From the title of this blog post, it sounds like I’m going to write about something deep and insightful— when in reality, It’s just the title of my one person play. I’ve already written like 3 plays and this one was one of the hardest due to it only containing one character. It’s only one page, but it was still hard lol. I thought it would be cool to share and I hope you enjoy it:)
Character: Dave is a young man in his late 20s, who is naturally irritable, pessimistic, and over dramatic. He comes from a comfortable background and has a problem of spending too much money, which causes him to come off as spoiled, leading everyone to dislike him.
At rise: DAVE, wearing a ripped business suit with his coat tied around his head, is stranded on a desert island. It is mid morning and the sun is shining unbearably bright. There is an open suitcase beside him with clothes in it and spewed across the desert sand.
Lights up: soft sound of waves crashing in the background and bright lighting on stage. DAVE is sitting criss-cross in the middle of the floor, staring into the audience.
DAVE
Well, this is where I live. (Sighs.) It’s been about a week now of being abandoned… or a couple of months. I really can’t remember, but that’s just what happens with this kind of situation. Time becomes irrelevant and it all blurs together as your brain slowly deteriorates. It seems as though my only friends betrayed me and left me here to die just this morning… but I think it was— How long have I been here?
HE starts to look around the island.
I mean, surely there’s something that could help me figure out how long I’ve been stranded. That way I can keep track of the days until… (looks into the audience again for dramatic effect.) I die.
DAVE stands up and begins to pace back and forth.
Ya know… now that I think about it, I haven’t had anything to eat since I’ve been here and I’m already seeing severe side effects such as a headache… (rests HIS hand on HIS head in pain) Or maybe that’s just where my friends threw my suitcase at me… either way, it’s a side effect. And this sun definitely isn’t helping with my whole dehydration process, that if i’m right, should be happening now seeing as I’ve probably been here for almost a month. It’s only a matter of time before I starve and start dying a slow and painful death without ever getting to say goodbye to my friends. (A beat) wait. Who am I kidding? I don’t have friends. They don’t care about me… Maybe death won’t be the worst thing aftera— No Dave! You won’t let death get the better of you. Look at me! (shakes HIS head.) I’m already losing myself to the high possibility that I’m going to die any second. I have got to get off this island!
HE starts to prepare his suitcase and pick up his clothes spewed across the island dripping with water and immediately drops them.
Wait… these clothes are still wet from when my suitcase was thrown into the ocean after I was… and it hasn’t rained since I’ve been here… and come to think of it, I really don’t recall ever spending a night here… Dear god… I haven’t even been here a full day!
As some of you may know, the Grammys aired this past weekend and the guests popped off! From Tyler, the Creator to Brandi Carlisle, celebrity after celebrity filed in. And the performances were to die for! So many amazing artists stepped forward and claimed the stage, if not only for a few minutes. But, the best part of it all to me was Demi Lovato’s performance. After her almost 4 year hiatus, she debuted a beautiful, raw piece of artwork, titled Anyone. I want to completely break this song down for you.
I tried to talk to my piano
I tried to talk to my guitar
Talk to my imagination
… I tried and tried and tried some more
Told secrets ’til my voice was sore
Tired of empty conversation
‘Cause no one hears me anymore
Here, she is saying that she tried to channel this emotion into music, into anything, but all she’s doing is trying. “Told secrets ’til my voice was sore” can mean that she told secrets to her guitar and piano, that’s how I understood it, but it’s up to the listener to interpret that. The lines following that mean what they say. She’s tired of empty conversation, or small talk, because she feels as if that isn’t helping her. No one truly hears her.
A hundred million stories
And a hundred million songs
I feel stupid when I sing
Nobody’s listening to me
Nobody’s listening I talk to shooting stars But they always get it wrong I feel stupid when I pray So, why am I praying anyway? If nobody’s listening.
“A hundred million stories and a hundred million songs” is a hyperbole for how many songs she has released, beings that she has been in the music business since she was a teenager. “I feel stupid when I sing/Nobody’s listening to me” is very powerful when you take into account that she has been singing since she was a toddler. Singing has been her life and the fact that she feels stupid doing what she’s always done because she feels as if no one is listening is genuinely heartbreaking.
“I talk to shooting stars/ But they always get it wrong” is one of my personal favorites. She is saying that she’s been praying, that she’s been “talking to the stars” but they haven’t been working. That they haven’t been doing right. “I feel stupid when I pray…Nobody’s listening” details her doubt in the fact that anyone, anything, is indeed, listening. That’s the deepest type of loneliness, honestly. The feeling that the one person that you have worshipped since birth isn’t there anymore. No matter who or what you may pray to, that is the ultimate form of heartbreak.
Anyone, please send me anyone
Lord, is there anyone?
I need someone
She’s lonely and just needs that shoulder to cry on. That’s it. There is no deeper meaning other than she needs someone to be there for her and understand her and just listen to everything. She’s being weighed down by whatever it is she needs to say, and “nobody’s listening”.
I used to crave the world’s attention
I think I cried too many times
I just need some more affection
Anything to get me by
This is the last verse before everything repeats and she really hit hard with it. “I used to crave the world’s attention” could be deciphered as her crying out for help and no one hearing it or it can be deciphered as her wanting someone, anyone to hear her. “I just need some more affection/ Anything to get me by” is one of the best, most powerful lines in this entire song. Her intent is clear. She wants affection. A hug. A shoulder to cry on. A conversation that focuses on how she feels and what she says. Anything to help her feel less lonely.
Everything in this song points to loneliness and feeling muted. The pure emotion in her voice when she performed it just makes this song all the more powerful and beautiful. Overall, a masterpiece.
My last remark is that I hope she feels heard, because we are all listening now.
I’m back, and today, you’re going to be getting some male fashion perspective, and he just happens to be one of my favorite people! Keep reading to get a “taste” of what goes on behind the scenes of MJ Coleman‘s signature fashion statements.
On this look, I was actually on a field trip with Coleman celebrating the day of racial healing. Here’s what he had to say about this look, “I figured if we were going to that particular event, I didn’t wanna wear, like, super dark colors, but I also didn’t wanna wear too, too bright colors, that would distract from what we were talking about. But, I wanted to wear something that would catch people’s attention without being flashy.”
“When I put clothes together, I find something that I really, really wanna wear, like on that day, I really wanted to wear those shoes. So, I had to find clothes to go with the shoes. That’s mostly how I pick my outfits. Or if it’s a particular scarf I wanna wear, I’ll center my whole outfit on that scarf.” In this photo, I noticed that Coleman had a number of rings and a necklace paired with his outfit. This is his response to how he accessorizes his ensembles, “Well, I wear the rungs every day whether I’m dressed up or not. And the necklace, that just kinda… it depend on the look I’m going for that day. Like a business casual look, I’m not gon’ put on 12 necklaces, but if I’m going for a really flashy look, I will. That day, the colors were neutral, and not really bright, so I didn’t wanna wear a lot of jewelry. That just looks weird… dull colors with big, bright, gold jewelry… no.”
You may not be able to see the pattern of the pants, so I included a close-up photo of a pair of pants similar to Coleman’s. Here’s what Coleman said about infamous, embroidered pants, “I bought ’em because I knew nobody else here was gon’ have ’em. They were $100, and I knew nobody was gon’ pay $100 for them pants; that’s why I bought ’em.” When Coleman revealed how much he paid for these pants, my jaw DROPPED. If you’ve read the fashion blog I did on myself, you should know that I am very… frugal, to put it nicely (haha). So, I asked Coleman why he didn’t just DIY his pants. I mean, all it would’ve taken was some cheap, navy blue pants, and some iron-on patches. To this he responded, “I could have… but POLO did it for me.” (And I oop-) Coleman then went on to say his entire outfit was by POLO… except his shirt, which was Hanes. Now, he’s speaking my language. Coleman says, “My mama bought me those shoes, so I had to find something to go with the shoes because I don’t wear yellow, but I was like, ‘These pants got a lil’ yellow in ’em. Let me get ’em.’ And the shoes got a white base around the sides, so I put on a plain white t-shirt because I didn’t wanna have on an extra shirt because the pants make enough statement.”
About this look, Coleman says, “I was scared of pulling that one, but I’m glad I did.” (Me too!) “I got that shirt from Amazon. I was actually looking for turtlenecks, but I didn’t wanna go to a really expensive store, so I looked on Amazon, and I got the best sellers. ”
What is your opinion on men in fashion?
Um, I really like when dudes take pride in what they look like. And I hate when boys feel like putting on a collared shirt and some khaki pants is dressing up because it’s not.” (Period!) “That’s like 2007 dressing up, and we’re in 2020, so I mean, I also feel like you don’t have to spend a million dollars to care about what you look like. I just feel like everybody has their own niche, their own style. They just have to tap it into it. Some people really live off of Walmart clothes, but you would never know. Not me, but some people. I shop at the big stores, but I’m saying that everybody doesn’t have to do that.” By “big stores” Coleman means, “Dillard’s, Macy’s, ExpressMen…”.
With this outfit, I was really curious to know how Coleman made a fairly simple outfit look so stylish. This is what he said, “I really wanted to wear that shirt, but I didn’t feel like dressing up that day, so I put on jeans, but I also wanted to make a statement, so I put on the jeans with holes in them. And then, it was cold as I don’t know what outside, so I put on boots.”
This look is one of my FAVORITE looks. I mean, from the embroidered flowers on the collar to the red shoes— a ‘fit! “This day, I was at school, and I wanted to pull a look that day. But I wanted to pull a look, but I didn’t wanna do too much, so I just put on black and white. And then, I was like ‘Ew’. Because I actually hate black and white… everybody wears that. So I had to put a little pop of color in there with the red shoes.
I don’t know about you guys, but this was one of my favorite interviews to do. It was really nice to hear fashion perspective from a male’s point of view.
Up Next:
Since February is Black History Month, I will be doing my blogs for the month based on that. The same goes for March with Women’s History Month, so the fashion series has to come to a halt. But rest assured that this is not goodbye but see you later. The fashion series WILL continue in April!
I don’t know about y’all but I LOVE music. I love almost every genre there is. I could spend all day every day bopping to some tunes. So I absolutely love making playlists and sharing music. I’ve done a few of those for the blog and I’m gonna do another one. You’re welcome!
This playlist is going to consist of more chill songs. Nothing too wild. Unless I see a song that I think everyone ever needs to hear. Okay, so here is my chill playlist of January, 2020. (Not all of these are on Spotify, but they’re all on Youtube or Soundcloud.)
Meet Me In the Pale Moonlight- Lana Del Rey (This can be found on Youtube and Soundcloud. It’s also on Spotify, but it’s under a podcast because it’s one of her unreleased songs.)
Queen Of Disaster- Lana Del Rey (It’s on the same platforms as the previous song, including a podcast episode on Spotify)
It Won’t Stop (feat. Chris Brown)- Sevyn Streeter
Falling- Harry Styles
She- Harry Styles
Roll With Us- Doja Cat
EX- Kiana Lede
Pray- Sam Smith
better off- Ariana Grande
Falling For Boys- Julia Michaels
ATTENTION- Joji
Imagination- Foster The People
I Would Do Anything For You- Foster The People
I Want It All- COIN
Clouds- BORNS
Rollercoaster- Bleachers
Sweater Weather- The Neighbourhood
June- Briston Maroney
Freakin’ Out On The Interstate- Briston Maroney
Flowers- The Neighbourhood
Past Lives- BORNS
fOoL fOr YoU- ZAYN
Fallingforyou- The 1975
Caged Bird- Myles Cameron
Show Me- Alina Baraz
New Pop- Writing For Apathy
Bad Religion- Frank Ocean
There were a lot more than I thought there was gonna be, but I definitely recommend those songs if you just want to hang out with yourself.
Today, I’m taking you on a trip through the closet of one of MSA’s own fashion icons: Victoria Jerde!
I conducted this interview similarly to the last post in this series with Stephyne Weathersby, in which I asked her to choose some of her favorite outfits and I asked what the inspiration behind each ensemble, her process of putting together an outfit, and other relative questions. Here’s what Jerde had to say about her notorious wardrobe:
“Well, with all the things that I wear, it kinda stems from just looking and matching bc I’m a really big color-coded like I can not mix match.”
With this first look, she says, “So, I think with this one, it was coffee house night, and I was like, ‘Well, I wanna dress in coffee house attire.’, so I was like, ‘A turtle neck is essential.’ and then I was like, ‘Let’s mix it up a bit, and I put on, um, this like “granny gown” or whatever. And then, the skirt.’ I was like, ‘Oh, prints— let’s make it floral’, and then I added the belt… The black boots kinda just went with it, so yeah.”
“This was like when it was in winter, but it was like fall going into winter, y’know. It was cold, but not too cold. And um, I really hate winter. It is like the worst season, in opinion. (Ditto!) But spring is like my favorite season, so I made this outfit because I had the headscarf, but it was still cold outside, so I put on this cute sweater, but still wanted to make it spring-like. I just kinda dressed it up a bit. But I guess my love for spring inspired this look— I missed spring. (Don’t we all.)
I interrupt this fashion blog to give you insider tips about Jerde’s skincare and how she gets the flawless skin we see her rockin’ every day.
She says, “Um, usually, I try not to put foundation on my face. My skin breaks out so easily.” (IDK about y’all, but Jerde has DEF been fooling me. 2020 Goal: Have skin so flawless, it looks like I’m wearing some 24-hr full coverage foundation when I’m NOT!) “Um, I used to do a lot of product and then it messed my skin up, but now, I use an exfoliator, like a natural one every night, with some fash wash. Then, I tone; toner has saved my life because I have really red skin. And then, I’ll do like a sheet mask every once in a while. And then, I also have this other stuff, that I stopped using because it’s such a long process— it takes like an hour. But, it’s, um, Indian healing clay, and I found it through TikTok, and it works!” (LOL) “I swear by it. It heals a lot of my acne, and um, it’s like $10 at Walmart, and you mix it with water. ” For all you out there who have sensitive skin, or even if you don’t, I highly recommend trying some of Jerde’s skincare regimens because I see her on the daily, and they WORK!
Okay, with this outfit, I HAD to know how she rocks such chic looks without being dress coded! Here’s what she said, “So, I’m just like naturally kind of a rebellious type person, so what I like to do, I’ll stay in dress code, for the most part. Unless it’s like a simple thing where no one really cares, like maybe, a tiny bit off of my fingertips, but what I’ve noticed is that, if it looks classy, sometimes it can slide… sometimes. Not all the time though, but if you’re not flashing anything or doing anything too bad, y’know, it’s okay.”
Sis is GLOWING… with socks and heels, y’all!
So, I was scrolling through the ‘gram not too long ago, and I came across this picture of Jerde, and I was like, ‘Another fabulous look by the Queen’, but then I zoomed in and saw that my girl had on SOCKS with HEELS. I was shook because that’s not a trend right now, that’s not what’s poppin’ right now, but I liked it! I knew that I could never pull it off, but I was not mad at it at all! Jerde says this about that outfit, “So, I really love trying new things and experimenting because you’re never gonna know what looks good on you unless you try it. And I— this is my favorite color, that baby blue, so I, like, I got that headscarf, my favorite of all time that I got from a thrift store in Columbus. And I paired— okay, so I used to hate that button-up so much because I didn’t know how to style it, like it was so hard for me. And then, I was playing around with it, and I was like, ‘Huh?’ so I put it on over this basic tank top and jeans. And I was like, ‘This is okay… it’s kinda baggy.’ So, I grabbed a silver, chain belt, wrapped it around it, instead of under it. And it gave me, like, Princess Cinderella vibes. And then, with the sandals, I was like, ‘Me wearing just high heels with my toes out and everything, it just doesn’t do it, y’know. So, I just tried some socks, y’know. And a few people said some mean things to me about it or gave me mean looks, but at the end of the day, it was really experimental. I mean, I knew that people would look at me weird, but I got out of my comfort zone, which is always good.”
Although this is one of Jerde’s simpler looks, it’s one of my personal faves because everyone knows that to create a great ensemble, you need accessories! And I really loved how she chose to pair this cute, girly hairstyle that frames the face, the little dainty necklace, but with the really masculine, camouflage pants. In response, she says, “These pants, I don’t know why, but every time I see them, I think of Bratz dolls. So, I wanted that sort aesthetic and vibe, but with my hairstyles, I’m kind of limited because I don’t have the longest hair. But, with everything, the best accessory is confidence. I’m serious, all you gotta do is have confidence. And if you don’t have confidence, fake it ’til you make it. It works! And people respect you because we stompin’ on necks.” (PERIODT!)
Polly Pocket who?
I LOVE this look! It’s very 90’s vibe, it’s layered, it’s pink, she’s got the Filas; I mean, this is a ‘FIT! AND, Jerde confirms, “Polly Pocket was the inspiration” behind this look! Iconic!
Contrary to popular belief, Jerde is only 5’3, guys! I mean, you probably could NEVER tell from looking at this photo, but it’s true. And with this particular look, I noticed that Jerde pairs some of the same few items in many of her outfits, but just like her height, you can’t tell! She says, “So, you have like your basic pieces, and then you have your statement pieces. Those are ones you don’t want to wear all the time.”
Closet of a Butterfly Girl
Jerde has another blog outside of her literary blog called, Closet of a Butterfly Girl, where she focuses on fashion. I am a loyal and proud subscriber, and you should be too; it is well worth it! Click the link above to support Jerde through her endeavors as an up and coming fashion journalist.
Speaking of which, Jerde is also working on a fashion magazine, which I am SUPER excited about. She spoke a little about that to me, as well. Here’s what she said, “I started my blog in late September/early October. It was a spur of the moment type thing. I’d always wanted to do it, but never committed to it. So, I said, ‘Alright, let’s do it’. Then, I was planning on posting every week, but then I didn’t because about a week later, I realized that I needed to be a fashion journalist. I was like, ‘That is my thing. That is what I love. That’s what I’m good at.’ And that’s when I was like, ‘I need to make a magazine,’ not for anything else, but just for myself. It’s a big goal to complete, y’know, it’s gonna take 7 months. So, I started it and it’s been a really long process. It’s a really big commitment, and I’ve gotten a lot of support from it, and I’ve never gotten that before. And that kinda stuff really pushes me and keeps me going. I mean, if I didn’t have support, I probably wouldn’t still be doing it because I’d get in my head and think that it’s all for nothing. But, it’s going good; I’m 15 pages in. It’s very busy. It takes up all my time, but I love it. And it’ll be out April 20th, which is also my showcase, so come to that! I’m sharing it with Morgan Crosby, so come see her too. But I plan on starting up my blog for real, doing it weekly, after the magazine because I’ll have a lot more time on my hands, so yeah, definitely look forward to that. So just wait and see; I promise the magazine is not going to disappoint because I have been working so hard on it!
I hope you enjoyed a peek into the closet of Miss Victoria Jerde. Make sure y’all subscribe to her fashion blog and get her magazine on April 20th, on the day of her showcase. The theme is Lepidopterology, which is the study of butterflies and moths, definitely fitting for this butterfly girl!
And read next week’s blog featuring Michael “MJ” Coleman Jr.!
So, in case you didn’t know…outside of Earth there is thing big ole thing called spaaace. And boy is it filled with tons of mystery. Lately, I have been up late at night watching space videos. Why? Because I asked myself a question:
How Far Can Birds Fly Up?
Please, don’t ask me where the question came from. My mind is a very random place. But I’m willing to bet you’re curious how far birds fly up too, right? Well, it really depends on the bird(oxygen has much to do with it), but coming in first place for the highest flyer coming in at 37,000 feet is *drumroll*
This cool dude!- THE RÜPPEL’S VULTURE
Anyways, this had me suddenly curious about space. I mean, there’s so much we don’t know about it! So here’s some interesting things I have learned recently about space/ residing in space/ being an astronaut.
1. Due to the lack of gravity, your hair will stand up in space: Have you ever wanted to have troll hair…well boy, do I have an idea for you. I guess I never realized all of the differences due to the lack of gravity in space. For example, water will just float about- you can catch it in your mouth.
2. You need to exercise every day in space: There is certain equipment that is used to keep yourself strong for when you get back to Earth. If you didn’t do that, then you would be walking jello.
3. Animals have been taken into space: Yes, even fish have been taken into space. Although they didn’t do so well. They lost bone density almost immediately while in space.
4. You will see a sunrise every 90 minutes: Now, that’s got to be pretty wild. Although, astronauts have a schedule to keep themselves oriented.
5.On a rocket, it takes about 8.5 minutes to get into space: Look, I’ve been in a helicopter before- it took a good bit to get up high. All I’m saying is I couldn’t imagine how it feels to be going that fast. I would probably get a headache.
There’s a ton of more interesting things about space. I encourage you to look into it. Down below, I will put the video I watched early in the morning. It’s pretty long, but I found it quite interesting. I learned a lot just because of my curiosity. Sometimes, it is good to see where your curiosity takes you. I think I’m now inspired to write a space-themed story.
*Note: I originally planned to contain this idea in one post, but it quickly got out of hand. I ended up having over a thousand words, and I had not yet reached the middle. So, in short, I broke the idea down into two posts; part one will explain my reasoning, and part two will cover the band itself. In case you are interested, the second half should prove more interesting than this one (so stay tuned…).*
I have wanted to type this blog since the end of December/ beginning of January, so needless to say, I am pretty stoked. Warning: You will learn a lot of “unnecessary” information about a band you probably have no idea exists. And so it begins…
Why have I decided to create this post?
I am tired of people thinking that Gary Jules made “Mad World”.
“Tears for what? What the heck is that?”
“Ever heard of ‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World?’,” and then the reply: “What.”
I received a record as a Christmas present.
My brain has false nostalgia.
I spent my holiday break madly researching for no reason.
I am easily addicted to music (like any other normal human being).
My journey with Tears for Fears began around the fall of 2018. I had two online classes back-to-back, and I survived only with the aid of loud music and earbuds. Thanks to YouTube, I listened to a ton of music from different genres (well, a few genres…). Basically, I listened to music I knew before exhausting myself, and then I branched out by chasing random songs I vaguely remembered. I liked the song “Shout”, so I searched, listened, and repeated the cycle over and over again until the song ran through my head like a mantra. Then “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” floated into perspective, and I included its presence because it was also familiar to me. And so the journey began. I listened to “Head Over Heels/ Broken” while furiously typing last-minute essays, my classmates mocking Spanish, sleeping, and watching Vines to the point of frustration. Yep, that is how I survived living out procrastination’s dreams. I listened to a few more songs—most likely “Mad World” (which I was happy to tell everyone that they created it) and “Pale Shelter”. And, after three hours of hanging on to Tears for Fears for sanity everyday, I sort of abandoned their music.
For Christmas (2019), I wanted a record from an 80’s band because I had developed a potent addiction to synth music. I liked a few specific bands, but I mainly listened to random songs. But Tears for Fears called out to me from the depths of sophomore year, and I decided that I wanted to know them better because their music spoke to me. By that, I mean that I found their lyrics interesting…Okay, and I will admit that I found the band catchy and amusing—the music videos that I had watched made me laugh a lot. But, yes, Christmas…I opened a crisp copy of their most recent collection album: Rule the World. It surprised me, but I immediately loved it. It contained two individual records, so I received four sides worth of material from every era of theirs (sixteen songs!).
So, part one of my journey ended, and the second and most recent half began. Before I delve into that, I must inform you that I listened to more of Tears for Fears before I received my record. I was on the computer a lot for academic work and writing, so it was inevitable. My knowledge expanded to include a few more songs, music videos, and vague understandings of album covers. But after listening to Rule the World, I realized that I had more albums to explore. Although I had records from bands I casually listened to, I felt compelled to add TFF to the group that I know nearly one hundred percent; I honestly have no idea why. After listening to Rule the World on repeat for hours, I acted upon that random want. I searched the order of their albums, and then I went through each one. After listening to The Hurting, their first album, I forgot all about “Shout” and the music videos of them yelling and dancing on beaches. I immediately knew with “The Hurting” (the first song on their album The Hurting) that I had found a new favorite band.
(The album I have a physical copy of…so beautiful.)
Below is a link to a Tears For Fears documentary I found on YouTube, if you are curious. Keep in mind, however, that my next post will cover the same information and more (plus personal opinions and fun pictures/videos).
The last-minute decision to severe this blog in half pained me significantly, but it proved the sole logical scenario. Stay tuned for next Wednesday! On that day, I will have peaked in my blog-posting career of many, many days.
(:
Wednesday’s Fun Fact:
A daily intake of chips and salsa can save you 50% off your next purchase of happiness (in other words, consuming chips with salsa can make you a happier human being…or something).
I haven’t spent much time on this earth, but from my experience, the decade of the 2010s has impacted this society more than any other decade. There’s many reasons for this well-tested theory, but without further ado, I’m just going to list them.
Music:
The music has evolved from instrumental and typically consisting of the help of more than 2 people producing it, to where you alone could use an app to make something that sounds like the song playing on the radio. Actually, no one really listens to the radio anymore so we wouldn’t know. Don’t get me wrong, the local radio can be a great thing if you don’t have Bluetooth and don’t want to drive in silence, but the music apps are definitely taking over. And it’s a great thing, because who doesn’t want to pay $10 to listen to whatever you want whenever you want.
Social Media:
“You’re always looking at that phone.” Ok boomer. My dad tells this to me all the time and my reason to keep looking at my phone and ignore him is social media. I mean yeah, is it healthy? Nope. Does it cure my temporary boredom, help me become friends with random people I will probably never meet, cause most of my procrastination problems and is the result of the great lack of sleep I always have? Yes. It’s worth it though… or is it? Probably not, but I’m too prideful to delete it. (whoops)
Internet:
This goes along with social media, but also includes YouTube, and with that comes vines (rip). I’ve spent countless hours on YouTube watching all the iconic memes we know as vines. Unfortunately, vine is dead. but its legacy lives on. Through YouTube. Also, we can’t ignore the fact that the most marvelous things in the world were created during this decade which is also dead now: memes.
Memes:
If you’re like me, you’ve had to explain the definition of a meme and provide an example to your mother or grandparents. They may or may not have understood it, but hey. You tried to bless their lives. I think Memes are the main thing that made this discussed decade what it was. It was the first time people of all backgrounds really came together to enjoy a common interest. And with that being said, this was also probably the most peaceful decade of all time as well.
Here we are time for the second blog post for the year! For this blog post I have decided to answer ten questions about myself. So, you all can to get to know me better. Without further ado, let’s get started!
List 5 things that make you instantly happy. 1. My family. 2. My Friends. 3. When I accomplish my goals. 4. My dog Bella (even though she is so bad). 5. When I write about something that has been pressing me, and after I feel so relieved that’s it’s off my chest.
If you were going to write a book, what would it be about? If I were to write a book, one of my ideas would be to write about mass incarceration.
If you could be anywhere in the world right this very moment, where would you be? If I were to be anywhere in the world right in this very moment, I would definitely be in Paris.
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? When I was a kid I wanted to be multiple things. It changed constantly but one thing I stuck with for a while was becoming a neonatologist.
Have you ever danced in the rain? No ma’am, I have never danced in the rain. My immune system was never strong enough. I get sick so easily and my recovery time extends all the way to two months.
What’s your perfect pizza? My perfect pizza would be a large chicken, pepperoni, and bacon pizza from Domino’s. Don’t @ me but Domino’s is the best pizza parlor especially when it’s fresh and hot.
Ugly and live forever or attractive and die young? This is a hard question to answer because I’m stuck between if I want to live forever, or if I want to die young. Honestly, I could care less about being attractive or not because as long as love myself that’s all that matters.
You discover that your awesome one-year-old child is not yours because of a mix-up at the hospital. Would you want to exchange the child to correct the mistake? I would keep my awesome one-year-old child and I would also get my other baby. Why not? The more the merrier, that’s if the parents of the child can agree.
If you could only have one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be? If I could only have one meal for the rest of my life. I would have: seafood pasta, garlic bread, bake beans, ribs, and broccoli. The question never said they had to go together. lol
What’s the longest you’ve gone without sleep? I don’t know the exact answer to this question, but I would say no longer than 24 hrs. I love sleep and I’m not myself when I don’t have enough.
Celebrity crush? Now this is a hard question for me, because I have three celebrity crushes. I feel like it would be disrespectful for me to chose only one, so I will let you all decide: Steve LacyBrent FaiyazKeith Powers
Last semester, my U.S. History class was given the assignment to write a song. We had just finished learning about the emergence of counter culture in the 60s and about how music during this time period reflected the current issues (feminism, Black Power, environmentalism). The only direction that the class received was “Write a song about a current issue.” So I wrote a song about mass shootings.
(I tried to insert a video of me singing the song, but it didn’t work 🙁 )
It’s one o’clock on a Tuesday afternoon I feel I’m hardly living because I’m at school But when the teacher tells me to run and hide I know I might be dead by one o’ nine
This was the first verse of the song that I wrote. School shoots are something that strikes a powerful chord in me, being a student and all. I tried to be clever with the way I wrote this particular verse. I used an exact time because I wanted to show how quickly a child could go from being bored in a classroom, or “hardly living”, to actually being scared for their life.
And now I’m staring down the barrel of a gun When I asked him why, he told me “I’m not the only one” As he pulled the trigger, he looked at me and said “They’ll remember me even though you’re the one that’s dead”
Each chorus is written a little differently. For the first one, which was also written first, I wrote from the point of view someone being confronted by a shooter. The shooter tells the victim that the shooter is “not the only one”, as in not the only person to be driven to kill, and “they’ll remember me even though you’re the on that’s dead”. The last line was inspired by many cases of murder in which the killer’s name lives on in infamy while his victims are forgotten.
This music was the loudest I’d ever heard Until the shots rang out, could be heard across the world The screams didn’t drown out the terror inside It’s clear I will go deaf if I make it out alive
This verse is inspired by both the 2017 Las Vegas shooting and the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing.
And to be staring down the barrel of a gun When I asked him why, he told me “I’m not the last one” As he pulled the trigger, he looked at me and said “Say hello to God for me if you make it to heaven”
The second chorus has the shooter telling his victim that he will not be the last one to do what he is doing. He also tells the victim to say hello to God if they make it too heaven. I wrote this line thinking that whoever the victim is, they may not be the best person and the shooter doesn’t know if they’re going to heaven or not.
Columbine, Sandy Hook, The Pulse, and Las Vegas Couldn’t have waited even if they’d wanted to save us And if they had then where would we be? Would we be closer to a cure or further out to sea?
The bridge references Columbine (1999) and Sandy Hook (2012), both school shootings, The Pulse (2016), a shooting at an Orlando nightclub, and the Las Vegas shooting (2017). It says that these tragedies were inevitable and effected our society in unchangeable ways, though it’s unclear if the impact will be positive or negative in the long run.
And when you’re staring down the barrel of a gun When they ask them why, they’ll tell you that they’re already gone As they pull the trigger, you’ll look at them and say I know you’re gone, but please don’t take my life away
The last verse of the song serves as a warning from the victim. The victim is saying what will inevitably happen.
From what I could gather, my class enjoyed the song. I have no idea where else I could perform something like this, but for now, I’m happy just leaving it here for the enjoyment of whoever wants to read about it.
