The Family Jewels

I am a big fan of Marina and the Diamonds! (My love for her intensifies whenever I am around my friend Clara.) So far, Marina and the Diamonds only has three albums out. It is really hard for me to pick an absolute favorite album. I love them all! But, as my best friend Clara pointed out, we choose favorites album depending on the mood we are in.

Whenever I listen to Froot, her third and newest studio album, I am the comeback kid; my emotional and spiritual health are my #1 priority!

Whenever I listen to Electra Heart, her second studio album, I am a boss bitch from hell that has the confidence of an army of white privileged men. I do not let anything get in my way!

And, whenever I listen to The Family Jewels, her debut album, I am feeling like a self-aware rookie that is anxiously awaiting her coming-of-age.

Today, I embodied the spirit of The Family Jewels.

As of lately, I have felt stuck in a rut. Even though I am twenty, I do not feel twenty. I feel and act like if I was a sixteen year old girl. I have yet to experience this "Coming-of-Age" that '80s movies have promised me. (I have felt like this ever since I was sixteen. And, this coming-of-age has yet to happen to me.)

My favorite track from "The Family Jewels" is the the title song of the album The Family Jewels. It does not get much praise since it was not included in the album. Which baffles me! It depicts Marina's strained relationship with what could be her immediate or extended family.

I love this song because it is about a topic not frequently discussed since criticizing family is often seen as a social faux pas. We have been taught not to discuss family drama out in the public since it is uncool to make people aware that the "perfect family life" is a lie. I am even having a hard time criticizing this notion of society since it is so taboo to do.

Anyhow, I sometimes can feel like the black sheep of my immediate family and this song has been a relatable and understanding friend in my hardest times. It reminds me that it is totally okay to be critical of the people that you love the most whenever they are making you feel bad.

Being critical of someone does not mean that you hate them or you love them less. Criticisms are a way of pinpointing the problem and changing it for the better. I liken these criticisms as being the same as criticizing politics. Just because you want change, does not necessarily mean that you do not believe in the system.

Anyways. Song of the day is "The Family Jewels" by Marina and the Diamonds. Obviously.

<3

- Vianey

Four Little Words You Are Bound to Utter To Your M8s

"Let's move in together"

I have said this plenty of times in my lifetime. When I was younger, I used to tell my besties that one day we would move in together and have a bunch of fun adventures. The first person I probably said these words to was my childhood best friend. However, she like all other besties I have uttered these words to have fallen out of my life. These plans were never accomplished. And, I have yet to experience moving in with any of my mates. I still live with my parents. In retrospect: life is pretty good! I might not have the liberty to do whatever I want, whenever I want however, I have an abundance of food, a wonderful room with a full-sized bed, and three beautiful pets that love me!

 However, as a twenty year old, I have yet to learn how to take care of myself. I am extremely dependent on my parents and my grandmother, who lives with us. (A little sidetrack: My grandmother babies me and I kinda take advantage of it. She always makes me breakfast in the mornings. So I am extremely used to having fresh breakfast in the mornings. Every time she goes back to her hometown and leaves my brothers and me; we will not eat. We have gotten too used to having breakfast ready for us plus we are too lazy to cook ourselves something in the morning.)

I recently got offered a chance to move into a sweet apartment with three of my closest friends. The apartment is close to school, is still in the same city as my house, and it is the first incentive I have been offered to act like an adult. However, as fun as it would be to move in with them and live close to school, I would have to give up the comfort of being home with my family. 

I am very much considering this offer. However, coming from a Mexican household where I am the only daughter, I do not think it would be easy to convince my loving yet overbearing parents to move in with my friends. For one thing, two of those potential roommates are boys. Even though I am not attracted to any of them, this little tidbit is bound to pose a great problem as I am a woman in an incredibly patriarchal world. (But that is another issue altogether.)

Wish me luck! And, if it does not pan out, then it was not meant to be. However, I do plan to move out soon to go to law school in 2017. If I do not do something to ease my parents and myself into that transition, then my grades are sure to fall. 

Song of the day: 

<3

- Vianey

The Dog Park

I have two dogs that I love a lot: Guero (a green eyed, brown dachshund) and Rocky (a tiger-printed Bulldog).

 

(Sorry that Guero is hard to see. He kinda sucks at pictures. Rocky on the other hand, is incredibly photogenic.)

I must confess that I am way too overprotecting of them. I sometimes would rather not take them out of my house because I fear that other animals or people might hurt them. I just love them so much! They mean the world to me!

My dad decided to take them to the dog park today. Even though I love dogs and parks, I absolutely hate dog parks. The concept of dog parks should work, however it does not. Dogs can be really aggressive regardless of size. Some dogs will straight up attack/bother/harass other dogs and their owners will not care. I do not care if it is a pitbull or a chihuahua, I do not want my pets to feel unsafe. I have not had the best experience in these locations. And, I would rather not put my pets in danger.

However, my dad insisted on going. And I had to go to ensure my dog's safety. I was really tense about going to the the dog park. My dogs are weirdos that do not often socialize with other dogs. It was hard for me to let my dogs of their leash. Even when I let them be free, I was still very tense. I straight up acted like the dog owners in this Portlandia sketch (minus the kidnapping and animal abandonment).

"The barking; I don't need it!"

As for the dog park today: Even though my dogs did not really socialize with other dogs, they had a ton of fun! My dachshund was doing what he loves which smelling the gross smell of sun-dried pee. And my bulldog was too busy socializing with other people to pay any attention to the other dogs. Even though they opted out of the traditional fun of a dog park, I am glad my dogs and I got out of our comfort zone and tried something new. And, it was even more swell that we were delightfully pleased by the end result.

There was a point in our outing were Rocky got annoyed of the other dogs and just wanted to go home. Here he is annoying my parents into taking him home.

Song of the Day:

<3

- Vianey