Growing up reading Archie Comics and having Josie and The Pussycats as one of my favorite movies I feel like I need this new series to be handled delicatley. I know they are already cast for the series but it’s always fun to decide who  you would love to see play these parts. I also feel like in my head I know they are in comics they are high schoolers but I think of them as twenty something townies in this series.

 

Archie Andrews: Josh Hutcherson

I feel like Josh can pull off the “I’m super desirble but why?” aspect that is necessary of Archie. Also Hunger Games is over and that kid is going to need a buck.

Veronica Lodge: Nina Dobrev

I’ve never been a huge Nina fan but she is beautiful and seems like she could play a bitch and she seems like someone who could hit comedic cues when needed

Reggie Mantle: Tom Maden

He’s hot and mean with a michevous grin, all Reggie.

Betty Cooper: Sasha Pieterese

I think it’s time to see her play somebody sweet.

Jughead Jones: John Karna

Kid has a stoner face.

Dilton Doiley: Brendan Robinson

They have the same haircut, and are so pasty.

Josie McCoy: Emma Stone

I think Josie is supposed to be a little older, and Emma is a long shot but she would be fun as a rockstar who solves crimes.

Melody Valentine: Ashley Benson

Cute, blonde, and likealbe. #sugarandspice

Valerie Brown: Amber Riley

Time to get someone who can sing and is a normal body type in this group

Cheryl Blossom: Bella Thorne

Look at that jail bait swagger.

Sabrina Spellman: Chloe Grace Mortez

One can dream

Harvey Kinkle: Beau Mirchoff

Eh? He’s from the show Awkward on MTV. He’ll do fine.

Moose Mason: Sinqua Walls

Let’s diversify, this kid could play a jock

Midge Klump: Chloe Bridges

Donna LaDonna for the win!

Ethel Muggs: Ashley Finke

I already like this version of Ethel more

Kevin Keller: Colton Haynes

He’s gay, Kevin is gay and they are both cute af.

Mr. Lodge: John Slattery

Veronica’s dad always seemed older than other parents, like she has a “sister” who turns out to really be her mom.

Mr. Weatherbee: Horatio Sanz

Yasss kween

Miss Grundy: Catherine O’Hara

Iconic and a Dine family favorite. Also why is still “Miss” at her age?

Pop Tate: John Goodman

He still looks like all he eats is Pop Tates

 

So this August marks the 3 year mark that I have been living in my parent’s basement. Now I would like preface that I’m very grateful to be in a situation where I am able to have my parents who are able to allow me to live with them without any real pressure to leave. Needless to say though it has been an experience worth retelling.

Just as some background I moved back home to go back to nursing school and between that and the bike trips I just haven’t left.  I moved back in August of 2013 into my old high school bedroom in full swing cliché in my parent’s basement. It’s not all bad because I have my own bathroom and living room area so I basically have a killer situation for a sleep over if all my friends weren’t adults with their own homes.

The first thing was that everything is different but also everything is the exact same. The most familiar is that many times I find triggers that will turn me into an instant 13-year-old. The best example is the classic 2002 debate of what is an appropriate time to bring the trash down or often the lint trap needs to be cleaned in the dryer.

On the plus side as a middle child I’ve never lived alone with my parents before with no siblings present and it is kind of nice to feel like the focus a little despite being 27 you still want your parents attention.**

It has been nice to form a more adult relationship with my parents, since they are kind of roommate status because you all work full time and are busy, we team up on responsibilities a little bit and it shifts the relationship.

Due to the fact my parents aren’t indebted college students the AC situation is pretty rad.

I have no control of all the rando relatives, family friends, or neighbors that come to the house, and I have to be ready to make game face pretty quickly.

I’m much more uptight about the status of my bedroom or living area because there I am the king of the smallest kingdom

When I’m out and about and I run into somebody and they want an update I have a very rehearsed monologue about why I live at home and the other person is always very quick to tell you it’s great and they wish they could still do that in leu of seeming judgmental or because they are genuinely jealous that I don’t have to buy my own toilet paper.

On that note, I don’t have to buy my own toilet paper which is boss.

Romantically you are screwed, potential dates are never turned on by your arrested development even if they never have to go to your home.

I drink a lot less alcohol because I can never make it back to Rockford, thus I see my friends a lot less. Also asking anyone to visit Rockford from Grand Rapids is like asking somebody from NYC to trek out to New Jersey.

Honestly though I know I can’t stay forever but I weirdly wouldn’t take this time back.

 

**Mary is back home now so I’m not the only sibling back home, so no more motherboy.

 

 

 

 

 

As many of you know from an obscene amount of pictures on Facebook I recently lead another Bike&Build trip. This trip was called ‘Coastal Drift’ and it involved biking from Maine to NYC in roughly three weeks. This was my second trip with Bike&Build and this trip was beyond amazing but did feel like I was stepping back into the arena from the Hunger Games.

First of all you have the returning lethal lovers from the first games with Ellie Trent starring as Katniss Everdeen and myself as Peeta Mellark. We both had lead a trip in 2015 together and were reaped together for this summer, much like Katniss and Peeta doing two consectutive games.

That one on the right is us about to do route meeting if you can’t tell.

And we both have had this breakdown towards each other.

 

Caroline Grady our fellow leader was starring as Johanna Mason. Caroline had done Bike&Build back in 2010 so she was older alum/victor like Johanna. Now truth be told Caroline is sweet as hell and the main point of this comparision is that I know she could wield an axe like a badass.

You are crazy if you think she can’t do that.

 

Ian Christie was our fourth and final leader and was our resident Finnick Odair. Honestly because we all know they are both cute af.

We’ve all seen that face on him.

Our faithful leader of our adventure was Claire Collins and if you know Claire (which you should) calling her Haymitch Abernathy is the best comparision. Both are charming and have straight blonde locks. Also there is a notable point in the summer where Claire gets to a District 12 level of hygiene.

 

Even though she is from the first games, Rue made an apperance in the form of Iyana Williams.

I also once dressed up like this…

 

Obviously my trip was lovely and nothing like a murder competition but we did travel to exotic locations and eat weird stuff. Alliances form, people fall in love, and all we really want is to finish with a sense of pride and accomplishment (again not in a murdery way).

So topical because it might be 2001 but after preparing for a garage sale this spring and uncovering my old VCR and watching a few old recordings of Degrassi: The Next Generation. It got me to thinking about how much I missed those tapes.

I feel like in this growing age of technology we are always looking forward to the next new thing. Where as I am still mad the iphone chargers keep changing. I still sometimes have a yearning for a simplier time. While I love Blu-ray and streaming movies/tv sometimes I do miss the straight forward nature of the VHS.
1. One of my favorite things about VHS is that you can skip past the FBI warning. Sorry not sorry copyright laws.

2. Durability! You could throw those bad boys in your backpack, put in em’ suitcases even toss them around the room and the VHS didn’t falter. Now you have to constantly beware of scrathes and smudges.

3. DVD menus. If you accidently fall asleep during a movie (or real talk if you hook  up) nothing is going to be more of a boner killer than listening to frickin’ Buddy the Elf do his best lines on a loop or Dory telling you to keep on swimming till your lazy ass gets up and turns it off. There was  a certain comfort in that blue screen of VHS and rythimic sound of the VCR rewinding the tape.

4.  Showing a friend a scene in a movie was much easier during VHS days. You find the part you like and you just take it out of the VCR and put it back in at your lesiure. If you need to find a specific scene in a DVD you have wait for FBI warnings (see above), pick widescreen/full screen choices, remember the timeline of when it happened and either do scene select or try to fast forward around.

5. Recording shows/movies on VHS was a personal favorite of mine. Sure everyone now has DVR but even when DVDs first became mainstream there was a real lag between the start of DVDs and the growth and accesibility of DVR (unless you were some jag off who had TiVo). In VHS primetime you could record everything so simply and make fun labels. Family videos were more of a thing back then and reserved for special occasions unlike now where everyone has a daily video of their kids on the phone. It used to be a special part of one’s history to watch momunental moments in your life but kids today are overally documented in the opinion of this reporter.

 

Althought I won’t pretend it wasn’t straight up witchcraft to set up your VCR to record on a timer.