Some Thoughts On The Matter

    Hello! I'm not going to lie to you, I wasn't really planning on writing about the Incredibles for one of these blogs, but as luck would have it, I ended up watching it for my Multicultural Film class, so I actually have a few thoughts about it. As a part of my assignment for the class, I had to choose a social concept (race, gender, class, etc.) and apply it to the movie, analyzing what the film says about the topic. Admittedly, I was lost at first on what to write about, but after watching the movie, I think I'm going to write about the Incredibles' depiction of masculinity and how it rejects the traditional idea of what being a man means in favor of a more compassionate aspiration for men. At least, that's what I think  I'm going to write about. The paper itself isn't due until mid-December, so I'll use this blog as a very rough draft to get some ideas out!     From the very beginning of the movie, a few things are made evident about Mr. Incredible...

     Sometimes, you will have an idea so stupid, so ridiculous, that you can't help but go along with it, just because it would be funny. The beautiful thing about having friends that are just as stupid as you, however, is that they will also  go along with whatever stupid idea you have, because that's what friends are for. What happened last night is one of these moments.     It all began when I was scrolling through Instagram Reels in the afternoon, before meeting up with my friends for the first night of the infamous Talloweekend. As I scrolled past reel after reel, I finally found this short video  which I inexplicably found very funny. There isn't anything high-brow to it: it's just a guy singing a wrestling song. In spite of this, my low-tier sense of humor had latched onto the way the guy sang the words, and decided that I would work it into my vocabulary, if only for a night.     When I got to my friends' apartment and began preparing...

      Inspiration for a blog always hits at the funniest, most random of moments. I had been struggling to come up with a concept for a blog for a while now, since not much has been happening lately that I would deem writing a blog for. However, as I was lying in bed listening to music, wondering about what I could write about, I realized that it was my music that I could talk about today!     Specifically, I wanted to talk about how I organize the music I listen to, since that's probably the most unique part about what I listen to (I'm not one to be bragging about how good my music taste is, the quality varies wildly). Most people I know organize their music into different "moods" or "vibes", and some others just keep all of their music in one mega playlist. However, I have yet to find another person who sorts their music by year: meaning that I have one playlist per year, and after the year passes, I can't listen to that playlist for a year.     I'...

     Recently I was tasked with presenting a report and analysis of the film Nope (2022) which was directed by Jordan Peele for my Multicultural Film class. Having watched Nope  a few years ago, I rewatched it today in order to refresh my memory, and to my surprise, I ended up liking it a lot more than I remembered!     I want to preface this by saying I am decidedly NOT a fan of the horror genre. As much as I'd like to say something smart-sounding like how I think they're cheaply written and provide little more substance other than being gore-fests, in reality I have to admit that I'm really just a bit of a coward when it comes to scary movies. I'm very easily startled by loud noises or jumpscares in films (if there is a sudden sting of music I could literally jump while watching a comedy movie) and so whenever I get invited to watch a properly scary movie, I usually fumble with my excuses and say I'm busy or something.     In my opinion, the ma...

      If there's one thing that is known about me, I'd like to think that its how much I enjoy spending time with my friends. I count myself very lucky to have met the people I have and clicked with them so early into my life, as many go years searching for "their people" and some never find them. Fortunately for me, I was both lucky enough to meet my friends very early on in my life, and also born during a time where it has never been easier to stay in touch with friends, regardless of physical distance between us. There used to be a fear that with college splitting us up, we'd drift apart, but thanks to modern technology, I feel like they never left my side, since I talk with my friends in different colleges pretty much every day!     Through it all, online gaming has been what kept our group from unraveling. We all have pretty different majors, interests, and schedules, but the one constant throughout all of us has been gaming. As corny as it sounds, I d...

      Hey! Every now and then, there are days where my schedule is open, the skies are clear, and a swift breeze carries through the streets and paths of Tallahassee. On those days, I can't help but take a minute to appreciate the small things in life: good weather, good friends, the quietness of a peaceful day. Oftentimes, I find myself getting caught up in the urgency of everything, with work deadlines, looming grad school plans, and distant events seemingly clogging up every minute of my day with worry and stress. But on days like these, those thoughts evaporate, leaving me calm and appreciative of every aspect of my lucky life.     Because really, I am very lucky. Sure, I have days where I can get pretty overwhelmed by some bullshit at the apartment, or strict project deadlines I have to meet, or the feeling I need to make time for the important people in my life when I don't have time to spare. But generally, I am blessed to be in the position I'm in, with ...

           Recently, storms have been plaguing Florida, first hitting Tallahassee a while ago, and now this week, a Category 5 hurricane headed straight for Orlando and Gainesville. As students from both UF and UCF had began to flee their cities to seek shelter at home, I received a sudden text from my long time buddy Jaime, who asserted that he would be stopping by for a few days to avoid the disaster. Faced with the decision between having to clean up my room or reject my friend of 16 years and send him back into the storm of death, I begrudgingly accepted his self-invite and prepared for his arrival.     There isn't a whole lot to be said for his arrival. We embraced in my apartment's parking lot, caught up for a bit, and helped unpack all of his stuff from his car. He came bearing gifts for Wade and I, which included a monitor and a nice blanket :) I brought him along for my meeting at the Kudzu Review, got dinner with him, met up with Wade, a...

      If you've read any of my blog posts about my current living situation, you would know its far from the ideal living conditions I had in mind for this year. From roach-infested rooms to obnoxiously loud and filthy roommates, I've had just about enough of living here. Unfortunately, I'm stuck with this rat hole for the next year, and I can't be bothered to request a move into another unit in the complex since I'd be too busy with classes. So, in order to fix the situation of the present to have a better future, I needed to take a look at the past to see what led me here.     The unfortunate reality of why Wade and I got stuck in this less-than-stellar living arrangement is that it was a matter of bad luck. We're no strangers to unfortunate odds, since we had been living at what was considered the worst dorm on campus for a year, but we had been able to make that work for us. However, our plans for living in an apartment-style dorm this year was crushed when ...

     When you turn on the TV, do you think you have an equal chance of seeing a man or a woman? Historically, it has been an uphill battle to have film and television represent women on equal grounds as men, and though there has been a lot of progress made in the last few decades, can it be considered acceptable yet? As of recent times, women have been more active in industry, education, and labor, and therefore, it is reasonable to connect this increased presence in society to an increased representation within our entertainment and news media. However, while the quantity of women represented in media has changed, can the same truly be said for the quality of women being represented?                 In short, not yet. As mentioned previously, there has been a higher inclusion of female characters in television and film, both in leading and supporting roles. However, the higher inclusion of fema...