Author: Tiara Jones

  I feel like the most ferocious pain I felt when I was younger was caused by a wasp.  

  Hello lovelies, here’s a story time and some facts about a day I felt like I was dying.

First off, if you haven’t experienced a wasp sting then I’m really jealous of you, but then I also feel bad because the day you do get stung will be so horrible for you and like a wide awakening.

I was about 7 years old and was playing with my Monster High dolls on the living room floor, just minding my own business. I remember making them perform a cheerleading contest (best one ever by the way) when I rolled over to get up and I ended up feeling the harshest stabbing pain in my back. It was horrid, if I can describe it to you, I would say it felt like the pain when chomp down on your teeth when they’re hurting.  The pain was all in the nerves of my back, I literally wailed like a baby.  Then my sisters were over there panicking because they didn’t see anything or know what was wrong with me, I mean, I didn’t either, but they made it no better.  

I could feel the bump forming in the middle of my spine almost, my sisters literally had to carry me to my mom and put ice on my back.  They kept asking me what happened, and I kept telling them I didn’t know, and I started to explain what happened when we started hearing a loud buzzing noise coming from the other room.  My mom went to check it out and then she came back shaking her head and said: Welp, I’m sorry, it looks like we have a wasp situation. That was the day I discovered the enemy.  

                                    This is the John Wick of wasps.  

The Sphecius Speciosus 

These wasps are some big wasps, they can grow to about 2 inches and they’re mostly found in the Rocky Mountains. Now, I’m no bug expert nor am I a big lover of bugs, but I’ve learned some interesting things about these creatures, some from google and some information from YouTube.   Google says these wasps rarely harm people unless aggravated but they usually fly away when swatted at.  The Animalcorner.com also explains that “If handled roughly females will sting, males will jab with a sharp spine on the tip of their abdomen, and both sexes are well equipped to bite with their large jaws” and after that’s about it.  

Now, this Youtuber named Jordan Howlett a.k.a., jordan_the_stallion8 explains that they’re much more vicious than that.  He explains that from his research he learned that if you become rivals with these persistent bugs, it’ll be a problem.  The hornets can survive about 10 minutes fully submerged in water and if there’s even a drop of air in that water they can survive for weeks.  He also says they have photographic memory.  He claims there have been stories of people seeing these bugs camp outside of their houses waiting like assassins after encountering them.   They also allegedly report back to their colonies about any danger they come to face with, and that anger is a good thing because they’re supposed to live longer when they’re angry.  I don’t know, but the explanation sounds very interesting.  I mean, imagine if you were to get stung by one of these; what would you even do? 

Anyway, this is the wasp that stung me: 

Paper wasps 

These are the average house wasps.   Even though their stings hurt very painfully and cause irritations and swelling, they’re mostly harmless.  Paper wasps mostly just fly around and scrape wood from your house and outbuildings to make their nest.   I don’t know how one got into our house, or why it decided to sting me while I was making Clawdeen do flips, but it made me very upset.   

Ya’ll, I didn’t know where this blog was going, but thank you for trusting the process. 

In honor of the beginning of Black History Month, I’ve decided to use my blog as a moment to show some great works of an African American Poet. The poet’s name: Tupac Shakur. 

                        Though before I start, there’s a story behind this blog. 

I was in seventh grade and my teacher was making the class draw names from a hat so we can all do research on some less known figures in Black History.  Everyone was getting upset because they didn’t like that the people, they were researching were all the way back in the day.  Personally, I was like, I wouldn’t mind if I got someone I never heard of before, it would make it more fun researching them.  So, when it finally gets to me, literally the last person, everyone jumps at me because I got someone no one would expect: Tupac Shakur.                                                                                                                                                   It was so loud in the classroom as everyone yelled things like, “That’s not fair Mrs. Spencer!”                                                                                                                                   “Tiara doesn’t even listen to Rap!” or “Tupac isn’t even part of Black History!”  Once my teacher heard those statements she stopped and turned to me, and she said, “What do you think Tiara, is Tupac part of Black History?”                                 I was stunned and didn’t know what to say.  Back then, I didn’t really know much about Tupac, I just knew that he was a rapper, he was shot, he created the song “All Eyez on Me”, and that he had beef with Biggie Smalls.   I never considered that with a Rep like that he would be part of History.  So, I finally responded to my teacher: “I guess we’ll find out today.”                                              Now, for a little bit of context, this was an English class, and she was making us do Black Writers in history like Phillis Wheatley, Alice Walker, and Paul Laurence Dunbar for examples.                                                                                                  So, I went to ask my teacher, “Are you sure you want me to talk about Tupac’s raps?  Because I don’t think some of them are student friendly.”   And she turned to me with a smile and was like, “Tiara, some Rap can be Poetry and once you start doing your research, you’re going to learn that Tupac was a Poet.” 

Then she sent me on my way and my research began: 

𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔯𝔬𝔰𝔢 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔤𝔯𝔢𝔴 𝔣𝔯𝔬𝔪 𝔠𝔬𝔫𝔠𝔯𝔢𝔱𝔢 

by: Tupac Shakur 

Did you hear about the rose that grew

from a crack in the concrete?

Proving nature’s law is wrong it

learned to walk with out having feet.

Funny it seems, but by keeping its dreams,

it learned to breathe fresh air.

Long live the rose that grew from concrete

when no one else ever cared.

This was the first poem that popped up when I searched for it.  It didn’t really make such a big impact on me at first because I wasn’t really a poetry person back then and it just was words to me at first glance if you know what I mean, but the assignment was to analyze the meaning of the poem and explain what you took from it.  I would explain what I got from it, but I’m just going to let y’all tell me in the comments maybe.                                                                                    On that note, I don’t remember what I put for the meaning, but this website called Haener Block, explains: “The poem represents the ways that someone can become something great coming from a place that’s not recognized as great.  In this poem he uses a rose, something that’s recognized as beautiful, even with its imperfections.”                                                                                                                      This sounds about like what I had, but a little bit more spiced up. 

𝑰𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒅𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒆 

by: Tupac Shakur 

In the event of my Demise

when my heart can beat no more

I Hope I Die For A Principle

or A Belief that I had Lived 4

I will die Before My Time

Because I feel the shadow’s Depth

so much I wanted 2 accomplish

before I reached my Death

I have come 2 grips with the possibility

and wiped the last tear from My eyes

I Loved All who were Positive

In the event of my Demise

Tupac was really getting deep with his poetry and this title is so sad but cool because it fits the way he used to speak.  Also, this poem seemed like a conspiracy theory for many people because he was literally like he will die before his time and during my research I learned that in some songs he said he was going to die young, so I was like, “Did he know?   Was he predicting his death?”  Anyway, we’re not going to get into that right now.                                         I picked this poem for the “Attention Grabbing and Meaningful” part of the project because it stood out to me a lot.  Like previously, I don’t really remember how I analyzed these, but the Allpoety.com quotes that Tupac said, “I composed ‘In the Event of My Demise’ on the very day that I was diagnosed with H.I.V.   I contracted H.I.V. from a medical accident while working as a Navy Corpsman at Lemoore Naval Hospital. On that day I felt like I needed to evaluate my life and write my will and testament.”  

I didn’t have that at all, but his actual words make a better analysis. 

ʟɪʙᴇʀᴛʏ ɴᴇᴇᴅꜱ ɢʟᴀꜱꜱᴇꜱ

By Tupac Shakur 

excuse me but lady liberty needs glasses

and so does mrs justice by her side

both the broads r blind as bats

stumbling thru the system

justice bumbed into mutulu and

trippin on geronimo pratt

but stepped right over oliver

and his crooked partner ronnie

justice stubbed her big toe on mandela

and liberty was misquoted by the indians

slavery was a learning phase

forgotten with out a verdict

while justice is on a rampage

4 endangered surviving black males

i mean really if anyone really valued life

and cared about the masses

theyd take em both 2 pen optical

and get 2 pair of glasses

The first time I read this poem I remember one of my classmates telling me that this poem could make some great bars.  I also remember that at the time that I didn’t know what bars were, so I just agreed.   Looking at this now and reading it, I do agree that this would have made an interesting rap, especially with Tupac’s style.   I didn’t have to analyze this one, it just needed to be included into the project but if I could take a guess now of what it’s about, I would say: Tupac did explain how his parents were part of the Black Panthers and fought against injustice and he did gain a lot of his values from them.  This poem probably could have been inspired by their example and his own experiences of how the world treated races and other ethnicities that weren’t white poorly and unfairly during most of history.   I see that when he gives prominent figures and examples from history in the poem. 
Also, I see that the main point he’s making is that America is supposed to represent freedom and liberty, but it seems that they aren’t acting on what they represent, they turn a blind eye to how the world is really treating their citizens.                                                                                                                                         When looking it up on AllPoetry.com it states that Tupac’s meaning for it was: “Lady Liberty would rather put a black man in prison for selling drugs to feed his family because the same system won’t give him a job, but she could overlook the white man who is beating the mess out of his wife.  The glasses are metaphors for the system’s ability to see and omit what they want.” 

Last but not least we have: 

𝓦𝓱𝓮𝓷 𝓤𝓻𝓮 𝓗𝓮𝓻𝓸 𝓕𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓼 

when your hero falls from grace

all fairy tales r uncovered

myths exposed and pain magnified

the greatest pain discovered

u taught me 2 be strong

but im confused 2 c u so weak

u said never 2 give up

and it hurts 2 c u welcome defeat

when ure hero falls so do the stars

and so does the perception of tomorrow

without my hero there is only

me alone 2 deal with my sorrow

your heart ceases 2 work

and your soul is not happy at all

what r u expected 2 do

when ure only hero falls

I didn’t have to decipher this poem, but I did have to pick a poem that had deep and relatable meaning to me.   

The day I presented this project, this was the last thing I had to explain and recite; the class got sad and quiet when I told them this made me think about my grandmother and mother.  I hated the days when I had to see them struggle with either money or their health but still made sure that everyone was good while even smothered in sadness.  We couldn’t tell that the days when they made sure my siblings and I ate before them were the days they also couldn’t feed themselves.  They were our heroes, and your heroes usually don’t want to reveal their weaknesses.                                                                                                               So yeah, this was a lot of my journey while digging into Tupac’s contribution to Black Artist History.  He used his music and poetry to advocate for the Black community and become a voice for them.  His image was also a symbol of resistance and struggle against oppression.   Again, his poems are beautiful, and they reveal new things to me about his beliefs and his style every time I read them and there’s many more that I didn’t cover, and you all should check them out.  

                                                            Hello Lovelies, 

* Quick note:  This was supposed to be my beginning of the year blog, but plans changed* 

Coming into the new year is a time when people usually start doing things that are different from the person, they were the previous year.   The difference can be new friends or any relationship encounters, there could be a different clothing choice, or just different opinions from what you originally had in your mind, whether it’s the best food, the worst restaurant, or a TV show that everyone loved, and you hated, can change into your favorite show and the show that everyone despises.  

The point is, there are going to be differences. 

So, today I’m going to discuss some of the people I know personally, Hot Takes, in which they were told they were just trying to be “different.”

* Note:  I got permission to tell their opinions with their explanation, but I will not be using their names.  Also remember, this is their OPINIONS, just what they think, because no one thinks the same. 

Let’s start with explaining what a Hot Take is.  A Hot Take is a piece of commentary, typically produced quickly in response to a recent event, whose primary purpose is to attract attention, states Google. 

Or in this day and age, what we call is an unpopular opinion that someone makes because they’re trying to be different, which I mean, everyone is different. 

I’m not ranking them or anything, I’m mainly just talking about them and explaining the reasoning I received.  

                                                          #Owl House 

This comment took place during a conversation about some shows that were making the Disney Channel go downhill.   Some of us listed things like “ Coop and Cami ask the world” or “Raven’s Home and Sydney to the Max” for examples.   We were just going back and forth with this random topic, even touching on some ones that we think had potential until they were canceled then we went to other channels like Cartoon Network shows that didn’t need to be made,  when out of the blue it stuck out like a sore thumb that someone said exactly, “Yea, I’m sorry but I hate Owl House, like it didn’t catch my attention.” (Also, this person knows Owl House isn’t part of CN) 

We could all hear the record stop mentally.   All of us were quiet until someone replied with, “I mean, I like Owl House, but I understand it really wasn’t for everybody.” 

Most people murmured in agreement until before the person gave us their reasoning speech. 

The reasoning: “I tried watching it but after that first episode I couldn’t get into it.   Maybe it just wasn’t my type of show but the plot from the little I saw didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. So, it’s not that I hate it, but I didn’t understand the concept.”   

Everyone was vaguely pleased with that answer, well kind of.  There was still that one person begging passive aggressively for a more detailed reasoning.  Saying, “I just need to know why.  It doesn’t make any sense,” but soon they remembered that everyone has opinions and not all are going to match. 

                #Influencer OverRated  

This one I’ve received recently and there’s no specific story behind it besides the fact that I asked for their biggest Hot Take.  Their statement overall was that “influencers are overrated and kind of boring.”    I asked for an example to further explain the statement, their words were “Most mommy Vlogs and others alike should be taken down and the parents should be charged for child endangerment.”  

I’m guessing part of the reason for that kind of Take deals with all of the drama with the mom Youtuber, Ruby Franke, who just got arrested.   I don’t keep up with the case but that’s a recent example of what’s wrong with influencers and why some of them should be taken down. 

Also, just my own input, I do know a lot of influencers that are starting to seem overrated, especially when you see all of the drama they’re being pulled into.  

              # The Superior Chicken 

A lot of the Hot Takes around here seem to deal with food or just restaurants basically, and which one is better.  For this one specifically, someone once told me that Popeye is superior to Chick-Fil-A.  They explained that Chick-Fil-A food is dry, and their waffles fries are nasty.  They stated that the only thing that they’ll get from Chick-Fil-A is their Mac and cheese, and that’s only on a bad day.  While Popeyes’s chicken is always juicy and fresh and their only downside is their biscuits (which they added, they don’t really have a problem with.)   They just believe that everyone hypes up Chick-Fil-A with their chicken nuggets and their macaroni and cheese because it would be trendy to eat it, but it’s not really just special.  

This was their take on which restaurant was actually better to them.  

Also, here’s some quick Hot Takes that I’ve heard:                                                                1) Breakfast is the least important meal of the day.                                                              2) Mint Ice-cream is the best ice-cream flavor.                                                                   3) Milk should always go before the cereal. 

Okay, see you soon 🙂 

                                                            Hi Lovelies, 

                      Since I was snowed in my house with no Wi-Fi and couldn’t find any of my books I left at home, I made a decision to go through my old school bookbag until I found something interesting.  I discovered something precious, my former school English class final project.   It was an assignment to create my own art scrapbook.                                                                                                                               Listen, I know it sounds easy, but the process was actually pretty tedious and took a whole week to finish.    Why?  Well one reason is because we had to make a book cover out of paper, homemade paper.   Then, after we made the homemade paper, we had to actually make the art (poems, paintings, dot art and etc.)   I opted for poetry of course, and there was some art that I did, but I think it’s better if I show you then tell you. 

                               Here’s the cover I made out of homemade paper: 

Its contents are leaves, water, flowers, construction paper scraps and a little bit of cornstarch.   It took the whole week to dry, and after that it made me mad because the one I made broke, so I had to get someone else’s.  I didn’t mind that it was someone else’s but I worked so hard on it.  Anyway, it was really thick and kind of hard to pierce through, but we made it work.  

                          Here’s the second page of the book:  My Limerick Poem 

As a little chili I was happy 

Even though my hair is nappy 

Even when I slept in the tub

I still got belly rubs

Loves how this sound wacky

I tried as far as my brain would let me for a grade.   My teacher loved it, so that’s what matters, also I can see how my work has evolved.   There was also an explanation card to go with it, and the one for this poem stated: 

This Limerick poem is a funny rhyme about a cute baby who slept in tubs. 

That’s all.   That one sentence, says it all. 

The fourth page is my Ode to Horror Movies

Ode to Horror Movies 

The night sky is the right time 

To scream out of your mind 

It’s scary to watch a crime 

A look through twisted mankind 

Crazy how people have the brain to write 

The things that makes us faint

Some teens can contain the frightening 

Even when unreal you still shiver at the sight 

Each script is artfully quaint

All posters make it more enlightening 

You know, when I wrote this, I really thought I ate, but now I’m slightly wincing.   I like it for my first attempt at an Ode, but I will most likely revise this entirely. 

This one also has an explanation card, it reads:  

My Ode poem is catchy as it talks about my fascination with horror movies. They’re frightening and enlightening. 

Boom Chaka La, chef’s kiss.  Kidding, Kidding, I tried. 

The next one is my dot art for my friend Kenia, she really did not like how it turned out, but in my defense I tried. 

It’s safe to say that this did not turn out how I wanted it to, at all, but I gave it my best shot.  I had to get an actual picture of her, use that picture to AI generate an anime version of it, then color it in with dots.   This frustrated me so badly, but I really did not want to do the alternative portrait, so I tried this.   If you’re patient it would be fun, if you’re like me and don’t really like doing something that takes time, then think really long and hard about doing this.  

The explanation card that goes with this read: 

My dot portrait is Kenia.  Kenia is a really close friend who handed my years of friendship.  She’s goofy and sarcastic and really wanted me to do my dot picture on her. 

Yes, I actually said that.   She was cool with it, but she regretted her decision immensely. 

Lastly, the final page was my first abstract art.   I loved it, it really calmed me to take the time to paint and reflect. 

There’s nothing specific for this, but I tried to make an emotional ocean sunrise. 

A better explanation would be what the card reads, and it reads: 

In my abstract I have purple and yellow rain.   Purple means calm, passion, and elegance.  Yellow means peace and happiness.  The rain goes down into the rushing waves of my indecisiveness.  On the waves is a box which is unleashing my dark and light sparkly imagination.  

Sounds so beautiful each time I read it, I really put my heart into this.   At least I think I did.  

Anyway, that’s that, it was a creative final grade.  I made a hundred on it and it was kind of fun to do. 

Also, here’s what the explanation cards looked like. 

                                                               Hello Lovelies! 

 It’s that time of the year.  The time when you’re supposed to smell hot chocolate and mint in the air, or when you feel the imaginary snowflakes falling gently on your skin. Or at this time in age, when you hear them 3 gift items you bought from Walmart rise up to $200.00.   That, Time. Of. The. Year. So, that means you also know that it’s the time of the year when you yell at that certain person who’s playing all of the Home Alone back-to-back at the break of dawn.  No?  Well, I guess I’m the only one. Don’t worry though, I’m not lonely because today I’m joining the side of the people who live and breathe to watch these movies during December, but instead of watching them, I’m going to talk about my favorites that are well known and some that aren’t well known 🙂 

 Disney A Christmas Carol 

I’m pretty sure most of us had seen this classic with Jim Carrey voicing Scrooge.  But like I always say, it’s okay if you didn’t and I don’t mind summing this up for you.  This is Disney’s adaptation of the story that has been interpreted almost a hundred different ways, the story about the man that is visited by his ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future so that he can get his life together before dying miserably not knowing the purpose of Christmas.   I personally think that the graphics put a real good eerie vibe to the story and the plot taught me well.   I also want to say that until I was in about 7th grade, watching this movie with the lights off was so scary to me, it was Horror movie level to me.   Don’t laugh! (For those who are snickering with their eyebrows) that scene with Marley still gives me shivers today, especially when the scene is blasting loudly in your earbuds.                                                                                           Point is, I think everyone should watch this at least once during Christmas break, while I watch this about 300 times.  (That’s just me though, I have no choice but to, with a certain Home Alone super fan I know.) 

                                                                                                                         Ghosts of Girlfriends Past 

Oh my gosh.  I know I’ve watched this so many times because of my sisters and I don’t even like watching Rom/Coms, but I adored this one. Also yes, it’s PG-13 and yes, I watched it at eight but like it didn’t do anything really.                          Any who, this movie is a modern spin on Scrooge/ Christmas Carol classic story, where instead of getting visited by ghosts symbolically, he actually gets visited by his past, present, and future ex-girlfriends that he has actually dated.   I promise this lighthearted movie is so funny, I mean listen to this plot:  A serial womanizer is haunted by the ghosts of his past girlfriends at his brother’s wedding.   Also, I think the wife is one of his ex-girlfriend’s) and that one Uncle is in there too.                                                                                                                                       I know right, the tea.  I know it may sound cliche, but it’s not cliche at all and it’s so sweet, and to me all of it was fantastic.  Also, if you’re worried that it’s an overworked plot and that everything is going to be expected, you can relax now because it has a different theme than most of those movies, and if you need a little bit more convincing, here’s the cast list for those who may know these people: 

• Matthew McConaughey 
• Jennifer Garner 
• Emma Stone 

 Polar Express 

Okay, I know most of us have watched this movie, but listen, I just learned that the movie was all CGI, I mean, the people didn’t animate these characters and the cast voiced them.  I mean, Tom Hanks and everyone else sat there and actually acted out the movements and the actual face expressions and emotions of these characters.  I watched the behind the scenes, and I was so shocked.   I suggest a lot of people would love BTS because the way Tom Hanks portrayed every character, he played was gold for me.                                                                      Also, I mean it’s a classic, even though someone I know said it was creepy, it’s a creepy classic.  I mean, I have warm memories of it, and I watch this every year.  So, take this as a reminder not to forget it. 

                                            This Christmas 

If you know you know, and if you don’t, (silence) well, I’m going to tell you anyway.  The plot is starring the Whitfield’s who are finally coming together as a full family on Christmas after four years, and the head of the house, Madera Whitfield the mother, is happy to see her estranged older son, her marine son, her teenage baby boy, and her three daughters despite the fact that they all, have beef with each other.  The movie has so many layers, for example, there’s debts that need to be paid, secret family members, secret kids, and so much more.   I personally love the movie because it’s heartwarming and reminds me of my family sometimes with and without the drama.  So, if you just like movies that are a Slice of Life, and it’s on Christmas, you should go check it out. 

                                                        Hello Lovelies!  

  Today we’re going back to the good ole days! Chacha cha (Imagine me saying that like Grunkle Stan).  Anyway, today I’m discussing the elite and OG detective, and mystery shows that I’m pretty sure none of you youngsters have watched or even heard of (Please take no offense, I’m joking I promise.)       I’m not ranking them, just going down the list and explaining what each of them are and what makes them the best in my opinion.   Also yes, I’ve actually watched these.  

                                                                                                                                                                                    Matlock 

I love this dude, he’s so chill.  I’ll tell you why later.  Matlock is an elderly criminal defense attorney played by Andy Griffith, meaning he represents the “guilty.”  At least the people who are accused of committing the acts.   He solves these cases with his daughter and one of his colleagues who have the best dynamic, they’re so cute.  Together they run around with each other and find evidence that proves the defendant’s innocence.                                                                         If I’m describing to someone the format of each show, it would always start with someone unknown committing a crime, it’s either a shadow the audience sees or a voice the audience hears that’s committing it.  We never know, but what we do see is the victims, then the next day Matlock is getting called by the starring suspect of the show, to be proven innocent.  For the most part of the series, Matlock has only had innocent suspects, but one of my favorite episodes is when Matlock actually gets a guilty woman who manipulates him into making viewing her innocent.  She really thought she had him, but she forgot with age comes experience, and Matlock knew how to win her game and put the actual suspect in jail.   The episode is called “The Accused” and that’s something I could get into if I didn’t watch a single Matlock episode at all.   Matlock also gets brownie points because half of the time his clients don’t pay him with money, they pay him with food which is why I love him. 

                                                 Monk 

  Monk is also an American crime drama series.  Unlike Matlock, it follows events in the main characters’ storyline as they go through handling the cases.  Adrian Monk is comical, but not in the way you might think, he’s not “Haha” funny, he’s more on the side of “You’re so smart but is so ridiculous” side.  Monk is a former detective with an obsessive-compulsive disorder who consults with the police.   His disorder is a huge impact in the show, because it helps him solve mostly all of the cases with the police.  But, while it’s helpful it’s also very annoying for the people who work with him because they have to make sure everything is clean before he investigates it, or they would have to crawl in dirty places that need to be looked at because he refused to do it.   I mean it’s so serious that the running joke of the show is that Monk only drinks one type of water.  It’s Sierra Springs Water, that’s the only water he drinks.  He doesn’t even drink his own filtered tap water.  I’m not judging, but everyone in the series does judge.  Like seriously, he got stopped at the border because he was taking 2 full suitcases of Sierra Springs water to Mexico.  Just thinking about it is making me giggle, I know someone similar to this, but Monk is a whole other story.    The show also is top notch because the theme song is by Randy Newman or known to some of the younger people as the Toy Story guy.  “It’s a Jungle Out There” is so catchy and many people agree because it won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music according to Google.  So, yea, it’s really great in my opinion.  

                                                 Gunsmoke  

 My Grandma did it to me.   This was just something she had on all the time, that I became so engrossed in it.   First and foremost, she had a crush on James Arness who played Matt Dillon and secondly, she used to “rest her eyes” while this played and would jump out of her skin when me and my sisters would try to change this channel.   So, after the point of her waking up fully, she’ll play this for like, 72 hours straight.  I’ll be back at my mom’s house and still hear that playing from the 40 minutes away drive.  With that being said: Gunsmoke is set during the settlement of the American West and the main protagonist is sheriff Marshal Matt Dillon, he’s the keeper of everything in Dodger City.  If there’s a robbery, he solves it, if a mom is going on a killing spree while her estranged daughter is away, he knows about it, if there’s a man getting drunk after his best friend killed the drunk man’s wife, Matt can help that man be clean again while catching the murderer.  Also, these are some of the many episodes I watched.   Even though the show was in black and white, and had some poor graphics, I loved it.  The acting was good, and I loved Matt Dillon’s compassion.   One episode, he tried to help these kids save their father who was falsely accused of a murder.  The man was going to be executed, leaving behind his young son and daughter, but Matt wasn’t going to let that happen.  He worked really hard to solve a case that wasn’t even in his jurisdiction.  The show was beautiful.  This is why, it’s one of the elites for me. It was just that good.  

                                                      Walker Texas Ranger 

“The eye of the ranger.  The oh so helpful stranger.  Who better knows the truth from wrong and right.”  Or something like that, I really never knew the exact lyrics.  I just remember my siblings and I going around singing this to each other, right lyrics or not.   Walker Texas Ranger is one of the shows that I started watching by myself without the influence of my grandmother.  I stumbled upon it one day when there was nothing to watch and note this was during the times when Chiller existed and all they played were reruns, so you had to scavenger hunt on the DirecTV channel for a good show.  I just had it on for background noise while I did my homework, when I heard gunshots.  Wondering what was going on I looked at my TV and noticed some guys fighting with kicks and all that.  So, to say, it caught my attention.   I watched this show probably up until I was in the 8th grade I think, but that’s because my mom switched to Roku, and we got some streaming channels.  It was great.   Oh yea, and the plot is similar to the modern day Gunsmoke, and it’s inspired by the film Lone Wolf McQuade. 

                        That’s it, thanks for going down memory lane with me. 

                                                            Hi Lovelies!  

 One of the main cable stations I watched when I was younger was Cartoon Net Work. My siblings and I used to sit in the living room analyzing all of the shows and discussing who our favorite characters were and why.  We also talked about which characters contributed more to the show and analyzed their final arc.   At the end of the day, a lot of these character arcs were so random and I’m going to rank some random characters favorite to least based on the show’s ending and how I personally felt about them.   

#1 Gumball 

Gumball Waterson is one of the funniest characters to me.   At the age 12 he was one of the most relatable children ever, especially with the topics that concerned school and school’s social life.  When discussing his development, it was interesting. I loved how in the beginning of the sitcom Gumball was just a simple awkward kid who hung out with his brother mostly at school, but his traits of being a troublemaker and a goofball with questionable morals is what made him standout to the audience.  There were many moments when we wondered if we would make the same choices he made in certain situations, especially when looking at how he treated his friends, like Tobias and Banana Joe for example.                                                                                                                               He didn’t have to prove things to them, but he did it anyway because of peer pressure and his choices took it to the extreme and made hard life so unnecessary.   Anyway, as I rate based off of the ending of the show, everything before “The Inquisition” episode was okay.  Now, I don’t want to spoil it, but if you know, you know; and we all know they did us dirty.  

                                                                                                                                      # 2 Mordecai and Rigby 

The reason why I put these two together is because I’ve always seen them as the pair that just needed each other in order to make a good show.   I love them both, but would I watch an episode with just Mordecai?  No, not really even though there have been some. The same also goes for Rigby.  I have loved this show since I was 7, which probably wasn’t a good thing at my age, but I mean, who didn’t watch what they shouldn’t have?  Their dynamic was relatable to me because I could see my older sisters and their bond within them, that’s probably why they watched it with me.   Mordecai’s intelligence and maturity matched well with Rigby’s hyper activeness and childish ways.   I loved how they interacted with everyone else at The Park and it just made my day.  The best moments were the small ones when Rigby taught lessons to Mordecai by accident and Rigby also learned things from himself.   Mordecai’s character arc was mostly him going through girlfriends and figuring out what he wants and life, while Rigby learned more responsibility.  There might’ve been more, but I stopped watching the show once they got to outer space, which brings me to the ending rank.   Personally, to me, the ending was horrible.  They didn’t have to do Pops that way, also the future epilogue with their lives did not do them justice.  Especially with Mordecai, his was just, NO.   I couldn’t do it, second place it is. 

                                                                                                            # 3 Courage  

 I really don’t know what to say about him.  He was adorable and he was brave, that’s about it.   He could be my dog if he wanted to.  I just really liked the show, that’s why he’s up here. 

                       # 4 Fire Princess

  I’m kind of sticking random ones here now until I get to the least one, but what happened to her?  Y’all should tell me because I didn’t finish the Adventure Time series because I got older and school life got more complicated, then I had to choose which show would stay in my schedule and I chose Regular Show.   From the few shows I did watch with her in it, she became a favorite character of mine. I don’t remember why, but I remember my kid self really loved her powers.  Yep. That seems about right. 

          # 5 Anais 

I actually really love her.  She reminds me of who I wanted to be as a child, but she was mean and cleverer than me.   She also reminds me of my niece, she used to be so sweet and innocent as a baby, and now she’s dangerous and a little gremlin (I still love her though). I don’t think she has any specific arc development, but there were times when she allowed herself to have fun and appreciate her hard work.   Also, Gumball and Darwin needed to listen to her more, she knew what she was talking about.  Especially when she hid that remote, they knew it was time to fear her.  Anais was petty but petty in a way that made you feel that she was in the right.  I don’t remember her ending of the show, but I think she stayed the same. 

                              Bonus: Favorite episodes they were in. 

Gumball – “Dodge or Dare” 

Mordecai and Rigby – “This is my Jam”, Quote:  You can’t touch music, but music can touch you. 

Courage- “The Shadow of Courage” 

Anais- “Responsible Babysitters”  

                 Hi, everyone.    Here’s one of my free writes.    Inspired by                                                                           The Crown a show on Netflix.          

                                        I want to be like you. 

                          I want to make the moon and the sun talk. 

                               Eavesdropping on the giggles of 

                              what the weather would be like today. 

                              Be able to pay the clouds a visit and 

                              tell em I suspect rain in May.   

                             Then with no permission, I’ll get a veil 

                             to cover the sun’s cheese 

                             because no need for an early bird. 

                                              I want to be like you. 

                                         I want to write big headlines. 

                           Tell the bottom feeders to look at me. 

                           Radiating in the sparkles of the Manhattan lights. 

                          Dashing my black gloved arms around the posters. 

                          Hearing all of the oohs and awes of my name in bold.

                          Kissing my own hand for the followers 

                          that flows like the hem of my Versace dress. 

                                                I want to be like you 

                                            I want to toss money. 

                                  Waiting for it to bounce back to me, 

                             because it stays unlimited under my name. 

                     Spoil my family in the unsleeping city ordering food

                    when their eyes are bigger than their stomachs. 

                 The appetizers being gold on a platinum platter. 

                   The entrees being a flavor the people would want to touch 

                                     and turn into something magnificent. 

                                             While dessert is being served 

                           with me melting like steel in a bath of my riches. 

                                                I want to be like you. 

                            I want to be the hero even when I’m the villain. 

           Watch people gravel for my approval which isn’t even deserving. 

                            Listen to all of the haters tell me what I should be 

                                   but still watching me be what they want to be. 

                                     Being the example that good beats evil. 

                                    Although laughing as the mastermind,  

                                    resting in all of my diabolical wishes. 

                                          I want to be like you. 

                I want historic money to laugh at jokes that aren’t even funny. 

                Having the opportunity to watch my masterful calculation. 

                   Playing the game of which pawns can rule beside me. 

                   Being merciless and letting the others be in a chaotic reign. 

                        To walk the crimson carpet leading to my throne

                       as I become a queen that conquers for what’s owed. 

                                           I want to be like you. 

                                              But I’m Going to Be Better    

                                 I will come back to Earth when need be. 

                               I will show others to aspire, to rule a nation. 

       I will build kingdoms that light hearts and not egotistical darkness. 

                  I will make headlines that bring the cheerful roars of the people. 

                            I will free the Sun and break the spell of the Moon. 

                         I will have strategies to save and not to destroy. 

                             I will be victorious and not harvest destruction.

      I will carry the people that are weak on my back and encourage those 

                                             who proves stronger. 

                             I will bow to the crown that has accepted 

                                       that I’ve worked to earn it. 

                                   I will play and win the game,

                                 when my wrong wants are my losses. 

                                                 Hello fellow peers!

 I kind of knew for this blog I didn’t want to talk about any shows or any books.   The reason being, I have a ton of movies and shows I can rant about, but I want to save those for later.   That’s why for this post I wanted to post one of my free writes that I used to start learning a new genre.  I don’t know what genre this would be in specifically; I just know it’s not the genre I’m used to writing.  Now, this is a free write, but it’s also an adaptation of something I already wrote.  I wrote a poem named Magenta Lights in my second semester last school year. My English teacher really liked it but there were some problems with it, and it gained her, my math teacher, my mom, and the principal’s concern.   When I remember that, I laugh so hard because I always find myself thinking “Why on Earth do they think I would write something like this?”  I don’t know, but anyway I still have the poem, and this is what this post is based off of.  I tried to turn it into a narrative, hopefully this one won’t send me to the principal’s office (kidding kidding).  Anyway, the issue of what they thought I was writing, is a story for another day and if you want to see the original poem don’t be scared to ask.  Thank You 🙂

Her phone illuminates the hazy pink atmosphere as it lays on the marble bathroom sink. She knows it’s the person she hates the most right now, so she doesn’t stop her tears from making waterfalls to peer at the message.  She just sits on the cold moist floor with her head in her knees, while her muddy brown hair hangs like a curtain.  It’s a good thing though because that curtain disguises her distress.  She only wants to listen to her own racing heartbeat and not think about the roaring music that howls love songs, which only ends with heartbreak, in the background.  She only wants to tear off the crop top that’s squeezing the life out of her blood circulation because the blue Care Bear face mocks her inner demons.  She only wants to smell the cigars that spread about the ash trays like lit fireflies and not feel the stickiness of most likely someone’s inner dignity beneath her.  Which was unfortunate because it makes her think about how soon her own dignity would be swirling in waves of shame down the abashment bowl.  She sighs and lays her head on the barriers that defend her from the plastics she’s learned to love. Reflecting, finding the point when she believed she needed to be here. 

Her phone illuminated the pastel paper atmosphere that embraced the cloud LED lights from her room. She knew it was the person that she loved the most at the moment.  That’s why she ran faster than lightning to pick her phone off of her fuzz sea green sheets that were a shield enveloping her in a soundproof mind during the bashful nights.  It was comical to her when she would find herself giggling and turning shades of magenta when she read the morning woes and the nightly serenades.    She would always take her time to wipe the puddles of laughter to study and analyze each message.  Her stuffies would turn away from her moments of shamelessness.  Though she didn’t pay attention when she rolled around the bed allowing her chocolate brown hair to halo the bed in angel wings.  It was a bad thing though because it always created static that would sting more pleasantly than her heart would.   She only wanted to listen to his words of love and commitment that made her heartbeat and not think about the scenarios that all their doubters come up with.  She only wanted to wrap herself in the crop top that he gave her for Christmas because the Care Bear makes her blood warm when she thinks about the symbolism of its fate.  She only wanted to smell his cologne as it spread through her room every evening when he came to visit her. Not feel the dread in her lower throat when that girl pointed out soon her dignity would become a trophy he’ll have to show while his guilt is beneath him.  Which was fortunate because she could express how he cherishes her dignity, allowing it to flow in his gilded bowl that holds her significance for him.  She sighed and laid her head on the pillow that absorbed her tears that form under the statements of the plastics that hate her.  Reflected, finding any truth that she is wrong when her world will turn upside down. 

Her phone illuminates the blurred darkness that fumes from her misguided brain.   The blue-ray light makes it past her eyelids that are fighting for life to be open.   As her gummy gaze looks at the mirrored screen, she knows it’s the person she can’t stop thinking about the most.   She looks around on the soaked floor, grimacing as her stringy hair pelts on her face like milked straw.   The phone keeps lighting up repeatedly, the vibration contrasting from her numb heart. She is tired of it so she blows her runny nose in her Care Bear top, letting the snot scrunch the smile into a frown.  She only wants to tune out all of the doubts that are actually concerns, from her mind.  She wants to shove the ashtray off the sink, crashing to the floor, because it’s not fair that people want to damage their lungs while she’s suffering from a broken heart.  Then it hurts.  It hurts so badly which is unfortunate because it overbears the pain in her belly as dignity becomes blood curdling.  She takes deep breaths above the sink drinking backup what she refuses to have come out.  Because it isn’t worth it.  The grotesque growl of the music gets louder as the lights bounce from yellow to red, from red to green, from green to blue, from blue to magenta until it stops when the barrier breaks letting in the white pale light of the plastics that aren’t recyclable and actually loves her.  She sighs and lays her head on a chest while a hand rubs her back.   As they lead her into the vivid night that is suffocating, she reflects on what point did her heart decide it can repair. 

                                                         Hello fellow peers! 

  Have you ever come across one of those Tik Toks or YouTube shorts that bring up past games or shows from your childhood that you’ve forgotten about?  Yes?  Well, me too.  So, for this post I want to see if I can invoke some nostalgia for you and see if you remember any of these shows.  If you don’t; it’s okay, if you do; you can come cry in the corner with me as you reflect on how far you’ve grown. It has happened to me plenty of times (kidding, I don’t cry in corners) I’m also ranking them 1-10 to see which ones I should’ve remembered the most.    

          6/10 Foster Home for Imaginary Friends 

This show itself was on Boomerang, which was the channel after Cartoon Network, but I don’t remember what they call it.   It was one of those shows that just popped up on the TV one day and you accidentally start watching it.  I personally didn’t forget about it, but my sister did, and she was so hurt when she realized that other people in our generation might not recognize this anymore.  It was about a boy whose imaginary friend took him on adventures in a house full of abandoned imaginary friends who now need homes.  It’s a 6 because I didn’t just really find it entertaining.   

                    5/10 Read Between the Lions

  I didn’t recognize this show at all until I watched an episode of it with my niece and nephew.  But this show right here, I was like when was I so young?   You all might not remember until you’ve watched an episode of it, but it’s the one when that puppet man is getting rhyming words out of his long pants.  His name was smarty pants.  Anyway, it’s a 5/10 because it was educational. 

                               7/10   Oobi

I really hope y’all remember this.  This show was so funny and cute as a child. Don’t ask me how I feel about it now because it be looking creepy but when I was a baby, I wanted to use my hands and be one of those characters so badly.  This brings me to those days during the Summer when I woke the whole family up pretending to be one of these arms.   The googly eyes though, look how they’re on the hands.  It’s so adorable.   It’s a 7/10 because it was really cutesy and now it’s kind of weird.   We watched people talking and moving their arms like they were their own individual person.   How? 

                                 9/10 Jack’s Big Music Show      

 I’m sorry but this show made me cry so hard.  This is one of those memories that’s in the back of your head scratching the surface faintly.  I remembered this out of the blue one day and I could not think of the name.  I spent about 2 hours searching for different ways to find out the name, and I was getting angry because Google wasn’t googling.   When I finally figured it out, I got so sad watching the ending of the show.  You should all go watch it, the lights turning off in the treehouse were making my heart ache.  

                             10/10 Tuff Puppy 

  Tuff Puppy was the best.  The cat spy was awesome and inspiring to me as a younger girl.  I could just not believe it at all.  I was like, wow couldn’t believe it.  Then the episodes were comical and intriguing.  I watched one episode and remembered how the rat made me really like cheese but now I don’t obsess over it like I used to when I was younger.  But I appreciated how it started the phase of me enjoying cheese.  

                   10/10 Ni Hao, Kai-Lan 

    I don’t have anything to say exactly about this, just that it was awesome. I remember the dragons looking more bigger and 4D, but I don’t know, maybe that’s just how it looked to mini me.  But the show was fun and pretty, it mostly gets a 10/10 because I don’t remember any bad aspects of the show. 

                 Honorable Mentions: