Harriet Tubman Replaces Andrew Jackson

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Well, the government has done it. After months of demanding this change be made and waiting for said change, we’re finally getting it. At long last, we are receiving a woman on a dollar bill.

Yes, we already have Susan B. Anthony coins, but now we actually have a woman on a dollar. We use more dollars than we do change, so this is pretty epic.

The lovely lady to replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill is none other than Harriet Tubman. Harriet Tubman led slaves through the Underground Railroad to freedom and a better life. Tubman will be depicted on the front of the bill, with Jackson appearing on the back in front of the White House.

However, this is not the only change coming to money. The $5 bill will still portray Lincoln on the front, but Marion Anderson and Martin Luther King Jr. will be shown on the back. These figures were chosen in particular to remind the nation of important events that happened at the Lincoln Memorial.  Marion Anderson performed in 1939 and Martin Luther King Jr. gave his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech there.

Hamilton will remain on the front of the $10 bill, but on the back Susan B. Anthony, Alice Paul, Lucretia Mott, and other famous figures from the Women’s Suffrage Movement will be depicted. 

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

So tell me, what do you think of these monetary changes?

Basic Tips for Cosplay

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Tonight I’m going to impart some wisdom that has taken me a good time to realize, especially when it comes to cosplaying. Cosplaying is dressing up as a particular character that you happen to enjoy. People partake in this activity at various conventions; myself included.

So far I have only cosplayed a Pikachu gijinka, Emily Cavanaugh Gracey, and a female version of Lupin the Third (green jacket). In the near future, I’ll be doing a few more cosplays. From my brief experiment, I’ve realized that cosplay is like crafting a science fair project that can blow up in your face or be incredible. Here’s hoping you learn from my advice.

3. Alter

Alter, alter, alter. Alter your cosplay to fit your budget (especially if you have priorities like bills and rent), alter your cosplay to fit your body type, alter your cosplay to fit your dreams. For cosplaying on a budget, Dollar Stores and thrift stores are an automatic go to. Tutorials also help and show you how to lessen the cost of your cosplay. Or, you could be incredibly lucky like me and somehow unintentionally have your cosplay halfway completed.

2. Plan Ahead

It’s always good to schedule yourself for crafting cosplays. It’s also good to safely financially structure yourself so you can make your orders online (and estimate their shipping time), while paying off your bills. Also, prepare back up options for things you need for your cosplay as opposed to being determined to use that one thing that the stores may or may not have. 

1.Give Yourself Time

This is something I still somehow manage to forget about because time rushes by, especially when you’re older. It’s currently April 14^th. My two cosplays are barely completed and I have two conventions on May 14^th and May 15^th. I also work during the week from 9 to 5 and when I get home I have even more personal work to do.

See my dilemma?

Now what I should have done was start my cosplay back in March or February, thus allowing me more time to do what I want to. Even so, I refuse to half attempt anything or rush it. I’ll be pulling all nighters to finish my cosplays because time is not going to stop me from doing what I want. 

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

So tell me, what are some other good cosplay tips?

School's Back in Session

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Before I begin tonight’s post I would like to thank my followers and readers for taking the time out of their busy lives to read my work. As a writer, I greatly appreciate it and hope you continue to enjoy my blog and pass it onto your friends. If there’s anything you want to see me write about or improve on, feel free to comment or inbox me. I’d be more than happy to respond.  Enjoy tonight’s entry. :D

For many students, the winter break has ended and the new semester has begun. By now, college students have moved back into their dorms and reunited with their friends over the holiday filled vacation. Other students have returned to hard desk chairs and an empty board before them, just waiting to be written on. However, while we are taught the basics and details, there are just some things that schools don’t teach us that we need in life. Here are a few of those things.

4. Home Economics

I put this one last because there are some schools that actually teach this. For me, home economics was a club in middle school. I regret not attending all the meetings because I usually forgot about them or had to study. But home economics include how to properly do laundry, how to cook something other than toast, basic car maintenance, how to sew, and other lessons that should be taught in a classroom, not in a club meeting.

3. Tipping

Tipping at a restaurant, valet, and other places are just one of the little lessons school never taught us. While there are apps that help us give the proper tip, there are those who aren't as tech savvy as most of this generation. There are even tons of web sites devoted to telling you how much you should tip. But it comes down to two things: your overall opinion of the service that was performed (moving, waitressing, etc.) and simple percentages.  

2. Mortgages and Other Payments

At some point in your life, you will rent an apartment and eventually move into your own home. Either way, there will be payments due. Some of these payments include rentals, mortgages, gas bills, electric bills, and a ton of other money draining taxes. But of course in life, you will also accumulate credit cards and a car (or more) which you will also need to pay off. Some of you may even have school loans or loans from other places, which sooner or later you’ll have to get rid of. Regretfully, school doesn't teach you how to pay off your credit cards, loans, mortgages, car insurance, and taxes.

1. Tax Returns

A few days ago I received the required paperwork for my tax returns. To be honest with you readers, I looked at the papers and called my dad in because I was completely and utterly confused.  This isn’t to say I can’t read or write (believe me, I read and write like a sailor curses) but the tax return materials are mind boggling. There are so many forms, sections, questions, fill in spaces, it’s insane. I know you’re supposed to learn how to do these things on your own, but it would be better for school to teach us how to properly fill everything out. That way we won’t stare at the pages like they’re written in some secret, government language and will be able to understand what to do.

What is the one thing you wish they taught you in school? Feel free to comment and as always feedback and followers are welcomed.