Creative Writing "Critiques"

This semester I planned on not taking any classes, and just working and saving money to move out and away.

All the way to Albuquerque, New Mexico actually.

Things at the nest just aren't going to great.

(Or weren't).

Mama bird and I are just around each other too much a mon avis (in my opinion.)

And if we're not, I feel like we'd get along a lot better.

Anyway, I had heard that people who take a semester off,  usually don't go back.

And I felt that I could definitely fall into that category.

So, to avoid that from happening, I crashed a few classes at the last minute.

All I could get were Weight Training (SO easy to crash) and Creative Writing.

Creative Writing made me extremely nervous the first few times I went into this class.


I felt as if I was in a classroom with all of these EXCELLENT writers.
I registered for the 3 hour, once a week (every Tuesday night) class the day AFTER its first class session (Wednesday afternoon.)
So,  I was basically the new kid.

I suffer from anxiety.
I'm starting to learn to control it lately, but I wasn't then.
I would wait to take my Prozac (Yes, Prozac) right before walking through the classroom door.
I wanted to be calm in the class.

After weeks of being in the class, I grew comfortable with my classmates, and with the class in general.

In Creative Writing, each week 4 people (the class decreases its number of students each week so it's less than 4 now) turn in a short story or poem for the class to read.


Everyone takes them home, reads them, critiques them, then bring them back for class discussion the following week. 
And that week, 4 more people submit their short stories or poems.


It is really fun to read others' in the class work, and seeing all the talent around me in class.
However, I don't feel like I'm really learning anything...


We aren't really being taught anything.


At the critiques (class discussions), all we do is talk about what we liked, what we didn't like, and what can improve in the piece of work.


The person whose work is being critiqued may not speak until the very end.


I'm very modest and talk only about the stuff that I do like.
However, the rest of the class (and there are specific people) DO NOT hold back!!

If I don't like something in someone else's work, WHO CARES?


That's their work, that's their art.


Why are we putting down each other's art?
That's our pride, that's our joy.


When it comes down to it, it's about what the author or writer wants!!


Were all the famous authors and writers past and present listening to what everyone else says?


If that's the case, I don't think there would be a Rocky Horror Picture Show, or Harry Potter, or even Star Wars for that matter.


I'm doing good in the class though.


:D

Reality T.V. Doesn't Give You a Record Deal

Reality television stars are pretty mopey after their show ends.

Especially if it isn't a continuous show with just them.

Hell, even when it is that way, reality television stars feel they are in the limelight now, and that they can now do whatever they want.

Like sing for instance.

Reality television does not give you the right to sing, let alone have a record deal.

Whilst randomly surfing the internet, I came across 2 new songs from 2 reality stars.

The first is from the one and only, Natalie Nunn from the Bad Girls Club Season 4 on Oxygen.

Natalie was loud, obnoxious, and controlling on the show.
She was violent, she was wild, and she has a Jay Leno chin.
She made great television.

I enjoyed Natalie on the show, but just because you quote on quote dated Chris Brown, doesn't give you the right to sing.

Natalie has a rather raspy voice.

It's loud, it's piercing, and it almost sounds like a sick cat dying.

Good thing she isn't REALLY trying to sing.

It sounded sort of like a little kids' rap to me.

She played it on a Ustream video alongside Morgan Osman of BCG season 5.

(The same one where Morgan claims to be black.)

Can't tell whether Morgan is trying to hide the fact that the song is corny as Natalie is playing it on camera, or if she is just kissing her ass.

But I know she does NOT think it's good. 

There's no way.

Later, on another Ustream video it shows the two of them (Natalie and Morgan) hanging out with Jefree Star.

Makes sense as to why Natalie thinks she is a rapper with sort of electronic beats.

Moving along, we've now got Angelina Pivarnick of  MTV's Jersey Shore also thinks she can sing (or rap rather) too these days.

Angelina was the most hated and the most picked on in the entire house.

Even more than Snooki!!

She's embarrassed herself loads of times on national television.

1. Comparing herself to Kim Kardashian
2. Not going to the job she's provided on the show, and trying to give a lame excuse as to why
3. Acting as if she didn't care that she was fired from the job
4. Getting kicked off the show
5. Showing up to the first season's reunion
6. Showing up for the second season
7. Getting belligerent causing her to argue with Pauly and Mike, and later, slap Pauly!!
8. Denying any trash talking of the other members in the house outside the show on the streets of New York City, and flat out lying on national television about it
9. Was that a confession or was she still trying to cover her ass when she finally "apologized" and "admitted" to the trash talking?
10. Playing every side of the Jersey Shore: Miami house, she's not just two faced, she's six faced
11. Sleeping with a guy who called her the Rob Kardashian of Staten Island
12. Trying to attack Mike to look as cool as JWoww on the show
13. Fighting Snooki
14. Expecting people to ask her to stay in the house knowing she's a manipulator, and that no one liked her
15. Leaving the show AGAIN

 Now, she has added another thing to the embarrassing list.

Angelina's song without a DOUBT is a kids' rap.

That's all I can come up with for it.

 It was pathetic, and the lyrics sound as if she's trying to justify the fact that she's an idiot, and that America is through with her.

You don't see any of the other members doing all that.

I would expect Mike to try and rap before Angelina.

Or Pauly, since he's a DJ.

I'd expect Snooki to try and have a lil' rap before Angelina would.

Hell, I'd expect SAMMI to have a rap song before Angelina.

Maybe she can justify being a dumbass, and staying with someone who played her for a fool on national television.

Many other reality stars before these two have attempted to make it in the music industry.

  

1.   There's Kerry Harvick of the Bad Girls Club season 1 who in fact DID make it in the industry.

Three albums deep.

SOMEONE has to be buying them for THREE to be put out.

I'm not a country fan, so I'm not too familiar with her work, but she did it!!

 2.   Tila Tequila had her 15 minutes on both the television, and iTunes.

She had a bisexual reality dating show on MTV.

And a couple of songs were released afterward.

To be quite honest the one song that I listened to wasn't all that bad.

Didn't even give the other ones a chance, though.

However, it may be catchy, but it still sounded like a little kids' rap JUST like Natalie and Rob.

3.    Kim Zolciak really embarrassed herself with her raspyness and squeakyness on season 1 of the Real Housewives of Atlanta on Bravo.

She was told that she didn't know what she was doing with her voice (which I'm sure all of America could agree) and to stop smoking and start running.

Kim did neither.

She was fortunately saved by fellow season 2 cast mate, award winning singer-songwriter, and ex member of the 90's r&b girl group Xscape alongside T.I.'s girl, Kandi Burruss.

 

Kandi has written for Pink, N'Sync, and many, MANY more.

Her most memorable work is the writing of the TLC hit, No Scrubs.

Kandi took Kim's "winning" song, Tardy for the Party and made it a dance hit!!

But unfortunately Kandi was NEVER paid by Kim for helping her sound good.

Season 3 is airing at the moment, and it shows Kandi and Kim in the works of another hit.

Doesn't seem like the two are agreeing much on it, however.

Let's see if it all works out, and if Kandi actually gets a cut out of the check.


4.    I don't know much about this one, but the Real Housewives of Orange County's Jo De La Rosa has also put out an album or two.
She must be somewhat doing okay in the industry.
But not GREAT since I've yet to hear any of her music, and it's been some years since her first album I believe.
Jo's ex, Slade Smiley's newest girlfriend and later cast member of the RHofOC, Gretchen Rossi appeared in one of De La Rosa's music videos.

5.    Last is Heidi Montag.
I don't think I need to say much about this braud.
She and Spencer Pratt speak for themselves.
All I WILL say is; WHY?

You have to have talent to be a rapper too.

Rapping isn't easy because it isn't singing.

No!!

You've got to have a good voice for it too.

The RIGHT voice for it.

You have to have swag, and flow.

Not sound like a baby T- Rex (Natalie) or a 4 year old that mommy and daddy are recording to show the grandparents (Rob (or Angelina.)

Hide Your Race

Because I am black, growing up my race has been mentioned the majority of the days that I've lived.

Whether it's people simply interested in the fact that I am black or that I am a different race period, it has come up.

Whites have brought it up, Hispanics have brought it up, biracial people have brought it up, other blacks, Asians, you get it.

But growing up I started to notice that race is brought up a little too often for my taste.

Why is it that race has to be brought up so often?

 In arguments, jokes, everyday conversations.

Who cares?

Too many people in this world racially profile.

They follow the stereotypes.

Why can't we live in a world where no one really pays attention to that sort of stuff unless they're sharing cultural facts or something?

Every race does it.

Whether it is done in a positive or negative way, every race does it.

I think it's a very huge problem here in America.