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.
Stroman, who opted out of the shortened 60 games 2020 season, had an incredible bounce-back year. He tossed 179 innings while maintaining an era around 3 for the majority of the year, finishing with a 3.02. In his age 30 season Stroman, lead the league in starts with 33. He doesn’t have an overpowering fastball but does mix his various pitches extremely well, disrupting the timing of his opponents.
I think he signs a 3 year/72 million dollar deal with the LA Angels
#9 Kevin Gausman
Gausman had his best season of his career in 2021. He had a 2.81 era, struck out a career-high 227 batters, and was named to the National League All-Star team in mid-July. He also won a career-best 14 games out of 33 stars. Gausman had a 1.04 WHIP in 192 innings and tossed an impressive 145 era+.
I believe he re-ups in San Fransisco, signing a 4 year/77 million dollar contract with the Giants
#8 Robbie Ray
Ray was the best pitcher in the American League this year, by far. He lead the AL in several categories; era with a 2.84, games started 32, innings pitched 193.1, strikeouts with 248, era+ at 154, and a whip at 1.04. Ray will most likely receive the AL CY Young award and will also earn himself a bag this off-season.
I think he stays north of the border as the Blue Jays go all in signing him to a 4 year/117 million dollar deal
#7 Freddie Freeman
Freeman is the first bat to pop up on my list. Freeman led the Braves to a world series title in 2021 also had himself quite the year following an MVP award in 2020. He was named to his 5th career All-Star team, won his 3rd straight silver-slugger award, hit 30+ home runs, and lead the league in runs scored.
Freeman or “Mr. Brave” will remain in Atlanta for a while signing a 6 year/215 million dollar contract with the Braves
#6 Marcus Semien
Semien had his best season to date in 2021. He had career highs in home runs, rbi’s, and slugging percentage. Semien has already been awarded a gold glove and silver slugger as well as being an All-Star, he will finish in the top 3 for AL MVP too. Hitting 45 homers and driving in 102 runs as a middle infielder will definitively get a big paycheck this off-season.
I think he signs a 5 year/122 million dollar deal with Seattle
#5 Max Scherzer
Scherzer has been arguably been the greatest starting pitcher of this generation. His second of the season with the Dodgers was insane, unfortunately for Scherzer his arm ran out of gas come playoffs. However he is Max Scherzer and his numbers in 2021 were very impressive he had a 0.86 whip, a 2.46 era, and struck out 236.
I think Scherzer signs a 2 year/ 66 million dollar contract with the LA Angels
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.
Well, some debris might muck up the International Space Station. The Russians did a counter-satellite missile test, destroying one of their own satellites. While this practice is not uncommon, as it is done by many countries including the United States, most of the time it is done to satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Russia, however, destroyed a satellite in a much higher orbit, causing many large pieces of trackable debris, though these are not the real danger, it also created thousands of small untrackable pieces headed straight to the ISS. The astronauts onboard the ISS had to go into the small escape capsules on the station and wait until the ISS was out of the debris field. This has caused massive uproar amongst countries that have satellites in Earth’s orbit. It has not only put experiment and surveillance satellites at risk, but it also puts the lives of the entire crew of the ISS into harm’s way. As of today, the majority of the debris has fallen into Earth’s atmosphere and burned up leaving the ISS in the clear and allowing the crew to continue their duties on the station.
No offense to any American budget regulators, but I hate you. All of this money and they fund literally nothing useful. I mean 25% of their spending basically just goes to blowing people up and sending young men and women to die in vain for oil. And I really don’t know what the hell they do with the remaining 75%. It’s sure as hell not funding their stupid bureaucracy.
Now, this is absolutely not directed towards the people who work in these bureaucracys as I’m sure they suffer just as much if not more from this garbage system than I do. But they need to give these people better technology. I mean they basically take care of every single important document that pertains to our lives and they aren’t even given computers made after the fall of the Roman Empire.
As a newly naturalized American Citizen, I had to obtain a social security number before I could go to the DMV and get my permit. It took SEVEN MONTHS to get my SSN because they couldn’t process my docs for three months, and misspelled my name three different times before they got it right. I mean the whole backbone of our country is being run by a bunch of Commador 64s and Macintosh Computers. And before someone starts thinking Oh well there’s a whole lot of Government employees in the U.S. how would they be able to fund that? Well, if they took a few dollars out of their stupid defense budget and used it for something that actually benefits people, maybe they could buy a few computers made after the birth of Christ.
This is a half list, half internet roundup. Have a good one!
1)Biggie- main reason: not needed.
Biggie Smalls is undoubtedly the best rapper of all time. His lyrics were just as good as Tupacs but were presented with a much better flow. Also, bro was very large.
PC: Discogs
2)Action Bronson- main reason: shows, music, size, working out.
Action Bronson is my favorite rapper and chef and whatever he is of all time. His shows on vice are all incredible, his music has become my favorite of any rapper, his cookbook and olive oil are fantastic, and his workout journey recently has transformed him from short and wide to literally looking like the incredible hulk.
VC: Munchies
3)Rod Wave- main reason: good-ass music.
Rod Wave makes my favorite music to sing. He doesn’t get enough credit for his voice, which is actually really good, as most people tend to focus on the fact that he is 350 pounds and 5’6. Bro is wide.
VC: Rod Wave
4)Big Pun- main reason: size alone.
He’s 700 pounds. That’s all.
VC: Big Pun
5)Rick Ross- main reason: pears.
Monster is a top 5 song of all time, and also just about the only Rick Ross song I can name. He is just on the list for his two biggest fat guy moves of all time: pretending he likes pears and owning an insane amount of Wing Stops. “I eat pears now and shit like that…shout out to all the pear.”- Big Boss Rick Ross
VC: Spencer Mutsch
Honorable Mentions:
DJ Khaled- main reason: antics.
DJ Khaled is without a doubt the most interesting man alive. He documents everything on his Snapchat, from crashing a jet ski to getting lost on a jet ski. He always feels the need to drop motivational inspirational quotes that make no sense and always must say the most random stuff. He truly lives the most mysterious and magical life. He quit on hot ones after one wing but said “even tho I stopped I ain’t give up”. Though he doesn’t rap and his production career is questionable, he still films himself lathering his big ass with soap in his shower in his mansion in Miami. Enjoy some of his best moments as compiled below.
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.
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.
OVS Journalism Blog 
You must be logged in to post a comment.