The Daughter That No One Spoke Of

  And there she was.
  If you weren't looking for her, you would have never seen her; amongst the beautiful faces and elegant ballroom gowns, the serving of drinks and ubiquitous chitter-chatter, it was easy to be lost in the crowd. But most especially for her: the daughter that no one spoke of. It wasn't that she was not nowhere near as beautiful as her three older sisters, or that she was a disgrace to the royal family name in any way. She just let herself fade into the background, and never bothered to try to come out.
  But in between the graceful bombardment of women with petty talk, I had been keeping my eye out for her. I had seen her on few occasion, usually with her mother and sister out on royal affairs. Though never having a personal encounter with her, her appearance was etched into my memory: her silk pale skin speckled with the occasional brown freckle; her high cheekbones always colored with a natural pink blush, and an elongated narrow nose to compliment her facial structure; her curly reddish-brown hair always tied into an elegant bun on the top of her head, with perfect stands left out to cascade across her face and down her neck. How such an alluring person could go so unnoticed was incomprehensible to me.
  When I spotted her, she was off in the corner, by the edge of the curving stairwell: a place that no one would look. I bid farewell to the two young ladies whom were speaking with me, and made my way over to her. She was fiddling with her gloves, and slightly jumped in suprise when I approached her.
  "My apologies," I said. "I had no intention to startle you."
  "No worry," she said, folding her hands and resting them in her lap and looking off to the distance. It was the first time I had heard her speak, and her voice was far more sweeter than I could have ever imagined. I cleared my throat and took a seat in the chair next to her.
  "Surely you know who I am," I began, not knowing how else to start.
  "Of course I do. You are the first grandson of Madame De'Jonnettte. Alderic, is that not so?"
  "It is."
  Silence. This was not going as well as I had anticipated. Unlike her sisters, or most other women, she did not snatch the opportunity to speak when spoken to. Her gaze remained straight ahead the entire time. Her short, straightforward answers made me hunger to interact with her more.
  "Why do you not drink and dance like the rest of the folk?" I asked, hoping to get a longer response from her.
  For the first time, she looked at me in the eyes, but only briefly. I caught a glimpse of her emerald green orbs, before she turned away again and answered, "I suppose I am just not like the rest of the folk."
  I leaned forward. "And how so?"
  She looked up to me again, noticing my change in proximity. Surely by now she had noticed my interest. She hesitated, then sighed and said, "You shouldn't pursue things that you truly don't care to know."
  "Oh, but I do! I care to know quite a bit more about you." It was time to stop prancing around my desires. At this, I gently picked up her right hand and softly kissed it.
  When I lifted my head, I met her gaze. "And what is it that you already know about me?"
  I kept her hand in my possession, gently stroking the silk material of her glove with my thumb. "I know that you are the last born daughter to Sir Franck and Madame Esther, of the Roparzh family, who are the crownholders of--"
  She laughed a soft purr and removed her hand from my possession. "Oh dear, please. If such descriptions are the first to slip your tongue when speaking of I, thou knows nothing of I at all."
  In my head, I silently panicked. But I calmly reclaimed her hand, placing one hand underneath and the other on top. "As I've said before, I would be honored to get to know you more."
  By now, her mouth was morphed into a small devilish smirk. I could tell that I had finally clearly conveyed myself, as she was looking my over. Thankful I had taken my maid's advice on the choice of outfit, I sat up a little, straighter, so that she could see every stitch of the handmade suit tailored by the most renowned seamstress in all of Europe. Once her eyes made their way to look at mine, I was ready to make my final move.
  "Would you do me the honor of a dan--"
  "Have you ever seen the upper levels of the palace?" she interrupted me. I raised my eyebrows in surprise. At a brief loss of words, I responded, "Well..no, I don't believe I have."
  "Oh, that's such a shame! You absolutely have to see it; it's marvelous. As a matter of fact, it would be my honor to act as your personal escort and show you the inner parts of the palace. And then," she said, taking my hand and gently placing it in her lap, "Perhaps we would have time to explore the lower levels of the castle as well."
  I was following on quite loosely to what she was saying, until she placed my hand on her gown. My stare moved from my hand, up to her face. By now, her facial expression was completely elegant, but I could quite surely see some devilish ulterior motive in her green eyes. Was I imagining her obscene implications?
  Before I could finish processing the last few moments, she rose from her chair and held out her arm, hand slightly bent, waiting for me to take it. Flabbergasted, I looked up at her, hoping for some sign of the end of this cruel joke. But her head was turned away from me; all I could see was her exposed smooth neck. Not knowing whether to curse the heavens or say a thankful prayer, I stood up, and took hold of her gloved hand. Not once looking back at me, she gracefully led me up the wide curving stairwell, to learn the secrets that lie in the depths of the Roparzh palace, which could potentially expose more than just the majestic architecture of the inner crevices of the castle.

TKO: Father in Distress

Dear Justin Timberlake,

  No, I am not on of your screeching fangirls. I am, though, a father of one.
  And let me just say: I do not like you, Justin.
  There were once days in which my little girl would run to into my arms and want to spend the rest of eternity resting my possession. Now, the only reason she comes to me is to plead me to be the chauffeur for her and her friends on their voyages to watch your live performances. Photos of me and her at the beach taped up on her walls in a disarray have been replaced with large posters of your smug face. She even prefers to listen to strictly your music on car rides, opposed to our routine car sing-alongs.
  Justin Timberlake: I hate you, and if we ever meet face-to-face, I plan on wrapping my fingers around your neck and proceed to strangle the life out of your body cavity.
  But at the same time, I can't help but to give you thanks for everything you've indirectly done for our relationship. Although they are nothing like our classic tunes, your lyrics do tend to catch on, and make for a little bit of pretty-decent automobile entertainment. And the long drives out to your concerts do bring for some exciting times, and allow me to bond with her (and her seven other fangirl friends, of course).
  Most importantly, you are basically my detour to her heart. I always know that buying her your latest released single will leave her smiling and thanking me for days. And when she's down about some boy drama, or a fight amongst her friends, I know to take the computer into her room playing "That Girl". She will try not to smile, but after engaging in a little karaoke session, and hitting all of your high-notes (or not quite), she'll finally break down and we'll finish singing the song together, with her in my arms....just like we used to when she was a little girl.
  So with that, I'll give you my thanks. With your help, I can keep my daughter close to me, even if she's no longer my "little girl". Of course, I will never approve of you stealing my daughter's heart. I'll be damned if any other dark-haired handsome man other than myself sweeps her off her feet. But in the meantime, as she is growing up, I don't think I'll have too much of a problem keeping you around for a little while.

Parents....You're Fucking Up!!

  Pardon the explicit title, but there didn't seem to be any other way I could find to word this phenomena. Parents of teenagers are taking a parenting turn down the wrong road, and it seems to, ironically, be becoming the road more taken.
  Objectively speaking, just as teenagers are nearing the ripe age of 18, many parents are taking it upon themselves to suddenly "buckle down", one may say. They are enforcing stricter rules, being more unreasonable, and becoming down-right meaner.
  Is there a reason for this? Well, many parents justify their changes by saying that their children are becoming more unruly, and that they are just adjusting to them. Others claim that they have allowed too much freedom in the past, and are doing it as a last-minute attempt to correct their "mistakes".
  And the teenagers? Well, of course, their thoughts are predictable, without even asking them. "This is so unfair." "My parents are too strict." "They never let me do anything!" You get the idea.
  Now..for my view on it.
  I'm sure many of you could already guess how I feel about this subject, based on the title. I believe that this parenting move is indeed a poor one. But, to your relief, I don't back up my belief with any of the above phrases often heard by teenagers. I, actually, disagree with this strategy solely because I am looking out for the interests of the parents.
  Let me elaborate.
  In this country, 18 is one of the most important numbers in life. It marks the becoming of a adult for teenagers, and opens up a wide avenue of things that they can do or buy, legally. This age is also the age that many students are about to enter college, and, of course, only one thing is on their minds: PARTY. Based on all of these things, rebellion is a little expected from individuals, although many don't even do that. Regardless of whichever way it goes, many parents decide that this would be the perfect time to "buckle down"--to cross the bridge before getting there, right?
  Unfortunately, by attempting to cross a bridge before you get to it, they overstep themselves, and end up in the water.
  When parents become unreasonably stricter, even when their children are doing nothing to invoke this behavior, their kids become annoyed. Some even angered. And then one and one thought only acts as their silver lining: 'In __ months, I'll be 18. I'll be an adult. There's nothing they can do to hold me down after that.'
  And thus begins the deterioration of the parent-child relationship. The children will become more rebellious in response to their parents new demeanor, and in response to that the parents feel justified for their changes and become even stricter. It's quite a ruthless cycle, really. I've seen dozens of cases where such a pattern results in the children cutting off all communication with their parents after going off to college, especially if they are out-of-state. Some even go to the extent of filing as an independent, so they are legally no longer dependent on their parents. And such situations leave parents heart-broken, wondering where they went wrong, and even maybe regretting not being stricter.
  Don't mistaken what I'm saying: There's absolutely nothing wrong with strict parenting. My mother was extremely strict throughout my life, yet we still have a phenomenal relationship despite our distance. What I am saying though is that unreasonable parenting is not the way to go, especially if you're going to start doing it x months before they turn 18.
  I do also notice one major trend in parents who suddenly become unreasonable: many do it in a desperate attempt to keep the relationship between them and their kids intact. Many become fearful about how fast they've grown up, and try to keep their children their "baby" for as long as they can, by doing such things as confining them to the house. This trend has been especially present when children enter relationships; parents become panicked that they will no longer be the only man/woman that can make their child happy, and try to keep them away from their significant other. This panicked thinking usually does have the opposite effect, causing teenagers to highly dislike their parents.
  Taking everything I've said into consideration, you may want to reconsider taking away you son's/daughter's car key, and try to take a more subtle approach to what you want to do. If your child is indeed acting out, have a talk with them, and if the behavior persists, then you can turn to drastic measures. If they have not displayed any negative changes in their attitude, then there really shouldn't be a need to "buckle down". And if you really want to cling onto your child for the remainder of their high school career, do so in a way that you aren't stripping them of their freedoms, but rather so that they can become more comfortable with you, to the extent that they will be the ones clinging to you. Good activities that apply to the previous sentence include having lunch or dinner together, doing things that they enjoy with them, or even just sitting down with them for an hour or so and having a nice chat.
  So parents, don't fear 18yr-olds. It simply means that your child is growing up, just like every other human being in the world. Don't view it as an obstacle that needs to be overcame, but rather embrace it with your teenager. This way, the transition will go much smoother for both parties, and it'll (potentially) be like any normal year, maybe even better.

GASP: SPYING?!?!

  I hate what has been on the news recently.
  Apparently, it is such a big outrage that the United States has been spying on American citizens and international figures.
  And I literally want to strangle myself every time I hear about it.
  This is the dandy thing about government: during your time, no one remembers all the shit that was put in place prior to your time serving the country. And this is exactly what is happening to Barack Hussein Obama.
  I feel as if this is what happened: When he was inaugurated in 2009, the NSA took Obama around and was like, "Yeah, this is our spying systems, this is how it works, we've been doing it for years and its been working, you won't even know we're here." And Obama was like, "Sure, ohkay, keep doing what you've been doing." And now that the NSA has come under hot water, they've stuck the President in the center of attention and booked it. And Obama's being bombarded with all these accusations and questions, and he's probably looking around like, "I THOUGHT EVERYONE KNEW ABOUT THISSSS".
  I understand why the average American would frown upon the activities of the NSA. Because it invades their "privacy", right? Well, I hate to break it to all you, but "privacy" isn't what gives you the peace of mind to sleep at night, nor is it a synonym of "freedom".
  This "spying" that the NSA has been doing is in order to catch/stop terrorist from hurting us and our country. It's not as simple, or lucrative as one would think; they aren't sitting watching me type this at this very moment, nor are they listening to every phone conversation you have. Yes, they do have jurisdiction to spy on you without any real reason, but it would just be a waste of time to watch a 80-year old man pop his bunion, than keep track of notorious figure that has just traveled to the States from Iran. They know to stay within particular boundaries, to some extent.
  What makes me laugh the most is the outrage that everyone is having..over something that dates back years. I also don't understand why everyone keeps dodging responsibility for this; these different branches keep claiming that they had "no clue" about the NSA doing this. Because it's obvious that they did....EVERYONE KNEW. Everyone knows because it's not something that just started overnight; our nation has been spying on individuals for over a decade, if not more. I'm ready for someone to grow some balls and say, "Guess what? Yeah, we spy. Guess what? We all know about it. But guess who gets to go to sleep with the peace of mind that no airstrikes will occur in the middle of the night? That's right. YOU. So please, resume your daily activities, my fellow Americans, and let us worry about what we do (and have been doing) the best."

Wake Me Up When The Government Comes Back

  I can't believe it really has been 3months since my last post. My deepest apologizes; school has been as hectic as ever, and the workload is never-ending.
  So what's been going on since then and now? The government has been spiraling into a black hole, that's what!! Whoever thought that the Republicans wouldn't go this far to fuck things up for everyone else..look at us now!
  I'm not a super left-winged person, but I feel as if we can all agree that the House Republicans seem to be the main ones screwing the pooch. Who would've known that some people would be so against a healthcare plan that encompasses everyone?
   Here it is in a nutshell: Everything revolves around the spending bill. The duty to pass this bill is held by Congress; which, at this point in time, remains "a house divided", with the Republican-led House of Representatives and the Democrat-run Senate. The House Republicans insist on any bill that is passed include provisions that would in theory stop "Obamacare", while the Senate Democrats won't allow it. No consensus=no spending bill. No spending bill=no government.
  I find this to be one of the situations in which Roger Sherman and Oliver Ellsworth would bash their heads against the insides of their caskets, shouting "Not like that, you idiots!" [Note: Sherman and Ellsworth were the delegates from Connecticut whom proposed this concept of a dual system of congressional representation, which is commonly known as the Great Compromise.] The whole reason for the two houses is them to "check" on each other, preventing one house from having too much power. But the type of "checks" that our government is carrying out only brought everything to a stalemate.
  Although the government is back running, the Republican party has definitely taken quite a beating for being the cause of a national government shutdown. It's actually quite interesting to see how the House Republicans reacted to the government shutdown; it was like many of them (let me emphasize, NOT all of them) were like, "Ehh, a shutdown may actually do this country some good. Let the citizens suffer a bit, so they can see what it's like." My problems with that mindset are a.) LIKE OVER ONE-EIGHT OF THE COUNTRY IS LIVING IN POVERTY IT WON'T BE THE FIRST TIME THEY EXPERIENCE SUFFERING, and b.) these Congress members were definitely still being paid during this period, so they don't even "suffer" for their own actions.
   Despite everyone seeing the flaws with the Republican party through this shutdown, its computed to be highly unlikely that power will change hands through this coming elections, mainly due to the large number of seats that Democrats would have to win to reclaim the majority (19; largest historical change was 9 seats).
  I feel as if the Republicans tried to make Obama and the Democratic party look like the bad guys in this situation, but they basically turned the tables on themselves.
  Better luck next time.
  (P.S.: If you haven't seen it, go watch the SNL Miley Cyrus music video parody, called 'We Did Stop'. It is perfection.)

I'm A Fangirl, I know.

   Fangirl. (n) An obssessive female fan, especially technological or from popular culture.

      (Thanks, dictionary.com)

   Well, for me, this definition is a little off, mainly the part about the 'technological or from popular culture'. I'm not the type to fangirl over nominal things, like boy bands or teen pop idols. I fangirl over more....sophisticated things.

   I'll just dive right in and explain.

   I fangirl over John F. Kennedy.

   At the mere mention of the name 'Kennedy', I get sent into automatic freak-out mode. I get so excited, and I go off, recounting the issues he faced during his presidency, problems with his marriage, his family, his morals, and his assassination. From him, I tell stories about his brother, his father, his mother, and their children. Sometimes, I'm even brought to tears by just the sheer magnitude of information I spout off about. People actually get really scared, or rather annoyed; all they have to do is say something slightly related to JFK, and I will turn into a history book.

   I also fangirl over Lincoln, but not as hard as I do with the Kennedys.

   Hmmm..who else....

   Being an aspiring actress, I obviously tend to fangirl over actors. Like Liam Neeson. I love Liam. He's so British, and is extremely talented at what he does. The other one tends to be Leonardo DiCaprio, and NOT because of his looks or anything. He's actually a very talented actor (go watch his movie 'J. Edgar'; he was phenomenal in that [he also relates to JFK in a distant way, so the mere mention of the CIA sends me into fangirl-mode]). More recent actors I've begin to fangirl over include Hugh Jackman (the guy who plays Wolverine) and Chris Hemsworth (the guy who plays Thor). [I've recently taken a liking to Marvel superheroes; Robert Downey Jr. is TO DIE FORR (But that excludes the Captain America guy; he just doesn't really do it for me)].
   And of course I would only fangirl over male actors....I mean, there are female actresses that I like, but none of them are worthy of my fangirl-freakouts. (:
   I can also fangirl over particular subjects. For instance, I am very fascinated with the WWII era, so anything that relates to that topic sends me into a trance where I tell everything about anything dealing with it. I also really like the Roaring Twenties era; not as much as I do WWII, but I will kind of rant a little bit about that topic. What I could probably fangirl the most over is current events/politics. Especially if I've conducted my own outside research on the subject. That's how you know that something is really fangirl-worthy to me.
   The funniest thing is that all of these things that I "fangirl" over will automatically bring me to tears when I start talking about. I've been in full-fledge debates and my eyes will immediantly become a self-controlled sprinkler. And it's not because I'm sad; it's just that the excitement that I feel over these people/topics is just so strong that it actually emotionally moves me.
   Anyways. That's just a tad bit more about me. I there anything that you guys fangirl over? (Or fanboy, because that does actually exist) Let me know!
   Hope you've enjoyed reading!!(:

Ground Zero Controversy--2010

   Soo I was going through my archives of writing excerpts and I found this miniature essay-thing (or whatever you'd like to call it). It is dated for 13 August 2010. It's fairly informal, and is full of my opinions. Hope you enjoy it!!


   So I'm sure that we've all heard about the recent controversy over Ground Zero. That is, if you listen to the news. And since I know that there are a lot of you who spend your days watching shows like 'Jersey Shore' and 'Teen Mom', I guess I'm gonna have to explain it to you, since you're completely oblivious to anything happening outside your living rooms.
   Recently, land 2blocks away from the memorable Ground Zero site was purchased, And apparently, because it is being purchased to be the new site of a Muslim mosque, all hell has broken lose in America.
   Now, people are protesting against this, saying that it is an insult for Muslim people to be trying to buy land so close to the 2001 bombing site.
   So you've heard the facts. Now here's the fun part: where I get to state my opinion and position on this matter, and maybe throw in a few insults here and there.
   What I want to address first is that the only reason people have a problem with this whole thing is specifically because the land is being purchased by Muslim people. What are we, "the land of the free", or freakin' Germany of the 1930s, where we tell people of a certain religion that they're not allowed to purchase land somewhere on American soil?!?!
   I have a HUGE problem with the way the AMerican public is going about this. They're acting as if the actual people who bombed the US are trying to build an anti-America store on the land. You know, I heard one of the 9/11 widows say that they didn't want any "terror" or "fear" near the site and just wanted "peace". Are you freakin' kidding me?! They're building a freakin' mosque, for goodness sake!! How is that in any way supposed to invoke fear?!?!Just because it's not a Christian church?? They pray too!! Yeah, they're gonna be praying!! How much more peaceful can you get than praying?!?!
   *Sigh* I'm sorry. But that widow just kinda ticked me off with that statement. And another thing: I mean, yeah, they're Muslim, but more than one country in the world has people that practice that religion. I mean, there are Muslims in the continent of Africa (and no, just because I'm from Africa doesn't mean I'm Muslim. I'm actually Christian, but that's another speech). Just because they're Muslim doesn't necessarily automatically connect the purchasers of the land to the 9/11 terrorists; they could be from two completely different countries.
   Now, some women on the news were saying how the site is supposed to be a preserved area. Let me just mention again that the and is 2 blocks away from Ground Zero, and if it was supposed to be part of the preserved area, it would have been dubbed under the name 'Ground Zero' as well.
   Anyway, if you believe so strongly in that land being preserved, you should've went and bought it and preserved it yourself. But let me guess: you don't have the financial means, right? And the people who had the money just happened to be Muslim, and they invested in it. (Which technically means that they are financially higher than you, and I would think that I could infer that they are smarter than you, too, because they probably strategically invested in some other things leading to their wealth. Yeah, I said it.)
   Also, rather than targeting the buyers of the land, why don't you go chastise the former owner/seller of the land? He was completely away of the location of the land and who he was selling it to. If he thought that it should be preserved, he wouldn't have put the land on the market. He obviously wasn't doing anything with it, and when people approached him who not only has something they wanted to do with the land, but had the money to back it up too, he jumped at the opportunity. And he probably knew the buyers' intentions of what to do with the land and either a) had no problem with it, or b) had a problem with it, but said nothing and gave into the sale, because he was about to get paid. So those of you who disagree with this, why don't you target the source of this controversy (the owner/seller) and interrogate him about his decision to sell the land.
   But, of course, at the end of the day, that's just my opinion, and we all have different opinions and the right to speak our opinions as we wish. And I just took full advantage of that right (thank you, Founding Fathers!!) So I hope that I gave those of you who know of this matter some reasonably intake from a different perspective, and that I educated those of you who weren't aware of this on something other than fist-pumping or being '16 & Pregnant'.

Woah, it's really been THAT LONG?!?!

   My deepest apologize for not posting in so long. It all came so fast..finals, then moving out, then summer break..
   I also got a temporary work position (it was really an internship, but that's what all the other employees referred to it as) at NCSU, so that took up another 4weeks of my time.
   And as far as how that went....well, I'll put it like this: there's only two types of people when it comes to research--those who love it and those who hate it. No in-betweens. There are tons of different types of research out there, but this rule mainly applies to all of them.
   Which one am I? Well, you know me; I never abide by the rules. So let's just say that I don't fit in either of those categories. (:
   It was an AHMAZING experience though, and I don't think I can emphasize that enough. So if you're still in school, look into it (research always looks great on any type of resume). And if you're a parent, push your kids to try it out. Don't worry, it's not like they'll be signing their life away to the subject that the research is in. Whether they're interested in it or not, look at it as a learning experience for them.
  When it comes down to more serious matters, I usually talk about timely events. And I typically don't mind crossing boundaries that shouldn't be crossed. But the thing that has been huge in recent news is the Trayvon Martin/ George Zimmerman trial. The reason I am not going to talk about this is because there is just so much to consider and take into account. I am a very logical person, so I take ALL factors into account when choosing a side. This being said, I am always greeted with nasty remarks disagreeing with my opinions that have an emotional/moral basis. And not saying that this way of thinking is wrong; but living in the USA, emotions aren't really too welcome in the courtroom, talk less the judicial system as a whole. I also do want to give the family time to mourn (Really, guys, try to have some respect for them and let things cool down. It's unimaginable to think what they're going through, unless you've experienced such a thing yourself.)
   But do expect a lengthy post revolving that in the future!
   And for my short-story lovers....
   Have no fear! I haven't completely abandoned writing. I just had to lay off it a bit in order to focus on my studies. But with this year coming around, my studies are becoming more crucial. The only reason I can promise you guys more is because it will be inevitable for me to take a break sometimes to blow off some steam--which I do through writing/acting and going to the gym. So don't lose faith in me!! (:
   Quick question: There is a lot of hype surrounding vlogging (video blogging). Would you guys like a few of those? Let me know.
   So expect more frequent posts, stay safe, and everyone have a wonderful summer!! ^.^
(Also, RIP to Cory Monteith, who passed away two days ago. I didn't know very much about him, nor do I watch Glee, but as a young successful actor, he receives my respect, and my blessings go out to his family.)
(And I have also made another blog....Since this is apparently "so 2006"....the link is below!!
Tumblr
You will see a little more informal posts, which just shows off my quirky personality. So follow me!!)

ShortStory5--Conspiracy Theorist

  You see, what people don't know is, is that love isn't about meeting your soulmate and all that jazz--
  Love is a conspiracy.
  Call me crazy, they all do!! But this idea of 'love' is just a concept fabricated by the government to benefit themselves--it's a conspiracy, I tell you!!
  Consider this. What does this 'love' idea result in, what comes of it? I'll tell you; when two people "fall in love" (Even the name of the term sets off bells; who in their right mind would want to fall?!), this idea that they are soulmates prompts them to get married. And when two individuals get married, what do they have to purchase from the government?: a marriage license!! Do you hear that; because you're in love, you have to pay the government! Love brings the states money!!
  But it doesn't end there!! After marriage, you know what comes? Children!! Little miniature money guzzling minions!! Children require diapers, food, shelters....all of these which you have to purchase from grocery stores. And how does this help the government?! Because it keeps money flowing into the economy, that's why!! This means that because love results in children and because children cost money, love keeps money flowing into the economy!! It's quite ingenious, isn't it, how the government has this 'love' idea perpetually sucking money out of us
  But it goes on!! Oh, this joyous cycle goes on! Now you have to raise these children that resulted from your 'love' and, of course, you're going to raise them to be the best individual that they can be. And when they grow up, you send them off into the world to get a job to benefit society. It has nothing to do with them; it's the fact that working is the only way that they can obtain a paycheck, and the government gets to take a nice little helping of their paychecks. It's just another way for the governement to benefit from the concept of 'love'!!
  And now we've come to the best part: when the cycle repeats. Now your children, being grown adults at this point, have reached of age at which they are expected to "fall in love", marry, and keep the cycle alive!!
  It's all a cruel ploy by the government, do you see?!?! Such a clever scheme, and we have managed to fall right into it!! We must unite as a people, and break away from its sphere of influence!!
  But hey; what do I know? I'm just the crazy conspiracy theorist in the room.

Putting Things On Hold

  Whenever we're young, we are asked what to we want "to be" when we grow up. The answers typically vary from 'astronaunt' to 'veteranarian'. Those are our dreams. We think those things are 'cool', and know that that is what we'd be happy doing.

  And then Life goes, "HA! THAT'S FUNNY. You're so funny"

  To most of us, at least.

  Most of us have to face the reality that we'll never be those great things, and have to settle for a normal Joe job, like construction worker or receptionist of day care manager.

  And that's kind of the predicament I'm in right now.
  My callings are acting and writing. Plain and simple. Those are the things I'm talented at, and those are the things that I know without a doubt in my mind that I'd be happy doing for the rest of my days on this Earth.
  But Life has kindly stepped in and disrupted both of those dreams: first with writing, and now with acting. Life has said, "Ehh. I don't think so."
  Now here's where I'm different.
  Most people accept that. They say, "Ohkay, Mr. Life. I guess I'll just throw all my dreams out the window and go work at the local doughnut shop for a decade or two. No big deal." But I can't. I can't just let go of my passion to go to school and be a doctor (and even that dream is a little far-fetched!). I would never be able to forgive myself.
  Due to school, I had to stop writing about a year ago. Now, I have to put my modeling/acting career on hold, too. It's a little infuriating, truthfully. To succeed in these kinds of businesses, it takes dedication and concentration; you have to really focus on what you want and go after it full-throttle. And taking time off doesn't help me achieve the goal either. I always say if I could just take 6months off of school, I could get so much accomplished. Among those things would be advancing my writing and acting/modeling careers.
  But unfortunately, that is probably not going to happen. So my point is: just because life becomes extremely inconvenient, don't let it mess with your dreams. Just put them on hold for a little, but make sure you come back to them! If you are truly passionate about your dreams, you'll be able to accomplish them, one way or another.

Old Skool

  When it comes to my taste in music and movies, I LOVE the older things.
  For instance, I really do think that a lot of modern music is terrible. Don't get me wrong; people like Beyonce and Katy Perry are very talented artists, and I do enjoy their music, but my playlist is littered with music that tends to date a little older. For instance, I love the song 'Take On Me' by A-ha (I hate when young people call is 'Take Me On'; I mean, as much access as we have to music, and you can't even get the title right?!), and I always jam out to it whenever it comes on my playlist (even though I genuinely MURDER it). I am constantly surprising my Physics professor; first I made a reference to the 'Take On Me' music video in class, then I emailed him a link to him that had the song 'Rocket Man' by Elton John. I really do like old-school rock music too. I without a doubt in my mind believe that 'Hungry Like The Wolf' by Duran Duran is hands-down one of the best and most timeless rock songs ever made. Like, I could literally listen to the song on 'Repeat' for a good 2hrs straight. Other older artists I enjoy include Aretha Franklin and Michael Jackson.
  I LOVE LOVE LOVE 80s movies. This does exclude 'Grease' and 'Grease 2', though, because I feel like the movie is extremely overrated. I have this unspoken goal to watch all the movies made in the 80s. My favorites so far have been 'Flashdance' and 'Dirty Dancing' (and, if I may say, the music selection for both these films were phenomenal; I have since added 'Hungry Eyes' by Eric Carman to my playlist).
  Rap music is probably the exception to the fact that almost ALL of it now-a-days is terrible. It's rare that you'll catch me listening to modern rap music at my own will. Artists like Tupac, Biggie Smalls, Naz, (old)Jay-Z, Easy-E, ect. spark my interests much more than Drake and Nicki Minaj.
  Now, some recent music is also really great. My current favorite artists are John Mayer and Train. I just love their sound. Others that I also appreciate include Maroon 5 and Mayday Parade.
  And the interesting thing about my music taste is that it is expanded over a wide horizon of variety. I listen to just about all music except country (I tried, I really did....I just can't do it). And I think that for this reason, there's something for everybody on my playlist.

Songs that I am obsessing over include: 'Locked Out Of Heaven'- Bruno Mars/ 'Some Nights'- Fun./ 'Everybody Talks'- Neon Trees/ 'The A Team'- Ed Sheeran

Songs I will NEVER stop obsessing over: 'If We Ever Meet Again'- Timberland ft. Katy Perry/ 'Rock Your Body'- Justin Timberlake/ 'Love Sex Magic'- Ciara ft. Justin Timberlake/ 'Gravity'- John Mayer/ 'Drops of Jupiter'- Train/ 'Hey, Soul Sister'- Train/ 'Hungry Like The Wolf'- Duran Duran/ 'Nine in the Afternoon'- Panic! At The Disco/ 'Jamie All Over'- Mayday Parade/ 'Con Te Partiro'- Andrea Bocelli/ 'Dancing Queen'- ABBA/ 'Chiquitita'- ABBA/ 'Dirty Little Secret'- The All-American Rejects/ 'That Man Opposed'- Dalmation
....AND SO MUCH MORE!!

P.S.- I have this thing for Justin Timberlake....he's just so scrumptious!! :DD

Monologue--DMV

There I was, sitting in the DMV, and the attendant asked me, "Who are you?"

And at that moment, my brain began racing. Such a simple question, yet full of so much vagueness and ambiguousness--who am I? Do I let myself be defined by societal labels and expectations, or do I follow the status perimeter set upon me politically: dark-skinned, dark-haired, brown-eyed teenage female? Or do I defy all the odds and take the road never traveled; take the avenue that is littered with self-expression and individuality, but only to be shunned by society and deemed a social pariah at the end? Do I dare take the risk--no, am I strong enough to take the risk? To step away from the crowd and create my own pack--one where I face the risk of standing alone forever?

And at that moment, I turned to the attendant, stood up and said bravely, "I AM ME."

When I got my license in the mail, the line where my name is supposed to be said, 'Me'.

And that made all the difference.

Short Story 4

Joann sat back in the chair and pulled out her iPhone. She took a sip from her freshly made French vanilla latte and tried to block out the noisiness of the coffee shop that she was taking her break in.

         “Is this seat taken?” said a voice from above her. Joann looked up to find a handsome young Caucasian standing above her, inquiring about the chair at the same table that she was sitting at.

         “Uhm, no, it’s not.” The man awkwardly sat down in the chair. Her interest was sparked for a moment, but she quickly re-focused her attention back to her handheld device.

         “So, uh….what do you do?”

         Joann placed her phone down and looked at the man with a smirk. “Alright, what is it that you want?” she asked.

         “Wait-what are you—“ he started, but Joan cut him off.

         “This is a coffee shop. People drink coffee because the workload that is put upon them is too much for them to endure without an extra stimulus. And the only reason people sit in coffee shops is because they are trying to take a break from the ongoing cycle that they call their life—which is actually really counter-productive, because they’re drinking coffee the whole time, which means that they’re taking in caffeine, which is an upper—but regardless they sit in and attempt to relax.”

         The man looked extremely confused, but Joann did not let up for a moment.

         “Do you know why people don’t come to coffee shops? Not to talk or socialize. None of these people here care what I do for a living, or how I feel. They can barely grasp the basis of their own lives, talk less try to take on the idea of someone else’s. Do you understand? Everyone in here is a zombie. So the fact that you’re asking me what do I do only leads me to believe that you’re either a beggar or a private investigator. And considering that you have on a pair of Ralph Lauren shoes that probably cost anywhere from $140 and up, the former is out of the question. So that leaves me to only ask you: who hired you?”

         The man was completely flabbergasted. To think that such a simple question impelled such a complex and thought-out answer really fascinated him, and kind of turned him on at the same time. So he gathered himself and answered, “Well, to answer your question, no, I am not a private investigator. And you’re right; I didn’t come in here to drink coffee.”

         “So then that reverts me back to my original question: what is it that you want?”

         “Well, you see….I recognized you from the bookstore.”

         “Excuse me?” Joann replied.

         “There was this one day that I saw you at Bridges and Pages, and I recognized you through the window.”

         Joann looked at the man with great disbelief. “I’m sorry, I’m not quite following the story here.”

         The woman’s assertive voice made a shiver run down his spine. But he began to explain.

“A couple of weeks ago, you were at Bridges and Pages Bookstore, right? You were there with a couple of other people. I was there too..and I noticed you. My first thought was ‘Wow, that woman is beautiful’. But, I mean, this is California; there are beautiful women everywhere, so that wasn’t so new. But then I heard you start talking…and you captivated me. You talked about literature and politics like it was something that you did in your sleep. It was really something ahmazing: to see a pretty woman who was intelligent as well. But I didn’t make any move. And I let you walk out of that bookstore without saying a word to you. Now that I think about it, it was probably one of the stupidest things I have ever done.”

The man paused for a moment to let his words sink in. Joann was truly flattered, but she wasn’t a woman to wear her emotions on her sleeve. So she maintained her stern yet approachable expression and took the pause as an opportunity to ask the waiter to bring her a glass of water.

“Ohkay; so what?”

“So, I was walking by and saw you through the window, and I told myself that I wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice and decided to come in here and talk to you.”

At the conclusion of this statement, the waiter placed a glass of water on the table. Joann thanked him, and then turned her attention back to the man.

“So you want to talk to me,” she repeated slyly.

“Yes.”

“….Ohkay.”

The man smirked. “Just ‘ohkay’?”

“Yup. I am flattered by your bold approach to me, and also your keen sense of facial recognition, so I guess we could talk. Oh, but there is one problem: we have to start over.”

“What?” he asked.

“The way you approached me isn’t exactly the way one approaches a person whom they wish to talk to. In the courting process, an individual shows off their best qualities and features in an attempt to flatter the other, with hopes that they will succeed. What just transpired here was more comparable to a puppy begging a stranger for a piece of meat. So.. we need to start over.”

“Uhm, ohkay. How do we do that?”

“Oh, that’s easy,” Joann said. And with that, she grabbed the man by the shirt collar and kissed him. That lasted for about 10seconds before she released her lip-lock. Before the man could even process the kiss, though, she grabbed the glass of water off the table and threw it in his face. This was followed by a solid slap planted on his right cheek.

All of this managed to draw the attention of almost everyone in the café. The man slid his chair back away from the table and stood up.

“What..the HELL was that for?!” he half-yelled, wiping the water from his eyes.

         “I told you; we needed to start over.”

         “And how did that in the least sense signify us ‘starting over’?”

         At this point, all Joann really wanted to do was laugh. But she smothered her laughter and said, “Oh, come on, if you’ve seen any cliché romance, you would know that the end is usually signified by throwing a drink in the guy’s face and slapping them. Even if you haven’t, if you would have at least been to a bar at least twice a month, you would know that. In all honesty, I didn’t even do it right; I’m really supposed to do it with some type of alcoholic beverge.”

         The man still stood there, with his arms up, slightly bewildered. “I-I can’t believe you just did that.”

         “I know,” Joann replied calmly. “And I know that your brain is probably blowing tons of bells and whistles telling you that this woman is crazy and it’s time to abort the mission. So now that we have started over, the decision of what you will do is up to you.”

         At this point, the man could see the glow in Joann’s eyes, and realized what was going on. He took his seat again and sat back in the chair. He let out a little chuckle.

         “It’s funny you say that, because my mind is definitely telling me that you’re crazy, considering that you just kissed me and threw water in my face and you don’t even know me. But….I don’t have any plans of aborting this mission.”

         “Oh really?” Joann answered, leaning in towards him. His calmness with the situation and obvious sense of humor made him 10x more appealing to her. “Well then, in that case—“ she stuck out her hand towards him “My name is Joann McCathader. It’s nice to meet you.”

         The man grasped her hand and gave it a firm shake. “Christopher Buchanan. And, please; the pleasure is all mine.”