Category: Junior Literary

I see that I have drawn your attention with my ambiguous and enticing title…

Music does equal danger. Why? One word: obsession. Thank you for coming to my ted talk.

Like any other human being, I am capable of having obsessions. Some last for a few days, and others last for years.

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A list of some of my obsessions:

• novelty socks (cough…I have a drawer full of maybe fifty pairs)
• novelty pillows:              
• novelty anything, really:            
• tacos (this has been going on for years, but now I even have a taco piñata in my dorm)
• dinosaurs (since birth, probably)
• synthesizers
• and finally…music (woah, really?)
  

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  Restating my title, music equals danger, and here is why:

• I see people all the time walking around with earbuds/headphones/airpods. Some never take them off; they probably sleep with them in/on. I used to criticize them in my head because they are never aware of anything. But, one week, I walked to class with my headphones on, and I understood. Note: once you start; you never go back. I got out while I still could, though.
• Do not even get me started about listening to the same song on repeat for an hour. No.
• Spending hundreds, even thousands, to hear music performed live.
• Selling your kidneys for rare records.
• Probably crying because your favorite band broke up.
• Buying 10+ shirts from one band.
• Centering your life around a singer or a band.
• Spending more time listening to music than interacting with the world.
• Becoming irritated at people initiating conversation; they are distracting you from listening to your favorite album.
• Memorizing lyrics more readily than math equations.
• Researching everything about a band and typing a blog post that you will regret.

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I spent my entire Christmas break researching synthesizers (and Tears for Fears) like an idiot. How did this happen? Well, once upon a time…

I heard a song on the radio that had a nice beat. I looked up “synth riffs” to find it. In short, I never found the song (I forgot all about it), but I did find a newfound interest: synthesizers. I started with covers, and then I moved on from there. And after many articles and tutorials, I decided that I needed one.

The Novation MiniNova:

I would love to have this. It costs nearly four hundred dollars, but that is reasonable for a nice synthesizer. I know that people recommend the Korg Microkorg more, but this one makes more sense to me (plus it does not have the blocky text matrix of the Microkorg). One day I will be able to have one of these in my possession… I know that synthesizers are not instruments for beginners, but I have played a few instruments in my life (I am practically Mozart…totally). Anyway, I will keep you guys updated. Although I am unsure about when I will get a synthesizer, I do know that I will not come out of my room for weeks.

Beautiful but painfully expensive synths:

(Unintentionally, these are all by Roland (a popular brand))

   (one of the most expensive)

When I actually know what the heck I am doing, I might aim to have one of these in my possession (perhaps in at least a decade or so).

Some cool videos:

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Yes, music equals danger because you end up blogging about synthesizers; you end up wanting to spend all of your savings on a box of wires and buttons despite barely knowing the difference between a sawtooth wave and a sine wave. You scare everyone away because they think you only listen to two British guys with mullets.

Anyway…

(Side note: Why do people fight over music so much? Music critics are already brutal, but everyday people love to fiercely argue their point about random sounds.)

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A few songs with awesome synth worth mentioning:

(or, rather, songs I like that are currently on my mind)

(Disclaimer: I am sorry if you disagree with any of these songs or find them offensive. Also, these songs are not my favorites nor are they in my top ten. I only wanted to share interesting pieces of music that deserve recognition.)

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In conclusion, I believe that music is dangerous. For example, my life has become a vacuum of synth riffs, mullets, and music from forty years ago. Once absorbed into this black hole, you will never look at the girl who listens to “Don’t Stop Believing” on repeat the same again. You will hate how the radio plays the same four songs by Tears for Fears. You will hear an 80’s movie playing and know nearly every song. This is the price of happiness.

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One of the most influential new wave albums (I love):

New Order = absolutely amazing synth. (If you need more synthesizers in your life, listen to them.)

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Be aware that I am leaving out so many amazing musicians and their music. This blog does not mean to examine the most influential songs or the best. I only wanted to discuss the addictive nature of music and how it affects me.

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Wednesday’s Fun Fact:

Broccoli with flowers:

Peace out.

Hi!! This is a piece I write last week and I’m really proud of it!! Hope you like it!

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“Drenched in melanin,  I can still feel her hand in mine, her body by mine, her soul entangling itself with mine. I can still see her charcoal eyes, her midnight skin, her cocoa brown curls. I can still smell the flowers: the lilies, the daisies, the sunflowers, the honeysuckles. I can still hear the ress tittering to themselves, gossiping like our mothers used to. And I still remember how she looked there, next to me. The wind nipped at her cheeks, whipped at her clothes, and delicately whispered to us, saying nothing but not needing to. Her shirt was white and her jeans were blue. She had found flowers that she liked, so they sat perched in her hair. Her skin had just begun to clear up, so she was glowing as if  she were the Sun. She danced with the clouds as I watched. Her voice rang out, rose above the stars, and echoed into distant galaxies. Her eyes held a happiness that transcended time and space itself. How beautiful she is. How beautiful she was.

    That night, I watched the sunset in her embrace. It was so beautiful. The sky was a mirage of blues, pinks, purples, reds. It felt as if the sky had presented all of its best just for us. And at that thought, she cried. She said that, ‘It was too beautiful to be just for her. Just for us.’ But I believe it was. God had painted the stars for us and we were so very grateful. So very in love. She kissed my curls and laced her fingers in mine. She traced the freckles on my shoulders, the expanse of my back, the curve of my spine. She always smelled so good. That night, she smelled like the flowers laced into her hair. There was no need for words, for speaking, despite the fact that we could taste a lifetime on our tongues. That night, on that tiny little rock, I fell asleep in her arms. And I dreamt of the words we never said. Of staying there and building our entire lives around it. Turn the rock into a boulder, maybe. But, I woke up before the world did. Before she did. And, basked in moonlight, I couldn’t help but think, ’How beautiful she is’. And how beautiful she was. 

    She woke up shortly after I did, and we sang the stars to sleep. There is a saying that black girls and boys turn blue under moonlight. And she was my favorite shade. Her hair lit pale.

Her eyes sparkled. Her voice reached beyond us. And, in that moment, when everything fell away except for her and I, I was absolutely in love with her. And I told her so. And the words rippled through my chest. She smiled at me, her teeth perfect and her gums dark, and whispered,’ Our love is as free as the stars in the sky’. That was her telling me that she loved me too. And she kissed me. Every cell in my body buzzed with joy. With anticipation. With something more than heavenly. And I absolutely loved it. She tasted like coffee and strawberries and sleep.  Goodness Gracious, she was, hands down, the love of my life. But the sky woke up, and she had to go home. It broke my heart everytime, but we met up every night, so it wasn’t too bad.”

 Grandma, that’s beautiful. It sounds as if you were two were genuinely in love with each other. Whatever happened? Do you two still talk?”

    “One night, we met on our rock. It was shrouded in this thick skirt of trees and vegetation. She broke through their shadow and I could’ve sworn she was the most beautiful thing on this Earth. The moonlight had kissed her with an ethereal glow. Her hair was pulled back, but it still looked as if she had spent hours styling it. Her eyes were sprinkled with stars. She could’ve been a goddess, that’s how gorgeous she was. Her hair was slightly messy, frayed at the ends, and as she got closer to me, the illumination shone through the stray strands, forming a halo. Her voice was butter. She loved singing. We would sing to the birds and the trees and the sky all night. I loved listening to her. She had a way of making you feel what she felt with her voice. If she was sad, she’d sing ballads. If she was angry, she rang war cries. When we were together, she mostly sang love songs. And every word she uttered reverberated through my chest, got caged in my ribs, and escaped through my heart. She was the next Billie Holiday. And after she sang, she kissed me, sweetly. But someone else heard her. Someone else saw her. Someone else felt her heartbeat in their chest. But they didn’t like it. So, that night, from amongst the brush, a shot was fired. It hit her. Right in the neck. She fell off the rock, right onto the cushion of grass below. And I followed her. But there was so much blood. So little that I could do. We were sat there for what felt like an eternity, but it was most likely a span of 10 minutes. She didn’t say a word, she just watched the stars. And I watched them in her eyes. I watched the tears form and disappear. I watched the words bubble up and evaporate. And I watched as the twinkle in her eye dimmed. I cried. I held her to my chest, I sat there, and I cried until the Sun woke up. But, by then, she had already passed into the other world.”

“I’m so sorry for your loss.”

    It’s fine. The Universe had righted itself. The man that killed her had gotten Ole Sparky.”

 “Did you watch him die?”

    “No, I don’t really care for watching people die. And it would’ve been pointless. I had already forgiven him. I had found my closure. I just hope he’s okay wherever he is.  And I pray that she’s safe wherever she is.”

“That’s beautiful.”

 “Thank you.”

There are many people that I know that are insecure about their music choice, but they have every right to be. One way one of my friends worded the reasoning behind the insecurity of letting others listen to your music was, “You are what you listen to. It can be scary showing your music to someone who doesn’t know you because it’s such a big part of who you are.” She makes a valid point. The music someone listens to plays a big part of defining who that person is.

Me personally, I listen to probably every genre of music besides country and jazz lol. Although, If I’m in New Orleans, then jazz music is my favorite thing to be played in the background, and on some occasions, not all country is horrible. Other than that, a lot of what I listen to has to do with what I was raised around. Even though my music style varies quite a bit, I mostly listen to what is most popular to have something in common with everyone around me. Let me explain this real quick: I don’t just listen to what’s popular so I can have popular interests with those around me, In fact I’m very against doing that. I mean, I genuinely like listening to Roddy Ricch and other music artists of that genre, but It’s not my most preferred option.

What is my most preferred option, you might ask? Easy– rock.  Growing up with my older brother and my closest sister, rock has always been a part of my life. It’s not 100 percent the fact that It’s my favorite genre, but more of the memories that come with listening to that one Blink 182 song that I’ve heard millions of times. There are many different types of rock music as well, and while I love all of them, I have to say that punk rock is my favorite. And then alternative rock. I know this may sound cliche or whatever, but my favorite band is Nirvana. I know that’s such a basic answer, but I could seriously name all their albums and the years they came out and I could tell you what song belongs to which album:) pretty much the same with Blink 182 and Pink Floyd too.  There’s always an immediate comfort I feel from listening to these bands that were so prominent in my childhood and I could never give up listening to them. It’s really sad though, how the modern rock made today could never compare to that which was made in the late 1990s and early 2000s. It’s like becoming extinct and you don’t find very many people who still listen to it.

Thanks for reading about my passion for this genre. I hope you all have a great week and listen to lots of music.

I would like to hear about your favorite music. Comment below please:)

What will your legacy be?

I always ask myself what will I will leave behind once I’m gone? What will be my legacy? The first question, I feel, I have to answer first is when? What will my legacy be when I die? When I leave MSA? When I leave college? When? Honestly, I don’t know. How could I? I don’t have the ability to see into the future. If I did, what would life be? A waiting game. I would be waiting my whole life for the inevitable. I wouldn’t be experiencing life like I should. What can I do? I can plan. I can form ideas. I can plant my seeds and wait for them to grow. That’s what I can do. In this particular post, I want to challenge you all to make your seeds. Plan what your seeds will grow into. Plan for your legacy.

I’m starting to dive deep into manifestations. I wholeheartedly believe in what you manifest will come true in some form or fashion. I won’t spill my testimony on the subject, but I can confidently say that manifestation is the key into achieving what you want. In this case, manifesting what your seeds will become will, one day, come true. Now what exactly are manifestations?

According to Bing, manifestation is defined as an event, action, or object that clearly shows or embodies something, especially a theory or an abstract idea. In simple words, a manifestation is your idea becoming reality. If you manifest that you will ace your test and you truly believe you will, that A should be coming your way! Now, lets not confuse this with making a wish and hoping it will come true. The key difference between the two is based on how it will happen. Manifestation, unlike making a wish, isn’t just sitting around hoping your wishes will come true. Manifestation is the act of proclaiming your success and working as hard as you can to achieve that success. Manifestation is simply putting the idea out in to the atmosphere and working to achieve the inevitable. If YOU believe it will happen and you claim your future success, it will happen. Even if it doesn’t happen as soon as you would like or even if it happens sooner than you expected, it will come true. It’s because YOU believe you can do it, so of course you’re going to work as hard as you can to do it. I will now input a cute, little quote I saw on google. It helps breakdown of how to do a proper manifestation.

Manifestation can one day lead you to your legacy. If you manifest your legacy now, all the hard work and skill needed to be at that level of success in which you can leave a legacy will be worth it. Every downfall and setback is apart of the manifestation! The journey may be a short one or a long one. The journey may be complex or easy-going. The journey could be a lot of different things but in order to get to the destination…you have to experience the journey.

All of this goes back to a legacy. The legacy you want, plan for it now. Manifest it now. Make it happen. Do you want to leave a small or big legacy? Do you want to leave a legacy for your family? Friends? A community? Who do you want to impact? Who will you make a difference in? Is it a who? A what? Is it an organization? Program? Club? Who?

All these questions work into your legacy. Manifestation works into your life period.

So, again I ask, What will your legacy be?

 

My knowledge of Microsoft Word is more extensive than it needs to be. During my Freshman year, I took a technology foundations class. The assignments ranged from making Power Points to programming. I can remember being a sort of teacher’s pet in this class. The teacher often showed my work to the class as an example of how to do it right and let me get away with a lot of things. This led to me taking a lot of liberties with assignments. A lot of liberties.

While searching through my Google Drive this past week, I came across a folder that hadn’t been updated since 2018. Inside was every assignment I’d completed from this class. I thought I would share them because not only are some of them fairly adequate, most of them are hilarious. This is because I was quite the fangirl Freshman year and these assignments truly reflect what I was going through.

Some assignments that I did normally were actually pretty good:

    

Mother’s Day card

Calendar

 

Adding text with pictures

           

Easter Cards                                                                 Valentines Day Cards

And then, other assignments were… creative, to say the least:

          Filled Empty Space                                    Make a Face Using Only Shapes

 Bookmarks                                                   Subway Art

                Collage                                                          Edited Photos

My teacher let me edit pictures of Brendon Urie and Dan Howell! And I had the best grade in the class!

We also did quite a few presentations, which included videos projects like:

                                                   Prezi Presentation About Myself

(You can view it here)

But also projects like:

                                                   Scene from Powtoon Presentation

                                                  Scene from Powtoon Presentation about a fake movie

(You can watch it here)

Up until more recently, I’d been reluctant to talk about any of my past phases. I thought they were embarrassing and that if I just ignored them, then it would be like they’d never even existed. But now, I really couldn’t care less about what I did in the past.

I’ve been through many “embarrassing” phases, but at the end of the day, it’s what got me to who I am today. I look back on Freshman year now and think how much fun I had making these. Freshman year Addison was just having a good time and I shouldn’t be embarrassed about it (no matter how many pictures I edited of Thomas Sanders as pieces of artwork).

In conclusion, owning your past, especially the embarrassing bits, is way easier than trying to ignore it. Your past is what made you who you are today. And if you’re lucky, then you may even be able to get a laugh out of it like I did.

Almost 11 years ago, in 2009, President Barack Obama, took office and became the first African-African President of the United States. This was a major advance in African-American political leadership. However, before this tremendous stride, there were many other excellent political gains made in the black community.

In 1870, Hiram Rhodes Revels made history by becoming the first black man to serve in Congress. He was a Republican senator who represented the state of Mississippi.

Nearly 100 years later, in 1969, Shirley Chisholm became the first black woman to be elected into Congress. She represented the 12th district of New York. This was not Chisholm’s only political accomplishment. In 1972, she announced her presidential bid as a Democrat. Thus, making her the first African-American to run for POTUS as a major-party candidate and the first woman to run for the Democratic party. Chisholm called herself a representative of the people, saying, “I am not the candidate of black America, although I am black and proud…. I am the candidate of the people and my presence before you symbolizes a new era in American political history.”

In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Robert C. Weaver secretary of housing and urban development in his Cabinet, making him the first African-American Cabinet member. Following his Cabinet position, Weaver became the president of Baruch College. Also, under administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Weaver helped established the Black Cabinet, a nonofficial group of African-American public policy advisers.

11 years after Weaver, Patricia Roberts Harris was appointed as Cabinet member under the Jimmy Carter administration in 1977, becoming the first black woman to be a Cabinet member. She was Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Then, 1979, she became Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. Prior to this, Harris served as United States Ambassador to Luxembourg under President Lyndon B. Johnson, making her the first black woman to be an Ambassador. Harris was also the first to be in the line of succession to the presidency.  Harris achieved many political accomplishments, but she was also the first woman to head a law school (Howard University, 1969).

In 2004, under the presidency of George W. Bush, Colin Powell was the first African-American man to be appointed Secretary of State. Despite this big achievement, Powell is most known for his military career, in which he received distinguished medals and honors.

Succeeding Powell, Condoleezza Rice was the first African-American woman to serve as Secretary of State. Also, during George W. Bush’s first term, Rice served as National Security Advisor; she was the first woman to hold that position.

Serving from 2009 to 2017, Barack Obama was the first African-American to serve as President of the United States. During his presidency, Obama worked towards improving LGBTQ+ rights, healthcare reform, and gun control.

Michelle Obama was the first African-American First Lady of the United States. As first lady, she was a role model for women and advocated for poverty awareness, education, nutrition, physical activity, and healthy eating. She was also considered a fashion icon.

 

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Thanks for reading!

I have been trying to figure out what my music taste is. I know what I like and what I don’t like. But, I never know what exactly to call it. I still really don’t know what to call it. My music taste is so broad and different, there really isn’t a way to put it all under one label.

So, I’m going to discuss the kind of music I like while hoping that whoever is reading this understands what the heck I’m talking about.

I’ve recently discovered that I LOVE music from the 60’s-80’s. Pop and rock mostly. I also love music that sounds like it should be from that era. Tame Impala’s “It Feels Like We Only Go Backwards”, for example, sounds like it should be straight from the 70’s. Another example is my strange addiction to the band ABBA. They’re a popular Swedish group from the 70’s-80’s. They’re most known from the movie “Mamma Mia” since the entire soundtrack (to both movies) was ABBA songs. (Mamma Mia is my favorite movie by the way.)

I also love indie rock/pop music. This genre also includes modern soft rock music. (Arctic Monkeys, The Neighborhood, The 1975, Foster The People, etc.) I’m a huge fan of classic rock, so hearing the genre continued but modernized is just *chef’s kiss*.

Now. Time for my most favorite genre of all time. Pink Floyd. That’s it. That’s the genre. This obviously includes Pink Floyd. But it also encompasses Alice In Chains, Queen, The Beatles, Soundgarden, Audioslave, Nine Inch Nails, Nirvana, etc.) This genre of music is technically Class Rock, but I call it my Pink Floyd music. (Probably because Pink is my FAVVVV.)

This next genre isn’t really a genre. It’s an artist that I can’t seem to place with any other artists. He has a VERY close spot next to Pink Floyd. And the artist is……..JOJI! I loooooooove Joji so so so so much. He has his own category because all of his music is different, but the same. Like, some of his songs make me want to be a wild teenager while others make me want to sit in a bathtub in a wedding dress and cry. I’m not even married nor do I own a wedding dress but oh well.

And to finish out, my last genre actually has a name that I really think fits it. I call this genre “euphoria and youth”. This genre includes music that makes me want to drive down an interstate in the late evening/nighttime with the windows down. I’d want to be hanging out the window, my hair blowing in the wind, and laughing with friends. This genre could also be described as the “teenage dream”.

Thanks for reading yet ANOTHER blog about music. I really do love talking about it.

Peace out, girl scout 🙂

 

Who doesn’t love some good gospel music? Growing up in the church, I’ve been surrounded by this sacred music for as long as I can remember. Today I’d like to share a gospel playlist with all the hits! In the last couple weeks, this playlist has been getting me through IT! I’ll list some of my favorite songs from the playlist.

I know I’ve been changed by LaShun Pace- THIS SONG HERE! Through any issue I face, this song comes to mind. The soulful voice of LaShun Pace just feels my soul with joy. It is more of a comfort song for me at this point. The sing along part at the end gives me CHILLS everytime!

Brighter Day by Kirk Franklin- This song makes me so happy! It talks about finding security and love and being happy about life. Whenever I feel extremely sad or I’m just in a down mood, this song will lift my spirits!

Let The Church Say Amen by Andrae Crouch- I can remember the days when my family would be late to church and the choir would be singing this song when we walked in. This song is so peaceful and fills my heart with such joy. 

The Best in Me by Marvin Sapp- Whenever I feel insecure or I feel bad about myself, this song will make me feel so loved. It really does tell the truth behind not listening to what other people see in you or say about you. This one will bring tears to your eyes when life really goes bad. 10/10 would recommend.

Go Get It by Mary Mary- This song will get you HYPE! It’s more modern than most gospel songs, but its message is amazing. The song emphasizes getting your blessings. This will uplift you so much!

Praise Is What I do (Live) by William H. Murphy, III- This song is the ultimate choir song. The slow melody rocks your body and entrances you to listen to the message of the song. It is so good. The end part gets really hype and will have you feeling amazing. 100/100would recommend.

Total Praise by Richard Smallwood- This song is so beautiful. If you ever have a chance to see a performance of this song live, you will forever be in love. I got the chance to see it live by a choir at a benefit concert and by the end of the performance, I was in tears. This song makes you feel so warm and loving inside. I really do recommend listening to this song. 

Church Clap by KB ft. Lecrae- This song is very modern. It has techno beats and is very, what do the kids say?…Lit? It is a very non-gospel song, but it still holds the same message as most gospel songs. It even has a dance to go along with it. I learned this song from a summer camp at my local church over the summer. This song will have you up and dancing for real!

Hear My Prayer by William Murphy- This choir in this song sounds so good. The dynamics, the crescendos, the decrescendos, EVERYTHING! This is a top tier gospel song. I hope I get to see it performed live one day.

Never Would Have Made It by Marvin Sapp-This song makes me reflect on all the bad things I have faced in my life. It makes me see where I was and where I am now. This song definitely gets me in my feels. I highly recommend listening to this song as well!

That’s all I’ll give today. I want to tag the playlist, but it’s on Apple Music and I want it to be on a free music app like Spotify, so everyone can have access. I’ll try to post it soon. Hopefully you guys will listen to these songs! I promise it’s worth the look up!

I missed out on a lot of things as a child. One of the biggest holes in my childhood was the amount of TV shows I didn’t watch. While other kids my age were being raised on The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and Hannah Montana, I was watching Dora and TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting. So for this week’s blog, I decided watched some of  Nickelodeon’s most popular shows that I didn’t watch when they first aired.

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Drake and Josh

Season 4, Episode 10 – Treehouse

I knew nothing about this show going into the episode. The friend I watched it with explained to me that Drake (left) and Josh (right) were stepbrothers and that was all I needed to know to watch. The episode starts with Drake and Josh getting a model rocket from their grandmother, which that they accidentally shoot into their neighbor’s treehouse. This partially destroys the treehouse and as punishment, Drake and Josh are forced to rebuild the tree. After screwing in the last wall from the inside of the treehouse, the two realize that Drake forgot to cut a whole out for the door, trapping them both inside. They attempt to escape by ramming their bodies into the walls of the treehouse. This eventually knocks the entire treehouse to the ground with both boys inside of it. The episodes ends with them still trapped inside of the toppled treehouse.

The most shocking thing to me about Drake and Josh was that it actually made me laugh. I’m used to Nickelodeon’s newer content’s comedy, which doesn’t get so much as a chuckle out of anyone. But I laughed out loud several times throughout the episode, which really surprised me. I also like that the episode could stand alone. I had no prior knowledge to anything that took place in past seasons and still enjoyed the episode!

I only have a few criticisms. Josh Peck’s overly exaggerated acting got on my nerves, but I’m going to guess that’s normal for him on the show. The theme song didn’t fit the high energy visuals of the opening, which was disappointing because the theme song for this show gets hyped up a lot. I also couldn’t figure out how Drake and Josh knew how to build a treehouse. Aside from the door situation, the treehouse looked professionally built. But like Drake and Josh are just a couple of teenagers?? And they supposedly built it in just one afternoon??

Overall, I enjoyed it and definitely would watch more.

Rating: 4/5

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Victorious

Season 2, Episode 1 – Beggin’ On Your Knees

The most I knew about Victorious before watching this episode was that Ariana Grande was on the show. I was was later told that the show was about Tori (middle) and her friends going to an art school in Hollywood. I googled the best Victorious episodes and “Beggin’ On Your Knees” was number two. Tori has to sing a solo or duet in a musical festival for one of her classes. A hot guy in her class, Ryder, asks her out right after they are given this assignment. They hang out at Tori’s house for their date, but it quickly ruined after Trina (first on left) convinces Tori to go through his phone and he catches her. The next day at school, Tori tries to make it up to Ryder but offering to do a duet with him for the music festival and their class. Robbie (second on right) finds out that Ryder is dating Tori only to get a good grade for their class (Ryder had done this multiple times before with other girls). Once Tori learns this, she and Andre (first on right) write a revenge song, which Tori sings to Ryder at the music festival, completely embarrassing him.

I actually really liked the theme song and Tori’s revenge song. Though not perfect, the show original music was just good enough for me to enjoy. Robbie’s puppet, Rex Powers, managed to make me laugh a few times. He was by far the funniest part of the show.

Honestly, I hated the transitions between each scene of Tori updating her social media status. Cat wasn’t funny and I don’t understand why everyone in Tori’s music class wanted to sing a duet with her (like they were actually fighting over her). I mean, Tori an okay singer, but was it really necessary for the whole class to be fighting over her? And finally, why didn’t Tori know Ryder was playing her if he’d done it so many times before with other girls?

In conclusion, I probably wouldn’t watch Victorious again. It wasn’t extremely funny and the characters weren’t great, especially Tori. The most the show has going for it is the music.

Rating: 2/5

I find it funny how Valentine’s Day went from being like my favorite holiday to a day i’m just like, “can we just not celebrate it this year?” Don’t get me wrong, the small class parties are fun and everything, but I miss the days when it meant handing out chocolate and other candy with a small ridiculous note attached on the back of it. I miss when I associated Valentine’s day with decorating a paper bag to put all my candy and notes in and eating all the candy in it by the end of the day. (actually my mom would never let me do that)

Now a days, Valentine’s is less of a holiday to me and more of a regular day that I wait to pass. Honestly, it is a little sad that I’ve lost all interest in something that I used to enjoy so much, but that’s just a part of life that I’ve realized is inevitable. No matter who you are, you’re bound to lose interest in something as you grow older– especially holidays that seem to lose all meaning without the class parties you so loved to take a part of. Without the small notes and pieces of candy you collected in your poorly decorated brown paper bag, Valentines probably loses all your interest.

Now don’t get me wrong, some people LOVE Valentine’s Day. That is, of course, if they have a significant other to celebrate it with. However, for those of us that are single, it just seems to be another reminder of our loneliness, as if we don’t already have enough. “Okay, we get it. You have a boyfriend/girlfriend. good for you!” Meanwhile, I’m over here just chilling with my food and dog. Is that a complaint? *gasp* Never! Only positive vibes over here:) Although… it isn’t something I’m like super euphoric about. No, I take that back. You can never go wrong with eating food and watching a movie with your dog lol.

Anyways, If you are one of those who looks forward to this “holiday”, I hope this upcoming Valentine’s Day is just the best day ever for you. Not only am I glad that someone finds joy in this day, but I hope you continue to have a positive outlook towards it. Who knows? maybe you won’t be like me and lose all interest in a holiday you used to love– maybe you’ll keep loving it. If so, good job!

I hope you all have a lovely week. Thanks for reading:)