Gonna Fool em All

Good evening everyone and welcome to a late night edition of The Magical Mystery Blog.

Today is April Fool’s Day, a day where we prank others for fun. Some tend to go to the extremes with pranks, while others go for classic tricks or stay simple. Every year, Google has performed pranks that blew many Internet users’ minds. However, this year’s prank takes the Pokepuff.

Google Maps houses this year’s April Fool’s prank, which is only available for mobile devices. By clicking on the app and hitting “Press Start”, you can search and capture Pokemon throughout the world. It’s even rumored that if you catch all the Pokemon, you could achieve Google’s official “Pokemon master” status.

This feature will run until April 2nd, when it will disappear from our lives. Until then, let’s enjoy one of the greatest April Fool’s pranks Google has ever had. So far I’ve managed to capture Samurott, Pikachu, and Pichu.

Feel free to comment and reblog, and as always feedback and followers are welcomed. Tonight I leave you with a question: What was the first Pokemon you captured using Google’s Pokemon feature?  

Poetry: Food for the Soul

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Tonight, I share some fantastic news with everyone. My old community college’s literary magazine has accepted my submissions and will be displaying some of my poetry in this year’s issue.  Also as far as I’m concerned, my other college’s literary magazine will also be publishing a few of my poems.  My poetry deals with a ton of different elements, but here are my top five subjects that I often write about.

5. People

Call me crazy, but people watching is rather fun. The actions they do, how they perform them, often tell you what type of person they are. They also make for good inspiration when it comes to poetry. How gently a woman can pick up something as opposed to someone else lifting an object aggressively. How a person tries to copy someone else’s actions and how they may fail or succeed in doing so. Everyone is different, making them interesting, dull, klutzy, or lively.

4. Objects

It’s easy to personify objects, especially in poetry. The verses become a canvas for you to morph something like an orange into a moon. Sometimes I twist normal items into something new and different things. I love doing that because it plays with the reader’s mind, challenging them to think of an object as something else.

3. Nature

Nature is a concept often used in art and literature. Great poets like Lord Byron and Emerson have written about the beauty of nature in many forms, from the forests to night. I mostly write about my two loves of nature: the night (and all its’ details) and the sea. I’ve always admired the sea and the mysteries and beauty it contains. I’ve often found the night soothing and beautiful, it relaxes me, and allows me to do my best work during that time.

2. Personal Experiences

Everyone has experiences that affect them in some way or another. My experiences have ranged from fantastic to unusual and everything in between. They’re usually my fuel for most of my poems when other muses fail me.

1. Life

Life is a beast. On some day it’s kind and gentle towards you. Other days, it could be vicious and unmerciful for no reason. It is an inspiring monster that cannot be tamed, but rather ridden with every passing day. Every day presents something new to be inspired by or contemplate.  For me, I take these events as bits of inspiration.  

Feel free to reblog and comment, and as always feedback and followers are welcomed. Before this entry concludes, I like to ask everyone a question:

What inspires you to write? 

Grayson Gets His Day

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

This past week has been filled with controversy raising topics from the death of Fred Phelps to the “My Little Pony” backpack.  Grayson Bruce, a nine year old attending Candler Elementary school, was told to leave his Rainbow Dash backpack at home because it was making him an easy target for bullies.  

bilerico.com

No sooner this order was given, the Internet exploded with controversy, anger, and confusion. Bruce was unaware of the outcome his backpack would bring and while wearing it, he endured physical and verbal assaults on a daily basis. As opposed to punishing the bullies for constantly attacking him, the principal chose to punish Bruce. However, the bullying took place way before he started bringing Rainbow Dash to school with him. If anything, the backpack just made it worse, which is a shame because the boy adores the show, claiming it isn’t girly at all.

In the past, “My Little Pony” was aimed towards girls, and if boys liked it, they were immediately teased for liking it. Now since the series has been rebooted, boys are watching the show alongside girls. Boys like Bruce, are buying action figures of Fluttershy and Apple Jack because they enjoy the show. They’re expressing themselves and Mrs. Bruce, his mother, understands that. What she doesn’t understand, along with people who are following this story, is that her son was punished for being himself as opposed to the bullies who were always ragging on him.

Since the incident, the nine year old has stopped taking “My Little Pony” items to school  and has been homeschooled; until three days ago.  With support from those who liked the Support for Grayson Facebook page and hash tagged #supportforgrayson, Candler Elementary is welcoming back the “My Little Pony” loving Bruce.

While this is all well and good, this story shows the flawed logic of our society. If we try to be ourselves, we are immediately bullied, and/or reprimanded to fit the norm. As children and even as we grow, we are taught two lessons that clash with each other: be yourself and go with the flow. So what are we to believe? If we be ourselves, we may be bullied and/or reprimanded. If we conform, we’ll be like everyone else. Bruce was taught by his mother to be himself. Even supporters on Facebook agreed that he should stand for what he likes, regardless of what anyone has to say about it.

I've always been taught to conform to the norm which frankly, I'm sick of doing. There is no normal because there's no clear definition for it other than going with the flow. But the flow constantly changes, so it's never the same. Besides, no one has the same life. Our lives are different, which aid in shaping us to being different and being ourselves. What may be an ideal situation for me, could be a disastrous occurrence for someone else.

Besides, I like to stand out anyway because I love who I am. I am a twenty three year old who enjoys playing video games, geeking out to pop culture, analyzing literature, and loving art. 

Fellow readers where do you stand? Do you like to stand out from the crowd and be yourself? Or do you like to be conservative and conform to the norm?

The Passing of Phelps: To Mourn or to Celebrate

Good evening everyone and welcome to a late night entry of The Magical Mystery Blog.

The Internet erupted with the passing of Fred Phelps, the founder of the Westboro Baptist Church. The Westboro Baptist Church (WBC for short), has done many terrible, and unforgiveable acts of unneeded protest and violence in the past. Most assaults were targeted towards homosexuals because of their extremist ideology that homosexuals are horrible people. They have even gone so far to protest the funeral of homosexual soldiers killed in combat and Lady Gaga concerts.  Thankfully, people have fought against them in the past and continue to do so.

Fred Phelps was the most hated man in existence next to Hans of the Southern Isles and Hitler. But with him gone from this world, a few questions come to mind: should we mourn his death? Should we celebrate it?

Immediately your brain jumps to ‘celebrate it’ as mine did. While my brain still chooses to believe that we should celebrate the death of a hated man, others think differently. Many people have chosen to regard his death with silence and carry on with life, knowing that a vile being has left our world. It’s what George Takei did and many are following in the wise man’s shoes. This, I agree is the mature way to handle Phelps’ death, but people will respond differently to situations.

Then there are those who wish to picket his funeral.  Even the Huffington Post polled its readers, asking if the funeral should be picketed, like he had picketed so many funerals before his death. There are nearly 14% who are undecided, 39% who say yes, and 48% who say no. In the comments below, people claim that we should give him little attention because he deserved none in life, and that no one should stoop as low as he did.

So what do you think? Should we celebrate the death of a hated man or silently regard it and carry on?

Feel free to comment and reblog, and as always feedback and followers are welcomed.

Happy Beer and Clover Day!

Good afternoon everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Today is St.Patrick’s day, a day of drinking, celebration, and having fun. As we drink to the Irish culture and follow through with the festivities, we often forget the meaning behind them, let alone the holiday.

St.Patrick’s Day celebrates the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick. Now here comes the shocking part: he wasn’t even Irish. Rather, he was born as a Roman Britain and kidnapped by means of slavery and brought to Ireland. For seventeen years he remained in Ireland until he escaped to a monastery in Gaul, France, and converted to Christianity. He later returned to Ireland in 432 as a missionary and abolished the Druids at Tara, eliminating their pagan rites, and making Christianity more widespread through Ireland. To also rid Ireland of its old pagan ways, St. Patrick drove the snakes out of the land. Serpents and snakes were often worshipped in paganism. By ridding Ireland of snakes, this was noted as a symbolic gesture of ending their pagan practice. He also baptized and converted many at his “Holy Wells” scattered throughout the land.

St.Patrick died in Ireland on March 17th, completing his mission, and leaving behind his two famous works: The Confessio (a spiritual autobiography) and Epistola (a denunciation of British cruelty towards Irish Christians). To this day, we celebrate his life and the Irish culture through the traditions of this particular holiday.

• We honor the three leaf clover (aka shamrock) because it’s what St.Patrick used to explain the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). At the end of St.Patrick’s Day, people “drown the shamrock” by placing the shamrock in a glass of whiskey and drinking it.

• Some people eat corned beef and cabbage, an Irish American dish. In the 19^th century, Irish immigrants were poor and could only afford this meal on St.Patrick’s Day.

• States all over America have St.Patrick’s Day parades. Originally, the holiday was celebrated as a religious day in Ireland, but as Ireland immigrants came over to America, they made it quite a celebratory event. New York held the first St.Patrick’s Day parade in 1762; by the 19^th century, the parades were a ritual.

• Some St.Patrick’s Day décor includes little mythical creatures called leprechauns. Leprechauns are a part of Irish folklore and come from the word ‘luchorpan’ which means ‘little bodies’.

What do you like to do for St.Patrick’s Day? Feel free to comment and reblog, and as always feedback and followers are welcomed.

All Irished Up

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

St. Patrick’s day is just like New Year’s: one moment you’re celebrating and drinking your weight, the next you’re waking up with a hangover and a leprechaun’s phone number. It’s the perfect time of the year to get Irished up and have fun. Here are some drinks to help you bring in the luck of the Irish.

1. The Magical Leprechaun

1 cup of champagne                
3/4 cup of lemonade
1/2 grapefruit soda
1/4 cup of sparkling orange
1 drop of food coloring

This drink is for the lightweights, like myself. Champagne is a light drink that won’t have you spilling your pot of gold after the first sip. Plus this lucky concoction is rather delicious and sweet, with a mild tartness.

2. The Irish Car Bomb

A pint glass of Guinness
A shot of Jameson

This beverage exists in every bar on this planet. It’s a popular drink that tastes like a scoop of alcoholic ice cream which makes it even more appetizing. Simply take your shot glass of Jameson, drop it into the pint glass of Guinness, and watch the most epic explosion of beverages. For those who can handle their liquor, feel free to chug this drink until you can perfectly dance an Irish jig.

3. The Luck

1 shot of agave tequila
3/4 shot of Bols blue curaco liqueur
1 1/4 shot of orange juice
1 shot of pineapple juice
1/2 shot of lemon juice

Mix it all together and you have one very lucky drink. It’s so lucky you’ll feel as if you found your pot of gold and are reveling in its riches.

4. The Shamrock Shooter

2 oz Midori melon liqueur
1/2  oz Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey
1/2 Bailey’s Irish Cream liqueur

Some people like to garnish this drink with a little shamrock. I like to garnish it with my lips. Knock back this shot and you’ll find yourself in good spirits and swimming in luck.

What drink gets you Irished up on St.Patrick’s Day? Feel free to leave a comment and reblog, and as always feedback and followers are welcomed. 

Lestat Rises from the Coffin in a New Book

Good evening everyone and welcome to a most joyous entry at The Magical Mystery Blog.

Last night, a secret was revealed to the world, and caused it to explode with excitement. Bookworms swooned and shrieked like fans at a Paramore concert. For many, last night Lestat de Lioncourt, an eighteenth century vampire of unfiltered beauty and logic, returned to the world.

Ladies, prepare yourselves for one sexy vampire.

film.com

On March 9^th, 2014 Anne Rice announced that on October 28^th of this year, Lestat would rise from his coffin in a new book entitled, “Prince Lestat”. This book will be the eleventh in her “Vampire Chronicles” series, which features the tales of Claudia, Louis, Armand, Lestat, and tons of other vampires that fans have come to know and love. “Prince Lestat” will show the characters coming to terms with what has happened in the past and what they are doing now.

Originally in 2002 Rice claimed that the “Vampire Chronicles” series had come to a close. This upset fans who wanted to see an aftermath of everything that had occurred in the popular 80s book series. However, at a Q & A session with readers, Rice claimed that she wanted to hear what Lestat had to say about the prior events.

Not only will this be the eleventh book in the “Vampire Chronicles” series, but it will also be the last book to finish it. Rice claims that it will be a “true” sequel to the third book of the series, “Queen of the Damned”.

Fellow readers and bookworms, let’s raise our cups in honor of a fantastic writer, bringing such a terrific character back from the grave. Like many of her books before, let’s anticipate the best, and brace ourselves as we read through the last pages of Lestat de Lioncourt.

What do you think the vampires are doing now and how do you think it will tie into the wondrous tale of “Queen of the Damned”? Feel free to comment and reblog, and as always feedback and followers are welcomed.

Life: Cause Living is Fantastic

Howdy everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Apparently, this is not my fiftieth post as I originally stated in my last entry. I believed that this would be the big 5-0 of a post because I have multiple files for the blog entries. I have forty nine every day entries (this one being the fiftieth), nineteen holiday themed entries, and eleven summer of Disney entries. So really this is my seventy – fifth or eightieth entry.

….

Oh well, still let’s celebrate it with the most inspiring concept there is: life. Life is all around us and we are a part of people’s lives and we even have our own lives. How amazing is that, to do whatever we want to, be whoever we want to, and ride the roller coaster that is life. However, there are those who wish to throw their life away because they need an out, they can’t take it anymore, or other reasons.  Here are some reasons why you should never commit to death.

3. No matter what you believe you are loved. Even if your father is a jerk, he still loves you. If your siblings are mooching idiots, they love you. If your friends seem like pests, chances are, they love you. And there will come a day that you realize that you can even love yourself. It may seem lonely and depressing, but it’s by far one of the greatest loves you’ll ever have. You’ll always be with yourself regardless if you’re with 

someone or not. To throw away a life with traces of love, is like ending a symphony before the final note.

2. Life is a thousand journeys meant for traveling. Every day will not be like the day before. It will be new, different, and inviting. Each opportunity offered to you is another door opening, wanting you to step inside, and explore and grow. Go out there and be an adventurer, with every new thrill your confidence increases, your fears melt, and you blossom into a vibrant traveler. Throwing away your life is ending the tons of journeys you could take.

1. You are you. No one else can be you. You are a work of art, sculpted by the successes and downfalls of life and the many experiences they bring. You are your own person melded by your own memories, your  likes, and dislikes. For you to end your life is throwing away an original. Not only does it sadden many people, but it removes one unique piece of art from this wide world.

So the next thing you think about tying the noose or slitting your skin, please reconsider. Life is a beautiful, wondrous thing that we are lucky to be a part of.  Don’t throw it all away because you had a bad day or you discovered something terrible. Rather, punch the ground, stand tall, hold your head up, and kick some ass. 

A Serious Oscars Entry

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Again, I apologize for forgetting Friday’s entry. Over the weekend, we’ve had some important events occur, including the Oscars. With Jennifer Lawrence still tripping on her dress and Leonardo DiCaprio still not winning an Oscar (poor guy, can’t they give him a break?), the Oscars was led by the delightful and wonderful Ellen DeGeneres.  As she hosted this grand gala of celebrities, she helped in creating a night of insanity and memorable moments.

From the entire audience eating pizza, to breaking Twitter, to photobombs, and even the ultimate selfie, the night was full of laughter and merriment. However, a few serious occurrences were noted from the 2014 Oscars. These serious moments not only dealt with celebrities of the evening, but also important topics within our society.

1) Ellen and the “Transphobic” Joke

moviefone.com

Ah Ellen, the good witch of the Oscars.

In her opening monologue of the Oscars, Ellen uttered the following joke to Liza Minnelli: “Hello to the best Liza Minnelli impersonator I’ve ever seen. Good job, sir.”

From this joke, the audience was captured in silence, and the media had already noted Ellen as a transphobic person. As everyone knows this woman, she is a very accepting person. If you’re atheist, that’s fantastic. If you’re heterosexual, that’s great. If you’re God  Himself, that’s amazing. It’s the type of person she is. As for transphobic, she is not even close.

Her joke was focused more on the fact that at nearly every drag show, Liza Minelli is often portrayed by men. Liza Minnelli has also been a favorite of female impersonators. So by no means was Ellen’s joke transphobic, but rather poking fun at a celebrity as she does with many others.

2) Jared Leto

cbsnewsradio.com

Jared Leto, a cissexeual actor, took home an Oscar for his portrayal of a HIV positive transgendered woman in the movie, “Dallas Buyers Club.” While this was a great achievement for the actor, many others, especially those from the transgendered community, did not believe so.  Thousands of Twitter users tweeted that Leto did not deserve this award because he was a white, cissexual male who played a transgender role. However, this isn’t the first time Leto has been heckled for this particular role. At a Q&A session for the Santa Barbra Film Festival, a woman complained that only straight actors can play transgender roles. Others have issues with the fact that he did not thank the transgender community in his Oscars acceptance speech.

It’s good he won the award because he challenged himself to play an extremely specific role.  As for him playing the role, he is what he is, and tried to play the part to the best of his ability. He even stayed in character when offset to see how people would react to it; in hopes it would help him understand the role better.

What did you like/hate about the Oscars?

My next entry will be my fiftieth entry of The Magical Mystery Blog. If there’s anything specific you’d love to see me write about, feel free to inbox me or comment.

As always feel free to reblog, comment, and follow me.