Size 2 BIG.

One of my favorite shows to binge watch is America's Next Top Model! Although being a model is far from anything I would do, let alone be qualified for, I really enjoy this show. I watch solely for the competition aspect, watching the photo shoots and the eliminations are about the only thing I care to see. The drama that happens in the house between the models is far from exciting to me.... 

My favorite season was season 10, mainly because it was the only one I stuck with each week during its actual air time, and also because the winner was a plus sized model! She (Whitney) was my favorite from the beginning of the season. Top Model history was made when she was the first "plus sized" model to win this competition! Obviously she jumped many hurdles and EARNED that spot as America's Next Top Model. Making herself a place in that competition could NOT have been easy… people were rooting for her to fail because she was not considered ideal due to her size.... 

Elimination Photo 

So these past few days I have been watching seasons of ANTM on Amazon Prime. I finished season 11, and now I'm halfway through season 12. So far this season hasn't been the most interesting, but it has definitely opened my eyes to some, not so unknown, issues. SPOILER ALERT! During the episode I watched last night, season 12 episode 8, one of the contestants (London) was eliminated. Now it was never said she was eliminated for her recent weight gain, but I can guess that was the REAL issue, not just her "bad" photo. Lucky for the judges her photo was not the best of the bunch, but she had been doing quite well in the competition until this shoot. Even after having done well throughout the competition things were overlooked because she was not longer a "perfect size 2."

This whole weight issues irritates me on VARIOUS levels! This show is basically telling its viewers that gaining weight should be frowned upon. They made too big of a deal during her photo shoot about her weight; it was overly broadcasted. I know the modeling industry is not known for tolerance in the body department, but good Lord.... This girl still looked smaller than most "Average" looking females. 

Much of this topic can be compared to previous topics I have touched on, topics such as unrealistic body expectations put out by media. All the things that girls these days are being exposed to kills me. No wonder so many girls develop eating disorders. 

Clearly the modeling industry has ZERO poster girls for "Loving your body," every girl in this industry tends to air on the underweight side, and very few are proudly eating junk food. As it was said on the show "your body is a temple," basically if you let yourself get fat you won’t be accepted. 

Like most girls I have struggled with accepting myself and how I look, weight being a huge part of it. I'll never forget all those people who called me fat, chubby, or even thick. Truth is I am not a size two. I am also not considered clinically overweight. I have always been a thicker person, but people only see me as FAT and LAZY, not average. I went through a phase where my weight became an obsession, watching my food intake always results in binge eating, and it drove me into depression. When I was in high school I would tell myself I was fat, and post photos around my room reminding me that I was ugly and shouldn’t eat anymore. I never shared that, and it was a dark time struggling to be accepted. I don't think I'll ever be comfortable with myself, but I guess that's a part of being a girl in this media infested society. 

London

The TRUE meaning of Christmas!

Christmas is not about presents, trees with ornaments, hanging stockings with care, or a man in a red suit! (So I can guarantee I'm gonna push some buttons here, but here it goes.)

Now Christmas is a holiday that was started by Christians and other religions to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Hence the "Christ" in Christmas. The holiday has changed a bit over the years and we now give gifts just as the three wise men gave gifts to the son of God. 

Now something that bugs me are people who get fussy over the religious aspect in Christmas. I don't understand how you can ignore what this holiday was put in place for. Some people view this holiday as a time of gifts and just socializing with family. If you use it for the purpose of spending time with family and disregard its true meaning that is not my business. 

An issue arose was last week when my grandmother's choir was asked to sing at the local library for a Christmas celebration. They were told that during this celebration they were not allowed to sing songs that were religious or made mention of anything related to God or Jesus. 

So yes, there are songs that are "Christmas Songs" that do not allude to any religious ideals, but why wouldn't you be allowed to sing songs that actually have to do with the holiday you're celebrating. In my opinion if you have to eliminate anything religious related for a holiday that was created for religious purposes you should not be celebrating such holiday. 

Jewish folks don't celebrate Christmas because they are Jewish and have other beliefs. They do have a similar holiday in which they give gifts, but they are not celebrating something they do not believe in. So this leads me to the bold statement, "why do atheists, or non religious folk, celebrate Christmas." 

I think what gets me most is the fact people get offended by songs or events that represent what the holiday stands for. So this goes for people who complain about churches nativity scenes, music that speaks of the "new born savior," or anything that affiliates religion to the holiday. 

If you choose to celebrate this time of year as a gift giving day or a social get together, that's not my concern. My problem is the fact people get so Butt Hurt over the fact this is a religious holiday and people celebrate it as so. It was not invented for people to buy each other gifts... It is a religious Holiday. 

If you don't agree with the religious aspect then you should not be celebrating the holiday itself. 

I would say sorry if I offended anyone, but I'm not sorry. We need to be respectful of those who celebrate the true meaning. I don't mind to share the holiday with those who don't see it similarly, just be respectful of its TRUE meaning and how those who created it choose to display their beliefs in it.

In other words to sum up this LOOOONG thought, Christmas is not about presents, trees with ornaments, hanging stockings with care, and especially not about a man in a red suit!

I saw a UFO

My encounter shared in a video!!

YouTube Video

Let me know what you think!! 

Keep it Sassy!!!! 

People Change

So I have now started this first sentence five times. How do I go about saying that things are different? Of course people change, I get that! Why does it feel like people always change for the worse, or they become something that we never saw them as before? You grow up thinking you know someone, then all of a sudden things change and they become someone you no longer enjoy.

My boyfriend told me “If people don’t change then they cannot grow as a person.” That concept is easy enough, people have to grow to become functional in society. I just feel like everything I knew about certain people in my life are now less than tolerable to take in. It’s like they aren’t the same person. I guess as we grow up we also grow apart as friends. How sad is that?

I guess it could be said “If they mattered you would make it work,” but what if making it work becomes more work than it’s worth? Having a friend who no longer treats you the same, or isn’t even the same person you grew to love, gets to be monotonous. Now you sit there and ask yourself “Where did they go wrong? How did they get turned around and become something that is no longer pleasant to be around?” I guess I should just learn to tolerate it for the sake of the friendship, or learn that maybe the friendship wasn’t meant to be as strong as it used to be. I think it’s a little irrational to throw away the friendship all together, but it tends to get tedious trying to make it work.

I have friends who have stayed loyal and stuck by me, I’ve also made new friends along the way. Not everything will be the same as it was in grade school, but I wish it were easier to understand why people do the stupid things they do. I can’t sit back and allow someone I care about to do things that are ruing their lives, our friendships, or my faith in humanity. As I get older I realize that I really only have myself, my boyfriend, some family, and of course my cat! I will always have a few good friends who stick around, but the more I “grow up” and get my head out of my childhood I realize not everyone, or every friendship, will stay the same forever.

Sadly paths split, and people grow to like and do different things. As hard as it is for me to swallow, I guess it is a part of life to grow apart. I just wish things would have taken a different route. I suppose that is why our bodies grow and we don’t look the same as we did at five years old… It is a part of life to change, grow, and learn. My only issues is that I wish learning these things would be less painful and depressing.

In a way I am use to change, I’ve moved more times than I can count, and I’ve been placed in life changing situations more times than necessary. I guess that’s what makes it hard on me to have friendships change; I need some stability in my life. Although changing of people is normal, I wish it were positive changes. Too often I feel like people change and don’t become a better person. 

I lived next to a murderer!

As I grow up I find it interesting to see what old classmates are doing with their lives as we have all taken different paths. I’m finishing up college, others are working, some are getting engaged, some have babies, and there are always the ones who have done nothing with their lives. Fortunately, social networking sites like Facebook help keep us connected and allow us to share what we are doing in our lives, even things we may not be proud of…

The other night I was group texting my two best friends and my friend Kayla made us aware that a girl we went to high school with, and her current boyfriend, are currently being charged with murdering her nine month old baby. Fun facts: the girl who did this, Apryl, I lived next to her in elementary school and we were somewhat friends back then. I attended elementary, middle, and high school with this girl. We haven’t talked since we were ten, but I remember seeing her in the halls at school years after we quit talking.

So why did I begin this post with how we stay connected and what we are doing with our lives…? Now that the news of her crime has made it to the news her face is all over my Facebook feed! Here is the thing, I was not her Facebook friend… she is being passed through everyone’s newsfeeds attached with the article of her current criminal record. How awkward to have anyone you were, and were not, Facebook friend’s with know that you are a murderer, a terrible parent, and basically a low life.

It was already pathetic enough if people you were friends with on Facebook saw things on your timeline like “Lost my apartment,” “got fired from Taco Bell?” “Just go me GED!” but now people she isn’t friends with are seeing an article being passed around by people who barely knew her. That is embarrassing.

Now I realize I seemed to pass over the terrible part of a lost child. I recognize that this child’s life is precious, and should be recognized, but it was not the point of this post. I didn’t know that Apryl had a child before this news story surfaced. I will link the posts below so anyone who wants the facts may see them. If I could have saved that babies life I would have, and it drives me insane to know that someone could do this to their own child. I love my cat too much to spank him; I doubt I’ll be able to harm a child. I understand not everyone is right in the mind, so that may be the difference between her and most people who don’t abuse their children.

Quick Backstory: When I was in fifth grade I rode the bus with Apryl. This is important because there was one day when she and a third grader got into a fight on the bus, A PHYSICAL FIGHT!!! I never knew why fists started flying, all I remember was what happened after we got off the bus. Later that night I heard Apryl crying outside her front door. Her mom SCREAMING at her and coaching her to say “I DID NOT HIT HECTOR!” making her practice lying about what happened that day.

Years ago I realized there was something wrong with this, but even worse is I can vividly remember seeing her standing straight against the wall and her mom SCREAMING two inches away from her face. I also remember her crying and the sound of her voice as she kept repeating “I DID NOT HIT HECTOR” through her sobs. This trip down memory lane is relevant for two reasons: the main reason, one that is somewhat obvious, is it shows she is a violent person, especially to those who are smaller and weaker than her. SECOND goes along with something that may not be obvious unless you watched or read the news articles.

In the news article it was said that when Apryl was being questioned about the abuse to her child she “Sporadically” said “HE WOULD NEVER THROW HER!” What a choice of words when you haven’t even been prompted. I could hear her voice in my head. The fact the article made a point to say that she said this statement OUT OF NOWHERE shows that it was rehearsed. Even if she was only trying to convince herself, she was clearly lying. Lucky for her I am not going to be in the jury on her case, but I would sentence her to life for what she has done to an innocent child.  

New Article Fox59

PPPS: if you want to see the various articles, all having different aspects of the story you can Google this girls name and find tons of information. 

(Apryl Hammer, Indianapolis). 

I just saw a new news article out since I wrote this post, it makes the story seem even more sketchy because she lied to the babies father about why he was unable to see his daughter. She also skipped town with the man she claims left her daughter with bruises." 

Even further the conditions of their living space, where this child spent the small portion of her life, had awful conditions. People who allow their infants around drugs, and similar toxins, deserve to be punished. 

Blackfish and Sea World

This whole story is long overdue, but I was feeling this topic today, and I figured I would go for it.

It all started back when I was just two years old. My entire family took a trip down to Orlando to do all the fun things that area had to offer. We went to Disney, Universal, and of course Sea World. Although I do not remember the experience first-hand, I was only two; my parents kindly videotaped every event so I can still re-watch the magic whenever I want… as long as I have a VHS player! One of my favorite shows to watch again is the infamous Clyde and Seamore show. The show was their Seal and Otter show, back in 94 it was a hotel theme and the seal was a bell hop. Now a days, since I’ve been there, it is a pirate theme show. Super cute if you ask me!

Back when I was in middle school we took a majority of our vacations down to Florida, so my step-dad bought us season passes for Busch gardens, Aquatica, Adventure Island, and Sea World. Eventually we moved down to Florida when I was 15 till 17, we held the same passes and visited these parks quite often. Since I visited regularly, and had seen a majority of the shows multiple times, I’m very aware of what Sea World offers.

They have a super cute show called Pets Ahoy!, the show has a cast of animals that have been adopted from Orlando’s animal shelter and trained to do small tricks for an audience. My absolute favorite part of this show is when one of the cats does a high wire act walking across the top of the audience!! (no worries a trainer walks underneath it, plus it’s a cat… they jump on top of things for fun!!!!).

Besides their main shows that play every day they have special shows for the Holiday season. Special events around the park, Shamu sing-along shows, and other such items for the Christmas season that feel out of place in the warm state of Florida. They even had a really cool STUNT SHOW  they do on the water with boats and people water skiing. Very entertaining!

So let’s get to the difficult part of this post. I watched Black Fish last year and it broke my heart. A huge part of me felt bad for ever giving my money to this corporation, yet another part of me couldn't believe it was true.

Tilikum 

 If you haven't seen the documentary I can't say I recommend it, it’s a childhood ruiner for sure. If you do watch it, then you will have some similar feelings and you may never want to visit this park again. I do not want to ruin the documentary for anyone, but you should know a few things about it. It is based around the main killer whale Tilikum, he plays Shamu in the commercials, during live shows, and he resides at the Orlando location. The events that occurred in the park a few years ago when this whale attacked his trainer is the reason for why the documentary came about.

So I'm going to write the rest of this post assuming everyone reading has seen the movie, or at least has an understanding of what events happened.

So I don’t think what happened was an accident, there were tons of things leading up that should have warned the trainers and owners that this whale was  going down a scary path to destruction. I do not agree that whales should have to live in captivity, but placing these whales back into the wild at this point, especially the ones born into the Sea World Park, would be more harmful.

Now I think a majority of me wants to share this magical experience with my children, and it is difficult because I know it isn't right. If anything I think the company could work a bit harder to have a bigger habitat for these animals so they can continue to perform, and let children and families experience their presence without harming them. It makes me feel like there is no way to actually build a place for these animals except for where they come from, making sea world an obsolete place. Another thing that is hard for me to say is that the trainers should limit their actual contact with the whales; they really shouldn't be in the water with these animals, but it would really change the interaction and magic experienced during the show.

I know that after the incidents, Sea World was asked by environmentalist’s type people to no longer allow the trainers to be in the water with the whales. Mind you there were several incidents that occurred before the main attack took place and became a media crisis. There were multiple court trials to shut down these operations and what not. (Watch the documentary for more info).

From what research I have done they did lose some money since the documentary became popular. They lost some attendance, a small percentage really, and their stocks went down as of October this year. As far as I can tell the company has not taken a HUGE punch, but they have seen some loss.

I know certain people reading this think I am a monster for saying that Sea World should continue, but I find so much MAGIC in this place that I think it would be worth taking my kids to. I feel bad, and I know things that happened were terrible, but I guess I can't bring myself to say "SHUT DOWN SEA WORLD!!!" I feel like a bad person... but I’ll admit I don’t know enough to give good reasons why they should shut down, or why they should stay open. So in a way I’ll be selfish and say “Let them be.”  

They are working with Animals after all. Beings that are not predictable, and cannot be talked to or reasoned with. There are hundreds of zoos around the world, and no one pushes to shut them down as much as they have been against a place where serious attacks occurred. I know that some people feel Zoos are just as bad, but they give people who would not normally be able to see these creatures a chance. I guess my point is, if you are willing to say “Down with Sea World,” you better also be ready to never attend another zoo in your life!

 

Website Info:

After I wrote this I decided to do some website looking to see what’s around the park since I’ve been there.

Clyde and Seamore are now doing their show as High School Students. (I’m interested)

They changed the Shamu show since I’ve attended. I’m not sure if that has anything to do with the previous attacks.

If you’re interested visit their website and look around to view their care plans for the animals and how they take care of these wild animals. 

Sea World Orlando

Charisma Uniqueness Nerve and Talent

#RuPaulsDragRace is life! Today has been 100% drag race! I had a dream last night about my love, Adore Delano, shared a joke about my obsession with the show over breakfast, and now I'm binging season 5 on Amazon Prime. 

I discovered this amazing-ness my freshmen year of college when I binged through seasons 2-4 on Netflix via my iPhone four. I missed season five and the all star seasons due to my dorms lack of the LogoTV channel. I saw season 1 during its revealed season last fall, and I died over season six watching it every week during its first run! (Depending how long you've been with me you'll know I had some good topics as far as season six goes! Links below!)

If anyone is unfamiliar with the show, or with drag queens in general, I strongly urge you to get out from under that rock! Not only is this show insanely entertaining, but it's full of some real creativity. These lady boys do some seriously amazing work transforming their face, bodies, and character. If you appreciate art then you will really appreciate what this show has to offer. 

Like many reality shows it can get a bit dramatic, shade gets thrown regularly, but that's what happens when real people compete. This show is real competition, it's like Americas Next Top Model and project runway rolled into one. Out of everything this show is SASSY!!! 

I'm gagging for season seven to begin! I don't know that season six can ever be topped, but Adore Delano and Bianca Del Rio made my life. 

So many talented queens have graced RuPauls stage over the past six seasons. I highly suggest everyone takes a moment to watch these girls WERK! 

Check out my previous posts:
Drag Queen?? Yess Please!!!
Adore Delano

Playing The Victim

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-Keep it Sassy and Sissy That Walk 

PPPS: Leave me a comment or tweet me your favorite season/ DragQueen! 

I'll forever love Adore Delano!