For today’s blog I’ll be talking about books I’m currently reading this month. I thought this would be a good idea because I want to start keeping a written catalogue of what I read. I figured doing this as a blog series would be an interesting way to keep track of it. I’ll also be providing a little summary of the books as I explain what I like so far. Hopefully you like them enough to read them too.
The Sun is Also a Star (Nicola Yoon): Started reading: 3/24/25; Currently on page 30; Scale of 1-10: 8
– This book is about two main characters named Natasha and Daniel. Natasha is an 18-year-old immigrant from Jamaica who has lived most of her life in America, until her father accidently gets a DUI, alerting law officials of their presence. The outcome for her family is deportation. Daniel, an 18-year-old Korean American struggles to compete with his overachieving older brother and their mission to become successful doctors. These two meet and discover their love for one another before Natsha’s family gets deported.
I’ve wanted to get my hands on this book ever since it came out in 2015. I was ecstatic when I found it on the shelf in the library. The colorful cover caught my eye in October, but I was too busy to check it out. Now it’s march and I finally have it. I love that this book alternates 1st person POV of the two main characters. The author even includes POV’s from background characters that the main characters have small interactions with. It’s so interesting to see the narrator’s thoughts and then find out how wrong they were. The only thing I don’t like about this book is the pace. I know I’m only on page thirty, but I feel like the story should be moving faster. I know it’s important to include everyone’s POV, but there are parts I would rather skip.
Bones and All (Camille DeAngelis): Started reading: 2/2/25; Currently on page 60; Scale of 1-10: 7
-This book is about a girl who is abandoned by her mother and is left alone to navigate the world while being a cannibal. She meets this guy who is a hitchhiker (perfectly good dinner), but she notices that he’s different from others. In the sense that he hasn’t left her yet. They go on adventures while she figures out how to tell him that she is a cannibal.
My friend got this book for me at wild fox, and I like it. I heard about the movie before I knew about the book, so naturally I was really excited to read it. It has such interesting language and a lovable protagonist. The protagonist’s backstory really pulls at the reader’s heartstrings. The ONLY issue I have with this book is that I got SPOILED. Yes, I went on the internet because I was curious about characters in the book and got book flashed. Honestly, I wouldn’t be angry about this if the ending was happy, but the ending is very sad. I’m contemplating finishing the book now because I know what’s going to happen.
Fourth Wing (Rebecca Yaros): Started reading 12/27/24; Currently on page 25; Scale of 1-10: 8
-This book is about Voilet Sorrengail who is the daughter of a commanding general. She is forced to join the dragon riders at a war college (a college where trainers can bond with dragons). This novel is a high fantasy and involves a romance between violet and another trainer. From what I’ve heard, this novel is a fun, wild ride.
I like this book. I definitely need to start back reading it because I’m only on page 8. I was a little busy around the time that I got it, so I didn’t read as far as I wanted. I found out this book is a love triangle, which is a book trope that I cannot stand. It can be interesting to read, but as a reader it gives me mixed signals. Still, I don’t know enough about this book to judge it yet, but I’m a little worried. Aside from that, I like everything else about it. I’m a fantasy lover.
Okay, so recently, Marvel Rivals has been my new obsession. Like, I am playing it any chance I get. It kind of messed my grades up for a bit but I’m fixing that. But this game is so fun for me, like It’s one of my favorites now.
When it was first announced and we saw gameplay of it, I did not want to play. I never found overwatch fun to play in my opinion, so looking at a game that looked so much like it made me not want to play. I was very upset because I really wanted a good marvel game to come out, because they have been Kind of lacking other than the Spider-Man games.
It wasn’t until they released the beta of the game when I started to want to play it. I saw some streamers play it and it looked so fun. I couldn’t play it myself because the beta was only on PC, but I definitely watched. When they added Jeff the Land Shark, I needed it. I was so ready to main Spider-Man and play all day every day.
One day, the full release went out, and it was on all consoles. So of course, I downloaded it instantly and started playing. I quickly realized how hard it was, and I started to distance from it. I really wanted to main Spider-Man, but his play style just wasn’t for me.
Every now and then I would play the game but quickly get off because I would play a character and get mad that I didn’t know how to play. It wasn’t until I stumbled upon Iron Fist when I really started to get back into it. When I tell you that dude if fun, I mean it. His abilities consist of punching, kicking, and more punching. All he does is kick people’s butts. He has HANDS. It’s so fun to go around and beat the crap out of all the vanguards and the supports. He isn’t the easiest to play and it does take a little bit to get used to him, but after I did, he became my main because I can’t live without him. Occasionally when we need a support, I’ll be Jeff, but Iron Fist is my ride or die.
This game has put me in a chokehold, and I never want to be let free. Every single day I look forward to getting out of school and playing it. This is the most fun game I’ve ever played, and I pray that some of you will try it out. PLEASEEEE!!!
Hi guys! Do you remember that two part blog I did on Inside by Bo Burnham? Well, I said I’d talk about the outtakes and here I am! Inside Outtakes is one of my favorite things in the whole entire world. In this blog I’ll only be talking about songs he actually sang, and not just the instrumental, but you should give this a watch or listen! Free on YouTube! Also, some of these songs don’t have actually pictures so I just picked some I like for the most part. Bo Burnham is a very pretty man; I love these pictures.
Small Tw because there’s a picture of a spider down the line.
Bezos III- 1:25
“Jeffery Bezos”
This is the third Bezos song in the deluxe album. It’s just him saying Jeffery Bezos over and over again, but it’s used to transition into the next song.
The Future- 1:33
“I’ll bother getting ready when I bother getting dressed”
The Future is Bo singing about what the future will be like. He’ll wake up at a quarter to ten trying to decipher if it’s real, and his daughter will come wake him up. Well, he doesn’t have a daughter right now, but this is in the future! He doesn’t know if he’s depressed or stressed, or if this will end any time soon. He showers at a quarter to one with a 2-in-1 shampoo. He’s struggling to get up to get dressed and he doesn’t wanna deal with it, so he downloads an app to mediate. It’s the future.
WTFIGO- 0:54
“I don’t know what’s happening”
In this song, Bo talks about how he doesn’t know what’s going on, and he doesn’t know what’s happening. WTFIGO stands for “What the f–k is going on?”
1985- 2:26
“If I could be anybody, dead or alive. I would wanna be my dad in 1985”
Bo starts this song with describing a guy. He’s cool guy with a cool shirt, cool shoes (Did he mention the shirt?) But yeah. This man he’s speaking of gains respect by walking into a room. The news doesn’t affect him when he reads it. He’s happy to be alive, and he’s any white guy in 1985. He supports his family despite his wife’s underwhelming cooking. Bo wants to be who he is right now but 40 years ago. But wait! He doesn’t mean just any white guy. He means his dad, Scott Burnham, in 1985.
Feel Good- 0:43
“I’m not even close to kidding. Write it in an email”
Feel good is the ending song when you watch the video, but it’s here ion the album. In this song Bo talks about how all he wants is to feel good. He wonders if anyone actually knows how to and if they can inform him on how to do that exactly.
Five years- 3:48
“Everyone’s a feminist until there is a spider around”
In this song Bo is singing about how he and his partner have been together for five years. He starts off by saying she’s his best friend, and they can work any problem out! In this first example we have of this couple is Bo ordering food and her stealing food from him. He gets upset, and she calls him a psycho. He just says she owes him a dumpling. Our next situation is the couple seeing a spider and both of them jumping to high ground. Shew tells him to be a man and kill it, and Bo response is that her whole world view collapses the moment there’s a spider. The last verse is him pointing out how she needs to poo every time he uses the bathroom! But they have two bathrooms….
Biden- 0:51
“How is the best-case scenario, Joe?”
This song is short, and I usually skip it. The most I can do is agree with the fact that Joe was a best-case scenario, unfortunately.. Presidency is a long rant for another day. (maybe) But let’s not get too political.
Microwave Popcorn- 2:27
“There’s a button and the button says ‘popcorn’ ”
Bo is making microwaved popcorn! In a microwave because he’s on that wave. (I love this song) We get introduced into the steps on making popcorn. Taking it out the plastic, looking at the directions, putting the packet on the glass- The little glass dish in the microwave! He closes the door. Bo starts singing about how he’s a rule follower because he’s a studious guy. He starts the popcorn and burns it. So, he eats skinny pops instead, but when he looks at the microwave, he sees a button that says popcorn! How did he miss that button? The voices take over and the song ends.
Bezos IV- 0:38
“Jeffery Preston Bezos”
Our last Bezos song. Bo is sticking with Jeffery! He gets a feeling when he looks in his eye.. (I don’t know if his other eye even sees..) Do you need reasons why he’s sticking with Jeffery? Well, he doesn’t give any. That’s all!
Spider- 0:35
“I ain’t afraid of no spider”
There’s a spider hiding in the corner! Bo isn’t afraid of no spider, just until it starts moving, and he starts panicking. He loses the spider, and the song ends mid panic.
This Isn’t A Joke- 1:12
“I came out face first”
This isn’t a joke so don’t joke about it. Bo is taking it slow. I think he got a little sidetracked because he starts to talk about his pores, and how weird looking he is. He’s 29, and in his prime! But he doesn’t wanna talk about it. He begins talking about his birth scar, and how he got it because when he was born, he came out face first. Now look at him!
The Chicken- 4:09
“There’s just one thing: The chicken must first cross the road”
Last song, so let’s get emotional. This song always makes me cry, and I’m actually tearing up while typing this. This is a song about why the chicken crossed the road, and I encourage everyone to listen to this song if you don’t listen to any of the others. You may not be as emotional as I am, you might not even like the song, but I love it. Bo starts the story about a chicken who wakes up to the sounds of her husband’s screams. She is nursing eggs, and she is tired of her life. She’s in the dark, thinking about the life she can have. Walking to Memphis, becoming a dentist, anything other than this life. She loves being a mother and a wife, but it feels like that’s all she is. She looked out the window. The next day she wakes up and decides to escape. She wants freedom. She runs out of the coop and stares meadows full of other animals, but there’s just one thing. The road blocking her from this dream. So, she has to cross it to get there, the giant road when she’s so little. She moves one foot after the other but is frozen in the place of headlights. A car coming her way. No one knows what happens next, but Bo says we should think that she got what she wanted. She got to the other side.
As many of you are familiar with, “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” was a series of scary short stories written by Alvin Schwartz and released in various forms over the years. You’ve probably heard a story from these books, whether you know it or not. These were the type of scary stories that got passed around through elementary schools, all slightly different retellings and all under the pretense that the stories were true. These stories have always held a special place in my heart, so imagine my surprise when, in 2021, I discovered a movie adaptation of the books already existed.
In 2019, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark was released. André Øverdal, probably best known for his movie The Autopsy of Jane Doe, directed this film. Guillermo del Toro helped produce this movie, one of my personal favorite filmmakers of all time. His more popular works include Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth, The Shape of Water, as well as his work on The Hobbit films. Two extremely talented horror and sci-fi artists got together to produce an adaptation of the popular scary stories book trilogy and what they created was… definitely something.
I want to start off this movie review by saying that I absolutely love this movie, probably more than most people did. I’ve been obsessed with it for the past four years. I’ve been obsessed with the actors and their other works as well. I’ve put a lot of mental space into thinking about this film. That is why I feel entitled to criticize the plot holes, concerning age gap relationships, misused politicism, and missed opportunity for an amazing sequel. I have an entire script in mind for a second movie so if anyone knows how to get in touch with Andre Overdal, that would be much appreciated.
The movie starts out with a short introduction of sorts from our main character, Stella. She makes a point to mention the importance of stories and how they can change your life. In the grand scheme of things, this introduction isn’t needed. It feels really cliche and also makes it feel that you’re about to watch a kids version of a horror movie, despite the PG-13 rating. I personally think they should’ve committed to an R rated horror movie, because then they wouldn’t have felt the need to have moments like this that cater to a younger audience.
We are introduced to Stella as she bikes around her small town on a random day in the fall. The movie is set in the 1960s, and we are shown that through the characters’ wardrobe, appearance of cars and building, but most importantly, political propaganda. This leads to my second issue; politics are thrown around as a sort of C-plot in this movie and it comes off very weak. I would’ve loved if they dwelled more on the politics of the era at the time, but it almost feels like the political topics were included as an afterthought, and in a very lazy manner. For example, the next character we’re introduced to is Ramon. Ramon is a Mexican American who is fleeing the draft after his brother died in battle. This is a perfect opportunity to discuss the horrible reality that was the Vietnam war, and how many young people lost their lives during battle. However, this whole aspect of his character is pushed to the side as the supernatural aspects of the movie come into play.
Ramon’s character is extremely difficult for me to decide my feelings on. For one, he is obviously eighteen or older if he is being drafted by the military, yet he is supposed to be Stella’s love interest despite the fact that Stella is, at most, 16. I know that’s only a two year hypothetical age gap, but there’s a lot more about their relationship that bothers me. For one, he owns a car, is actively on the run and living on his own, and is extremely vague and secretive about his past. There’s a scene where Stella talks about how she dreams of leaving her small town and going to the big city to pursue writing. Ramon immediately shuts that down and says the city is bad. Later on in the movie he also snoops through her things and starts reading her journals?? On top of that, he is very controlling throughout the movie, despite having just met all of the characters. I want to root for Ramon, especially given that he’s the only person of color in this movie, but he is a weirdo the entire movie and it irks me to my core.
Back on the timeline, we get to meet Stella’s two closest friends, Chuck and Auggie. These two are the epitome of the black cat and golden retriever duo. Chuck is a prankster, a jokester, a class clown if you will. Auggie is extremely serious, stone-faced, and pessimistic. At this point in the movie, we also get to see into their homes and we are shown how different all of the characters’ lives are. Chuck lives in a cramped, messier home with his mom and older sister, Ruth. His palette throughout the movie includes a range of colors, patterns and textures; his house, on the other hand, is very darkly lit and decorated. Auggie’s home is large and spacious, with brighter colors and symmetrical decoration. He lives with his mother and step father, who he has a strained relationship with. Stella lives in a small and cramped home with her father, though her home seems much more comfortable than Chuck’s. The rooms are lit with warm lights and warm colors, a contrast to the dark lighting and muted colors of Chuck’s house. I could go on and on about the fantastic set design and wardrobe of this movie as well as the implications of those things, but that is for another time.
Stella, Auggie, and Chuck are all getting ready for Halloween, despite being highschoolers. It’s not clear how old they are exactly, but they’re not seniors. I know that because Ruth, Chuck’s older sister, is a senior and her football boyfriend, Tommy, is also a senior. Tommy is one of this movie’s non-monster antagonists. He’s super racist towards Ramon, abusive to his girlfriend, and just a cartoonishly evil high school bully to everyone else. On top of that, he’s played by Austin Abrams (one of my favorite actors of my generation), who does an amazing job with whatever role he’s given. The acting in this movie ranges from really amazing to mediocre at best. For example, the racist cop is a very one dimensional character and it’s clear that the actor did the best he could with what he had. There are also a lot of tense scenes throughout the movie that certain actors and actresses had a difficult time with. There are plenty of reasons that might explain why the acting wasn’t top tier, but at the end of the day, it’s still extremely confusing (and pretty hilarious) to see a character remain pretty stone faced after their best friends just died.
Anyways, back to the timeline, the three main characters get dressed up for halloween and go trick-or-treating. The whole reason they’re doing this is so they can prank the school bully, Tommy (Ruth’s boyfriend. Keep up, guys), by throwing a bag of flaming shit into his car. They end up getting chased by Tommy and his goons into a drive-in theater where they have to hide behind rows of cars. They end up seeing Ramon in his car and, for some reason, Stella open’s Ramon’s passenger side door and hops in. Does she know him? Nope. Do Chuck and Auggie follow right behind her? Yup. If I was Ramon, I would’ve lost my mind. To be fair, he is upset about Chuck and Auggie being there, but he was happy that Stella was there. He started blushing and got all nervous- like what?? I don’t care how hot someone is- if they break into my car, I’m losing my mind on them.
Anyways, Ramon doesn’t have any survival instincts and that becomes more and more clear throughout the film. He ends up defending the three from Tommy, and they all decide to leave the drive-in theater and drive to a spooky old house in the middle of nowhere. This is when we’re introduced to the main supernatural elements of this movie. This old house was owned by the Bellows family, a wealthy family who helped put their town on the map. However, legend says that the Bellows had a secret daughter, named Sarah, that they hid away because she was so… ugly? It’s not exactly clear what about her was so off putting- I believe she had albinism, but that is never directly said in the movie. It is how she is portrayed, though. Anyways, legend says that Sarah Bellows would write these stories that she would read the kids in the town through a pipe or hole in the wall that led out of the house. It’s also kinda unclear how she was able to read to these kids if she was locked away… but she’s magic so who cares. Anyways, the Bellows family found out she was reading to kids and they got super mad and tried to punish her, but legend says she ended up massacring her family. Good for her, they all sucked.
Like any teenagers in a horror movie, the main four decide to break into the old haunted house. Almost immediately, Chuck and Auggie run off together. Considering it was the sixties, they never made it canon that the two of them were in love, but they were. This is another detail of this movie I could go on and on about, but I’ll save that for another time. Anyways, Stella and Ramon explore the house together and end up finding the secret room where the Bellows family kept Sarah Bellows hostage. Auggie and Chuck are upstairs at this point, playing hide and seek. Chuck hides in a closet (like come on…) but he suddenly sees light coming from the other side. He opens in slowly and finds that the old room he once was in was now restored to its original form. There is a large bed in the middle of the room, and an old woman sits on it with her giant dog. They stare at him- he gets scared and slams the closet doors. Auggie eventually finds him and teases him about freaking out, but Chuck is ready to get the hell out of there- and I don’t blame him. However, he and Auggie end up joining Stella and Ramon in the secret basement room.
Okay, considering I’m barely a fourth into the movie recap and I’m already nearing 2000 words, I’m gonna call it here. Next week will be part two- Hopefully I can be more productive in that part and less ramble-y. Anyways, thank you for joining me on this ride. If you are at all interested in this movie and have never seen it, PLEASE watch it. The only reason I like picking this movie apart so much is because of how much I love it. Also, if you’re interested in any of the mini tangents I went on in here and want me to expand on them, feel free to let me know! I could talk about this movie for literal years.
So, I have ADHD. My parents have known for a while, or at least entertained the possibility of me having it. My third grade teacher was the first one to mention it to my parents, but I think it kind of went to the back of their minds, as that teacher and I never got along. But, about a year ago, I got professionally diagnosed with ADHD. ADHD and ADD used to be thought of as different, but now they’re both under the same terms, differentiated as ADHD Hyperactive and ADHD Inattentive. I am the latter, and my parents knew something was off when my grades dropped drastically in about ninth grade and onwards. Now, I am intelligent (not to toot my own horn) but I barely got by with Cs and Ds, while also having high standardized test scores. My GPA was around a 2.5 something, and that was a problem. I got put on medication soon after, but during that small interim period of diagnosed and unmedicated, I picked up crochet! My aunt Peggy had crocheted for years, and those would always be her Christmas or birthday gifts, but she got tired of it and moved on to beading, and she makes some pretty insane stuff with it. She wanted to get rid of all of her yarn and called me and my mom over to take some of it. She had about 4 full trash bags of yarn, and I picked over it all happily. She gave me some crochet hooks and I got to work, teaching myself how to crochet using internet tutorials and patterns. Now, after almost a year of crocheting, I’ve gotten to be incredibly talented at it. I’ve done so many projects and it has helped me overcome my inattentive struggles by giving me something to do with my hands in class while I listened to my teachers. It keeps me from zoning out in a way that medication hasn’t been able to, to my knowledge. In my almost year long stint of crocheting, I’ve done lots of projects. My first one was a bag made out of granny squares, which I never really finished. It still works as a bag, but there’s no lining in it so I can’t really put anything small in it. My second project was a scarf-like wrap made out of a simple black yarn. I really liked it and I enjoyed making it, but I never really wear it because it’s always either too hot or too cold. My third finished project was a star-shaped swaddle I made for my cousin’s newborn, though I never sent it and now I’m sure he’s grown too big for it (sorry, Hannah!). My fourth and most recent project was a large triangle shawl, made with an ombre grey and stony blue yarn. This one, I try to wear often, though it’s not cold enough for it anymore. Right now, I’m working on a project with MSA’s Crochet Club as a whole which I’m incredibly excited for. My next article in the last edition of RISE will be about this.
Ok so this will be a bit of information, so I hope your prepared. I’ll be going in order my categories so stay with me and enjoy.
Powers
Billy or Wiccan powers are primarily magic with a bonus of electrokineses from his hands that he can use to either attack or defended he has access to healing, teleportation magic, the ability to control the elements and force fields also the ability to make anything he can imagine (he’s kind of op)
Enemies
His rival and who some would call nemesis is none other than the handsome devil Loki laufeyson. Well, the reincarnated/ teenage version of him anyway. The pair represents the other sides of themselves for Loki, Billy represents himself if he tried to be good and for Billy, Loki represents himself if he decided to give in to evil urges.
His other enemy isn’t as widely known but their name is Evil Mother, and their main goal is to take Billy’s power for themselves, and they also Manipulated his boyfriend’s parents in order to trick Wiccan
Family
Billy is the son of Wanda and Vision and brother of tommy. He was created in the hex and his soul went to hell where Mephestio took their souls and implanted them in new bodies.
Wanda spent years searching for Billy but since she couldn’t find them, she went to doctor Doom in hopes of answers, but she was met with no answer.
during a mission to find information about skull they ran into someone that looked suspiciously like Billy. this is where we get introduced to Billy’s brother Speed who is Billy’s twin
Team
Billy is apart of the Young Avengers when the younger version of Kang the conqueror found a contingency play made by the avenger in case something happened to them. Iron lad (kang) sought the young avengers out to stop his future self from returning to the future.
the young avengers disband and reunite almost every year. it’s like a toxic relationship that you keep being surprised that they’re back together now.
Relationship (Wickling)
Both Billy and Teddy both met when Iron lad brought them to the Young Avengers where they got close in a short amount of time because Billy learned how to use his magic from teddy’s mom self help book. while we the readers don’t see much of their relationship we can infer they spent a lot of time together and after Iron lad gets lost into the time stream Billy falls into a depression where Teddy proposes to him and they get married and going across the universe together
It’s about time I get this blog out. I’ve been planning a Red Hot Chili Peppers blog since New Years. My original plan was to make a huge blog post (like, over 2,000 words) reviewing every single album they’ve ever made. That’s 13 albums! So (after a while of fighting myself) I scrapped that idea, knowing it was 100 times easier to break down one album at a time (or in this case, half an album at a time).
This blog’s focus will be Stadium Arcadium! I’ve been listening to this album for a few weeks now, and I’ve definitely grown an unhealthy attachment to it.
Stadium Arcadium is an entire 2 hours long with a 30 minute commentary at the end, and it was released in 2006. In this blog, I’ll be going over disc 1, which contains 14 songs.
definitely one of my favorite album covers by RHCP!
1. Dani California
“California, show your teeth”
This is such a good song to start this album. It’s definitely a classic, and I think it’s one of the best RHCP songs ever. I have so many memories tied to this song, good and bad, and that makes it really special to me. I think the beat is so catchy and the instrumentals go so well with the vocals. I’m embarrassed to say I don’t know much about the actual production of music, all I know is that it sounds good and I like it! The chorus is also really good and the background vocals support it so well. 10/10
2. Snow (Hey Oh)
“The more I see, the less I know / The more I’d like to let it go”
Another amazing classic. This is one of the most popularly covered RHCP songs that I’ve seen purely because of the guitar part. I think it’s amazing and it’s really unique. When I first got into RHCP a few years ago, I remember not really liking this song. Unfortunately, my opinion hasn’t changed that much… To me, it’s really repetitive to the point where I get bored. I still absolutely love this song, just not as much as others. I will admit, the lyrics are heartbreaking in a way that hits me right in the soul. 7/10
3. Charlie
“My heart, your skin, this love I’m in”
This is one of my favorite songs on the entire album! I’ll admit, I have no clue what he’s talking about in the lyrics, but it sounds really good. My favorite part about this entire song is the background vocals. I think they add a lot of support and fun to the song! And the chorus bridge is so amazing. I feel that part through my whole body and the lyrics in that part are so good! 11/10
4. Stadium Arcadium
“The stadium arcadium / A mirror to the moon”
This is the perfect title track for this album. I think it represents the album in such a beautiful and meaningful way. It completely clears my mind in the way a song never has before. I just completely zone out when I listen to this song, I just think it’s so beautiful. I don’t even know how to describe the instrumentals, everything is just so well done. It feels so universal, like I imagine space when I listen to it (maybe because of the album cover). 9/10
5. Hump de Bump
“It’s not about the smile you wear, but the way we make out”
If “Stadium Arcadium” made you sleepy, this is the perfect song to wake you up. I don’t even know what it’s about, and honestly, I don’t think I want to… I’d rather stay oblivious. It’s so fun, it’s so funky, and it gets stuck in my head all the time. My friends hate to hear me sing this. I love the trumpet and the “oh no!” part. 8/10
6. She’s Only 18
“(Knock the world) / Right off its feet and straight onto its head”
Walk with me here. This song is so good. I was going to talk about how I don’t pay attention to the lyrics and only listen to the sound but curiosity got me and I deeply regret researching the meaning behind this song… Anyway, I love the background vocals. 6/10
7. Slow Cheetah
“It’s so bad it’s got to be good / Mysterious girl misunderstood”
What a song to unwind to after “Hump de Bump” and “She’s Only 18.” This song makes me grab onto my t-shirt like my life depends on it. I think this is one of the only songs on the album that uses an acoustic guitar and I think it’s so beautiful. I really love this song and it reminds me of the By The Way album. 7.5/10
8. Torture Me
“I want it all, I want it bad / Oh, it’s what I know”
What a heartbreaking song. It’s still really fast paced, but rather than catchy (like most of this album’s fast paced songs), it comes off as quick and desperate and that perfectly captures the lyrics and overall meaning of the song. I love the breakdown in the chorus, it adds some clarity to balance through the noise. 7/10
9. Strip My Mind
“Please don’t strip my mind / Leave something behind”
I mentioned “Torture Me” to be a heartbreaking song, but this is the most heartbreaking song on the album (to me). I absolutely love the background vocals and I think they add a lot of grit and personality to this song. I just take a deep sigh every time I hear this song, I love it. 8/10
10. Especially in Michigan
“Cry me a future / Where the revelations run amok”
I really enjoy listening to this song. I’m not sure what this song could possibly be about, but I really enjoy seeing the metaphors that are pieced together from anywhere and everywhere. The background vocals (once again) bring in so much element and the effect over them also fits so well into this song. I also love how the electric guitar (?) at the beginning matches the background vocals that you can hear later in the song. 8/10
11. Warlocks
“Every night I go looking for you / Everyone in the world adores you”
This song is a lot catchier than I thought it would’ve been. It took a lot of warming up to for me to actually like it, but after that, it’s one of my favorites on the album. I think it’s really unique and the flow of the vocals is so strange, I really like it. I’m a huge fan of the bass in this song. 7.5/10
12. C’mon Girl
“And if you let it germinate / I know it will be worth the wait”
This was my favorite song when I first listened to this album. I thought it was really enjoyable and stimulating. The background vocals extend the sound and they really open it up to add so much more depth. It’s moved its way down my list of favorites as I listen to it more, I think I was just so enamored with the chorus that I could only see it as my favorite for a few weeks. 7/10
13. Wet Sand ★
“Oh, you don’t form in the wet sand / You don’t form at all / Oh, you don’t form in the wet sand / I do”
This is my favorite song of all time. This song has such a special place at the bottom of my heart where it is playing on repeat all day, all night. This is actually one of the only songs that I’ve been extremely interested in learning the meaning of. Flea, RHCP’s bassist, says the song is about loving the dark parts of a person along with their good parts. I’m all about loving the human experience and the flesh and blood that creates it with the mind, so that hits me in a place that’s really special. Everything about this song just means so much to me, from the meaning, to the instrumentals, to the vocals. I especially love the whistling and, of course, the chorus. All of it is so beautifully crafted. I think I could scream these lyrics until I die. 100/10
14. Hey
“Hey, what would you say if I change / I’ll change everything but my name”
The lyrics to this song are so gut-wrenching it’s actually insane. But. I do not care for the sound as much as I wished I did. It’s just really plain to me, but I really enjoy the lyrics. I will admit, it’s really catchy. And I love the little triangle part. Not my favorite song to end on, but I still love it. 6/10
And that’s disc 1! I absolutely love this album and I’m really happy that I get to share it now. I used to think that disc 1 was the better half of Stadium Arcadium but I honestly think both halves are amazing. I know my ratings averaged around 7/10 because I love all of these songs equally (for the most part), so it’s really hard to rate them. But when you see a low rating, keep in mind that this is my favorite album right now. So those 6/10’s and 7/10’s that you see are still some of my favorite songs ever. The rating used to compare the songs to each other.
I loved breaking down these songs and talking about them, I can’t wait to do disc 2 because it has a lot more diversity in the tracks.
It’s been forever since I’ve written a blog. The last time I wrote one of these had to be three long weeks ago. I don’t remember what obsession I wrote about last time but I’m happy to start racking my brain every Wednesday again and reading y’all’s amazing blogs. Today, I’m going to be talking about some of my favorite short stories/flash fictions. These are stories I read to find inspiration, to study different elements of writing, or just for entertainment. Their genres include mystery, dystopian, and memoir/childhood. (My favorites). They are all really good, and I personally can’t get enough of them. Let me know if you guys have read them or would like to read them.
Orange World (Short story):
This short story is written by Karen Russell. It belongs to her short story collection book, “Orange World and Other Stories.” In this short story a woman who has suffered from miscarriages in the past makes a deal with the devil to protect her unborn child. In return for making sure her baby is delivered safely, the devil asks the woman to breastfeed it. I love this story so much. Not just because the plot is super bizarre and unique, but also the construction of this world is so interesting to learn about as you read. The setting greatly resembles our natural world; however, demons can interact and communicate with humans. The setting is super mysterious but in an evoking way that makes you want to know more, like does this story really occur on earth or could the woman be hallucinating the little demon? At the same time, the demon represents the draining reality of motherhood, and the woman’s guilty consciousness. This is an interesting read, and it’s packed with unique moments. Karen Russell is an amazing dystopian/ magical realist writer.
Guilia (Flash Fiction):
This flash fiction is written by Keri Miller. This story follows the narrator, a mischievous, adventurous young girl and her close friend Guilia. The two girls have an inseparable bond, but it’s clear that the narrator has a childlike envy towards Guilia because of her wealthy lifestyle. Though, the narrator recognizes that Guilia isn’t perfect (her father is romantically unstable, and her mother is an alcoholic.) When they become adults and have children, the narrator develops a sense of empathy for Giulia’s life, but it’s clear that she can’t fully relate to her family struggles. The most devastating part of this story is that Guilia was never understood by the closest person in her life. It adds to the bittersweet end. This story is vivid, detailed, fun, sadly sweet, and absolutely amazing. I am in love with the narrator, the language, the setting, the small details, and the theme of childhood in this flash fiction. The author is amazing at crafting such a vivid world, its crazy.
Lamb to the slaughter (Short story):
Lamb to the slaughter is a short story written by Roald dahl in 1953. Most people have read this in their English Comp class, which is no surprise because it’s a classic. I can’t even communicate how much I love this story. It is so simple but also intricate for its time. It establishes urgency, mystery, and anticipation. I’m on the edge of my seat every time I read it. Mary Maloney is crazy, but she’s the most surprising character you’ll ever meet. When I want to create a character that has lost their self-control, I think of Mary Maloney. I read this story every month or so, and it’s still the goat, I love it.
So, this weekend was one of the rare go-home weekends that I actually brought home my PS5, so I wasn’t dying of boredom. I just bed rotted a little better. But I began to replay Spider-Man 2 to finish the new game+ thing on there because I want to 100% the game (I’m still mad there’s not going to be a dlc).
Essentially, new game+ is the normal game, but you have all the things you unlocked in your first playthrough, or whatever saved playthrough it is attached to. I hope that makes sense. There are also exclusive skins and abilities to new game+. If you finish the story, you get a trophy and if you completely 100% the playthrough, it’s another trophy. Trophies are the missions/challenges you have to complete to 100% a game. The platinum trophy is what you get when you finish all the trophies. I have platinum on Spider-Man 1 and Spider-Man: Miles Morales.
I started new game+ a few months ago when it finally came out, but I kind of stopped for a while because I had severe stick drift on my controller. Now that I have a new controller, I finally picked it back up. And I quickly remember why I sat down and finish the game in one night for the first time when I got it. I really enjoy the story, because it’s one of the few things that really portrays the addiction Peter has to the symbiote suit. Not every Spider-Man media portrays it as that, so I’m happy to see it in this form. It makes it very realistic (aside from the crime fighting and superpowers.)
The gameplay for it is also different from the gameplay in the first two games. Yeah, it has pretty similar fighting styles, but now there are extra abilites and power moves that both Spider-Men can do. Oh yeah, you can play as both Peter and Miles. There are also new moves like parrying and traversal stuff like loop-de-loops. Did I mention they can fly now.
Playing that game makes you feel so strong and heroic. It really pulls you into the Spider-Man experience, and the games have never disappointed with that. If you guys didn’t know, I really like Spider-Man and I really like how the games capture him. They are my favorite games in the entire world, and I can’t wait for the wolverine game to come out because it was made by Insomniac (the people who made the Spider-Man games). They never disappoint with their stories, and it really shows that they actually care about these characters and want to give them a good representation.
PLEASE INSOMNIAC, CHANGE YOUR MIND ABOUT NOT ADDING THE DLC’S.
Hamilton will always be top 5 musicals for me (I’ve only seen about five.) But that’s not the point. It was written by the musical genius Lin-Manuel Miranda. The songs are amazing, but of course I have favorites. SO, THIS WILL BE MY TOP 10!!
10. You’ll be back
You’ll be back will always be a classic favorite. It has to be one of the most popular Hamilton songs and I think it’s the first one I ever heard. It is sung by Jonathan Groff, and he does an amazing job as his role of King George. The song is one that never fails to make me wanna sing and I think it kinda gives toxic ex, which I guess matches him having control over the colonies..
9. Guns and Ships
Guns and Ships, my love.. This song was sung by Daveed Digs, and he is one of my favorite actors ever. He does a great Lafeyette and Jefferson, and this song always makes me so happy. It’s so chaotic and everyone just does their own little thing as he’s rapping. The song ends with George Washington who is played by Christopher Jackson, and he says Alexander’s name at the end, and it will always give me chills. That man was singing his heart out.
8. The Room Where It Happens
The room where it happens.. One of the first Hamilton songs I had ever heard. Admittedly, I used to skip this song every time I watched it because I hated Aaron Burr so much that I skipped all of his songs, but one day I gave them a listen and my Hamilton life was changed. The room where it happens has amazing vocals and choreography. Everything about it gave me chills. I kinda mess with Aaron Burr now.
7. Say No to This
I used to be so ashamed for liking this song because I watched Hamilton back in like 2020 or 2021 when people used to hate this song because Alexander was cheating on Eliza.. But of course, I wouldn’t like it for that reason!! As I said in this song Alexander cheats on Eliza with a woman named Mariah Reynolds, who tells Hamilton that her husband is treating her terribly. Eliza is out of town with her sister and her children to visit their parents. They begged Alexander to come, but he didn’t go. He has this affair, but Mariah is also married. A man named James Reynolds tell Hamilton to send him money and he won’t say a word, but if he doesn’t then he’ll tell Eliza. He agrees to send the money and stop the whole situation. The vocals are beautiful, and I love the story behind it. This song is full of suspense, and it would be higher on my list if I was able to enjoy this song when I first heard it.
6. Farmer Refuted
This song is my favorite ever omgee. It’s not higher because the song is kinda stupid.. It’s just an introduction to you’ll be back. This song always makes me wanna sing because Samuel Seabury is my GOAT. The song is just really catchy and really funny to me. Samuel is singing about the revolution, and Hamilton is disagreeing with everything this man is saying. Samuel is just trying to read off his little scroll, and Hamilton is literally hoping up on the box with him. I would’ve crashed out.
5. Satisfied
This song never fails to give me chills. The first time I listened to it I fell in love with it. The second time I learned all of the lyrics, and ever since then I have never stopped singing this song every time I hear it. The way she talks about the situation makes me foam at the mouth. She recounts the details of the night they met, then she names out all of the reasons she knew they couldn’t be together. She says she knew she could’ve had him, but she introduced him to her helpless sister, Eliza. She was thankful that Alexander was in her life, but she knew she would just never be satisfied.
4. The Reynolds Pamphlet
This is like the funniest song in the musical. They expose him so crazy for cheating on Eliza. Well, Alexaner exposes himself, and Jefferson makes sure that EVERYBODY hears about it. They sing about how he’ll never be president now, so he’s no longer real competition. Angela comes to support Eliza, and Alexander thinks she’s there for him! Anyways, the choreography is my favorite. Everyone is just running around and throwing letters around. It always makes me laugh. They even end the song saying, “His poor wife”.
3. Non-Stop (This is a long one)
Non-Stop begins after John Laurens dies, and he was one of Hamilton’s best friends. He says, “I have so much work to do” after finding out. Burr and Hamilton are both lawyers, and Burr talks about how Hamilton just never stops talking; he never stops writing. He’s just non-stop! (haha get it?) Anyways, Hamilton was chosen for the constitutional convention. He proposed a new government, and that night he shows up at Burr’s door to defend the constitution for him. Burr disagrees because he stands for keeping his plans private. No one really knows what Burr stands for, and he plans to keep it that way. We hear from Angelica that she is now married and lives in Londen with him. Her and Hamilton send each other letters. Eliza tells Hamilton that all she wants him to do is stay alive. Burr tells us about the Federalist papers that Hamilton, John Jay, and James Maddison all wrote. They planned to write 25. Hamiton wrote 51 pages all by himself! There was a total of 85 essays. They talk about how he writes like he’s running out of time, and Hamilton does this because writing saved his life. George Washington comes in and promotes Hamilton over the state department. Now! Introducing my favorite part of the song. It starts with Eliza calling Alexander’s name, and he tells her she has to go. Angelica joins in and says he will never be satisfied, then George Washington Joins in! I will always be in love with overlapping vocals oh my goodness..
2. It’s Quiet Uptown
This song takes place after their son, Philip, dies in a duel due to Hamilton. Angelica starts the song talking about terrible unimaginable suffering. The Hamiltons moved uptown and learn to live with it. Hamilton is alone, and he is quiet. He’s never liked the quiet. He takes his children to church, and he prays. He never prayed before. The company comes in and says if you see him walking in the street to have pity. He walks by himself and talks to himself, and he just walks. Hamilton sings about his son, and it makes me wanna cry!! He tries to talk to Eliza. He knows he doesn’t deserve her, and he wishes to sacrifice himself if he could. They say have pity if you see you walking and talking to her. He tries his best to speak to her, but Eliza stands there, unresponsive, until she grabs his hand and forgives him. I didn’t realize how much I loved this song until I made this list. It’s truly one of my favorites, and it makes my heart ache.
Your obedient servant
Your Obedient Servant is a summarization of Hamilton and Burr’s feud. Burr is upset because Hamilton endorsed Thomas Jefferson. He believes Hamilton did it to keep him from winning. So, he sends him a letter saying that he doesn’t get angry often, but Alexander made that happen. He looks back on all of his failures and Hamilton’s disrespect is always there. Hamilton called him immoral and a disgrace, so Burr told him to name a time and a place. He signs the letter saying, “I have the honor to be your obedient servant. A. Burr”. So, guess what Hamilton does. He sends an ITEMIZED list of THIRTY years of disagreements. He says he didn’t mean to offend him, but he won’t be apologizing either. He signs the letter saying, “I have the honor to be your obedient servant. A. Ham”. They send letter back in forth before agreeing to have a duel with each other to solve the argument.
