Author: Sarah

What is a vampire? In modern day, a vampire is a spooky ghost story creature. Something that you dress up as for Halloween or see slapped on the front of a goody bag. Once, vampires were much more than that. They were real for many people.

Imagine you are in the early 1600’s, and your wife tragically passes away on your wedding night. For weeks after, you hear her calling your name from outside your window, and she shows up in your dreams. Not only that but your cattle start showing up bled dry. You suspect your late wife of being a vampire, so you dig her up to find that she is undecomposed, with a fresh stain of blood on her lips. The pastor wants to burn her on a steak, but you still love her, so you beg them not to. You finally come to the agreement to put an iron nail through her heart, and stuff her with garlic. That night, she shows up in your dream. She says, “You’ve freed me, but you’ve cursed yourself.”

This is one of the very stories that flooded Europe, making people go as far as setting burial rituals in place for the dead. The specific type of vampire that is used for this speculation are Strigois.

In my opinion, Strigois are the most interesting type of vampires in folklore. A few of the way that you are sure to be cursed to be a Strigoi are as follows: 

• Leading a life of sin.
• Being cursed by a witch.
• Dying without being married.
• Being the seventh child. 
• Being killed by execution. 
• Being born with a caul atop your head. 

Now while vampires are obviously fictional, (…) It’s cool to think that once it was an actual worry of villagers that they would be eaten by a bloodthirsty vampire. It’s kind of like how the new generation is going to be like, “What?  Yall went through a whole 3-ish year pandemic, but the whole time y’all made TikTok’s and played Roblox?” 

While I was researching for this blog, I found a case that really stood out to me. This is the Mercy Brown Case of 1884. This is mostly all proven to be true, which really shows the power of fear. 

Mercy Brown 1884. She was a lively young woman, who was freshly married as well as the other story. Her cause of death, tuberculosis. At this time, there was no cure for tuberculosis, meaning 80% of all affected passed away. 

Well soon after this, her family slowly began getting killed off. The village went on to warn her husband, telling him old stories of vampires and witches. After a while, he decided to get all of the dead family members exhumed from their graves. In each grave, bones, yet in hers, a completely fresh corpse. In her heart and lungs, there was blood, usual for buried bodies that are fresh in the winter for that time. 

At the end, they burned her liver and heart, mixed the ashes with water, and made the husband drink it. Obviously, this did not cure him, and he passed away a few months later. 

These stories are used mostly as cautionary tales even now. Kind of like the Boogeyman. I genuinely love learning about vampires, so I hope this blog wasn’t too boring for you guys. 

Guys, I love the feeling of having a crush. It’s been quite some time since I’ve had a serious crush on someone, but we are SO BACK! 

Theres this boy that I’m so interested in. He likes a lot of the things I like, and he’s so sweet. I don’t have to pretend to be someone else around him, like at all. 

Even if we don’t talk romantically, I’m okay, he’s one of the greatest people I’ve ever met. He’s respectful, and so so so so so so nice, but he’s also funny, and unserious. 

He doesn’t pretend to be someone he’s not and always keeps it real. I know I’m so obvious about liking this boy, but I don’t know if he hasn’t said anything because he messes with it, or because he doesn’t want to hurt my feelings. 

There is ONE thing he does that kind of irritates me, but it’s too specific to state here. Anyways, yes crushing season is afoot. I think at the moment, why I’m not saying anything to him about it is because: 1.) I don’t want to mess anything up, 2.) I’m 99% sure it’s one sided, and 3.) It’s too early to tell. 

I feel like if I was to tell this individual, and he for some reason does feel the same, I would be lost on where to go after that. How do we even progress from there. I just haven’t been in something truly healthy in so long, that it’s like how do I do this? 

But like I said, he’s the sweetest ever, so I don’t have a doubt in my mind that we won’t be able to be friends after whatever happens happens. 

Look, me personally, I’ve learned to let God take control, and I’ve been praying about it. Somehow, without fail, every time I pray about this situation, the next morning something happens that makes me want him even more. Maybe it’s a coincidence, but The Artists Way said not to believe that. 

I just am kind of stuck on where to go. Here’s the possible outcomes I’ve thought of:

1.) I don’t tell him, and he’s not interested in me- Saves our friendship, makes me lead myself on.

2.) I don’t tell him, and he’s interested in me- Throws away my shot, leaves me with “what could have been,” leads us both on. 

3.) I tell him, and he’s not interested in me- Possibly ruins our friendship, hurts my feelings, embarrassing.

4.) I tell him, and he’s interested in me- We get together, get married, and live in a house with a garden holding 1,000 ladybugs. 

5.) He confesses to ME- Same outcome from #4. 

To the normal, untrained eye, this may seem a little… much, but trust me guys…

Either way it’s I get hurt, or I have the best time of my life.  I mean feel free to leave your advice, or opinions in the comments. 

Well, that’s a wrap on today’s blog, I’ll probably be back with an update next week. Thank you, guys, for reading! Bye!

So, it’s been a bit over a month since I moved into MSA. I worked so hard to get here, and here’s my honest opinion about it. 

1.) I love the staff here. The staff feels like family. The teachers make you feel seen, everyone up to the cafeteria ladies. I love them all, and honestly, they push me to be myself. 

2.) Academics are SERIOUS here. At my old school we were a very close environment. Everyone knew everyone, and the teachers were bound to know your family somehow. This seems like a good thing; however, it caused the academics to lack. Skipping was a common activity, sleeping in class was normal. The teachers were sweet about it, causing the students to continue failing classes, and skipping. Since I moved here, I realized my potential, and how far I can get if I take academics seriously, as well as the different color plans.

3.) MSA has truly introduced me to some of the best people I’ve ever met. Tristyn, Nick, Robin, Clare, Ladybug, and David, are just a few examples. I’ve never been around this many peers that truly want to support me in my arts. All of my friends are seriously the sweetest people ever, and they are all very dedicated to their work. If you guys are reading this, I love y’all more than anything. 

4.) Dorms, dorms, dorms. Living in the dorms has its ups and downs. Pros: I’m around my friends all the time, I get to sleep in till 7, I can always come up to my dorm if I forget anything, gets me ready for college. Cons: I hate cleaning, I miss having my own space sometimes (love my roommate and sweet-mates tho,) SO COLD with the brick walls, I can hear EVERYTHING from the boys floor because of the vents. Overall the dorms are such an amazing experience, but there are some things that make me miss my home a little more than usual. Also, I miss my friends and family so much! For reference, I live 4 hours away. 

5.) I love going out here. The walking path gives us so much freedom, while still making sure we are safe, which I love. I walk to different places every day almost, which is so fun. I always have something to do when I’m bored, as well as the many different activities on campus. The pizza here…..!

6.) Clubs! There are so many clubs and extracurricular activities here, as well as many chances for community service hours. The only club related problem I have, is the fact that i cant try out for colorguard till senior year. Man I want to do colorguard. I mean I still do it in my free time, but I wish I could be on a team with actual performances.

Well, in conclusion, Mississippi School of the Arts truly IS the place to be.  It feels so great to be a phoenix, it just comes with extreme concentration and dedication. 

Guys, I was going to post my Curious George part two, but after a small discovery, this is now a post on the movie/musical Sing Street. So I just found out that Sing Street is coming out with a musical, which is OH so good, but I fear since the movie is pretty unknown, the musical is going to be viewed as random and confusing for those who have not seen the movie. 
Also isn’t the movie technically a musical since it’s based on music and a band?Let me rephrase all that. The musical film is turning into a Broadway musical. 

The whole story is based off a boy named Conner living in Dublin in the 80’s. His family is falling apart, as well as Dublin being very economically depressed. They are running out of money, and in need of a change. The solution his parents come up with is the transfer of Connor’s school. 
He goes from this huge, advanced school to this, poor, broken down, Catholic school. Some notable experiences at this school are: getting bullied by Barry,  meeting Darren, meeting Raphina, and the “Brown shoe” and “makeup” incident. 
After his second day of school, having to walk around campus barefoot since he didn’t have black shoes, and his second encounter with Barry, he meets a kid named Darren. Darren introduces his problem solving business to Connor, to which Connor replies, “who’s she?”

He is referring to Raphina, who is standing across the road looking around. Darren tells Connor that he doesn’t know, and that she doesn’t talk to any of the boys, she just stands outside. Connor decides that he’s going to walk up to her and talk to her.                                                                                                                                            A little bit into this conversation, she mentions that she’s a model and will be heading to London for work soon. An idea pops into Connor’s head which would change the course of everything. He tells her that he has a band, and asks if she would be interested in being in a music video for his song.

Raphina says that she will try to make it to the video, after making him sing “take on me” by Aha. She gives him her number and that is what set the tone for the whole movie. Darren introduces Connor to his friend Eamon whose dad is in a covers band. His dad is in rehab at the time, so Eamon allows the band to practice at his house with his dad’s instruments. 
They put a band together and make a cover of “Rio” by Duran Duran. Connor shows his older brother this, to which Brendan destroys the tape and gives him a lecture about how if you want to be something in life, you have to make your own music not covers. “Rock and Roll is a risk. You risk being ridiculed.”

Now that he has a band, all he needs to do is make an original song for the music video. He and Eamon get together and start adding music to lyrics, which eventually becomes “The Riddle of The Model.” He gives this tape to Raphina, and they shoot the music video. Everything turns out really good, and they begin to work on more music. 
While all this band stuff is going on, we find out that his mom is having an affair on his dad. Brendan was the first one to notice, and then soon after his mom and dad separate.  

The rest of the movie is Connor trying to win Raphina over, as well as him trying to escape the reality of what’s going on with his family and Dublin. By the end of the movie, he runs away to London with Raphina to find record labels  and modeling jobs. By this time they are fully in love, and we have found out that Raphina is an orphan from a girls home. 
Something I would like to mention is the monologue that we get from Brendan a few days before he helps his brother run away. 

“See that guitar? I used to be able to play that guitar. Well. I used to ride hot girls. I could run 200 meters faster than anyone in my school. You’re the youngest, you get to follow the path that machetied through the jungle that is our mad family. I was alone with them for 6 years. You think they’re crazy now? Think about what they were in their late 20’s. Two Catholics, in a rented flat, with a screaming baby, who just got married because they wanted to have sex. They didn’t even love each other. I was in the middle of that, alone. And then you came along, thank God. And you followed the path that I cut for us, untouched. You just moved in my jet stream. And people laugh at me Connor. The stoner. The college dropout. And they praise you which is fine. But once, I was a … Jet engine.”

Brenden is by far the most relatable character in the whole movie. He understands his brother and what he’s going through, and supports his brother, while also carrying the weight of what he used to be. I love his character development through the movie, and the way we find out his backstory slowly. 

I think overall this movie is just super good, and everyone should watch it. Also it’s on Netflix for anyone wondering.

Kay, love you guys. Thank you for reading, cya next week.

This is my long-awaited Curious George post. 

If you know me in real life, you know I am obsessed with Curious George. I own 3 Curious George DVD’s, one of them being Curious George: A Halloween BooFest. 

Guys trust me, this is a PEAK Halloween movie. Like it doesn’t matter what kind of movies you like, scary, romantic, action, you will LOVE AHBF. 

I mean a close runner up is Hocus Pocus, but that’s for another blog. So, the first thing I want to point out about this movie, is how fire the soundtrack is. If you’re looking for an amazing Halloween song, listen to “Kinda Sorta Haunted House.” 

I also think it’s so cute how George looks up to The Man in the Yellow Hat for being “brave.” When he feels like he can’t do something because of fear, he just thinks about The Man fighting the No Noggin costume and how he keeps going even when he’s scared. 

Also, I love how the whole objective of the movie is to find No Noggin a new head, and how it keeps us guessing if No Noggin is even real. After being disproved over and over, there’s always new evidence t0 show that it might be real. Like I said, George goes through with helping No Noggin to prevent people from losing their hats, even when he’s scared of him. 

Now something I need opinions on, how do we feel about The Man in the Yellow Hat having a name. In the original show and books, he didn’t have a name, and it was something for us to kind of interpret. Well in the Curious George film, (2006) he is referred to as Ted. We later find out his full name is Theodore “Ted” Shackleford. 

I honestly don’t like that he was given a name in the film. I feel like it would have been better to slowly drop it in the show, yet in the show he is still referred to as “The Man.” I don’t know that’s just my opinion. 

Which I mean I get it since the film shows him before he met George, but I just think it’s confusing for people who have either not watched the film or have not watched the show. 

Well anyways, that was my little post about Curious George. Expect a part 2 about the 2006 film in the near future. 

Cya next week, thanks for reading. <3.

“My hometown is more than a memory

It’s a childhood.

It’s a safe space.

It’s an era.” 

-Lime green, Sarah House

I woke up this morning with “I Don’t Need Your Love” from Six stuck in my head, so now I’m going to show you guys my favorite musicals. 

#1: Ride The Cyclone: 

I know I know, it’s a basic #1 but it’s so fire. 

This musical follows the story of a group of choir kids who tragically died after rollercoaster carts derailed. They have to play a game in the afterlife which decides who gets to come back alive. 

Favorite song: It’s not a game (it’s just a ride)   

#2: 21 Chump Street:

It’s only like 15 minutes but it’s so freaking good… I swear it’s not just because of Anthony Ramos. 

This is about a boy named Justin falling in love with a girl named Niomi. She turns out to be an undercover cop, looking for drug dealers in schools. We get to see the lengths Justin goes to just to have Niomi 

Favorite song: The Money 

#3: Hamilton:

A few months ago, this would have been the #1, but honestly, I’m kind of falling out of my obsession. Still a masterpiece. 

Hamilton is about the 17-1800’s, focusing on Alexander Hamilton, Eliza Hamilton, Aarron Burr, and more. It is a mix of comedy, action, and emotional plot. This is also referred to as “Lin-Manuel’s masterpiece.”

Favorite song: That Would Be Enough

#4: Six The Musical:

I just listened to all the songs on the album, and it’s actually so good.

Six is based on the 6 ex-wives of King Henrey VIII. They retell the side of the story that we never really hear. Their chorography is also peak. 

favorite song: Take A Bow

#5: Trevor The Musical

I watched this many times and I’m trying to convince myself it isn’t good, but the story just makes me cry every time.

Trevor the Musical is about a boy coming to terms with his identity, and trying to live through all of his emotions while also keeping it a secret. When his secret does get spilled, he goes through a…. well let’s say “rough patch,” however it all works out in the end. 

Favorite song: This Is Weird 

#6: The Heathers 

Okay now look, I know it’s super low on the list on some people on here are gonna get me, however, its mostly just because I have never actually watched the musical for it. I’ve listened to the soundtrack though!

I genuinely have no clue what the plot of this is, but I will say that it is primarily based on the three Heathers and Veronica. 

Favorite song: Seventeen

#7: The greatest Showman

Okay, okay, this is the last one. Look I really love this musical but it’s at #7 because at my old school we did a TGS halftime show for band, and it was so annoying throwing a flag up to “THIS IS THE GREATEST SHOW,” for months on end.

I think that like everyone has seen this, however for the ones that haven’t, this is a musical following the stories of a man who wants to become rich to help his family but faces many struggles to get there.

Favorite song: A Million Dreams

Alright guys, that was my last one for this blog. Feel free to put your opinions or some musical suggestions down below!

Thank you, guys, for reading, see ya next time! <3 

Hiiii! My name is Sarah and I’m a junior literary. I loveeee color guard, hanging out with my friends, watching musicals and movies, and listening to music.

I am soooo excited to start posting on blogspace and see where this leads. I am planning on using my blogs as a way to express my thoughts and like not annoy my friends since I talk a lot… 

My blogs are probably not going to have a set tone or whatever, I’m just going to type out my thoughts and see what gets the most traction tbh.. Like if I want to wake up and talk about how bummy my math class was I’ll talk about that, but if I wake up and want to rank every single Hamilton song, (act I and II BOTHH,) I’ll do that.

Oh, another thing I’ll probably use this for is to get the “scraps” of writing that I have out of my notebook and out on some platform. The reasoning behind that is because if I never put it somewhere I’ll never know if it’s something worth exploring, y’know? 

Also, I have no clue how long to make this so bear with me!

A little bit more about me is:

1. I’m from Shannon, Mississippi, and I’m proud of it no matter how much bad everyone hears about it.
2. I am literally obsessed with learning about bugs.
3. I’m currently reading 3 books. (If he had been with me, Why we broke up, All the bright places.)
4. God is my rock, and I will probably write about my beliefs here as well. 
5. I love all kinds of music… except country… It’s just not my cup of tea.
6. I will in fact be bringing up my friends a lot. 
7. My favorite movie is “The Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind.”
8. My favorite book is “Eleanor and Park.” GUYS HEAR ME OOUUUUTTT. 
9. My favorite food item is a grilled cheese burrito from Taco Bell…….. It’s so fire. 
10. I love writing more than anything. I love writing free verse poems and short stories the most.

Well, that’s enough from me today but seriously I hope this helped you understand what I’m here to do. I’m actually so awesome and cool and like the best person in the world perchance (in the most non-cocky way ever.) 

Thank you for reading all the way to down here, tune into next week if you are interested! <3  

“I look into your eyes,

and I know we are both broken.

we are both in pain,

we are one.” -Ho Perso Cosi Tanto, 

                                  Sarah House