I started watching Attack On Titan a few days ago and I really like it so far. I’m not super far in – I’m on episode 11 right now – but I thought it’d be cool to list my favorite characters so far and see how the list changes as I keep watching. I’m not gonna make a specific order because honestly a lot of them are tied for their rankings. There might be spoilers in here, but only for like the very beginning of the series.
Mikasa
Mikasa is probably my #1 right now. I really like her. She’s super powerful and hardcore, but she shows her emotions too. I like how she’s basically a big sister to Armin and Eren and loves them like they’re her family but she will also smack them if they’re being stupid. Eren especially just needs to be smacked sometimes, and Mikasa will do it without hesitation. She’s so cool.
I love Armin. He’s almost always scared and crying, but he’s also brave and really smart. I also love his relationships with Eren and Mikasa. They’re always encouraging him and telling him how important he is and he’s always managing to save them with his smart plans. Poor Armin is just a little insecure blond boy. He needs more confidence. I’m excited to see how he grows throughout the series.
Levi has only been on screen like two times so far but I like him. Mostly because he’s super powerful and really caring. Also, he’s hot. I don’t know, he hasn’t really been developed yet. I’ll probably have valid reasons to like him further into the show.
Jean is cool. I first started liking him when they were in the boot camp and he was pretty much the only person who wasn’t a jerk to Eren, Armin, and Mikasa. He’s had good character development so far, too. He’s definitely a leader, even if he denies it.
Those are my favorite characters so far. Eren isn’t in there because I think he’s whiny and kind of annoying. I’ll make an update of my favorite characters after I finish the series so I can see what’s changed.
I haven’t really been into Taylor Swift’s music since elementary school, but I really like the 10-minute version of All Too Well. Here are my favorite lyrics from it.
“Til we were dead and gone and buried Check the pulse and come back swearing it’s the same After three months in the grave”
Love the metaphor here. I feel like I’ve also been in a toxic, loveless relationship when I hear this lyric.
“You kept me like a secret, but I kept you like an oath”
If your partner is trying to hide your relationship when you’ve told them you don’t want to, that’s a red flag. They’re definitely doing something shady if they’re completely against having a public relationship when you want one.
“And you call me up again just to break me like a promise So casually cruel in the name of being honest”
This lyric is really pretty. I love it. I don’t like people who say mean things and then try to excuse their words because they’re “just saying” or “just being honest.” Like, it’s not that hard to not be a jerk.
“You said if we had been closer in age maybe it would have been fine And that made me want to die”
This lyric definitely sums up the fundamental problem with Taylor’s relationship with the unnamed man (who is Jake Gyllenhaal). Taylor was only 20 when she started dating a 29-year-old. It might not seem like a big gap because they were both legal adults, but that’s the same age gap between a 16-year-old and a 25-year-old. That perspective makes the age gap clearly inappropriate. Also, Taylor was barely an adult. She had only been of age for two years, whereas Jake had been an adult for over ten years. She realizes later that he took advantage of her because she was young and is ashamed of it.
“But you keep my old scarf from that very first week Cause it reminds you of innocence and it smells like me”
Here’s another lyric that points out the problem of their relationship. Her scarf reminds him of innocence because she was barely an adult when he started dating her. She was young and innocent, and she didn’t realize that their relationship was inappropriate until it was over. Jake went after her because she was young, pretty, and didn’t know any better.
“Wind in my hair, you were there You remember it all”
This lyric is a reprise of the end of the first chorus. Taylor changes the lyric from “I was there I remember it all.” to address Jake and say “you were there you remember it all.” It points out that Taylor wasn’t solely at fault for ending up in a bad relationship with someone too old for her. Jake was also there, and Jake knew exactly what he was doing. He remembers everything too, but he doesn’t have the same shame around the relationship that Taylor does. Taylor didn’t know that the relationship wasn’t okay, but Jake did and he pursued her anyways.
“And I was never good at telling jokes, but the punch line goes I’ll get older, but your lovers stay my age”
I love the blatant call-out. It’s also completely accurate. Jake’s current girlfriend, Jeanne Cadieu, is 25 years old. He’s 40 years old. It doesn’t take a psychologist to realize all the reasons why this isn’t okay at all, but for reference – Jake would be 21 years old (the legal drinking age in the U.S.) while Jeanne was 6 (in 1st grade in the U.S.). With an age gap this big, it doesn’t matter if they’re both of legal age right now because it doesn’t change the fact that there’s a huge gap in maturity, experience, and understanding of right and wrong. The age gap is completely ridiculous and frankly disgusting.
In conclusion, Jake Gyllenhaal is a creep and a borderline pedophile. If this statement seems like an exaggeration, consider the fact that if Jake was attracted to a 25-year-old when he was 40 and a 20-year-old when he was 29, it’s reasonable to assume that he was attracted to minors when he was in his early and mid-twenties. He has a pattern of dating people that are much younger than him.
I really like this song even though the content is sad. I reccomend listening to it.
I thought this would be a cool thing to research and write about. I’m not super into astrology. I have Co-Star (an astrology app) and I know my big three signs, but I don’t really know what the signs mean. It’ll be fun to see what I learn while writing this post.
Please be respectful even if you don’t believe that zodiac signs actually indicate these traits in people. Also remember that the science of zodiac signs existing is real. Astrology is a pseudoscience, meaning it’s not scientifically proven, but the way your zodiac signs are determined is astronomy. Your zodiac signs are calculated based on positions of planets and constellations, so that part isn’t a matter of spiritual belief but rather scientific belief.
First I’ll do an introduction to the concept of zodiac signs. The zodiac signs are based on twelve constellations that exist in our galaxy, the Milky Way. These constellations are Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Pisces, and Aquarius. Since planets and stars are always moving due to gravitational pulls, the positions of the constellations at the time of your birth is going to be different from nearly everyone else. While many people will have the same sun signs, I would assume that you share an identical chart with probably one or two other people in the world.
To calculate your complete and accurate zodiac chart, you need to know the date, year, time, and location of your birth. You probably can’t do this yourself since it would take hours of research to find the positions of the planets and constellations at the exact moment you were born, so there are apps and websites that will calculate your chart for you.
Your chart tells you the zodiac signs corresponding with where the sun, the moon, and the planets (including Pluto) were when you were born, as well as the sign that was ascending/rising when you were born.
There’s also houses which relate to the constellations and their general locations in the galaxy, but I honestly don’t understand them at this point so I won’t try to pretend I know what the significance of the houses are.
Like I said before, I’m just going to analyze my big three signs in this post. The post would get really long if I analyzed all my signs, and I would probably have a meltdown from my brain trying to process all the information.
Also, for people who don’t know much about astrology, your “big three” are your sun sign, moon sign, and ascendant/rising sign.
Gemini Sun
Your sun sign is the sign that was aligned with the sun and the earth when you were born. Sun signs change in about 30 day increments, or approximately every month. These signs usually start a bit more than halfway through a month. For example, Gemini season is generally considered to be from May 20 to June 20. The exact days of the seasons usually vary by a day or two year to year because the tilt of the earth’s axis slightly changes the way that the constellation aligns.
In astrology, sun signs tell your identity, personality traits, and your role in life. Let’s see what astrology says about Geminis.
Geminis suns are generally described as curious, spontaneous, adaptable, clever, and extroverted. I’m not really an extrovert, but otherwise that’s pretty accurate. I’m pretty sure I get those traits from my ADHD¹ though, not being a Gemini.
The trait mainly focused on for Geminis is flexibility. It’s said that Geminis crave options and the ability to fluctuate between different activities. Having to choose definitively makes Geminis nervous. However, they also need to have many options open for them if they’re going to make an important choice. That’s pretty accurate for me, but again, these could all be ADHD-related.
The Gemini constellation is the twins Castor and Pollux from Greek and Roman mythology. Geminis are said to be “two-faced” because of the way they change in every circumstance. This trait is, again, related to my ADHD. It’s literally masking, which is when a neurodivergent* person suppresses their traits to seem neurotypical**. I now have a feeling that a lot of the descriptions of my signs are going to be things that I feel or do because of my ADHD.
Co-Star says that since my sun sign is in my 4th house, I “distinguish [my]self from others through [my] home and family” (www.costarastrology.com). I’m not sure what that means, but thank you, Co-Star.
Your moon sign is the sign that was aligned with – you guessed it – Earth’s moon and Earth when you were born. The location and the date of your birth is the most important for finding your moon sign because the sign depends on where the moon was in relation to where you were born. It changes about every two days because the moon orbits the earth.
In astrology, moon signs dictate your emotions.
Pisces moons are supposedly empathetic, sensitive, kind, and vulnerable. I don’t really see it. I guess I could come off as empathetic, but really I just hyper-analyze people so I can mask my neurodivergency better. I’m sensitive when it comes to animals and fictional characters, but otherwise not really. I mean, I hope I come off as kind, but I wouldn’t say that’s one of my main qualities. I’m not really vulnerable either.
Co-Star says my moon sign is in my 2nd house so I ” find security and safety through money and material possessions.” Yeah, I see that one.
Your ascendant/rising sign is the constellation that was on the Eastern horizon when you were born. The rising sign is highly variable because it changes every two hours because of the movement of the earth.
In astrology, rising signs describe how you appear to other people.
Capricorn risings appear serious, capable, and ambitious, but also insecure and unsure about the future. That makes sense to me. I’m pretty serious in my classes and get annoyed easily when people are goofing off. I’d say I’m capable. If I want or need to do something, I’ll do it. I also have high goals for the future, so ambitious sounds right. Insecure and unsure about the future also resonate with me. That kind of connects to my Gemini sun and being indecisive. When I think about the future, I’m not sure what path I want to take and I get worried that I’ll choose something that I won’t actually like doing.
Co-Star says my rising sign is in my 1st house, but it doesn’t elaborate on that fact and I have no idea what houses mean, so I guess that’s it for my rising sign.
Well, I didn’t relate to everything that astrology said about me, but that’s okay. It was cool to see the different interpretations of my signs. Maybe I’ll analyze the rest of my placements in another post.
Footnotes:
1 – These are traits commonly associated with or caused by ADHD, but having these traits does not inherently mean you have ADHD.
* – Neurodivergent refers to a person with a mental disability which causes them to have a different neurotype (brain setup) than the majority of people. People considered neurodivergent have ADHD, autism/ASD, FASD, and/or many other disorders.
** – Neurotypical refers to a person who isn’t neurodivergent.
Leading up to the college visit trip I took last week, I was adamant about applying and going to NYU. So adamant in the fact that I was prepared to apply early decision, meaning if I got in I would have to attend.
When I tell you I was saved by a thread I mean it. I was millimeters away from making the worst decision ever.
NYU was not the place for me. I had thought that going to a school without a campus would be fun, my experience this summer in New York made me feel free, and living in New York and attending school seemed ideal. This was mostly because I was with one of my closest friends whose sister went there, so we spent most of our time shopping and eating rather than being students. It was a whole different story at the school. The tour guide talked more about her getting cut from the quidditch team than student life and did many other similar things, making me realize that maybe I wanted more of a college experience.
I had just gone to see Michigan before NYU, where I went tailgating and sat in the student section at the Big House. My friend who goes there showed me around and showed me what it is like to be a student at a big school. I had the best time and realized that this is something I can’t go without in college. I also thought the traditional campus layout would make studying easier, everything was just more simple.
These two factors combined and made me realize what an idiot I had been. Judging my college choices on a fun week I had without considering schools, sheerly basing the biggest choice I will have made in my young life on location.
I feel super relieved I changed my mind about applying to NYU early decision, and that I went on the tour as the feels at the schools were different than the ideas in my head of what they would feel like. It feels surreal that I was that close to making such a big choice based on nothing.
My music taste fluctuates a lot, and I’m constantly finding new songs to play on repeat until I hate them. Here are the songs I’ve been playing nonstop for the past week or so.
Tend the Garden by Gang of Youths
This song has such beautiful music, and it’s pretty sad. I mean, that’s to be expected from Gang of Youths; they did also make the song Achilles Come Down. Like Achilles Come Down, it’s a narrative, and it’s sang from the perspective of a father who presumably did something horrible and won’t ever forgive himself for having to leave his children. It’s a really poetic song and there’s a good amount of fairly obscure Biblical references, so if you’re into that kind of thing, definitely give it a listen. (Or a million listens, like I’ve done.)
This song is so fun to listen to. The music is a perfect blend of upbeat and chill. Joji has such a beautiful voice, too. It’s a really sweet love song and isn’t really sad. Good to listen to if you’re just looking for good vibes.
This song is totally different from the other two, but it’s so good. It’s basically another version of Black Beatles by Rae Sremmurd. The rhymes in it are super clever. If you like artists like cupcakKe, Megan Thee Stallion, and Cardi B, you’ll probably like this song.
Those are my favorite songs right now. They definitely all have very different vibes, but I listen to all of them all the time. I hope if you check them out, you like them too!
So, as of right now my test results haven’t come back, but I’m pretty sure I have covid. My mom and dad both came back positive when they were tested, and seeing as I have been quite sick over the last week I’m pretty damn sure its covid. My mom is holding out hope that I’m negative so I can go to school, but I’m less optimistic. The actual sickness hasn’t been all that bad most of the time. The worst part for me are the headaches and the dizziness. Plus I’ve had these weird things I call “brain shocks” that I normally get when I miss my meds. I really don’t know how to describe them other than brain shocks. Thats like what they are, they suck ass though. When I was taking a different medication, Pristyq, they would get so bad that I would blink and get them. They suck, a lot. Anyway, I’m hoping I can go to school soon but I kinda doubt it. I probably won’t be back till next week, which sucks because I’m gonna get behind in AP chem and that is not good at all. Luckily it gives me more time to work on my research paper for english that I still have not finished. Anyway, long story short, don’t get covid, its not a vibe.
Recently I have devoted a majority of my free time to watch a popular show known as Ozark, In this show, a financial advisor named Marty Byrde launders money for a Mexican cartel led by Omar Navarro. This intriguing show has made me question the difficulty and danger brought on by working for the cartel. In the show, the money laundering is the easiest part, with the true difficulty pressuring the financial wiz when the cartel’s enforcer demands millions of dollars through a plan that Byrde made while grasping at straws, with his life on the line. Marty’s predicament is an interesting one as his life is at stake not due to his own actions, but because of his business partner named Bruce. Bruce messed with the gas gauges on the trucks that move the money-making them appear heavier, allowing him to skim money from the cartel. Bruce’s ingenious strategy was uncovered when the cartel’s enforcer got him to tell him in a very large bluff. Bruce’s decision is the only reason why Marty is in danger.
For this reason of other people being the sole reason why Marty and his family are in danger, I question the difficulty of actually working with this fictional cartel. I understand it may not be broadcasted as a direct correlation to a real cartel or their actions, but if I was working for this cartel alone, I believe I could become successful. It seems to be nothing more than keeping your head down, doing your job, doing it well, and doing it right. By following these four self-help tips, I could prosper in this minacious work environment. In my opinion, the difficulty would come in the numbers. Although Ozark paints money laundering as a walk in the park, I believe I would face real difficulty in making millions of dollars simply appear. Marty Byrde truly is a miracle man in this right and in the right of evading the cartel for so long, however, I think I could be a valid replacement with a small crash course on laundering money efficiently. Not that I would do it 😃.
So ya boi was driving to get lunch during his robotics meet, and basically he slid out and hit a pole. He all good tho so like we chillin but the car is not chillin. There was a lot of oil and transmission fluid leaking and power steering fluid all over the place. But it might not be super bad because the side that hit the pole is the one with all the fluid tanks so I guess we’ll see.
“Practice makes perfect” but nobody cares about practice, they care about applying said practice. When I go up and down a basketball court practicing my jump shot, I don’t like tirelessly throwing the ball straight up and down, I like watching my jump shot clearly improve when I start shooting. My jump shot in the past struggled, it struggled to even hit the backboard. My jump shot would consistently sky the backboard by a cool 6 inches, I sucked. Perfect. The worse I am at something, the more I can improve. The worse I am, the faster I can get better. Liking something to improve is not the best quality however, because when I attain a goal I had been striving for, I become intoxicated by my achievement, but I feel nothing for the sport. I find joy in reaching a goal that once felt unreachable. This has lead me to succeed at many thing and then quickly quit, wether it be certain video games, skateboarding, lacrosse, or basketball. I don’t count this as quitting, I just count it as losing interest.
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