my parents

Your parents are supposed to be your role models. They're supposed to be your number one support group. They teach you life lessons in some of the lamest ways, whether it be making your bed every morning or closing the toilet seat once you've finished your business. Parents can be rough some days, weeks, hell even years! But regardless of how your parents raised or disciplined you, they brought you into this world and that is the one thing we should all be grateful for.

As of late, my parents have been a really big help to myself financially and mentally. I used to work at sub shop in the city called Stuffy's Subs, and it wasn't all that bad. Except that my boss was a schizophrenic asshole with no interest or regards for his employees feelings. This is a guy who when I first began the job "worthless" because I didn't know how to work the cash register. For one, I had never touched the register for the 1 or 2 months I had been there. Second, you don't call your employees worthless or some other downgrading phrase just because things aren't going as smoothly as you would please. Understand that you have to treat your employees right in order for them to be able to come into work and not groan with an undertone that sounds similar to "I deadass do not want to be working here!"

I decided that after 7 months of bickering and chatter from my boss that it was time for me to part ways with Stuffy's. Do I regret quitting? Hell no.

I quit no longer than a month ago. And currently, I am still looking for a job. During this transition phase of not having a job and searching for one, my parents have come in big to help me out with daily expenses. Whether it is gas money for a road trip or a few bucks so me and my buds can go to Cookout for the infamous 5 dollar tray, their help is greatly appreciated.

Mentally, my parents have also done an excellent job as of late to keep me sane with the craziness that comes with college and any and all problems that a 20 year old male would be going through. The other night I ventured to my mother's apartment to give her debit card back. That whole day I had felt like nothing went my way. The emotions of negativity had broken my spirit. How and why? I couldn't even tell you. I guess we all just have some days where we feel like we're in a downward spiral.

As I get to my mom's crib, my somber mood rose a little bit solely because I was in the presence of my mother. Usually when I'm with my mom, she bombards me with questions that range from "what girl are you talking to now?" to "Did you see what lies the politicians tried to feed us today?".

The topic this time was my school work and what my major was. She was asking how my semester was going and what my aspirations were once I graduated. Honestly, I couldn't tell her a straight answer with my utmost confidence. Currently,  my major is international studies. But, I really do not want to be in that program. I made the decision to make that my major just so I could please my parents with an answer to the most dreaded question every college student wants to hear from a family member, "What's your major/what's your GPA?". But, I soon realized that international studies is not a field I see myself flourishing in. My goal is to be in the journalism program at VCU by the beginning of next semester.

She started getting into more details about what it is going to take for me to be successful in the real world. Phrases like "you need a haircut.", "you need a new wardrobe.", and "you need to have the right attitude!". My mother never says these kinds of things to criticize me or my siblings. She is just really blunt in what needs to be said. Her goal is to never hurt anybody's ego or their feelings.

But her tone is so stern. It is almost that of a fearless leader. She is so firm with her words and the affirmation she puts behind them hits you harder than a Draymond Green kick below the belt. This is completely unrelated to what I am currently writing about but I absolutely detest the Golden State Warriors.

Anyway, my eyes began to water and the tears began to shed. I began to contemplate my whole life after she told me all of these things that I need to do. I questioned my whole existence in a span of 30 minutes, whilst wondering if I was doing anything in my life right. I was the equivalent to a soggy piece of cereal left in lukewarm vat of milk that is still in the bowl that's been sitting on the table for 3 hours. Yeah, I was that low.

Slowly but surely, my mom noticed my waterworks and gave me the best hug of my entire life. All of my life questioning and sorrows were put on hold for a minute as my mom whispered to me that everything is alright. She later told me that at this point in my life I'm not supposed to have everything figured out. She told me I was too hard on myself. She told me to take it slow and enjoy being young while I still have that luxury. She told me that everything was going to be alright.

Immediately, my mood changed for the better. I could hold my head up and not be worried about my what my financial or marital status would be in 15 years. My mind was at a calm and it was more than needed.

My dad has helped me just as much or even more than my mom has. If I were to list the amount of times they have helped me out of a pickle collectively the list would go on forever and I would never stop writing this post. I have equal love and appreciation for both of them.

Your parents are a blessing. They help you when you expect it least, discipline you for the better, and are a reassuring shoulder to cry on as my mom was for me.

Some people don't have a great relationship with their parents, and I am sorry for those who don't have that luxury that I do. For those who do not appreciate their parents, I suggest that you get on that. There are so many things in life that we wouldn't have if it wasn't for the hard work and effort that our parents gave. I would understand if someone didn't have strong feelings for their parents if they did not have that much of a positive influence on their lives, and that is something that I cannot tap into because it is different for every individual. I really just wanted to take some time out of my day to write this post and show appreciation to my mom and dad.

Also, Drake dropped "More Life" today and I have come to the conclusion that I am keeping this album on repeat for the next few months. If you follow me on Twitter or any other social media, be prepared for late night Drake lyrics that I think describe my mood at that time. Sheesh!

Motorla Razr

In the world that we live in today, almost anything is possible. We have a man as the president of the United States who has NO prior political experience, the Cleveland Cavaliers came back from a 3-1 deficit against the Golden State Warriors in the NBA finals last year, and the Cubs came back from a 3-1 deficit in the World Series against the Indians this past season. And through all of these defying moments and many more, we all stay tuned to the latest stats, happenings, and breaking news through technology that has almost become a necessity to keep up with current trends...SMART PHONES.

They aren't a bad thing when used right. The many amenities that accompany these devices like wireless internet, video calls, and gaming apps make having a smart phone worth while. They make getting in contact with others close and far from you easier than it has ever been. Not to mention the social media apps that are made specifically for mobile devices so you can stay up to date on all of the latest fashions, trends, and memes floating through the internet. If you had just read this and never decided to pick up a smart phone, I would bet that you would think there can't be a downside to owning one of these great inventions. But when you are walking down the street and notice that every other person adjacent to you on your daily commute is so engulfed by whatever they are indulging in on their phones, maybe your opinion shifts from "there can't be anything wrong with this thing!" to "wow smart phones can be addictive!'.

The thing is that we are all victim to whatever curse keeps us locked into our phones for so long. You are probably lying if you say almost ran into somebody on the street with your head down scrolling through cute dog/cat videos or the latest internet comedy. We all fall victim at least once. What matters most is that you notice how out of touch you are with reality when you are only paying attention to what is going on in your phone.

So what makes it so hard to put your phone down during the day? Maybe its the fascination of stalking people you see around but don't know personally on their social media accounts (usually Twitter and Instagram). Or maybe it's your online shopping that just HAS to get done before you realize your bank account doesn't need the abuse. Could it be the latest Twitter beef between two opposing political affiliations? The list goes on, but the gist is still the same. That being that internet and our social media accounts are interesting enough through our mobile devices that we succumb to it. By succumbing to it, we soon lose touch with reality and what is going on in front of us.

It's a sad sight to see when you are at a restaurant or an eatery with a friend or family and you look at the table/booth across from you and all you see is them staring into their phones. It is almost like saying phones have taken away our ability to communicate when they were made for communication in the first place. Oh, the irony! What is worse is when a parent is out to eat with their children and all the kids are doing is playing on their phone. Not only is it disrespectful, but it is taking away the quality family time that is at hand. Yes, it's alright to take a picture of the food and put it on SnapChat for all of the world to see. However, what is not alright is staying on your phone for the rest of the meal after you post the picture of your food on SnapChat. Start a conversation! Ask whoever your with how their day was and what they have planned for the next few days. You don't have to be on your phone all the time.

We all have some days where it is hard to put the phone down and see what is going on around you. The key is making those amount of days get smaller and smaller and smaller. You'd be surprised what your day would be like. Maybe a girl/guy will come up to you when you don't have your phone in hand and ask for your hand in marriage. That probably won't happen but anything is possible. Make more conversation without using your phone.

Richmond, Virginia

Richmond, Virginia is a unique city. We have the James River where you can find local drunks, conceited high school girls, dumb college kids (I am one of them), and about four hundred and twenty empty Pabst Blue Ribbon beer cans clustered in the crevice of a rock.

We have Carytown, where you can feel the amenities of a place like Georgetown without having to travel as far and its denizens dress as if they are heading to a Broadway show when they're actually just going to Mellow Mushroom. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is only a few blocks down the street from Carytown, and meets the aesthetic of up and coming "photographers" who take pictures of famous paintings just show their friends that they're cultured. 

VCU is minutes away with students from all over the country coming here for its art program. But, if you didn't know that, you would think that every student that attends the school is from some county or city in Northern Virginia. I can almost guarantee that if you asked a random passerby around campus where they were, their response would be "Oh, I'm from Woodbridge" or "Yeah, I'm from Alexandria". 

The local music scene is bumping with tons of underground music ranging from alternative to rap and hip-hop and everything in between. Local houses tend to be the place for most of these musical showings or at an established music venue like Strange Matter, the Canal Club, and the Camel. There are tons of other interesting things that happen in the River city. Whether it be the serenade of gunshots (or fireworks, still not sure) that you hear all through the night, the sound of police sirens careening down Broad Street, or cops busting some frat party where Brad and his brothers were playing their dubstep music so loud that it woke the neighbors. Richmond is a fun place to eighty nine percent of the time. The other eleven percent is spent dodging homeless people that constantly beg you for your last dollar 15 minutes after you told them no across the street.

Richmond is usually categorized by the direction you're traveling. Northside, Southside, East End, West End. Northside isn't an ideal place to raise a family. News reports are ran daily about breaking and enterings, homicides, drug overdoses, the list goes on. Southside isn't as bad as Northside, but many of the same issues stated before with Northside resonate here. Plenty of shootings, drug busts, murders, you name it. The East End is quieter and borders our neighboring county, Henrico. Church Hill is a place chalk full of history and the viewpoints from the outlooks are breathtaking. The West End is more Henrico than Richmond. You don't hear as many things going on out there than you do with everywhere else. Short Pump is really nice if you haven't been there before, but after a while you realize the only reason you venture such a ways is because of how great Cheescake Factory and Dave & Busters is.

Technically, I am from Bon Air, and depending on which part of Bon Air you could be twenty five minutes or ten minutes to the city on a good day. I live right next to the border between Chesterfield and the city, so it gives me a tiny bit of leverage to tell people that I live in Southside. 

Now that I have given a below average synopsis of Richmond, I am going to give my reasons on why I like the city.

Before I really even knew the relative layout of Richmond, the only places I was familiar with were the James and Carytown. I believe that a common misconception that you can find around the metro Richmond area and places that are in close proximity of the city is that those two destinations are all that the city has to offer. If you think that, like I once did, you are sadly mistaken. 

I never took the time to appreciate Richmond until I transferred from my school in Arlington, Marymount University, after my freshman year. When I learned that I would be attending VCU the upcoming fall, I was anything but excited. I thought that I would never get immersed into the culture of Richmond and would miss too many of my friends to make any new ones here. Turns out that I was absolutely wrong. 

My sophomore year I had an apartment in the middle of VCU's campus, which made it really easy for me to get from place to place by foot. Myself, I hate being trapped indoors. I get antsy. Lots of times I would find myself riding my skateboard around the city just to take in the scenery. Even today when I get free time with the busy schedule that I have I'll take a stroll through an unexplored neighborhood. Venturing through neighborhoods leads you on to find many places, like local thrift shops, coffee shops, eateries, you name it. This leads me into my point that I love the localities that Richmond has to offer. I've been getting really into coffee lately, solely because I fall asleep really quickly and I honestly don't know why. The amount of local coffee shops is grandiose. Each one with its own genuine aura. Coffee shops are great places to read a book, do homework for a class, or to relax while reading a newspaper. The role they play in their communities respectively is another reason why am so fond of them. As a safe haven for some or a place of relaxation and stress relief for others, coffee shops are one attribute of Richmond that I think that I will always appreciate.

Another great thing about Richmond that I like is the diversity. Even though I did make a statement earlier about how almost all the students at VCU are from Northern Virginia, the amount of different linguistics, dialogues, and cultures is breathtaking. Around VCU's campus, you can hear conversations in three different languages in a span of three blocks. It's a great thing to see. The food joints narrowly tucked into small spaces on the strip of West Grace street also succumb to the amount of diversity Richmond has. There is an authentic Mexican food place facing Panda Express, several Indian cuisine eateries, an Insomnia Cookies, an Italian themed pizza place, you name it. 

This one is kind of cliche, but I love the murals painted all throughout the city. I think that it gives Richmond character and a welcoming vibe to those who are not familiar with it. 

I could go on for hours what I like about this city but I don't think I'd have the attention span to focus enough while listing them all.

Richmond is a great city that has it's downfalls. At one point, we had some of the highest murder rates in the country. But that is in the past. Richmond was just voted one of the best river cities to live in. What article was that in? I don't know personally but I saw it somewhere on the internet and that is good enough for me. I also just peeped the VCU game highlights against Dayton from tonight and we lost so I am going to stop writing so I can sulk for a bit. 

Go rams? Go rams.