Category: Junior Literary

As an online dual enrollment student, I take plenty of classes that I don’t necessarily have an interest in. Honestly, taking these classes isn’t all bad because I also take classes that I do like and genuinely enjoy. But there’s always that one class that I can’t fathom, no matter how many placebos I’m juggling at the time. Although I expected intro to philosophy to be included in this bottomless pit of classes, it wasn’t. In fact, I learned the most in philosophy I’ve ever learned in another online course before. I took a genuine interest in the material and learned valuable things about life. This knowledge not only had an impact on how I viewed the world, but it put into perspective what I could do to change my own actions. In this blog, I’ll be talking about what I’ve learned in philosophy class and how it impacted my understanding of the world and myself.

The mind and body as two separate entities:

There’s a famous philosopher who specifically studied the correlation between the mind and the body. The body, in this philosopher’s brain, is an unthinking, machine operated being, and the brain is a non-extended thinking substance. Rather than seeing the mind and body as one whole that works together to carry out life tasks, he sees them as two separate entities that work closely together but have little in common. He backs his belief up with the fact that the body is divided into multiple parts, whereas the mind is only one whole and can think independently. Thinking about the mind and body in this way makes a lot of sense because I feel that my mind is vastly different from my body in every aspect. So, because we deal with two separate entities, it’s important that we care for them individually and through different methods.

                                                There’s a lot of power in reflection:

            For an assignment, we wrote about our feelings on Socrates quote, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” I remember reading this and thinking that the quote was a bit too serious. But the more I read and wrote about it, I realized that the unexamined life really is as bad as Socrates believes. An unexamined life refers to a person who acts constantly but never reflects on the consequences of his or her own actions. This might seem easy for people to comprehend, but it’s not hard to get trapped in a cycle of doing and never reflecting. Reflection is how we achieve knowledge that can help our specific circumstance, and I feel that I especially stray away from it because it’s hard for me to accept criticism. It’s a harsh truth, but reflecting can do more inner work than we think.

                                                            Act now, reflect later:

            This might contradict the paragraph above, but it’s just as important. I’ve heard a version of this advice in every school I’ve been to and I’m just now understanding how relevant it is to everyday life. My dance teacher used to tell us to say yes to everything and no to nothing when we are actively creating art. When we create art or make decisions, we often do so with a conscious, logical mind. Removing the inner critic that’s always within us can help us create better art, it can ease our minds, and it can prevent or limit the chances of thinking ourselves out of opportunities. This can be especially helpful for people who struggle with procrastination, as it encourages them to act rather than go through the process of convincing themselves. This advice isn’t always easy to follow, but it works as a reminder that simply acting on something is all it takes to get started.

I haven’t blogged about music in a while and due to Spotify wrapped coming out this week I feel the urge to talk about music. So that is what this blog is going to be about. I love music but I definitely haven’t been listening to music like I used to. I had a friend that I got a lot of cool music recs from but after a while I kind of just quite listening to music for myself and what I liked and I listened to music, the only way I can explain it is like a zombie. I just lost the love for it. But I have noticed this and have begun to fix it. Music is my world and I feel that I need to nurture that so I have been trying to listen to and find new songs that make me happy and fit my brain. My Spotify wrapped is pretty much all over the place so I won’t be talking a lot about that but I will say a few key things about it. I listened to 45 albums this year, 5,901 songs, and 391 genres. I listened to music for 84,578 minutes which is roughly 58 days. I think that it’s not bad, but it could be better. I also feel like wrapped this year was so random (not in content but in when they released it). Last year there was such a build up to it, which was met with, almost, disappointment by a lot. But this year it was just like whatever. But anyways this isn’t the main point of this blog. I thought since we are now in the time frame where our music isn’t really being tracked right now for wrapped, I would sort of track it here. 

So jumping into artists I’ve been listening to this week. I’ve been listening to Finn Wolfhard (not because of Stranger Things Season 5). I listen to music differently than a lot of people I think. I listen for the vibe and the feeling and what’s being said. I think that that’s what music is for. Not to say “Yeah I listen to (insert artist)”. I feel that listening to music for others approval is pretty pointless. Anyways, I’ve been listening to his “new” album. It’s great. I love the vibe and it is easy to listen to. My top song out of the songs I’ve been listening to by him is probably “Everytown there’s a darling”. Due to listening to Finn Wolfhard, you can infer I have also been listening to Calpurnia a bit (Calpurnia is a band that he is in). If I am listening to Finn Wolfhard nine times out of ten, I’m listening to Calpurnia too. They are so similar that their songs just go together well. 

I have also been listening to Malcom Todd and music like that. His music is very vibey and just easy to listen to. I think Malcom Tod’s songs that have been on repeat this week are definitely “Sweet Boy”, “Chest Pain (I Love)”, and “Roommates”. These all fit a vibe that just feels right (as I said I listen to music differently, I listen biased on feeling I guess. If it doesn’t make me feel then it’s not the song to listen to in that moment, but every moment has a feeling that can be matched with music, the right song just has to be found). But back on the topic of Malcom Tod’s music. I tried to find other artists with the same vibe and I found one that definitely is similar, Jack Murnin. The songs that I found of his were “Back N Forth”, “Terms” (my personal favorite), “Riled up”, and “IcyHot”. I definitely think that they have similar vibes, feelings, and styles. I enjoy finding new music to listen to so when I do it’s definitely a treat.  

Okay the next artist I’ve listened to a good bit is Dominic Fike. He has a new single that came out in November – “White Key” – so I’ve had that on repeat a couple of times. I really like his music. The way it flows and how the lyrics go with the beat is crazy. I think everyone’s style of lyricism is so interesting and unique. I love the lyrics in this song though. It just makes a story out of the words, the beat, the vibe and the feeling. It’s a great song. Due to this I’ve listened to a few of my other favorites from  his older stuff. 

Next is CThruRio. I don’t know how to pronounce his name or even really what it means but the way I found his music was TikTok. I listen to a range of genres as stated previously and this is a genre that I think many don’t think I listen to, hip-hop. Now my favorite song of his is a bit more of a mix of rap and rock, which I find interesting, but still hip-hop. I haven’t listened to any of his newer stuff yet but I have recently went back to his song “Before the Morning” because of the unique style it has. 

And of course I’ve listened to more than that but I listen to so many individual songs that it’s pointless to try and talk about all of them but those are – what I think are- my top artists this week. 

*I watched stranger things season 5 Volume one and will be doing a blog about it, but I feel like I want to wait until the whole season is out so until then it’ll be music and other shows or movies* 

Anyways thanks for reading and until next blog. 

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. 

Welcome back! So, it finally getting colder and winter has vastly approached, and been awhile of the ber months as we are in the last one of the year. Thugh it is just getting colder now the fun winter is commonly associated with Christmas, colder weather, New Years, exam season and many more! Theres two common season that come up when you ask someone’s favorite season and that’s usually summer and winter. 

Winter is such a busy month but a cozy peaceful one at last to it you get out of school, and all your breaks roll in. You get Thanksgiving Break and Christmas Break. Theres so much to do ice skating ricks open (in some places idk about the south) Tree lightings, Parades, Christmas fun runs, and hot coco by the fire pit. Light fluttery snow in the mornings trying to make a man but your hands get so cold, snowball fights. A wintery snow day in Washington and Germany were my favorite.  

Catching a train to the town over, Christmas markets meeting new people, and most of all exploring a new place for the day. People seem more cheerful during the holiday spirt, could be because the weather is changing, schools out, or even their exams are over I know I’m going to be excited when that is over. The sense of peace and I can finally relax and know I’m done for a few weeks. Watch a Christmas movies and sleep in. 

If you have not figured out already, I’m so ready for winter break and having time to just relax and not worry about work. Though for a lot of people this is the time for some people who are in school to take up some extra shifts of work and make a bit more cash over the break. My personal favorite thing to do is shop the way you can just roam isles and not worry about time or anything then find the perfect gift for your family or friend. Even better is when you go shopping with that friend of yours who loves it as much as you do it makes y’all can do so much more and have such of an adventure playing games in the stores looking at outfits we would wear in the future and acting stupid, half of the time we will just window shop and go out for the fun of it, my favorite person to shop with is my older sister we go out and don’t even look at time.

With this magical time of year, the question I am going to end the blog with is: What is your favorite season? I know this may sound crazy since I just hyped-up winter so much, but my favorite season is Fall the way the leave change colors and we slowly change into winter is magical. It is such a gorgeous mix of summer and winter and what’s next to come. I’m so exacted for this winter break coming up though and I hope y’all are too! Have a wonderful winter and see y’all next week.

I’m assuming everyone here has seen your town, or a neighboring one, lit up. Well, the lights are my favorite thing in the world! I mean no it isn’t anything really special, and after a while they are just there, but to me they are MAGICAL! In my hometown they don’t really go big for Christmas. A parade around the block that’s like 15 minutes long is really all there is, however, at Brookhaven Christmas is so lively. I think this is the most excited I’ve ever been for the Christmas season. Every time I go downtown to see the lights I feel like I’m straight out of Gilmore Girls! I’ve always been big on October-December, since y’know they are all very chilly and festive months, but this year has been great.

In October we had fun things like the Coffee House and Halloween festivities! Honestly this year’s Halloween was SO much fun, even though it was a little messy. For November we had the Thanksgiving Lunch, and I went to go see the lights about once a week for when I was here. Now it’s December, Lord this year’s flying. This month there’s a Christmas parade planned, Christmas movie marathons, and best of all the Christmas lights. These months have just been different this year, it’s hard to explain. 

I’m so grateful that I have amazing friends to share these holidays with, and an amazing family to go home to. I have amazing peers, and amazing teachers here at MSA, and I just have so much sappy gratitude towards it all. Now here’s where I write a paragraphs about my bestest friends ever:

Tristyn: I never knew that I would need a friend like Tristyn as bad as I do, but she is actually Godsent. I am SO grateful to have a girl like her in my life. I feel like if I ever need anyone for anything she’s always there for me, which I hope she feels about me too. She’s the sweetest ever, and I just know she is going to stick by my side. Plus, she goes to see the lights with me!!!

Mccarley: As many of y’all know, me and Mccarley have been friends since 8th grade, and y’all she ALWAYS comes through. She is one of the dearest people in my life, and she’s helped me get through some crazy stuff. She is there for me when I want to cry, party, have fun, pray, rant, anything. She knows me better than anyone, and I’m just so grateful for her, and that we got this amazing opportunity together. 

JUNIOR LITERARY STUDENTS: I love all of you guys SO MUCH! Some of you I know better than others, however, EVERYONE in this class has such a great heart, and I’m so grateful that you guys are the ones I got accepted with. Some honorable mentions: Robin, Nick, Danny, Lily, Ladybug, and Kemarrion. You guys are great, and I love y’all! 

Don’t think I forgot David, Brody, Clare, and the others. You guys will get a blog eventually. Anyways, I just have so much sappiness in my bones during this time of the year, and I WILL be going to see the lights tonight. Bye!!! 

I don’t know about anyone else, but I find myself frustrated quite frequently. lately though I’ve been pondering about what frustration stems from. what makes someone shutdown? sink into their own bodies as if their problems were an iceberg and they the titanic. I made a short poem about my pondering and as you read it think about a time you were frustrated most how did you feel? what made you keep going even after being so frustrated? how do you react to problems you can’t avoid? 

Frustration is a manifestation of one’s most inner self-double bubbling to the surface.  

A cousin to fear and a descendant of truth.  

We revolve like doors around the circumferences of things we are most comfortable in life. 

We often find ourselves a growing tree although sometimes kazoo stalks our roots. 

I find myself experiencing it during silence. When I’m alone at a desk in my room. 

IT manifests itself as a bug. 

Stalking like a spider. Feeding off the blood of my emotions like a mosquito. 

I find myself drowning inside my own head. Thoughts spinning like a washer. 

Cleaning me with doubt about myself.  

Frustration manifests itself in the bumps on my skin. Crawling through my esophagus. 

It silences me and makes it hard to breathe. 

 I find myself playing make believe in the devil house. 

Events of troubled memories whisper to me like the wind during winter. 

It never lies though it forces me to lie in bed with my truths. 

by now you’re probably wondering what that has to do with frustration. well, I think frustration is like a Pokémon it evolves itself by feeding of the very berries we hide our the truths we buried. it’s kind of like when eve bit the fruit from the tree. it exposes our sins to our conciseness and leads to a reaction like over thinking causing you to continue sinking deeper into thoughts you only think about when it’s time to repent.

I believe one of my biggest frustrations stems from my asthma not because of the annoyance it causes it’s the fear it invokes especially when jack frost sends kisses from the moon to the earth, I’m always on my toes tiptoeing around my own body I wrap myself in a mental bubble wrap. it causes me to rethink the smallest of actions even for things my heart always held the dearest attraction for.  maybe moving forward, I learn to release myself from the grapples it holds on to me. I think when we learn to release ourselves from the things we hide deep inside, we avoid the penetration of frustration’s sword into our hearts. 

what makes you frustrated? 

what do you think frustration is?

what are steps you take to release yourselves from things like anxiety and fear?

if you had to write a poem about frustration what would the first line be? 

I found this picture online by $onny gold I think it’s kind accurate it’s like emotions taking over the place where your brains are supposed to be, I guess?  

Man, when I say this cold not it, I’m not lying. It be so cold when I go to sleep, I got to sleep with the heater on, and I hate sleeping in the heat bro like real talk. I am having on just one jacket, I think it’s time to put on two now lol. I don’t want to go out or anything. I want to sit on the second floor or in the gym but ever were I go it be cold like Elsa trying to put us in ice or something and I’m from the Delta and it be colder than this but it’s something about this cold bro!

I can say the only thing I like when it’s cold, I get to chill inside more with my friends. We can make hot coco, sit and watch movies all day after school so that’s a good thing. I can do all the TikTok’s I want to do, play a lot of Roblox, vibe to music in the gym with Madison, and I could do more work as well. So the cold is not that bad, I guess. I’m so ready for some snow. Does it even snow down here? I hope it does. Y’all when I say the snow is the best thing.

The only reason I want it to snow is because it reminds me of back home. So, if I got to be at school most of the winter then I’m really hoping it snows. Back home when it snowed even if it was a little snow me and my sister them would go out and fight and the snow, we would make a big pall of snow in one spot like people do with the leaves and we would just throw my little sister Nesha in the snow. We would be outside trying to make small snow men with a little bit of snow, and it would be so funny.

 I would say I hate that I get sick easily. Sadly, I have asthma, so I really don’t need to be in the snow for real! But I think that the only thing I like about the winter. Oh, and Christmas in the winter so that’s a pulse as well. But I think it’s time for me to get my big jackets, big clothes, hats, gloves and some more stuff because baby this cold got me messed up lol. I’m not trying to get sick at all!