Horoscopes

Horoscope

No, no I refuse to read this shit,

I don’t care if its being graded.

I completely refuse to read it,

There is no way I will be persuaded.

Can’t you see that horoscopes are all a sham?

How do the stars say what my day will bring?

How does the month I was born determine who I am?

Seriously why is this still a thing?

Horoscopes are meant for those with a simple mind,

They read them for good news to get through the day,

And maybe help them in their daily grind,

Actually I take back everything I say.

I could really use some good news,

We could all stand to hear something nice.

It really doesn’t matter if it’s a ruse,

As long as it helps my worries cease.

Let’s just see what mine has to say:

“In the shower you will trip on your soap,

And be out of commission the rest of the day.”

I retract what I said, screw you horoscope.

From 1st to 2nd

Original:

My senior year of high school the only thing that was getting me and every other senior through the boredom and monotony of that last year of high school was the thought of graduation.  While we everyone was excited to graduate from high school and either move on to college or get a job in the real world, what was really motivating all of us to reach this point was the week after it, senior week.  Everyone who in our class had heard the almost legendary tails of what went down at senior week from those who had graduated before us, I myself had been regaled with stories of this mythical week by my older brother. So when the time came for this glorious week to start needless to say everyone was extremely excited and ready for it.

Revision:

It is your senior year of high school and the only thing that is still getting you and every other senior through this ritualized practice of boredom and monotony is the thought of graduation.  While you and everyone else are excited about graduating and moving onto the real world either by going to college or getting a job, what is really motivating you is the thought of the week after graduation, senior week.  Everyone in your class has heard the almost legendary tails of what goes down there from the people who graduated before, you especially have heard numerous tales from your older brother.  So the time has finally come, it is your turn to experience this glorious week.

On Music

Sitting at my desk after a long day of studying, homework, and just general errands I had to do, I do my best to try to relax.  So I hop on YouTube and start playing some Tool and just sit there while I listen to the music and let myself unwind.

It truly is amazing how much music is out there that can fit any mood or feeling I could possibly have and fit any situation I am in perfectly.  Feeling really up beat and happy, toss on some Queen.  Need to feel smart while studying, play some Mozart.  Trying to set the mood on a date, put on some good old Barry White.  About to get into a drunken bar fight, play some Dropkick Murphys.  Pist off at the world and want to punch someone in the face, blare some Dying Fetus.

With all this amazing musical variety in the world it amazes me how completely dismissive people can be of certain music for no reason at all.  Some people won’t even give some bands a try just because they are a particular genre of music.  Trust me I have tried plenty of times to show people the amazingness of bands like Mastadon, only to be immediately shut down once they have heard they were metal.

Sadly it pains me to say that I used to be this exact same way, I would immediately dismiss someone trying to show me what they believed to be awesome music just because I did not like the genre.  At first it was rap, I could hardly stand listening to it.  Eventually one of my friends forced me to listen to what they thought was one of the greatest rap.  Grudgingly I listened and was immediately at how much I liked it.  I never would have thought that I would ever enjoy a group called the Wu-Tang Clan but now I can’t help but love some of their amazing songs like C.R.E.A.M. and Methodman.

Since then I have always at least tried to be open to listening to new music and because of this I have come to love new artists I never thought I would end up liking.  This love of music can be seen on my iPod were I have everything on the musical spectrum on their from Enya to Cannibal Corpse.  By being open to new things even as simple as music we are able to open ourselves up to whole new experiences.

Tayari Jones Reading

When being forced into going to something like an author reading, a person like me tends to expect the worst, thinking the event will be more boring than watching paint dry and a struggle to stay awake.  With that in mind I was actually pleasantly surprised that I relatively enjoyed Tayari Jones’ book reading.  The book she read from was about the topic of bigamy, which is something I was definitely not expecting.  It was a good story to listen to but not something I think I would ever find myself ever actually reading. 

The main reason I am glad I went was because of the question and answer section of the event.  I actually learned a lot of useful tips that I am definitely sure will help me when the time comes.  The first piece of helpful advice that she gave was to read your writing out loud, especially dialogue.  She said this will help in seeing if the writing actually sounds good when spoken and not just on paper.  Probably the most helpful advice came when she told us the story about the topiary.  When she saw a bush carved in an image she realized the bush didn’t just grow to be that way but was cut down by a gardener.  She said that this is a great way to go about writing, just write then go back and cut it down into something good.   This was an extremely helpful piece of advice because I tend to be a slow methodical writer who has to put thought into each and every word I write before I put it down on paper.