Hello folks,
Here's the thing. I like this blog. It's a great outlet for my randomness. However, I don't want to just write about whatever comes into my head, because I feel like it doesn't always make sense/appeal to you guys. So I'm here to ask for a favor. In the comments (of this blog or whatever form of social media you find the link on) let me know what you want me to write about.
Note: Just because you comment a topic doesn't guarantee that I will write about it. You could ask me to write about your great-aunt Bertha's possum pastries. I can't write about that because A.) I don't know your great-aunt Bertha and B.) Who the crap would make possum pastries in the first place?? So comment wisely. It can be goofy subjects, serious subjects, whatever. Just please comment.
I guess that's all I really have. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and survived Black Friday. Remember to comment. Thanks guys!
Sunday, November 27, 2016
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
Thoughts on Theatre...
Theatre. I love it. It's one of mankind's greatest ideas. And right now it is under attack from certain parties because it's hard for some people to understand that theatre isn't just for entertainment.
Does theatre entertain? Yes. Broadway shows wouldn't run as long if they weren't entertaining. However, they offer up social commentary. Whether you actually notice it or not, the commentary is there. It's always been there. This isn't some new concept that we "cry baby, hippie, liberals" came up with in the last week. [Side rant: If being concerned about the environment makes me a hippie, I'm good with that. If being concerned about the future of our country makes me a cry baby, we need to have words.]
I hope you're all familiar with Hamlet. If you ever took an English class, you should be. If not, Google it. Remember Hamlet's "to be or not to be" soliloquy? Guys, that's basically several minutes of Hamlet thinking suicide is a great idea and that maybe our existence means nothing. If that thought makes you uneasy in the year 2016, think of how the Church in Shakespeare's time felt. Theatre challenges the system.
Theatre today does the same thing. A theme in 'Wicked' is fighting against discrimination. That's actually a theme in a lot of shows, including 'Hamilton'. If theatre makes you uncomfortable or if you leave a show thinking about your world in a new way, good. Theatre is doing it's job.
If you feel that theatre is just for entertainment, you're entitled to that opinion. And I'm entitled to think that you don't know how to open your mind to new concepts. We can agree to disagree on that. But don't sit there and give me this crap about how performers should "just entertain" and that "outside opinions shouldn't be brought to the stage." And don't you dare demand that the cast of Hamilton apologize. Theatre is challenging the system.
Also, historically, when a new regime comes in, one of the first things its leaders try to get rid of is art. Because it challenges the system. Art always comes back. Judging by our president-elect's reaction to Hamilton, I get the feeling that he might not be a friend of the arts. But I also get the feeling that theatre and all other forms of art won't be backing down anytime soon. This is your final reminder: theatre (and art in general) challenges the system.
End of thought.
Photo courtesy of: theroosevelthotel.com
Does theatre entertain? Yes. Broadway shows wouldn't run as long if they weren't entertaining. However, they offer up social commentary. Whether you actually notice it or not, the commentary is there. It's always been there. This isn't some new concept that we "cry baby, hippie, liberals" came up with in the last week. [Side rant: If being concerned about the environment makes me a hippie, I'm good with that. If being concerned about the future of our country makes me a cry baby, we need to have words.]
I hope you're all familiar with Hamlet. If you ever took an English class, you should be. If not, Google it. Remember Hamlet's "to be or not to be" soliloquy? Guys, that's basically several minutes of Hamlet thinking suicide is a great idea and that maybe our existence means nothing. If that thought makes you uneasy in the year 2016, think of how the Church in Shakespeare's time felt. Theatre challenges the system.
Theatre today does the same thing. A theme in 'Wicked' is fighting against discrimination. That's actually a theme in a lot of shows, including 'Hamilton'. If theatre makes you uncomfortable or if you leave a show thinking about your world in a new way, good. Theatre is doing it's job.
If you feel that theatre is just for entertainment, you're entitled to that opinion. And I'm entitled to think that you don't know how to open your mind to new concepts. We can agree to disagree on that. But don't sit there and give me this crap about how performers should "just entertain" and that "outside opinions shouldn't be brought to the stage." And don't you dare demand that the cast of Hamilton apologize. Theatre is challenging the system.
Also, historically, when a new regime comes in, one of the first things its leaders try to get rid of is art. Because it challenges the system. Art always comes back. Judging by our president-elect's reaction to Hamilton, I get the feeling that he might not be a friend of the arts. But I also get the feeling that theatre and all other forms of art won't be backing down anytime soon. This is your final reminder: theatre (and art in general) challenges the system.
End of thought.
Photo courtesy of: theroosevelthotel.com
Monday, November 14, 2016
Thoughts on Why I Should've Moved Out...
I go to community college. I commute five days a week from my parents' house to school. It's exhausting - physically, mentally, and wallet-ly. But it makes sense. Better to pay $27 for a full tank of gas every so often than $400+ in rent every month. That makes sense, right? Please tell me that makes sense.
Don't get me wrong, I still think that it makes sense. But I'm starting think that maybe my sanity wouldn't be in jeopardy if I had moved out...
Here's the thing. I love my parents. My mom is the best. But...this house that I live in? It's about as right-wing as you can get. I, on the other hand, lean a bit more left than my family would prefer. I also don't identify with a specific political party. I vote for whoever I feel will do a good job. And knowing that, I've come realize some things over the last few months.
1. People like to be inclusive...in a bad way. They hear about some millennials discussing "entitlement" and immediately like to say things along the lines of "Millennials are a bunch of whiny babies that think they're entitled to everything." To me, that implies my entire generation. That's a crap ton of people. And I have yet to meet a millennial that thinks they're entitled to anything. And I really don't think it has anything to do with me being from a small town. Stop lumping us together.
2. People like to complain about Chicago. Even people who have never been to Chicago like to complain about it. I LOVE CHICAGO! I almost went to college there! Every time I'm there, I fall in love with the city in a new way. I was not born to live among cornfields and cattle. Give me city lights and the diversity of the streets. It is there I find peace. But for those who complain about Chicago...either it's election season, you've never been there, or you don't know how to experience the city. At least that's what I've seen.
3. A lot of people (more than I ever thought) care more about the Second Amendment than the First Amendment. There's a reason the Second Amendment comes second. Just sayin'. It breaks my heart to hear people threaten those who exercise their First Amendment rights. Flag burning and kneeling during the national anthem are peaceful forms of protest. Does it make people uncomfortable? Yes. Do you have to agree with it? No. Should those who kneeled/burned a flag be imprisoned or worse? Absolutely not. If you want your precious Second Amendment protected, you have to protect the one that comes before it. If guns mean so dang much to you and free speech doesn't, write your congressman and tell them that you want the First Amendment repealed. You can do that, because it's freedom of speech. Might want to think about that before you compose that email.
4. Being the only liberal in a conservative family is so stinking hard. You hear things. You hear horrible, gut-wrenching statements directed at the people/ideas that you believe in. You cry a lot and almost throw up every time someone directly quotes Fox News, because they're totally not biased (that's sarcasm, if you can't tell). And you can't say a word in your defense, because you'll be cut off mid-sentence and called a communist.
Long story short, I really think I should've moved out. I'd be broke, but I'd be happy. I guess that's about it. Take care of yourselves. Take care of each other. End of thought.
Don't get me wrong, I still think that it makes sense. But I'm starting think that maybe my sanity wouldn't be in jeopardy if I had moved out...
Here's the thing. I love my parents. My mom is the best. But...this house that I live in? It's about as right-wing as you can get. I, on the other hand, lean a bit more left than my family would prefer. I also don't identify with a specific political party. I vote for whoever I feel will do a good job. And knowing that, I've come realize some things over the last few months.
1. People like to be inclusive...in a bad way. They hear about some millennials discussing "entitlement" and immediately like to say things along the lines of "Millennials are a bunch of whiny babies that think they're entitled to everything." To me, that implies my entire generation. That's a crap ton of people. And I have yet to meet a millennial that thinks they're entitled to anything. And I really don't think it has anything to do with me being from a small town. Stop lumping us together.
2. People like to complain about Chicago. Even people who have never been to Chicago like to complain about it. I LOVE CHICAGO! I almost went to college there! Every time I'm there, I fall in love with the city in a new way. I was not born to live among cornfields and cattle. Give me city lights and the diversity of the streets. It is there I find peace. But for those who complain about Chicago...either it's election season, you've never been there, or you don't know how to experience the city. At least that's what I've seen.
3. A lot of people (more than I ever thought) care more about the Second Amendment than the First Amendment. There's a reason the Second Amendment comes second. Just sayin'. It breaks my heart to hear people threaten those who exercise their First Amendment rights. Flag burning and kneeling during the national anthem are peaceful forms of protest. Does it make people uncomfortable? Yes. Do you have to agree with it? No. Should those who kneeled/burned a flag be imprisoned or worse? Absolutely not. If you want your precious Second Amendment protected, you have to protect the one that comes before it. If guns mean so dang much to you and free speech doesn't, write your congressman and tell them that you want the First Amendment repealed. You can do that, because it's freedom of speech. Might want to think about that before you compose that email.
4. Being the only liberal in a conservative family is so stinking hard. You hear things. You hear horrible, gut-wrenching statements directed at the people/ideas that you believe in. You cry a lot and almost throw up every time someone directly quotes Fox News, because they're totally not biased (that's sarcasm, if you can't tell). And you can't say a word in your defense, because you'll be cut off mid-sentence and called a communist.
Long story short, I really think I should've moved out. I'd be broke, but I'd be happy. I guess that's about it. Take care of yourselves. Take care of each other. End of thought.
Wednesday, November 9, 2016
Distractions
The internet. Television. A text message. Walls (I spend a lot of time starring aimlessly at these). The unicorn that just ran past your face because it's 3 A.M. and you're still studying for [insert class here] and you're exhausted.
There are so many distractions that we deal with on a daily basis. Even writing this post is a distraction from my composition paper. So's the new tab I just opened on my web browser so I can look for new boots.
Funny thing about distractions. Some of them are actually good. Sometimes it's good to step away from whatever you're doing and just do whatever. I'll take breaks from homework to text my friends. Otherwise I'd probably have a nervous breakdown. Distractions keep you loose (mentally) and can be relaxing.
And then sometimes you seriously have to get something done and by being distracted you just draw out your impending doom (in my case, failing whatever assignment that I really need to finish). We try to fight those bad distractions. Sometimes we succeed. We slay the metaphorical dragon. And sometimes that dragon eats us alive. Frankly, it's a vicious cycle.
But we keep going. We keep doing the things. We keep getting distracted. We bear hug the good ones and get into fist fights with the bad ones. Repeat. And that's life.
End of thought. Now here's a unicorn to distract you. Have fun.
Photo courtesy of http://theunicornhunt.tumblr.com/
There are so many distractions that we deal with on a daily basis. Even writing this post is a distraction from my composition paper. So's the new tab I just opened on my web browser so I can look for new boots.
Funny thing about distractions. Some of them are actually good. Sometimes it's good to step away from whatever you're doing and just do whatever. I'll take breaks from homework to text my friends. Otherwise I'd probably have a nervous breakdown. Distractions keep you loose (mentally) and can be relaxing.
And then sometimes you seriously have to get something done and by being distracted you just draw out your impending doom (in my case, failing whatever assignment that I really need to finish). We try to fight those bad distractions. Sometimes we succeed. We slay the metaphorical dragon. And sometimes that dragon eats us alive. Frankly, it's a vicious cycle.
But we keep going. We keep doing the things. We keep getting distracted. We bear hug the good ones and get into fist fights with the bad ones. Repeat. And that's life.
End of thought. Now here's a unicorn to distract you. Have fun.
Photo courtesy of http://theunicornhunt.tumblr.com/
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
The Story of Tonight
As much as I'd like to write a whole post about Hamilton, my brain dictates otherwise. Tonight is election night. Let's talk...
As I type this, I am praying and crying and listening to show tunes to ward off the impending breakdown. Because I am currently scared out of my mind. I shouldn't be. I voted and I voted my conscious. It's not my fault if things fall apart. But I can't help but hyperventilate. Hamilton is literally at full blast right now. I am barely coping.
Time to write a note to myself for the morning...
"You lived. You didn't rip your hair out and you didn't have a heart attack. What has happened has happened. It doesn't change the fact that you still suck at math or that you can't find foundation that matches your skin tone. You are a smart, young woman who can take on the world, regardless of who is running this country. You have work to do. Now get up, take a deep breath, grab some coffee and get to it. You lived to tell the story of tonight."
That's all I can really say. Break a leg, America.
As I type this, I am praying and crying and listening to show tunes to ward off the impending breakdown. Because I am currently scared out of my mind. I shouldn't be. I voted and I voted my conscious. It's not my fault if things fall apart. But I can't help but hyperventilate. Hamilton is literally at full blast right now. I am barely coping.
Time to write a note to myself for the morning...
"You lived. You didn't rip your hair out and you didn't have a heart attack. What has happened has happened. It doesn't change the fact that you still suck at math or that you can't find foundation that matches your skin tone. You are a smart, young woman who can take on the world, regardless of who is running this country. You have work to do. Now get up, take a deep breath, grab some coffee and get to it. You lived to tell the story of tonight."
That's all I can really say. Break a leg, America.
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
Thoughts on cats...
Today's thought is short and sweet and fuzzy...
Cats are unique creatures. They love you and hate you all at once. One minute they want to cuddle with you and the next minute they avoid you like the plague. If you have one or two cats, you’re deemed “normal”, but three or more makes you a crazy cat lady.
What even makes cats appealing? Yes, they’re cute. And they do cute things. If you don’t believe me, google “cats sitting on glass tables” or “if it fits, I sits.” Maybe it boils down to their representation of ourselves. In English, please? Sometimes you want to be around people and love on them and be loved in return. Sometimes you don’t want to be anywhere around people. And sometimes you want to be witchy and still expect people to be around you. Cause we’re human and have impossible, weird expectations of everything in our lives. Cats are cats and have weird, impossible expectations of how we should be serving them. Cats are just us in fuzzy form. We just like them better cause they’re cute.
photo courtesy of youtube.com
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