Pets I Want

I’m a big animal person. When I’m an adult, I’m probably going to have a ton of pets that I either own or am fostering. Here are some of the pets I want the most.

A cat (hairless or otherwise)

I’m allergic to cats, so if I get a cat in the next few years, it’ll probably have to be a hairless cat or a cat with hypoallergenic hair. I recently started allergy shots, but it’ll take a few years before I get to a point where I can actually have a non-hypoallergenic cat without problems. In the meantime, I’ll keep feeding my neighborhood cat so that my house is his favorite house on the block.

How to Care for a Hairless Cat
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A Study Linking 'Girls' and Cats Draws Jeers, Then Disappears
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More dogs

I have one dog right now, but I want to have a lot more in the future. I really like bigger dogs like retrievers and shepherds, so I’d love to have a few when I have my own house. Small dogs are super cute too, though. Honestly, I love all dogs.

Labrador Retriever Dog Breed Information
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Opossums

This one shouldn’t be a surprise. I wouldn’t keep them as pets, but I would like to care for disabled opossums that can’t live in the wild. Besides, opossums actually live longer in captivity than they do in the wild. I’ll give them fun outfits.

Photo credit: @itsmesesame on Instagram

Rats

Rats are really cute, and they actually make pretty good pets. They usually have to live in bigger groups so they don’t get lonely, so I’ll have a rat colony. They don’t live super long, which is really sad, but I still want to give them good lives.

This photo really shows off the size difference between Charlie and  Ginger's ears. | Cute rats, Pet rats, Pet rodents
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Lizards

My best friend has leopard geckos and crested geckos, and I’m in love with them. Most lizards actually live for a really long time– leopard geckos live about 15 years and crested geckos can live 15-20 years. They also have pretty dynamic personalities. Some of my friend’s lizards like to be left alone in their enclosures, and some like to be held and played with. I think they would make for really fun pets.

Honestly, I could keep going on about the pets I want, but I’ll probably have my hands completely full if I end up getting all of these animals.

74 Cute Leopard Gecko Compilation That Will Melt Your Heart - ExoPetGuides
https://exopetguides.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/cutest-leopard-gecko.jpg

The Moral Code

What is right or wrong in the world? Who decides why people harbor certain emotions and reactions to anything? Who designs the moral code? If I were to kill a person, many people would agree that I am inherently a bad person. Why is that? I understand there is a uniqueness to life, and I would never want to kill another person, but in my mind nothing actually has any true consequence or meaning. So why can people decipher what is right or wrong. Its a real mind-fuck to be honest, and there really isn’t an answer. I suppose I’ll have to decide my morals as they are questioned, hopefully I choose right.

Seven moral rules found all around the world

https://phys.org/news/2019-02-moral-world.html

The City So Nice They Named It Twice

I thought New York was such a mess all around. I thought New York has so many crimes happening every day. I thought New York only had cloudy days. I thought New York had nothing that attracted me. I thought I knew all the facts about New York. 

My parents told me so much why they didn’t like New York. 

I watch the news on television about how terrible New York is.

However, It’s really different from what I expected. 

My parents are right about the environment. It is a little messy all around the street, plus, there are lots of homeless people who come to me asking for money. Although there is trash all around the city, New York City is still attractive to me. After all, the people, the city, and the weather make it impossible for me to not see how perfect NYC is. 

The best part that I will never forget is when I went to Time Squares for the first time. That night, right after dinner, my friends took me to Time Squares. The city looked vivid with the colorful LED lights and screens shining all over the city. As I walk towards the center of the street, listening to some random people playing the song, Empire State of Mind by JAY- Z, I feel alive again for the first time. At that moment I knew I became a New Yorker and I wanted to be a New Yorker. Watching people walking pass by with smiles on their faces. Don’t tell me it’s not paradise while everyone can be whoever they want to be and enjoy the night with their loved ones. It’s difficult to describe with words as there are so many beautiful and exciting moments happening every second.

My Favorite Attack On Titan Characters So Far

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.

The Voices of Mikasa Reflect on Attack on Titan, And What's In Store For  Her in Season Two | Geek and Sundry
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Armin

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.

Armin Arlert from Attack on Titan | CharacTour
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Levi

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.

Attack on Titan Fans Are Begging the Finale to Let Levi Live
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Jean

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.

Attack on Titan Season 3 Episode 4 Review: Trust - Den of Geek
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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.

My Favorite Lyrics from All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)

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.

Video by Taylor Swift on YouTube

Taylor Swift: Red (Taylor's Version) Album Review | Pitchfork

https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/taylor-swift-red-taylors-version/

An Analysis of My Big Three Zodiac Signs

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.

The Sign of the Great Twins – Things You Should Know About a Gemini Child!
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Pisces Moon

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.

Constellation pisces astrological sign Royalty Free Vector
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Capricorn Rising

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.

The Zodiac Sign Capricorn Symbol - Personality, Strengths, Weaknesses –  Labyrinthos
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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.

I had Covid

I tested positive for Covid over winter break and it t’was not a fun experience. I had no symptoms, except I slept for 13 hours the night I tested positive. I had to quarantine for 10 days and it sucked. The only good that came out of my quarantine was that I came out of retirement for my Fortnite career. Having Covid was not an enjoyable experience, I could not hang out with friends, I could not go to the gym, and I could not go to work. I highly recommend not getting Covid.

Food Safety and the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) | FDA
pc: fda.gov

My 3 Favorite Songs Right Now

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.)

Gang Of Youths Share New Song "Tend The Garden": Listen
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Sanctuary by Joji

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.

Sanctuary (Joji song) - Wikipedia
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2e/Joji_-_Sanctuary.png

Black Barbies by Nicki Minaj

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.

Black Barbies by Nicki Minaj | Song | Free Music, Listen Now on Myspace
https://a4-images.myspacecdn.com/images04/1/1a41d7c226154bda9a766dae5aae0d26/300×300.jpg

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!

Do You Remember That Time… 2020…

Photo Credit: Tuscaloosa News

Do you remember when we got an alert about the new virus, the Coronavirus (COVID-19), and we were all so scared about it in 2020? People die every day, plus, we know nothing about this new virus. We stayed home and used Rubbing alcohol to spray everywhere when we got home right away. We began to lose the ability to connect with the other person. Sometimes we call our family or friends saying Hi to them and talk about how they are doing recently just to try to imagine we were talking to a “real” person. After a year in online class or work, we lost the motivation to do anything, we only have that little energy left to keep scrolling on our phones. Watching the public prank videos on Youtube from years before, and started to imagine when am I going to talk and meet new friends after the pandemic. At last, we all laughed and cried to celebrate the 2021 new year at home.

It’s only been two years but feels like it happened a long time ago.

When Omicron came up almost at the end of  2021, it didn’t scare anyone much. I noticed that people started to see this type of virus as a common cold. People don’t wear masks around, even gather with another person in the same room. People tell others that they have COVID, but they don’t care about it as long as they know they are fully vaccinated. Time has changed the way we see or think about the virus. The Covid deaths have begun to spike quickly after people gathered to celebrate the 2022 new year without putting their masks on. However, I wish we could go back to “normal” life when we all go to school or the amusement park without having our masks on.

Photo Credit: ABC News (2021)

Covid

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.

Sick Flu Vector Illustration Poor Guy Stock Vector (Royalty Free) 43639450

photo credit: shutterstock