week 15: concerts

 Going to a music concert is easily one of the best experiences in life. Not only are you going to see someone who's music you love, live, but you get to enjoy the show with people who also love their music. It is almost impossible to be upset at a concert, (unless you're looking at the price of the food and drinks). The buzz and rush of excitement before, during, and after a concert is euphoric and nothing will energize you more. Even if you don't have a seat near the stage, you can still have the best time dancing with your friends. Just being in the same building as some of your favorite artists will put you in the best mood ever and maybe even put you in a bit of shock. The overall vibe of concerts is always a shared state of joy between everyone in the audience. When you're surrounded by so much energy and happiness it is hard to not enjoy yourself. Even the opening acts can be really fun and exciting performers, you could leave with a new artist to add to your playlists. Concerts can also be a great place to meet new friends who definitely have at least one common interest with you. Mosh pits are also another part of concert culture that add to the crazy experience, if you're at the right kind of show of course. For some reason people get a big rush out of pushing each other around, jumping, and most times throwing punches too. There are so many new and fun things to experience at concerts. and so many different kinds of concerts one could attend. The only bad thing about concerts is the sometimes inevitable cases of post concert depression you could leave with. Every show is different from artist to artist but, it is guaranteed to be one of the best times of your life.

week 14: why I deserve a dog.

    I am a simple girl. I don't care what kind of car I drive. I don't care what kind of clothes I have. I don't even care what food goes in my mouth, as a self proclaimed human garbage disposal. I don't ask for much in this life, but I feel there is one thing I truly deserve. I have lived in Huntington Beach, on my own now for 10 months, minutes away from the dog beach. So the fact that I still do not have a dog makes absolutely no sense. Every day I see people walking around town with their furry friends and a piece of my heart fractures every time. "Why can't that be me?" my heart solemnly cries every time I see a human with their dogs, strutting down the street. I walk dogs for an app called Wag!, and just walking someone else's dog for a little bit every day is enough to keep me in a good mood for days.  What I don't understand is why those people pay someone to walk their dogs for them. I would give anything to take my dogs back in Arizona on a walk every day. If only they weren't so dang far. Because I cant see my dogs every day, I have attempted to bring home a new dog several times. And every time something has gotten in the way and it hasn't worked out. For reasons totally out of my control too! So i'm gonna go ahead and blame this on the big guy upstairs... so what the hell God? Why can't I have a dog? I've spent days going to adoption fairs and rescues and researching breeders only to run into roadblocks every single time! Sounds a little suspicious right? Maybe Satan is the one doing this to me. Whatever... whoever it is, they better cut it out because summer is coming up. If I have to spend summer alone at the beach in this stupid state without a dog, I think I might just explode. I am a good person and an even better dog mom who is ready to devote her entire heart and soul to a cute puppy pal. So hopefully my days lacking a dog end very soon.

week 13: Sheldon

In the summer of 2014, my boyfriend sent me a picture of the smallest and cutest creature I'd ever seen. A red eared slider turtle the size of a quarter. He asked me if I thought the little guy was cute which of course, I did. Then he asked me if I wanted him which of course, I did. I was staying in California for the summer, but he told me that when I got back to Arizona the turtle was mine. I was so excited to come home to my brand new pet. I'd always had cute animal friends in the house. We had dogs, cats, bunnies, frogs, fish, and even rats, but never a turtle. Let alone the cutest turtle in the world. Since my boyfriend was the one who bought him out of the back of a van on the side of the road for $5, I let him have the pleasure of naming him. I should have known this was a bad idea because the last time I let him name a stuffed animal, he chose the name Beast. Like what the hell is that, right? But anyways, I let him name this turtle Sheldon. As if there aren't already a million turtles named Sheldon in this world. He was proud of the choice so I decided to let it slide, even though upon recent research we've discovered that Sheldon is a girl. Oh well. Before I arrived home from vacation, my boyfriend went out and got Sheldon the cutest little habitat. It was a circular little container with an island in the middle and two little palm trees. This was the perfect habitat for our little turtle when she was still the size of a quarter. In recent days, this space has become a bit to small for Shell.When I returned home from vacation that summer I couldn't be more thrilled with my cute little friend. Sheldon was the best gift I had ever received. I let her crawl around my room every day, threw her a birthday party, and even made her her very own Christmas greeting card. Sheldon never seemed to give back the love I gave to her though. And I do feel guilty because turtles can only grow to fit their habitat so with the small circle she lives in, she wont ever reach full size. She doesn't like crawling outside of her tank much anymore and is beginning to show signs of depression.She spends most of her days trying to flip herself on her back( a position in which turtles cant breathe) Although I love Sheldon I fear I will never be able to give her the love she needs to survive. She lives her life in a small circle as a tiny, sad, genderfluid turtle who's organs may implode on her at any time, so I suppose if she were to kill herself I would understand.I would be sad, but I cant blame her.

week 12: Jersey Shore

    Few things in life bring me as much joy as Jersey Shore. In class a few weeks ago when the role question asked what our guilty pleasure was, I said Jersey Shore. This was a lie because I am not even in the least bit guilty about it. I am shamelessly addicted to it actually. There is something so mesmerizing about their unapologetic partying and sloppiness. Every episode begins with a sample of DJ Pauly D's music. Next we hear Snooki yell, "I'M GOING TO JERSEY SHORE, BITCH." Followed by Mike (The Situation) saying, "Alright we gotta situation". Next we hear Ron's dolphin like chuckling, followed by Sam claiming that she is "the sweetest bitch you'll ever meet." Jenny then says, "After I have sex with a guy, I will rip their heads off." Then we see Vinny, the educated one, fist pumping in the club. In the first and second seasons Vinny is followed by Angelina, but she  was too boring and annoying so she was quickly replaced by Deena, who in the intro asks, "YOU LIKE THE BOOBS?". All of that is only in the first 24 seconds. The show only gets better from there with big fights, wild dancing, and lots of smushing. It also gave us brilliant catchphrases such as "CABS ARE HERE!" , "Its t-shirt time" , and "I'm a blast in a glass". Also its hard to deny that there is anything in this world better than Snooki and Deena as a combined entity. And on this show we are able to see Jenny come together with her now husband, Roger, after ditching a toxic relationship with Tom. Sam and Ron's drama is the main element of comedy in the show in my opinion as its over things as simple as him making fun of her big toe or her not believing he cheated on her. If anyone is ever looking to raise their self esteem or put themselves in a good mood, Jersey Shore is definitely the show I would recommend.

week 10: the friendzone

    A lot of people now a days like to complain about being stuck in "the friendzone" . I, for one, think that the friendzone is total bullshit. There is the rare occasion of girls claiming to be stuck in the friendzone but they are far and few in between. The friendzone is an excuse, usually used by guys. So, I guess my gripe is with guys using the friendzone. My problem with this term is the fact that guys like to use it to place blame on the other person. It is nothing but a tool to make it seem like they could do nothing wrong. Instead of complaining about being stuck in the friendzone, you could be doing a lot more with your time. Such as trying harder to win the person over or even moving on. (crazy, I know.) Some people try to use it as a way to not take "no" as an answer, which in most cases is the wrong thing to do. There is nothing wrong with kind gestures to show someone you care, but there is a fine line between caring and overbearing. Once you cross the overbearing line there is no "friendzone" there is just the "please leave me alone zone". Many people, (again, usually guys) like to use the friendzone as a way to cover up embarrassment from being turned down. It is the same defense mechanism as when they call girls ugly when they are told no. It is nothing more than another band-aid to patch up their fragile male egos. Some guys just cant handle the fact that some people don't see them in a romantic way and resort to lashing out. People who claim to have been friendzone are people who have given up but do not want to admit defeat. The friendzone is a pathetic and embarrassing mental concept that people create for themselves when they either don't want to hear the truth, or are too proud. The worst thing about the friendzone is that it makes the other person look bitchy which is almost never the case. So, since it is 2017 and times are changing, we should all agree to stop making each other look bad. This should be the year we all agree to let go of the idea of friendzoning and accept the fact that we are the cause for our own romantic mishaps.

week 9: skincare

    As an 18 year old girl, it is quite normal to have some skin problems. Lately, mine have been through the roof though. I feel like I have the unruly skin of a 13 year old. It all started a few weeks ago when I decided to use makeup that most definitely was too old because I am too broke to buy new makeup. (tragic)  I used this makeup for about a week until I realized I was breaking out intensely where the makeup had been applied. So, I threw it out and immediately invested in several cleansing and repairing masks. I went makeup free, and even bought jugs of water to ensure i'm getting my daily amount. But still, my acne persisted. Frustrated, I decided to say frick it and wore makeup again. Obviously that didn't help my problems at all. I bought myself some new moisturizers and face washes, but they didn't help either. I steamed, extracted, and exfoliated but still, nothing worked. Desperate for results, I decided to splurge on a facial. This was a big mistake that I feel could have been prevented had my mom known if I had any allergies. Apparently, my skin doesn't love seaweed and this only irritated it further. After hearing my month long struggle, do you understand my frustration? As I type this my skin is burning under one of the most painful face masks I've ever used just hoping to get my skin back to adequate levels of angelically smooth. I've yet to explore the realm of home remedies besides toothpaste and cactus because I feel like these are almost always duds. If you or anyone you know has any good tips or tricks to prevent scarring ( which I will no doubt have after this journey.) please comment or leave a link in the comments, because this entire experience is becoming exhausting.

week 8: Bob's Burgers

    Few adult cartoons have ever impressed me. In fact, there was a time when Adult Swim was just too much for me because every show was either too political or violent for the fun of it. Bob's Burgers is the exception to that. It has the perfect amount of dry humor to either make you laugh or roll your eyes. It's episodes are smart and often mock popular movies like The Goonies or The Shining. The best thing though is probably the intricate and hilarious characters. Bob, the dad, is the person that everyone loves to hate. He has perpetual bad luck, with the occasional small victory and often simultaneously shows love and disappointment in his family. Linda is the dorky, loud, over the top mom that everyone knows. She loves singing and everything showy. Her mama bear personality makes her one of the most lovable characters ever. Tina is the oldest daughter who is only 13. She loves boys, butts, and paranormal romance. Her awkwardness and dry comments are so painfully relatable. Next is Gene. He is the middle child who is loud and obnoxious and constantly making fart noises. Everything you'd expect from a little brother character. Louise is the youngest and easily the most confident and smartest. Her slightly violent and determined nature add just enough of that element of the show. There are other notable mentions such as Crazy Aunt Gale, Talkative Teddy, or Jimmy Pesto. Each episode is totally different and keeps the best kind of comedy going throughout the series. The kids get themselves and their parents into crazy situations. And whether it be saving their failing restaurant, or getting into shenanigans around town, each character has an equal part in the hilarity. If you still haven't experienced this show, please do before Netflix removes it in April.