Pokemon Sun and Moon: Theorizing Everything!

Good evening everyone and welcome  to The Magical Mystery Blog.

With Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon announced for the 3DS this holiday 2016, Pokefans rejoiced over the new installation to the popular franchise. While we don’t know much about Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon, we can still theorize a few things about these upcoming games.

-New Pokemon: We already have Magearna and during the announcement video of Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon, we saw a digital rendering of a new Pokemon. At first I thought it was Fletchling due to its body shape and colors, but upon closer examination it wasn’t Fletchling. It was bird Pokemon I had never seen before. Come to think of it, with every generation release isn’t there a new Eevee type? I wonder what it will be this time; perhaps a space type given the celestial theme of this new generation?

-New location: This time our adventure takes place on a tropical island. One of the game’s screenshots revealed what appeared to be a hotel decorated with various water Pokemon and surrounded by palm trees. It would make sense for this new venture to take place in a tropical location because there hasn’t been an entire adventure devoted to any part of the tropics.

-New features: Yes, we will be receiving a new Pokecenter as well as vehicles designed to fit Pokemon for various purposes (ex.: There’s a firetruck with Blastoise seated on the back). There’s also a pickup truck and an ambulance, but what does this mean? Will we be driving now or incorporating vehicles into the game?

-The Logos: Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon, we already have a slew of Pokemon that feature traits regarding the Sun and Moon. Solrock and Lunatone, Espeon and Umbreon are just a few. With every new Pokemon generation release, there’s a new legendary Pokemon incorporated with the title. Pokemon X and Pokemon Y had Xerneas and Yveltal, Pokemon Sapphire and Pokemon Ruby had Kyogre and Groudon. So what Pokemon will represent this generation? Already released Pokemon or new Pokemon? Or perhaps even a mega evolution of Pokemon we know like Solrock and Luantone?

-The Theme: Pokemon Sun and Moon sounds cosmic to me, which means we could have another Team Galactic type of opponent. We could also have towns named after celestial bodies or planets; we could even have space exploration like in ORAS. The possibilities are endless as they are exciting and I can’t wait to see what’s in store.

Thank you for reading today’s entry. If you enjoyed it, feel free to subscribe, share, comment, and critique.

So tell me, what do you think Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon will feature?

Christmas Traditions Get Better With Age

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Christmas is usually a time for children, but who’s to say it isn’t for the young at heart? I’m a child at heart especially when those jingle bells start jingling and trees are beautifully adorned with decor. Even so, my inner child still doesn’t derive from the fact that I am an adult now and that some Christmas traditions have fallen to the way side due to time. Yet there are some holiday related events that still are just as wonderful to me as an adults as when I was a child.

Here are some Christmas traditions that get better with age:

5. Christmas Apparel

Don we now our gay apparel – especially for the holiday season. Since I was a  child I have had Christmas outfits: Christmas dresses when I was a baby and from childhood onward, Christmas pajamas that could only be worn on Christmas Eve and into Christmas Day. New pajamas are a treat because they’re warm and hopefully adorned with some awesome design (like Darth Vader), but Christmas pajamas are special. They’re pajamas ringing in yet another Christmas, a Christmas full of merriment, wonder, and elation.

4. Holiday Baking

Most children helped their parents bake during the holidays for some party or for leaving cookies out for Santa. In teen years and onward, holiday baking falls onto our shoulders by means of tradition or merely wanting to whip up a batch of cookies. I find that I love holiday baking because it allows me to further my creativity and I get to give people I care for something sweet just in time for Christmas.

3. Advent Calendars

Advent calendars are little sneak peeks of what’s to come for the big day. Days marked from December 1^st to the 25^th (24^th for some advent calendars), hide little gifts beneath their numbers. There are even different types of advent calendars from beard conditioning to tea. These calendars in particular get better with every year because our interests tend to change overtime and variety should always be welcomed. One year someone may get a chocolate themed advent calendar, another year they may get an anime themed calendar – the possibilities are endless. 


2. Giving

Speaking of giving, as children we often receive presents from everyone. Albeit, we do give whatever gifts we can to others as children, but we do more receiving. As an adult, the role is most often reversed. We give now to children, to close friends, to coworkers, to parents, to relatives, and even to charity. This year I feel as though I’ll be giving more which is wonderful. Tis the season to be jolly and giving, so why embrace it? Besides, there’s just some wonderful feeling that comes from giving a gift to someone. It’s that warm feeling like popcorn is being made in your stomach and explodes into thousands of fuzzy warm puffs. I’ll be gift giving not only to my family, friends, and coworkers, but also to Toys for Tots –a personal tradition I’ve performed every year at every possible chance I can.

1. The Lights

As kids our eyes widen at the glimmer and glow of Christmas trees and shimmering houses. The amazement still strikes us as adults, but only now we can create that magic. We can deck our halls, doll up our trees, and adorn our lawns and homes with enough lights to be seen from the Curiosity rover. We are now the providers of those smiles, those widened eyes, those slacked jaws; we are doing what we only dreamed we could as kids. With the use of technology and lights we can create the magic of those wondrous decorations we saw many years ago as children.

Thanks for reading tonight’s entry. If you enjoyed it, feel free to share, subscribe, comment, and critique.

So tell me, what are some of your Christmas traditions?

It's Time for Hanukkah!

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

On December 6^th, we began the celebration of Hanukkah. Hanukkah is an eight day holiday often celebrated by Jewish people who give gifts and light the menorah. The menorah is an eight pronged candelabra – each candle is lit for every night of Hanukkah. Now granted, while I’m not Jewish I do respect other people’s holidays and customs because everyone celebrates the holidays in accordance with their cultures, religions, and beliefs.  But I will say in the past years of surfing the web, I have found some excellent menorah designs.

5.The Blown Menorah

This glass blown menorah has blown my mind with how the glass details seemingly hang in the air. Each intricate circle supports the eight prongs that hold candles for those long eight nights. This menorah appears as though it’s transparent and floating, but speckled with beautiful shades like ghosts of many Hanukkahs past and many Hanukkahs to come.

4. The Wooden Menorah

The modern menorah where you can shift the tiles into any shape you want like a camel, a bird, a person, or whatever your mind decides.  This menorah is suitable for anyone of any age because it reminds them of this special holiday and the wonder it invokes from childhood to adulthood. 

3. Menorahsaurus Rex

The menorahsaurus rex is the most fearsome of menorahs with its gaping jaws and golden frame. This menorah rises above other animal based menorahs, knowing it could easily tear them apart. Each flame added to this menorah will not only make it appear fierce, but also remind you of the endless flames that live on just like the fossils of dinosaurs. 

2. Steam-menorah Punk

Steampunk is a style crafted from the Victorian days where steam was used to power everything from carriages to lights. It is design featuring gears, varying shades of brown, brass, and gold, and can be found almost everywhere in our modern culture. A steampunk menorah is no exception. Designed in the industrial iconic steampunk style, this menorah uses little base lights to ignite for each night of Hanukkah.

1. To Boldly Go Where no Menorah Has Gone Before

Every season is the season for “Star Trek” especially winter. Why winter? Because you get to use this “Star Trek” menorah of course! Unlike other menorahs it’s sparked with miniature lights attached to the heads of some of your favorite characters. Not only do you get to celebrate this joyous holiday, you get to do it in an interstellar Trekkie fashion.


Thank you for reading tonight’s entry. If you enjoyed it, feel free to share, subscribe, comment, and critique.

So tell me, how do you celebrate Hanukkah?

A Very Strange Christmas to You

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

With only twenty five days away until Christmas, some of you are going to get into the festive spirit. Sure, you may wear the traditional Christmas colors of red, green, silver, white, and/or gold, but there are others (like myself) who like to go all out for the most wonderful time of the year.  However, there are some people who wear things we wouldn’t expect this holiday season. Below are a few weird things I’ve noticed that people wear for Christmas.

5. Ugly Christmas Sweaters

The holidays are a time to look your best for Christmas and any party your friends or workplace happens to be hosting. So why we would want to don our ugly apparel is something that’s always confused me. Clearly, this is another fashion trend that’s exclusive for Christmas much like costumes are exclusive for Halloween.  While I admit I recently just purchased my ugly Christmas sweater for a few parties, I’ll still never understand the appeal or wearing or owning one other than to look silly while embracing the Christmas spirit. 

4. Beard Baubles

This year’s ultimate trend for bearded men was to adorn their beards with flowers, leaves, and an assortment of other nature related accessories. For Christmas, bearded men are encouraged to decorate their beards with ornaments that you would normally find on a Christmas tree. Why are they encouraged to do this? Because Christmas.

3. A Dancing Turkey

Now granted, this can be worn for Thanksgiving or Christmas, but for the sake of this article I’ll discuss the latter. Turkeys are meant to be eaten, not transformed into a dancing, gobbling head piece. The only reason why I believe people would want to wear this head gear is if they are trying to recreate Monica’s turkey gimmick from “Friends”.

From mtv.com

2. The Sexy Bunny Costume

No, no, no not that sexy bunny costume; THIS sexy bunny costume. I classify this as weird for a few reasons. One, this is not a costume to be considered as sexy as seeing it was based off an outfit that was meant to be mocked and as seen as awkward. Two, this can also be categorized as ‘things that should not be sexualized’. Three, we’re supposed to sympathize with the character in the bunny suit, not want to sexualize the suit. Four, why does this outfit exist again? Oh right, Christmas.

1. Brussel Sprouts Headband

There are some things I don’t understand in life: why people are rude, our existence, the vast emptiness of the cosmos, life, and now this accessory is added to the list. Brussel sprouts are a dish served year round, by no means are they a holiday treat. They’re not even Christmas related for Santa’s sake.  So why anyone would want to wear this or why this was even made is beyond me.

Thank you for reading tonight’s entry. If you enjoyed it, feel free to subscribe, share, comment, and critique.

So tell me, what’s the weirdest thing you’ve seen people wear during the Christmas season?

Happy Haunting!

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

The most wonderful time of the year is only a day away. No, not Christmas – Halloween! Halloween  is a wondrous time of the year and also comes with a few safety precautions. Here are some tips to help you on your night of tricks and treats.

1. Take Care of Animals

Hallow’s Eve is known as Mischief Night and a form of unforgivable mischief that people might perform is harming animals. With this being said, if you have a pet keep them inside for Hallow’s Eve. On Halloween, be sure to keep an eye out for them if you happen to be walking them through trick or treating hours or keep them away from the door when trick or treaters arrive. If you don’t have a pet, but you do notice some strays roaming around your neighborhood, either take them in or call the animal shelter. A safe animal is a happy animal, especially on Mischief Night and Halloween.

2. Watch Children

When a person has a child, it is their responsibility. Not yours, not your pets’, not anyone’s responsibility, but that parent. However, there are times when parents’ eyes tend to roam (to their cell phones or their environment) which gives way to their children breaking loose and running about. Children on Halloween are excited puppies – it’s a night of fun, treats, and costumes so naturally they’ll be running around.

If you happen to be driving on Halloween night, keep a careful eye out for children crossing the street or walking around your vehicle. If you happen to have any steps or ledges leading up to your home, watch the children come and go so that they don’t trip, fall, or jump off.  If you want to prevent children from jumping off the ledges of your home, Walmart, Party City, and even Spirit Halloween sell Halloween fences to block off the area so they cannot leap from the ledge.

Trust me, as a woman whose house has a ledge that kids like to jump off of especially during Halloween, those fences are incredibly useful.

3. Beware of Loose Candy

Seriously, why is there loose candy to begin with? By loose candy I mean candy that is unwrapped, bitten into, and/or tampered with. If you see someone handing out candy like this, refuse it or throw it away. Also, don’t be the house that gives out fruit (unless it’s coated in chocolate or caramel). It’s Halloween, children don’t want apples or pears they want Almond Joys and Pixie Sticks. Let them have their sugar rush and return to the healthy foods another day.

4. Don’t Rush

Remember how I said children run around on Halloween? Sometimes they may trip over their costumes or even their own feet. This being said, approach trick or treating like life and take it slow and easy. There is no need to rush. In the end, you will receive a gratuitous amount of candy and no markings from falling or tripping.

5. Use a Flashlight

While it’s not completely pitch dark during trick or treating hours, a source of light is still good to have. Most houses usually leave their lights on or have illuminated their yards with lights for the spirit of the season and trick or treating, but you can’t linger around those houses forever. Carry a flashlight with you to light the way, especially on pavements that are old and have unexpected rises and drops.  Plus you get to see everyone’s costumes and other people that are coming your way so you can avoid bumping into them.


6. Have Fun

Trick or treating is a momentous occasion in both a parent’s life and a child’s. For a parent, to see their child dressed up in a costume is adorable and heartwarming. For children, trick or treating is their mecca; it’s their one night of paradise that they always look forward to. So let them dress up in whatever they want, take photographs, form traditions, let them stay up a little later than normal, and let them have fun.

Thank you for reading tonight’s entry. If you enjoyed it, feel free to comment, critique, subscare – I mean, subscribe, and share.

So tell me, what are your plans for Halloween?

A Nostalgic Halloween

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Halloween is next weekend and what better way to remember the holiday than to watch some nostalgic Halloween movies? Think of this as yet another flashback entry – back to a time when you were a child getting ready to trick or treat in a costume either your parent made you or you bought from the store. It was probably something significant to you like Cinderella or a cowboy. With the spirit of Halloween throughout the month of October you couldn’t help but to watch some films pertaining to the season. Maybe some scared you and maybe some didn’t, but they are memorable programs. These Halloween films and specials are the same way for me and if you haven’t heard of them, by all means check them out.


5. “Scooby Doo on Zombie Island” (1998)


Because it can’t get any better than Hanna-Barbara’s classic animated series. To be honest, it was either “Scooby Doo on Zombie Island” or “Scooby Doo and the Alien Invaders” that made me so indecisive. But then I remembered one redeeming thing about this movie that not even aliens could replicate: zombie Shaggy and Scooby Doo.

The movie starts with Mystery Inc. finishing up a case and going their separate ways because they’re frustrated with not finding any real ghosts and monsters. They eventually reunite and after a series of mysteries, they get invited to investigate Moonscar Island home of the pirate Morgan Moonscar. From there onward, the gang realizes they get more than they bargained for and aren’t met with fake masks and cheap monster costumes. They encounter werecats, zombies, undead versions of their friends, bats, and oh so much more that make it all a perfect movie for Halloween.


4.  “Garfield in Disguise” (Garfield’s Halloween Special 1985)

Oh Garfield, I’ve read your comics in the paper every single Sunday morning when I used to get up early – even on the weekends. Yeah, I pretty much had no life back then. Regardless, this was a special I only recall seeing once in my childhood, but thank God for Youtube.

The plot is that Odie decides to trick or treat for extra candy and convinces Garfield to join him, causing him to fashion a pirate outfit. The two roam throughout the neighborhood getting as much candy as possible before going across a river and stumbling upon a haunted house. If that plot doesn’t scream Halloween then frankly, I don’t know what does.

3. “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” (1966)

Yes, most of you have seen this and at this point in your life you may be sick of it or still embrace it to satisfy the inner child. For me, it’s a tradition to watch this special every single year. Albeit, there were times I missed it due to life, but when I did manage to watch it, it reminded me of why I loved this special.

The plot is that Linus believes in a Santa Claus like figure called The Great Pumpkin who shows up on Halloween in a pumpkin patch to deliver candy to all. Everyone (except for Sally) doesn’t believe in The Great Pumpkin and go trick or treating and to a Halloween party.

It’s a plot that no other special has. Although The Simpsons did a parody of this in one of their Treehouse of Horror specials, it was nothing more than a parody. Thus the program adopted the special’s aspects and beliefs and gave it their own twist. Other specials do not share a plot reminiscent to this and if they do, then the main character(s) usually sees the rumored being. For example, in every retelling of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”(a classic Halloween story) the rumor is addressed (there is a Headless Horseman) and someone (usually Ichabod Crane) sees it. The same formula applies to most ghost stories and other Halloween specials, giving the media an overall air of eerieness. None of them have an outcome where the main character doesn’t see what they’re chasing and lacks the reality that “It’s a Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” delivers. 

2.  “The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror” (The original, 1990)

By now this is something every Simpsons fan is familiar with. The Treehouse of Horror is a long standing Simpsons tradition in which three horror stories are performed by the show. I actually used to be scared of these when I was kid, especially the original. While there were three segments in this special, I always keep going back to “The Raven”. “The Raven” (the iconic Edgar Allen Poe poem) has been depicted and spoken by many voices, but this one combines the lovable nature of The Simpsons with something as strange as “The Raven”.

James Earl Jones (Darth Vader’s voice for all you “Star Wars” fans) read the narration of the poem. His vocals were soft but stern, addressing each word and verse with caution. His voice framed the literature’s eerie but serious nature, while allowing the Simpsons to go about their silly antics. It’s a timeless piece of animation that still makes me smile to this day in appreciation for a classic piece of literature and animation.

1. “The Addams Family” (1991)

The Addams Family is a family that every single person on this planet knows because of their iconic appearance and catchy theme song  (*snap snap*).  The original series was based off cartoons that Charles Addams had drawn and wanted to bring to life. When Charles drew these pieces, it was during a time when the typical American family was wholesome and too goody goody. Needless to say, his idea of a family was far from the norm.

Flash forward to the future and the trope still holds true in a society where families are “reality tv” or are branching out to different races or lifestyles. The movie is no exception – showing how The Addams Family engages with the real world while living in their own world which seems far more interesting than reality.  In the film, Gomez laments the falling out between himself and his brother, Fester. Gomez’s lawyer, Tully Alford attempts to loan shark a woman named Abigail Craven whose son looks exactly like Fester. The three team up to reunite “Fester” with Gomez in an attempt to infiltrate the Addams’ vault where unimaginable wealth is stored.  Along the way “Fester” initially detests Gomez, but begins to question if he really is Gordon as he slowly starts to remember the Addams’ way.

I’ve watched this movie since I was a child and every year it still manages to make me smile. The nostalgia I receive from this flick combined with the wondrous acting and the lovable characters makes it a fantastic film that I hope you will (or do) enjoy.

 Thanks for reading tonight’s entry. If you enjoyed it, feel free to share, subscribe, comment, and/or critique.

So tell me, what’s your favorite Halloween movie?

Safe for St.Patrick

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Tuesday is St.Patrick’s Day aka a day to get completely smashed and regret it the next day. The color green is everywhere on people, in food, in drinks, and on the most notable icons of this holiday, a shamrock and a leprechaun. Traditional foods like shepard’s pie and corned beef are commonly served at restaurants on this holiday, but everyone more so remembers this as a day to get hammered.

If you’re going to drink this St.Patrick’s Day or any day, here’s some things you shouldn’t do with your drink.

5. Carry it

If you’re drunk you’re losing a few things: your lunch (possibly), your speech, your mind, and coordination. When you carry your drink you might be like me and unintentionally spill it all over the place.  The smell of alcohol may be easy to get rid of on your breath, but on clothes and furniture it is a pain, especially for other people.

4. Sneak it

Because apparently that gets you into trouble and people may not like alcohol around them. Some recovering alcoholics may actually hate the smell let alone sight of a cold one. If you’re under 21, then naturally if you’re caught sneaking alcohol you’re going to get into severe trouble not only with the law as well.


3.  Force it

Yes, you want to be the life of the party, the center of attention, and generally have a good time. Having a good time at a party or bar is something everyone expects to have and there’s nothing wrong with it. But if you know your alcohol limit and have reached it, do not force yourself to fit that role. Surpassing your alcohol limit could lead to alcohol poisoning, vomiting, and feeling terrible.


2. Leave it

Because it could be spiked! People like to slip roofies or any other drug into others’ drinks which leads to some extremely negative results. Some results include getting sick, sexual assault, and many others. If you know you’re going to leave your drink temporarily then order a new one to save yourself from a nightmare.


1. Spike it

Spiking a drink is never good. Yes, at times it’s often used as a comedic act in movies where someone spikes the punch bowl at a party to liven it up or just spikes someone’s drink. In real life when someone spikes your drink, it usually leads to a terrible time (see #2).

Thank you for reading tonight’s entry. If you enjoyed it feel free to comment, share, and critique.

So, what do you enjoy about St.Patrick’s Day?

2/14: Just Another Day

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

With Valentine’s Day a few days away, some of you may or may not have someone special in your life. The media advertises this particular day as a day for lovers and targets gifts towards them. Husbands and boyfriends should buy their partners jewelry and in return, partners should purchase sexy lingerie to present themselves in. But I’ve learned with the passing years that this advertisement is nothing more than bologna.

First off, Valentine’s Day is a day commemorating the massacre of St.Valentine. St. Valentine was revered as the Saint of Love because he rebelled against Emperor Claudius’ edict prohibiting marriage among young people.  Claudius was against their marriage because he believed unmarried men made better soldiers and could easily focus on combat more as opposed to a wife or family. However, St. Valentine decided to wed young people behind Claudius’ back. Eventually he was captured and imprisoned, and later given a three part execution which entailed beating, stoning, and beheading. Sounds like fun, no? Just like Thanksgiving!

Secondly, you don’t need anyone but yourself on this holiday. If you do have someone, then celebrate your love with them. If you don’t have anyone, then don’t sweat it. The greatest love is not the love you receive from a partner, but rather, from yourself. You must love yourself before you can love any other. You can love yourself in any way you please, especially on Valentine’s Day.

Thirdly, don’t let the stereotypes depress you. Yes, you will probably see couples on Valentine’s Day. Yes, you will see endless ads for flowers, chocolates, and anything romantic. Yes, you will see slews of sentimental shows on television, but do not let any of these things bring you down. These stereotypes are a part of everyday life and will always be found on television and society. By taking these stereotypes to heart, depression and loneliness will overcome you easily (trust me on that). So instead of being saddened by just another day, go out. Have fun, hang out with a friend, go on a shopping spree. Do what makes you feel good and don’t let another overhyped holiday bring you down.

Thank you for reading today’s entry and if you enjoyed it, feel free to comment and reblog. As always, feedback is welcomed.

So tell me, what are your plans for Valentine’s Day?

The Origin of Zombie Jesus

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Sunday houses a day where people celebrate the rising of zombie Jesus with bunnies, chocolate, and eggs. Easter is a holiday that, like Christmas, has many stories of how it all started. Some say it was the Pagans, others say it was the Christians, and then there are a few lunatics who believe it was all a part of some strange alien ritual.

Below are a few origin stories circulating around this particular holiday:

-The One We All Know

Easter has been taught to us with the Catholic/Christian belief that Jesus Christ was crucified, died, and buried in a stone chamber. Easter is the day we celebrate His resurrection and that He’s a zombie, a biblical Houdini, or really, the son of God.  With this religious lesson, we are able to incorporate the Easter symbols (the egg and the rabbit) as signs of fertility and new life.

-The Pagan Way

In Paganism, Easter has a similar origin to that of the Catholic/Christian belief. The Sumerian Goddess Inanna (aka Ishtar) was crucified on a stake and rose and ascended from the Underworld. Sound familiar? Ishtar was the Goddess of fertility and sex, which fits in nicely with the traditional Easter symbols as previously mentioned. Another Pagan reason for celebrating Easter is the rise of the Spring Equinox.

-Eostre

Eostre is a Goddess from Teutonic lore who is associated with Spring and fertility. Originally, April was called Eosturmonath obviously named for Eostre, but it also translated to ‘Paschal month’. Eostre was to be celebrated with feasts and she was offered hot cross buns as a ritual. The cross symbol on the pastry was to represent the four quarters of the year or the moon.  Eostre even had a totem/familiar which was a hare that she could transform into. As for eggs, they were forbidden during Lent, but placed on the table to show the Lent days had concluded, and were painted crimson to celebrate Easter joy.

-Latin, Much?

‘Easter’ in Latin was translated to ‘hebdomada alba’ also known as white week. This was an ancient reference to Easter week and the white clothing donned by people who were baptized during that time. It appears that Easter was celebrated for a week and only served the ideas of baptism and celebrating the Lord.

Happy Easter to you all. Enjoy your day doing whatever makes you feel good, celebratory, and awesome. Instead of a question, tonight I leave you with something that will warm anyone’s heart and make them smile: an adorable little bunny.

acuteaday.com

Regretfully this little bun bun is not mine. But I wish it was.

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?  

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. 

It's Sexy to be Single

Good evening everyone and welcome to a sultry, sexy version of The Magical Mystery Blog.

Valentine’s Day has come and passed. Some people love it, others hate it. People enjoy this holiday with their beloved or their friends, while others might have spent it alone. Growing up, I always spent this holiday by myself, being the last resort or the ugly duckling of the class. But now that I have a boyfriend, it’s almost expected to celebrate the holiday in a stereotypical fashion of going out, and romancing it up. This is our second Valentine’s year to date, but yet, it has also made me realize why it’s perfectly okay to be alone on Valentine’s Day.

3) It’s Just like Christmas

Valentine’s Day is just like Christmas: you give gifts to show how much you love someone, but really don’t understand the purpose of the holiday. You can show your affection for someone any time or day of the year, which makes this holiday pointless. However, behind the heart shaped boxes of candy lies a bloody history to this specific day. Valentine’s Day was originally created to celebrate Saint Valentine who married young couples despite the law banning their marriage. This law was made because it was believed unmarried men would do better in battle than those who were wed. Saint Valentine was eventually caught for his crime and beaten, stoned, and decapitated. The term ‘Valentine’ derives from his name and a letter he wrote to a young lady in which he signed ‘from your Valentine’.

2) You Save Money

Chocolate is an iconic symbol of Valentine’s Day and in many cases, we see a heart shaped box of chocolate is the best way to show our love for another person.  While some of us buy the popular box on Valentine’s Day if not prior to, it would be best to not buy them until after the holiday has passed. That way you can purchase the same chocolates for a lower price and still have enough money to rent a heart wrenching movie.

1) You Don’t Always Need Someone

Growing up, we are exposed to tons of Valentine’s Day specials where it’s almost a requirement that you need a Valentine for this day. In life, you won’t always be with someone. You won’t always have a partner by your side to shower you with love or compliment you and that’s okay. While you might think otherwise, you will grow in time to see that being alone is fine. By being alone you get to learn more about yourself, have fun in ways only you can, and understand that being single isn’t the end of the world.

What do you think of Valentine’s Day? Feel free to comment and as always feedback and followers are welcomed.

Tis the Season to be Baking

Welcome everyone to a delicious entry at The Magical Mystery Blog.

Around this time of the year I do my holiday baking. While I usually make sugar cookies, this year I’ve decided to do something a little different. As mentioned before, I’ll be creating strawberry angel cookies for the Doctor Who special, The Time of the Doctor set to air on BBC on Christmas Day. But for the holidays, I like to bake some other tasty treats. However, as the days to Christmas begin to wind down I find that I don’t have enough time to bake. So I figured I would share my recipes I was going to attempt this year, with you my fellow readers.

Midnight Christmas Cookies

• Follow this simple sugar cookie recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-sugar-cookies/

• When the cookies are finished baking, allow them to cool. While the cookies are cooling down, take baker’s chocolate (any brand will do like Hershey’s, Ghiradelli, or even Nestle), and put it in a microwave safe bowl. Keep the microwave at medium power and stir at thirty second intervals. It takes  about ninety seconds for one ounce of chocolate to melt. It takes approximately three and a half minutes for six ounces of chocolate to melt.

• Once the chocolate is fully melted, dunk half the sugar cookie in chocolate.

• For the final touch, sprinkle ground up candy cane on the chocolate half of the cookie. In the summer time you can use this recipe again but instead of covering the chocolate half in candy cane, you can use orange or lemon zest.

• Allow the chocolate to cool and serve whenever your stomach is hungry for something sweet.

Strawberry Fields Forever Cake

• This recipe works best with a white cake because the color will show better. You can pick up any box of white cake mix at the store and it will have the recipe on it.

• However, instead of using water use strawberry puree.  To make a strawberry puree simply purchase fresh or frozen strawberries and remove the stems. Afterwards, place them in a blender or a food processor and grind them until they are pureed. As a puree, it will act as a liquid which is why you do not need water for this recipe.

• When you’ve mixed all the ingredients together, proceed to bake the cake for thirty to forty minutes. To see if the cake is fully baked, use a toothpick to poke through the surface. If there’s cake on the pick, it’s not done. If there’s no cake on the pick, it’s ready to be taken out.

• When you remove your cake from the oven you will see that it is indeed, not white. Instead, it’s a strawberry red, giving it that iconic Christmas color we've all come to know.

• If you want to put icing on your cake, give it about five to ten minutes to cool down. Icing the cake is always the fun part and since it’s Christmas, you can decorate it with all sorts of holiday cheer. You can put a marshmallow snowman on the top or pipe snowflakes and stars. Have fun with your baking!

What are your favorite holiday recipes? Feel free to post them in the comments below and as always, feedback and followers are welcomed. 

March of the Nutcracker

Greetings everyone to a late night version of The Magical Mystery Blog.

Tonight begins one of my favorite holiday traditions: Ovation’s Battle of The Nutcrackers.  At this time of the year, the Ovation channel features different adaptations of the classic ballet, The Nutcracker.  The first Nutcracker to kick off this annual televised event is the addictive and unusual Mariinsky version of The Nutcracker. In this adaptation, Clara is the neglected daughter of the family who’s always overshadowed by her brother, Fritz. With shadowy sets throughout the play and distinctive choreography, this is a Nutcracker unlike any other. However, all nutcrackers don’t follow the same production as the Mariinsky’s.

Below are a few facts about The Nutcracker you may not know.

• Not only are there various ballet productions but there are many movie and book adaptations as well.  A famous movie version of The Nutcracker is George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker which is currently playing at the Philadelphia Kimmel Center (aka Academy of Music).

• One of the most common tunes you hear around this time of the year is from The Nutcracker. It is called the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy and is often used in commercials. Other ads tend to spring for another piece from the ballet entitled, Waltz of the Flowers.

• The Nutcracker from the ballet originated from the story The Nutcracker and the Mouse King by ETA Hoffman.

• When The Nutcracker was first ever performed in 1892 it was considered a failure. Tchaikovsky died less than a year later, not knowing the future of his production.

• As mentioned, there are different adaptations of The Nutcracker. The Mariinsky theater takes a more somber yet strange take on the classic. Here the mice are in cohorts with Drosselmeyer, the Nutcracker and Clara collapse in a snowstorm in a graveyard, and the Nutcracker and Clara fly in a shoe to a sweet shop. The Royal Albert Hall sticks true to the original story with cheerful sets, a fantastic transformation scene, and even takes ideas from what inspired Tchaikovsky to create this masterpiece. The Bolshoi is lavish, much like the Mariinsky, but has a brighter theme, and even the Nutcracker supposedly marries Clara towards the end of the production.

What’s your favorite holiday tradition? Feel free to leave your answers below and as always, feedback and followers are welcomed.

Let's Do the Christmas Time Warp Again!

Greetings everyone and welcome to The magical Mystery Blog.

Just yesterday was the start of December and with it came the onslaught of holiday movies. Like a cluster of corniness and cheer, the Christmas flicks appeared on various television stations. One channel in particular, ABC Family, started its 25 Days of Christmas yesterday.  Tonight, that same channel has aired two Christmas specials that sent my back to my childhood within sixty minutes.  Some of you are probably familiar with these shorts entitled Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too and Mickey’s Christmas Carol. Followed by these two specials, ABC pushed me even farther into the past with its traditional screening of A Charlie Brown Christmas.

While these three specials are produced with different plots, they share a few things in common. These concepts are tied in with the holidays and reveal the ideals of Christmas to audiences everywhere.

Christmas Doesn't Have One Meaning

wikipedia.com

Ooooooooooooh....shiny....

Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too tells the story of Pooh bear believing he failed to deliver his friends’ letters to Santa. To make up for his actions, he dresses up as Santa, and travels throughout the Hundred Acre Wood delivering presents to his friends. In the end, he receives a present from Santa but realizes that he doesn't need gifts for Christmas. Rather, he wants his friends and nothing else because presents are worth nothing when compared to his many friendships.

Mickey’s Christmas Carol retells the Charles Dickens classic. In doing so, it shows what happens if you do not seize the day and be kind towards others, regardless of how much heartbreak and loneliness you’ve encountered in the past. Life has its challenges, some more terrible than others, and yes, they do shape a person. While Scrooge was molded for the worse, he should have attempted to see things in a different light, and Christmas is just the joyous season to bring out the best in a person. This special shows that Christmas is a wondrous time of the year to embrace the positive spirit and share the goodness with others, just as Scrooge does when he awakens.

A Charlie Brown Christmas shows a more religious meaning of Christmas. This is shown by the iconic scene of Linus explaining the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem and how joy is brought unto the world. This trumps Charlie’s idea of how Christmas is wrapped up in commercialism and presents to him a new meaning: that Christmas is a time of joy and celebration.

Gifts Aren't Everything

whychristmas.com

In the three specials, we see the characters interact with their friends, and sometimes bestow gifts to each other. In the Winnie the Pooh special, we see Pooh bear go out of his way to be “Santa” to fulfill his friends’ Christmas lists. The following day, Christopher Robin comes to them, giving them gifts from Santa himself. While the gang enjoys the presents, it is Christopher Robin and Pooh who show us in one mere moment that gifts don’t make up everything. Rather, it is the people who you spend it with that make the holiday magical.

In Mickey’s Christmas Carol we witness Scrooge turning over a new leaf and visiting the Cratchit’s house.  The only gift in this scene is where he tells a boy to buy the fattest goose and deliver it to the Cratchit’s house. Once he arrives at the house, we see him present his transformed self to his coworker’s family, and engage in Christmas dinner with them. It is implied that the goose is delivered but the meaning of spending time with friends and family dominates the scene.

Lastly, in A Charlie Brown Christmas we see no gift distribution whatsoever. Rather, we see Charlie Brown faced with the ideals of consumerism that’s often featured during the holidays. By the end of the special, we see that he has overcome the commercialism and embraced a new meaning of Christmas, where gifts are nothing when compared to the joy Christmas gives us all.

It Really is the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

wikipedia.com

Oooooooooh.....more shiny....

These three specials show events and items associated with Christmas: the decorating of the Christmas tree, falling snow, lavish holiday parties, and other scenes of merriment. These wonderful experiences cannot be replicated any other time throughout the year because they do not embody the wonderment of Christmas. Christmas emits a certain type of warmth that cannot be felt by the summer sun or experienced by a kiss. Christmas radiates a special type of feeling when the lights are illuminated, like the Christmas tree in A Charlie Brown Christmas. This particular holiday also tends to bring out the best in people, even if it’s something small like donating to Toys for Tots, or sharing a meal like Scrooge in Mickey’s Christmas Carol. Lastly, this time of the year also shows us that sometimes we don’t need material items to make each other smile. Rather the company of good friends and family makes our holiday magical, just like Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too.

These elements culminate a feeling and experiences that no other holiday can share.  Christmas is a wonderful day of the year where all the winter warmth comes together and embraces you in a tight, comforting hug. The moments shared especially during this time of the year are treasured away in your mind for many years to come.

What Christmas special taught you something about the holidays? Feel free to leave your thoughts below and as always, feedback and followers are welcomed.