Author: Lela Reed

Well, the time has come. It’s the final blog of this year. My first year at MSA has been a time that’s for sure. I’ve made memories I’m sure will last me a long time. I’ve really come to love my literary family. They’re cool and funny. Good writers, too. I am looking forward to what next year brings, and I’m excited to become a senior. Hopefully, I will take good care of my future juniors. I have so many goals for next year, it’s insane. I want myself to succeed, obviously, but I want my peers to succeed too, and I want to find ways to help them do that.   

About blogging next year, I really want to change things up, so don’t be surprised if things look a little different. I think maybe I want to blog more about current events. Stuff like that. If whoever is reading this could comment and tell me what you’d like to see, what I’ve blogged that you liked reading about, that would be nice. Like, did you all enjoy the Incels blog? Do you prefer the blogs of me just yapping? The blogs about the things I like?

Just to keep you all updated, I got new glasses, and I finished my first year at CoLin! I cannot express how relieved I felt on Tuesday when I finished my last test. I ended the year with all A’s and B’s, in person and online. I was shooting for all A’s, but things happen. I’m happy they were at least high Bs. If they were low, I might have cried. I also really liked my teachers. They were all so sweet to me, my nutrition teacher especially, she was the nicest! I hope everyone who takes nutrition at CoLin gets her. 

I will say that over the summer, I’m going to miss going to PJs after class, but at the same time, I have a PJs in my hometown, so I won’t have to go to class beforehand to get it. I’m so ready for summer to start. I know I’ve said this a lot, but as I get closer, I get more restless. I have a lot of plans, a lot of hopes, and dreams. I’m hoping for the best and ready to make a lot of memories.

I can’t wait to see you all again next year and keep writing blogs. We’re all going to have so much fun this summer! Ciao! 

So, for this week’s blog, I’ve decided to talk about some things that make me happy, and maybe we’ll have some in common. 

I like beverages, specifically water, Sprite, and Gatorade. I also love a Baja Blast. I love animals, I love all animals, and wholeheartedly believe that they should be treated well, just like everyone else should. I like to read and write, although I will say I’ve kind of lost my balance in a sense with writing and reading. Just because I feel as though I don’t have a whole lot of time to read, I try, though. I want to get back into it this summer. I like getting good grades and achieving things. I like pink. I like roses. I like toys and cartoons, yes, I know I’m almost seventeen, don’t be judgmental. I love sweets and food, maybe a little too much. I really need to work on healthier eating. I love stuffed animals, but my favorite stuffed animals are the big ones. The bigger the better. I love music, I love Ariana Grande and Beyoncé. I’m so excited for Petal to come out in July, I believe. I like makeup, mascara especially. I feel like mascara just fixes everything. I need a new one to replace the telescopic one, since I heard they do animal testing. Drop recommendations down below if you don’t mind.  I like Tiffany’s and Louis Vuitton, I love diamonds, pearls, and gold. I live for glitter. I have three glitter body oils I use on top of each other. I like slime, and I love the beach. I love to doomscroll on Pinterest and TikTok. I like to color. I also like Roblox, but it’s getting kind of hard to like if you know what I mean. Honestly, I could write an entire blog on how Roblox is ruining its own game. But moving right along, I like Graff. I just wish they had more pieces in gold. They have this one bangle in gold, and it’s gorgeous. I love the old Victoria Secret, the new is good, but it doesn’t compare to what VS used to be. I like having my braids blonde, and I think I want to bleach my actual hair. I LOVE SPONGEBOB! I know I mentioned liking cartoons earlier, but SpongeBob is peak. I love giving, I try and give to my friends as much as I can. It’s how I show my love. I love my mommy. Just thought I’d put that in there, and my Mimi. Okay, bye guys. 

Listen, this is meant to be an encouragement post for all who need it, and me. Let’s all delude ourselves into believing that everything is fine and we’re not all exhausted and haven’t been worked to the bone. Hahaha…look, this post is going to make very little sense, call it a representative of my mental state. But whatever. You guys, we got this. It’s almost the end of the year, and whether or not you’re running off coffee or energy drinks (which, btw, I quit. A round of applause, please and thank you.) it doesn’t matter, because we’re all the goat and so smart and amazing and awesome sauce. All of us are going to make it to the end of the year and have great report cards, and we’re going to go to the beach and party till the sun comes up because life’s a never-ending midnight sun, and all of us are going to have body tea and drink virgin Pina Coladas. 

We’re all going to be eating so good, and we’re going to run through sunflower fields in flowy dresses or whatever you want to wear and frolic and be whimsical. Everyone is going to be so happy and creative. We’re all going to be getting the bag. Our energy is going to be so high and energetical (Yes, this is a word, because I say so.) Life is going to feel like Beychella. We’re so divas, and nobody is going to be hearing the saxophones. I swear we’re all the birthday. Our playlists are going to be so fire. 

You are that girl/boy/they.

You are not chopped. 

Your body is so tea. 

Life is so magical and wonderful and whimsical. 

We are going to see Bruno Mars (This one is for me) 

We are going to see Beyonce again (Also for me)

We are going to see The Weekend (For me again)

Your face card is tea. 

Life is a never-ending midnight sun

We are going to Coachella next year. 

Yes, you are a good driver. 

We will be outside. 

You are getting too much money.

We will be at all the functions.

You are gonna bag whoever you want. 

Bro, we got this. It’s givin hair, face. It’s givin hair, face. Y’all know the rest. We’re partying like rockstars. Surfin swag. We got this, guys. Just believe. Manifest it. Hope this helps. 

Two weeks ago, or it will be two weeks ago when this is posted, in my fourth block class, Practicum in Literary Arts, we began to discuss Manifestos. A Manifesto is a public written statement declaring the intentions, motives, or views of its user (individual, group, political party, organization). The second I heard the word “Manifesto,” my mind went back to when I first learned what it meant. A few years ago, I learned of Elliot Rodger and his manifesto. Elliot Rodger, the “incel hero”. This brings me to the topic of my blog today, incels.

An “Incel” is an involuntarily celibate man who expresses extreme resentment toward those who are not. Incels typically express their frustrations of being unable to form romantic attachments as hostility and misogyny towards women. This is ironic because a woman created the term incel through her website, “Alana’s Involuntary Celibacy Project.”  The purpose of the online community was to provide a safe space for individuals, both male and female, who found it difficult to form romantic connections. Throughout the years, the term began to be used primarily by men in online communities. These men created ideologies that men, particularly white men, were entitled to romance.

Incel’s viewed themselves as “Beta males”, the opposite of the “Chads.” Chads represent the attractive, financially and socially successful men. “Stacys” are the women who desire “Chads”. Incel culture has been linked to several acts of terrorism against women, most notably Elliot Rodger. Due to acts of violence associated with the Incel community, the Southern Poverty Law Center has classified Incels as a hate group. Additionally, the U.S Secret Service’s National Threat Assessment declared the community as a growing terrorism threat.

The Incel community is scary, dangerous, and quite sad. It’s not something anyone should be associated with. Not only does the community encourage misogyny, nihilism, hate, and violence, but it’s also terrible for the mental health of those involved. Shocker, right? Researchers have found that 75% of incels could be clinically diagnosed with severe or moderate depression. 45% may have severe anxiety. I would also like to clarify that not all incels are violent; however, being a part of the community has led to violent acts.  

“Looksmaxxing”, in current years, has become more popular online. At this point, I’m sure everyone reading this has heard of it. “Looksmaxxing” originates from Incel culture, and it is truly terrifying to me how common it has become. Young men, start with looksmaxxing, look further into it, and find the incel community.  Honestly, this all goes way deeper than I will be able to get into with a single blog post, as there is so much to this horrifying community.

Thank you for reading, have a lovely day.

Hi everyone, this week’s blog is going to be a yap session. So, please, enjoy. I think I’m going to talk about Sprite today. I have a lot of love for the drink, yes, I do. Something about it just quenches your thirst but leaves you wanting more of that fresh tang. I know you know what I’m talking about. And the green color of the bottle just draws you in. I have to say, my favorite kind of Sprite is McDonald’s Sprite. It just has Wendy’s, Burger King, and all the rest beat. And before anyone tries to say they all taste the same, no, they don’t. It’s like how different brands of water taste different. Aquafina and Dasani don’t taste the same. McDonald’s Sprite and Wendy’s Sprite don’t taste the same. As I write this, sitting comfortably in bed, I am in fact craving a Sprite. Anyways, next topic of conversation. Do you guys prefer red or blue Takis? I like them both, but for some reason, I tend to gravitate towards red. They’re classic, you know. And we all know how I feel about blue food. Scroll on my page. Find the blog. Blue food is overhyped, and people think it’s special/better just because it’s blue, when in reality, this is not the case. In fact, sometimes I think there’s too much blue being forced upon us. I’m not a blue hater or anything, but whatever happened to yellow? Orange? Purple? Going back to the blue food racism, I think this also might have something to do with sexism as well. No, think about it. Blue is a “boy color”. Blueberries must be boys and strawberries must be girls, but since society is telling us blue food is better, they’re programming us to think boys are better than girls. I am onto something here.  Call me crazy if you want, but it really is that deep. I mean, look around, you cannot escape the color blue. It’s like it’s being forced down our throats. Walmart, Best Buy, etc. I beg you all, please don’t feed into blue. Now, I’m going to go get a Sprite. Watch out for the color Blue, and in case I haven’t already said this, HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH! 

So, I am currently playing with a sim. Her name is Fallon Winslow, and she dreamed of becoming a famous music producer, but on her first day in the town of Del Sol Valley, she met a man. Don Lothario, any Sims player knows Don is a massive Playboy. Serial romantic, non-committal. Not to be trusted. Alas, they start talking, getting along, and one conversation turns into four, and before they know it, they’re great friends. A day passes, and Don asks to come over; they flirt, giggle, and talk. Things go much too far. They both say it won’t happen again, but it does. The cycle repeats until a tragedy happens. She gets pregnant. For some reason, maybe it’s guilt, maybe it’s because she knows Don’s mother struggled to have him, she keeps the “baby”. Don moves in, and the pair make a cute couple; they get closer and closer as Fallon’s belly grows and grows.  By her third trimester, they finally go on their first date and make their relationship official. They come home all smiles, not knowing what the next day would bring. Fallon wakes up in pain but brushes it off; she has to get to work after all. She’s pregnant, she has to support the “baby”. Fallon leaves for work as Don gets home from his job. Don invites a friend over. An hour passes, another, and she goes into labor. Fallon rushes home, panicked. Don sends his friend home and hurriedly tries to calm his woman down, to no avail. Fallon is in labor for hours until finally she gives birth to a baby boy. Daniel. They think it’s over, until there’s another cry.  A baby girl. Elisse. Twins. They had twins! 

Hello and welcome back to my blog. Today, you get to read me yap about my favorite game. The Sims 4. I love the Sims so much, even though the base game can get kind of boring. If you invest in a few packs and download mods and CC, it can be so fun! Personally, I use a mix of Alpha and Maxis Match CC, but I have more Maxis than I do Alpha. One of my favorite things to do in-game is make the Sims. Sometimes I feel like I spend more time in CAS than actually playing the game. Actually, I plan to go CC shopping right after this. If you don’t know what that means, it’s when you go onto Pinterest, Tumblr, or Patreon to pick out which CC you want to download to your game. The kind of CC I pick out is always changing; it changes with my style. In-game, however, my storylines never seem to stray. Usually, it’s one or two sims. I make them fall in love. One has to have a really good job, and then they have a baby and repeat. Yes, I know it sounds boring, and sometimes it does feel that way, but the mods make it worth it. I’m thinking of more storylines to add to my game. I tend to like my Sims to go through struggle and hardship, so if you have any ideas, let me know. Of course, there are the classics: Rags to riches, teen pregnancy, single parent, etc., etc. And they’re classics for a reason; they’re fun to play and watch, but I’m looking to get a little more creative. I could do a legacy challenge, but then what if I get bored with it? I’m just back where I started. Please, leave me some ideas. 

Hello everyone, welcome back to my blog. This week, I would like to talk about my plans to integrate dance back into my life. For thirteen years of my life, I danced at Natchez Ballet Academy.  I started ballet when I was three years old. In the beginning, I hated it, and over time, I grew to love it. I quit last year to go to school at MSA. I had the opportunity to audition for the dance discipline, and I did not take it. I didn’t audition because I didn’t believe I would get in. My dancing abilities were not as honed as some of my peers. This is no one’s fault but my own. Had I put more effort and time into dance when I had the chance, maybe I would have been confident enough to audition for dance. But the past is in the past, and now I have the chance to try again. This time, I will try harder and push myself further than I ever did before. I know I have the potential to be a great dancer; anyone does. Being a great dancer is a matter of dedication. I didn’t have that before, but I do now. My time away from dance showed me how much it truly means to me. The saying “You don’t know what you have until it’s gone” is a saying for a reason. Last week, I wrote an article for the newspaper Rise about the Alice in Wonderland dance production and the Spring show auditions, which I will be attending. I encourage anyone interested to go and give it a shot. The worst that can happen is you’re turned away. It’s a fear many people have, me included, but I made the mistake of letting fear hold me back once. It won’t happen again. Embarrassment is fleeting; it will go away. Rejection only shows someone what isn’t meant for them. My mother once told me what’s meant for you will never pass you by. I think dance, in some way or another, is meant for me. Want, desire, whatever you choose to call it, is there for a reason. I desire to dance again, and I will. So, the overall message of this post is do not let fear hold you back, go after what you want. Otherwise, you will regret it, and who knows, maybe you won’t be as lucky as I was and get a second chance.

Hello everyone, welcome back to my blog. I’ve spent the last couple of weeks on Winter Break, so I figured I would talk about that. My Winter break was tame. I was sick the first week and on Christmas, which sucked, but it is what it is. I spent the Holidays at my grandmother’s house and visiting family. How did you all spend your break? Are you all excited about the New Year? Scared?

I can see people, at least in my age range, being scared. Each day that goes by, we get closer to becoming seniors, graduating, and going off into the world on our own. I wouldn’t say that I’m scared, maybe more so relieved. I understand that there are trials that come with adulthood, but adulthood offers me more freedom than being a child ever did. I’ll be free to make my own mistakes, pave my own path, and become someone other than someone’s daughter, grandbaby, or niece. I will simply be myself, Lela Reed, and in being an adult, I get to choose who “Lela Reed” is. Maybe she’s a lawyer, an engineer, a nurse, a businesswoman. Maybe she’s an author, or a famous actor or singer. I’m not sure yet who she is, but I do know I can’t wait to choose.

On another note, being back at school feels good, refreshing even, but I’m not going to lie, my writing skills feel a little rusty. Actually, a lot rusty. I haven’t written anything in a while, and nothing I wrote before my break has met my standards. I am someone who expects perfection from myself, which includes every piece of work I put out there. and that is something I do not see changing as time goes on. I just feel like I’ve hit a standstill in my writing and that I haven’t improved in my time here. Only those who have seen my work and critiqued it will be able to tell me for sure, but if someone were to tell me, I would appreciate honesty. I believe that being “nice” when it comes to important things gets you nowhere. How is someone meant to improve if you tell them they’re doing fine the way they are when they’re not? It’s a setup for failure.

Unfortunately, I don’t have much to say on this blog. So, I’ll wrap this up by saying I hope you all had a great Holiday, happy New Year, and have a wonderful day. 

Hello everyone, in this week’s blog post, I’m going to talk about someone very special. Me. I’m going to get vulnerable, sort of, and if you know me at all, you will know vulnerability is not my thing. But for the sake of getting some advice, here I go. 

My problem is that I’m a girl who likes a lot of things, who wants to do a lot of things, but I can’t seem to pick just one to be my thing. I mean, I used to be a dancer- ballet to be precise, and then I quit to come to MSA to write. Sometimes I still like writing, I know that I’m going to write an essay for fun as soon as I get all my work done. Sometimes I want to be an astronomer, other times a lawyer. I guess what I’m trying to say is I have a passion for everything and nothing. Society tells you to grow up and go to college, which I fully intend to do, but society also tells you to pick just one degree and go live your life invested in this one field. How can I do that when there are so many different paths to go down? I have a million lives I want to lead, and still I’m stuck with just this one. 

I won’t lie and claim that money is not going to be a motivator in whatever path I choose. I do not want to be broke. Sure, money isn’t the only thing I care about, but it sure is up there! Whether we like it or not, money is what makes this world go round. I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if we woke up one day and suddenly had to pay for the air we breathe. Which is why when people say that stupid phrase, “follow your heart”, I want to gag. I would rather follow my brain, my brain makes more sense, and it’s telling me that I need to go for what will support me, my future cats, and, I guess, my family members. (That was a joke.)  (Not really.) 

So, if anyone reading this has any advice, drop it in my comment section. Until next time, bye.