Firstly, I would like to just say thank you. For your emotional support, for feeding me when I am not fulfilled, and honestly, for everything. No matter how hectic life may be, the subtleness of your crispy bread and melted butter stands as a reminder to enjoy the simpler things of life, keeping me grounded. Whether I need a quick meal on the go, or I am getting over being violently ill, toast is the one thing I know I can count on.
So simple are you, and yet so complex can you become. White bread, wheat bread, whole grain. butter, avocado, jam. No matter what mood I am in, toast can bend to fulfill my desires — something rarely said about another food. Strong enough to hold an overeasy egg, yet light enough to be served on the side of most breakfast plates. A staple, if you will.
So thank you again, not only for what you have already done, but what you will continue to do. With the most sincere love and affection,
I am not good at planning or scheduling for many reasons, mostly because I forget. Since the New Year I have thought about getting a new tattoo and now in April, almost May, I really want to get another one. I have some ideas on what I want and where I would like to get it, but finding a tattoo artist is a struggle. What I want is basic linework, a little bit of shading, just an overall simple tattoo, the type that most people don’t want to do. I get it, it’s boring and basic and everyone is getting line work, which is why I am struggling. I am only finding classic American style artists, ones that focus on color and bigger pieces, and basically ones that would roll their eyes at what I am thinking of getting. Mad respect for all these artists and their specialities, I just want my boring black linework tattoo. If you have an artist that you’ve used please send them my way.
So Nick and I are thinking of taking a trip. Well actually, Nick asked me if I would drive to Vancouver to see Charli XCX in concert, to which he responded “you have time, it’s in July.” Now we are seriously contemplating renting some sort of vehicle, driving up and then flying home, good idea? Here are some personal pros and cons to the idea we have come up with.
Pros:
Charli XCX concert
It forces Claire to get her passport
A moment in time where we could best do it schedule-wise
At least 2 days worth of Nick and Claire time
We could vlog it
Aesthetic
Vancouver is cool
Slay
Cons:
Long drive (about 2 days)
High gas prices
Flight prices
At least 2 days of Nick and Claire time
There’s concerts in the US, DC and Pittsburgh are the closest
Claire has to get her passport asap
So yeah we’re in a predicament. Keep an eye out for what we do over the summer and send us your opinions, Kunzierc1@lasalle.edu.
In this week’s A&E, I reviewed “The French Dispatch” because it spoke to me greatly. While my media diet has mostly consisted of movies and rewatching sitcoms, a new challenger has emerged from an unsuspecting corner of the world of TV: reality TV from New Jersey. You read the title so you know where this is going. As of the past four weeks, I’ve been consuming lethal doses of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” via my girlfriend, and while I have never been much of a reality TV kind of gal, my eyes have been opened to a world that I will tread lightly into because from what I’ve seen: it’s a good time, mostly. I’ve been watching “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” and you’re going to hear about it.
The Housewives
I’m currently absorbing season three of the show and so far each season has the same cast of folks with either an addition or a subtraction of a housewife. The main housewives we spend time with are Dina Cantin, Caroline Manzo, Teresa Giudice, Danielle Staub and Jacqueline Laurita. “RHoNJ” feels like an interpretive experience despite these being real people so to be honest I have no idea what any of them do outside of the show for a living besides Manzo, who frequently mentions The Brownstone, a catering company she owns.
From left to right: Teresa, Danielle, America’s Sweetheart and Bravo host Andy Cohen, Dina, Jacqueline, and Caroline in the season one reunion special (Courtesy of Bravo)
The Journey So Far
Like I said, I am absorbing season three at the moment and so far the journey has been wild. At first my interest in the show was pretty much not there since it is not something I typically watch and I wasn’t sure how to properly invest into it since reality TV and the entire state of New Jersey have always been punchlines for me. Every parody I have ever seen of reality TV is always the same and pretty good but none of them truly capture the spirit of a heartbroken Italian confessional, the mania of domestic civil war, or the standstill intensity of when someone disrespects Caroline Manzo or her family. While none of these are new things to reality TV, they are new to me and on a show like “RHoNJ” they’re totally there and so much fun especially since everyone has an awesome Jersey accent and are all varying shades of orange. It is a romp of a time all the time.
My favorite “character” is easily Caroline Manzo who I believe has ties with the mob. Not in an intense and cool way like Tony Soprano but like in an average New Jersey resident kind of way that makes you see them and be like “hey, cool.” I’ve said this several times to numerous real New Jersey residents and they agree. Caroline tends to stay away from the shenanigans which is respectable but once there is a situation that she needs to step in on — s**t goes down HORD. If Manzo has to intervene then it’s over and there’s no two ways about it. Two housewives left the show after being entangled in situations with Manzo. That rules. Every episode I’m interested to see what she will be doing instead of what the others do because she’s pretty interesting. She’s got a radio show, she owns a catering business, she has date nights with her husband instead of choosing her political side in The Great Teresa/ Danielle War of 2010. She is always cool, calm, collected and Caroline, in nearly every interaction she has. Manzo is the best and her inclusion but separation from the group always allows the show to breathe for a bit which is refreshing.
Caroline Manzo and family take a picture after solving everyones issues (Courtesy of Bravo)
Manzo was the main “character” I wanted to write about but I really need to talk about Teresa Giudice’s husband Joe Giudice. The rest of the husbands are fine and not terribly interesting to me except for Joe who consistently makes me laugh for just existing. He is physically akin to Tony Soprano but he dresses like a true baller — decked out with leather jackets and button down “TAPOUT” style shirts for formal events. In one episode, Joe does a sick roundhouse kick to a punching bag as a means to convey what will happen if someone disrespects Teresa at her sister-in-law’s Christmas party. This guy rules. Not without his flaws as a man or a father, Joe is the ultimate dude I hope to befriend at some point in my life because who wouldn’t want to hang out with a guy who just vibes in the corner, drinks and hates his own family?
Joe Giudice just being a guy next to ‘Housewives’ protagonist and wife Teresa Giudice (Courtesy of Bravo)
In Summation
There’s a lot I didn’t touch on because I think you really have to sit and let this show absorb you. I could honestly watch these real housewives (of New Jersey) bicker for a while. Will I watch it for the rest of my life? No. Will I watch other “Real Housewife” shows? Fat chance. Will I go back and rewatch the first three seasons once they officially move on to new housewives? Probably, yes. Will I do it alone? Negative. Do I recommend you watch it? Yes, I do, seriously. Maybe you’re like me and need a little more kino in your diet. You can sit and make fun of how many unnecessary spin offs there are all day, you jerk, but if you start with those housewives from the “New” version of Jersey, then I think you may have a new reason to avoid the people you already dislike. Give it a shot. Try and make it through the first season and tell me you don’t want more. I could have said ‘No more. Please, free me from this mortal coil’ at any point. But I didn’t because this show is fun. Turn your brain off, focus on the show, get sucked in, have fun, enjoy yourself and let me know what your favorite Caroline Manzo or least favorite Joe Giuduce moment is.
10. Banana Sprite Challenge Absolutely foul. Putting aside the fact that this challenge results in vomiting, the flavor combination alone makes me nauseous. Also, why would you do a challenge where the “prize” is throwing up? Like just pull trig if you’re that desperate, but to each their own I suppose.
9. Kiki Do You Love Me Catchy song but dumb premise. That’s all I have to say.
8. Tide Pod Challenge I don’t actually know of anyone who participated in this challenge, but I do know that Boomers and Gen X thought that this challenge would be the death of every single Gen Z-er on the internet. That fact alone made the Tide Pod challenge worthy enough to be placed on this list.
7. Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge Not super dangerous, just super funny if your lips were bruised for a couple of days. Ranked so low because this challenge is, in my opinion, kind of mundane.
6. Cinnamon Challenge Glozell remains superior to this challenge, but this challenge did end up putting some people in the hospital seeing as the cinnamon actually burned some esophaguses…
5. Salt and Ice Challenge Brilliant but dangerous. There was one case where an adult babysitter did it to the child she was being paid to watch. Yes, this was a case of sheer stupidity, but as you will see with the next few challenges, points are docked for the opportunity for participants to be so dumb.
4. Ice Bucket Challenge The ALS Ice Bucket challenge raises awareness for ALS research. Although this is a great cause, the initial point was to make a donation in addition to dousing yourself with ice cold water — something that most people who partook ended up dropping the ball on.
3. Mannequin Challenge This challenge allows room to get creative. If you’re just frozen still in a normal position, you aren’t doing the challenge the way it was intended to be done.
2. Saltine Challenge The fact that this challenge is attainable makes it ranked so highly. Although difficult due to the sheer dryness of the cracker itself, eating six saltine crackers in 60 seconds can indeed be done.
Planking I don’t even need to explain this one. Whoever thought it would be funny to just lie completely stiff deserves at least a Nobel Peace Prize.
It just do be like that. It’s cold and rainy and just a general stressful time of the year for many. As a graduating senior, I can say that midwest emo music really fits the moment for many during the mid-spring season. People want to have fun and drink Friday beers, but life is just not letting them so they’re sad about it, while there is likely more than just that going on, the desire to have fun but reality of stress makes everything very midwest emo. Different from regular emo, midwest emo has a brighter sound within their music and draws inspiration from indie music as well. The singers can’t really sing, but it fits very well with the melodramatic lyrics and chorus that will send you into a crisis. I say, embrace the music and let yourself have a midwest emo moment just this once.
Why does a Karen have to throw a fit in an already busy and long line? Because she’s two buses. Why is traffic always there when you’re late? Because it’s a two bus situation. Why is that kid throwing a tantrum with an already flustered and tired parent? Because the kid is two buses. Being two buses means that a person is worsening the already difficult situation for no reason and a two bus situation is when something is already bad, but it is made worse with the addition of another thing. Making a tight turn in one of the busiest cities in the world with one bus is already hard enough, but adding another bus is just unnecessarily annoying. We’ve all had two bus situations in our lives, both literally and figuratively. Next time you’re in one, ask “Why you gotta be two buses” and deal with how sh*tty/annoying it is. BUT, don’t be two buses, that’s just annoying to make an already negative situation worse #f*cked up.
You know those buses that are actually two buses connected by an accordion in the middle? That’s what we’re talking about. When one bus is just fine, but already difficult enough on its own without having a whole other bus attached to it. This phrase, spoken by some random women in New York City who was watching two buses try to make a tight turn, looked at the situation and spoke simply “Why you gotta be two buses?” Now, she literally meant two buses connected at the center, but the concept behind the phrase still stands, why do you have to make things more difficult than they already are?
You are allowed to not like people. Point blank period, you don’t always need a reason to not like someone or to have a personal experience that would lead you to dislike them even more. You are allowed to not like celebrities you have never met, will never meet, nor truly have a reason to dislike them besides “you just don’t like them.”
That being said, I just don’t like Camila Cabello. I was a certain girl-group stan that a certain celebrity mentioned prior was in and left to make bad music on her own. I also know that she 100 percent is a shitty person and has shitty qualities about her personality that makes everything about her irritating. It’s like the same emotion that many people have for Lea Michelle, they are very similar, “I just don’t like you” energy. I will say, I will never make this distaste known beyond this article and word of mouth because just because you are allowed to not like people, doesn’t mean you are allowed to actively care enough about them to intentionally ruin their day. Indifference is key and guess what, Cabello has no idea who I am and doesn’t need to know that I don’t like her. I still don’t like her though.
During the early to mid 2010’s, fantasy teen books controlled the underbelly of popular culture among the late elementary, middle school and early high school years. With people obsessing over various fantasy book series and their film adaptations, film studios were riding the success of the “Harry Potter” series and “Twilight Saga” wave. A book series that is amazing, but has major flops for movies is sadly the beloved “Percy Jackson” series.
*and so we enter the section where I expose all of the knowledge I have about this book series as well as how much I still care that this remake is good*
Fitting into the “Harry Potter” “I’m so cool look at my powers” and chosen boy route, the books detail the life of Halfblood (half human and half Greek god), children neglected by half of their parents, hitting puberty, and fighting monsters all at once *gasp.* The main character, Percy Jackson, is the son of Poseidon and is the child of the prophecy who will either save or end the Olympians and their rule over humanity. Homie has a bestfriend who is half goat as well as the classic enemies to lovers story line that a middle aged white guy wrote about twelve to eighteen year olds. The books, like I mentioned, are great, a 10/10 read — the movies: not so much.
The first film came out in 2010 and scored a solid 49 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, but overall wasn’t the worst. Like most book-to-screen adaptations, there were parts missing and added to make the film seem more appealing overall. The worst changes were that the characters were sixteen instead of twelve, which made everything less impressive and much more moody. They didn’t fit some of the most important details in, and idk I just feel like it could’ve been better.
There is no saving the second film that came out in 2013. All of the semi-redeeming qualities of the first one cannot be found within the second one and I think the 42 percent Rotten Tomatoes score was generous.
Now, ten years later they’re trying again and actually making the characters the correct ages. They just casted Percy and people don’t hate him, even though Logan Lerman was a great cast the first time, he was old. Idk I just hope it’s good. But, let’s not get our hopes up so the let down isn’t as severe.
The chokehold that Bethany Mota had on the teens and tweens of the early 2010s was one like no other. She had us buying out all of the Dream Bouncy pink blush, BB creams and, of course, her Aeropostale line #Motivators. I’m not going to lie: I think about Mota on the regular. Her videos, her channel, her influence. I often find myself daydreaming, looking out the window wondering where the wind has taken Bethany Mota and what she is up to now.
Somewhat recently, Bethany was on “Dancing with the Stars,” although she did not win. Currently, she is trying her hand at sustainable jewelry and was even the subject of a New York Times profile called “Can a YouTube Queen Like Bethany Mota Create a Jewelry Realm?” “Atom&Matter,” her brand, has teamed up with an ex-Tiffany & Co. designer. Definitely not what I would have expected, but still exciting nonetheless. Who knows? Maybe I’ll even drop some dough on a pair of earrings or necklace or something to prove my loyalties still lie with Macbarbie07. All I can say is that I hope that Bethany Mota is just as successful in her future endeavors as she was in the spotlight of YouTube in 2014, if not more.
The La Salle Collegian 