →

On Humor and Finding Community

Community

One of my recent obsessions the last couple of months has been the show Community, Dan Harmon’s meta-comedy that pokes fun at sitcoms and practically every other genre that has graced our TV sets.

I recently borrowed Season 1 of the show on DVD, and somehow I fell down the rabbit hole of listening to the commentary tracks for every single episode, something I’ve never really done before with a series like this. Or any series, for that matter. Continue reading →

Eight-Legged Nightmare Fuel

I’ve told Jen before that there are a number of things I will kill in the event that they need killing: a lion. A zombie. A burglar. I do not have a problem smiting any of these should the situation arise where I need to protect someone I love.

But I make her kill the spiders. Continue reading →

Fear and Fowls

Dead Space 2

What follows is a post I wrote about a month ago, but never published, ironically, out of fear of looking like a dork. Thought I’d finish it and put it out there.

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A few weeks back, I watched my brother play the game Dead Space 2 and squealed in dread for the majority of the experience. I’ve always maintained that scary anything isn’t my cup of tea, and it really shows when I’m met with jaw-busting and bladder-loosening terror.

The whole ordeal got me thinking about fear in general. I was shocked to realize just how much it rules my life in other, less funny ways. Continue reading →

To Be a Kid Again

It’s very rare that I see something that stirs that special spot in my heart reserved for fond childhood memories, but it has been known to happen on occasion. As much as looking back on being a kid offers a mixed bag of whatever, there really is something magical about that place where imagination ran wild with unfettered gusto. To be a kid was to attempt the impossible on a daily basis, and much of that fire is missing as a guy in my late twenties that sits in a cubicle writing Web copy.

In the last week or so, I’ve hit two media examples that poked at those halcyon days of youth. Continue reading →

Blogging Cliches

This is where I write a cliche blog post about how I haven’t blogged in a long time. It’s where I also say that I’m going to be doing more on here in the next few weeks. Both of those things are true, but I figured it was good to go ahead and get it out of the way, just so there’s a mutual understanding between us. In keeping with blogging cliches, here are what some of my next few posts are going to be about:

1. Why Everything Is Awful, Everywhere

2. How that One Thing Is Not as Good as it Used to Be, Back Then

3. 10 Tips for Talking a Big Game in Tip Posts

4. A Post About My New Hobby, Amateur Photography

5. Everyone Is Wrong About x Subject Continue reading →

The Killer Panda

Long time since I’ve posted, but I’ve got a perfectly justifiable and no good reason for that named Halo: Reach. It has taken over my life, my sleeping schedule and my thoughts. Also, Seven Sons is hitting the home stretch so I’ve been focused on that.

Anyway, when I’m not doing those things I am laughing hysterically at this killer panda. Continue reading →

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