Dynamics.

     On Saturday, I had the joy of spending time with my friend Karestiah and her two friends Kwaku and Butters. In short, Saturday was magical. I experienced so much on this beautiful day: meeting Hank Klibanoff, one of the authors of "The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of a Nation," being re-inspired to become an investigative, hard-news journalist, having a change of view when I met teenagers from a group home, tasting white cheese pizza with jalapenos for the first time, and stealing glances of the stars as they kissed the sky. I live for these days, and I cannot wait for the next one. 

R.I.P., Mercutio

     This morning, as I was snuggled in my warm bed and thinking about the dream I had just awoken from, I could not have known. I would never have guessed that as I was in the serenity of my blankets, Mercutio Aniken Black, my pet betta fish, was at the bottom of his bowl, anchored by death.
     I was reaching over to feed him. Surprise--but acceptance--came to me in an odd combination as I looked at him on top of the rocks. I knew that I had to flush him, but it took me nearly an hour to bring myself to do it. Mercutio has been a part of my life since I was a freshmen in high school, and I could not believe that it was all ending on this seemingly insignificant Wednesday morning.
     This unexpected event altered my morning routine. I had a change of plans for wardrobe; instead of the pink I was planning, I wore a black collared shirt. Instead of leaving the house around 7:30, I was pushed back to 7:45.
     I felt disgruntled, but as I was driving my moped to school this morning, I looked up at the sky and saw the arrangement of blues, purples, yellows, and oranges. It was comforting, and somehow I know that Mercutio is in a better place.

My Journey to Becoming a Vegetarian

     When I was 10 years old, I wanted to be a vegetarian. To my dismay, my dad told me I couldn't because I was a growing young girl and I needed my protein. Now, I'm older, and I can make my own decisions about food. After many failed attempts throughout high school, I'm determined to make this the year that I become a vegetarian.
    Currently, I'm starting slow by becoming a pescetarian. For the past eleven days, I've restricted my meat eating to only tilapia and tuna, and I've been successful! I must admit, though, that I broke Friday night and ate a double cheeseburger as a reward. Like I said, I'm taking it slow.
With a clean slate, I went grocery shopping on Sunday night. My shopping bags held lots of fruits and vegetables. I know that declaring myself as a vegetarian will take a lot of work, which means that I will be doing a lot of cooking for myself. I've been googling "vegetarian recipes" and found some dishes that I am willing to try. I'll post as often as I experiment with them.
I've created a three day regimen: sticking to the same three meals on three different days to have variation in my diet and to prevent myself from buying too many groceries for my too small kitchen.

Day One

Breakfast: Egg whites with cheese and spinach on a thin, whole wheat bagel with an apple and a protein fruit smoothie
Lunch: Salad with strawberries and grapes
Dinner: Salad with rice crackers and milk

Day Two

Breakfast: Greek yogurt with granola, a banana, and orange juice

Lunch: Salad with grapes

Dinner: Grilled tilapia with a side salad, rice crackers, and milk

Day Three

Breakfast: Fiber cereal and milk with grapes and cranberry juice

Lunch: Salad with strawberries

Dinner: Tofu surprise and milk

     This is what I am working with so far. I thought it up Sunday night while I was at the grocery store. I see now that I need a little more variety--especially with lunch. I have to dig more to find meals that I can take with me to school. Of course, it would have been best to write out my food plan before I went to the grocery store, but it was an impromptu visit. 

     With every day, I tried to work in protein, fiber, and vitamins. I am also trying to cut down on carbs.

     "Tofu surprise" can be anything. I am looking forward to making stuffed green peppers and a healthier, non-traditional version of sloppy joe. I'm researching to see what other tofu recipes I can find. I think that this journey will be really fun, and I'm looking forward to the progress that will come from it.

12/12/12 will forever be marked in history as the day I saw my all-time, favorite female artist perform live.

Marina and the Diamonds is too fabulous for words. From the little black heart under her left eye to her obsession with mocking teen girls to her deep, unexpected voice, she stole my heart in 2010 when I first saw her Teen-Vogue-suggested music video for her song, “Oh No!” I was confused to see that “Marina and the Diamonds” was one woman, but it all made sense when I found out that the “Diamonds” were her fans. The song’s vibrant video with a comic book theme made me feel girly, strong, and inspired. Since then, Marina Diamandis has been my favorite female artist.

No one can imagine the way my heart raced and soared out of my body when I was on Tumblr late one night and saw that she had a tour in America, and that Atlanta was one of her stops! I knew that I had to go. I was already bummed out because I missed the sale for the fun. concert, and there was no way that I was missing Marina.
I was thrilled when my friend agreed to accompany me to her concert. That night, I was exuberant because of the concert and because it was the magical day of 12/12/12. I could not believe I was having all of this fun on a Wednesday night. My friend and I stood with tons of other Diamonds in the pit of Center Stage, and I shined with my black sequined skirt, pink lip-gloss, black heart under my left eye, and high spirits. I should not have been shocked to see that so many other Diamonds had a matching black heart and flashy style sense.
Icona Pop was the opening act, and the strong, two-female group was definitely worth the wait. I recommend their songs “I Love It,” “Good for You,” and “Ready for the Weekend.” Their sound varies from Marina’s in that it has more of an electro-dubstep feel, but the girl power feel is still strong. Caroline Elizabeth Hjelt ripped as she deejayed and it was obvious that Aino Jawo really got into the music by the way she moved on stage. I imagined going clubbing with my girlfriends on a hot summer’s night in LA or NYC as green lights flashed and I joined the rest of crowd in shaking my hips or jumping up and down to “Ready for the Weekend.”
After Icona Pop, I joked around with others in the crowd. We laughed and talked about Marina. I was in the crowd—heart racing and awaiting Marina’s appearance—when finally, the volume went from seven to eleven as fans screamed with excitement. She walked on stage, and I was not prepared. She had her jet-black hair in a slick ponytail with a black tank midriff and knee length black skirt, and of course, she wore her badge under her left eye. I was in awe. She danced around the stage as she opened with one of my favorites, “Homewrekcer.” I sang along to the top of my lungs and bounced off of her fun energy, and I was happy to see that others in the crowd ecstatically received her as well. The pit was packed and the theatre style seats were full enough to create a hub of girly-pop energy.
Her performance gave me chills. I cried several times from happiness and sorrow. I felt genuine pain when Marina sang “Lies” and “Starring Role”, and I envisioned myself as a secure, successful woman in NYC as she performed “Oh No!” and “Primadonna Girl.”
She is so powerful and strong, and I can not help but to adore her. I listen to Marina whenever I can: doing homework, writing reviews, cleaning my room, and picking out my outfits in the morning.
I am proud to say that I have been a Marina fan since 2010x