Blogs by Juicy

My Best Friend's Girl (the movie!)

2008-10-19T20:24:00.000-07:00

So, I recently went and saw My Best Friend's Girl. This movie was hysterical! In short, it's about a guy who is hired by friends and co-workers to take girls on the worst date of their lives in order to make them run back to the guy they dated previously. However, when his best friend/cousin hires him, he meets the only woman who can call his bluff and has to choose between her and his friend.

This movie was comical from beginning to end. As great as this movie was, it is not suitable for family outings. The movie was chalk full of course language and sexual content, but to the average young adult, these things just make the movie that much more interesting!

I don't know that I can write much more about this movie without giving away most of the story line, so you're just going to have to go see it while it's still in theatres, or wait until it comes out on dvd!

Political Ads...I'm So Over It!

2008-10-14T23:52:00.000-07:00

I know as well as anyone else that this year's presidential election is extremely important, but honestly I'm so over all of the campaign ads! They're like mosquitoes in the summer, they're everywhere and there's nothing we can do about it.

The one thing I really hate about campaign ads, is that all they're good for is airing out dirty laundry about opposing candidates. I really don't see why it's necessary to bring up something that happened so long ago, that there's no longer any justification for it.

People running for office should create campaign ads that focus on their own strong points, rather then zeroing in on their competition's faults. Ha! Wishful thinking. Anyway, I'm just happy that all of this will soon be over!

My First Trip to Look Out Mountain

2008-10-14T23:34:00.000-07:00

About a two weeks ago, I took my first trip to Lookout Mountain. I can't say why I've never been there before, but I'm glad that I finally made it up there.

I was captivated by the beauty of not only the view, but also of the natural surroundings. I was astounded to see rocks jutting 5+ feet out from the mountain.

I've lived in Denver my whole life and have never seen anything as beautiful as the view from the top of Lookout Mountain. Being able to see from Golden to Downtown Denver was amazing to me.

Last week, I went back to Lookout Mountain, but this time I went at night. Now, I thought being there during the day was beautiful, but now that I've seen it at night, I wouldn't have it any other way. I can still see the fluorescent lights of the city glowing brightly against the night sky.

Going to Lookout Mountain is an experience that I will treasure for the rest of my life and I look forward to going back again in the near future!

Behind My Paint: The Rise of My Hatchet and the Book that Changed My Life

2008-10-14T23:01:00.000-07:00

Everyone has heard of Insane ClownPosse (a.k.a ICP) and/or Psychopathic Records. ICP is considered the most loved and most hated band in the world. Why? Many people will say that its because the lyrics to their music are extremely violent. Still, others will say that the message behind the lyrics is important, so you should listen. At one time, I hated ICP with a passion. I thought the music was violent and offensive, and I hated the fact that they painted their faces like clowns; i just didn't get it.

When I was a freshman in college, I began my fight with depression. Also during this time, a friend asked me to listen to a song; he wouldn't tell me who sang the song or the name of the cd. He suggested that I listen past the surface of the lyrics and focus on the deeper meaning of the song. I did as I was instructed. When the song was over, I felt that I was not alone in the world and that life was too short to be unhappy. After telling my friend how I felt after listening to the song, he told me that the song was from ICP. I was shocked, but pleasantly surprised.

After this, I began educating myself as much as possible about ICP and Psychopathic Records. I visited their site numerous times to read any information that was posted. I visited the websites for all of the other artists that are signed to the record label and learned all I could about them as well. During all of this research, I discovered that Joe Bruce a.k.a Violent J from ICP, had written a book about his personal struggles through life, as well as the struggles of ICP and Psychopathic Records. Determined to leave no stone unturned, I eventually bought the book.

ICP: Behind the Paint was by far one of the most fascinating books I have read to date. Any questions that anyone has ever had about the music or the band are answered in the book. If you want to know why the lyrics are the way they are, read the book and see what kind of lives these men lived before becoming the most successful underdogs in the music industry. Even if your not a fan of ICP, or you refuse to let your children listen to their music, please read this book. The book will eliminate any misconceptions about the music. Please be aware though, that the book is not edited in any way; the words are directly from Joe Bruce as he was thinking them at the time.

This book is definitely worth the time it takes to read it. Even if your not a fan of the music, there is something in the book for everyone. Personally, this book changed my life in many different ways, most of which no one but myself would understand. If I had the opportunity to thank Violent J for writing this book, I wouldn't hesitate to do so.

Thanks to Violent J and the Butterfly.

Class Presentations

2008-10-14T22:51:00.000-07:00

Seeing everyone's class presentations makes me realize how different we all are in this class. It was definitely interesting being able to see what makes up the different personalities and identities of everyone in class.

I was surprised to see how many people had an interest in fire fighting. I was equally surprised to see how many people shared a love for art, specifically tattooing.

All in all, it was nice to see what makes people in class who they are.

Karma Karma Karma Chameleon

2008-10-13T13:07:00.000-07:00

Do you believe in Karma? I do. Karma is a very sneaky phenomenon. Maybe I'm just superstitious, but I truly believe that Karma is very real. I can recall several occasions where I screwed someone over, only to find myself being screwed over in some way, shape, or form for any given period of time afterwords. During these times, I can honestly say that I didn't believe in Karma. Now I look back at all of the people who ever did something really horrible to me when I was growing up; many of the girls who hassled me back then have either dropped out of school and have kids, or are in and out of jail. The same goes for the boys.

On the other hand, when I know I'm doing the right thing in a situation, I find that Karma can work in my favor. Just knowing that Karma's good rewards will come from good actions should be cause enough for people to do the right thing.

All I can say is be thoughtful about your actions. Always try to do good in your life, even for those who do you wrong. Karma is a two-way street: doing good in life leads to good Karma and doing bad will lead to bad Karma.

Don't Regret Your Regrets

2008-10-13T12:52:00.000-07:00

How many times have you told your self that you regret something you did in high school? Or that you regret ever meeting someone who broke your heart? When you begin to regret, I believe it causes more pain than whatever it is that you are regretting. Instead of being full of regret, just think of the "regretful" experiences as learning experiences.

Everything happens for a reason, whether that reason is good or bad. Being regretful means you are only living in the past; and the more you live in the past, you will never get to experience your present or even your future.

Learn to take negative experiences and turn them into learning experiences. Learning from potentially regretful situations makes you a stronger person. Say you regret not attending your child's last sporting event, just make sure that you commit yourself to attending their next sporting event and cheer them on like you were on the cheer team! Not only will you feel better about yourself, but the people love you will know that your there supporting them and not feeling sorry for yourself.

All in all, overtime regrets can start to rule your life... but only if you let them! Learn to overcome the regrets of the past, and start preparing for a happier present and a bright future.

Response to the McMansion Essay in Beyond Words

2008-09-29T12:50:00.001-07:00

I feel that the main point of this essay is to say that homes in many American neighborhoods are very uniform. There is no variety. Homes are not made to order (unless you are fortunate enought to have the money to accomidate such an order). In many places in our country, you get what you see when you buy a home; you get the same one car garage, two/three bedroom, one bath house as everyone else on the block. After reading this essay, I truly feel that we can't help but choose the most basic of spaces to dwell in.

In this essay, a question is asked: "if you give a child a crayon, and ask them to draw a house, what do you think they would come up with?". More than likely, you will end up with a box with a triangle on top, with some small rectangles on the face of the initial sqaure.

Tattoos and Piercings...Markers of Identity or Extreme Fashion Statements?

2008-09-15T13:02:00.001-07:00

I got my first official body piercing when I was 17 years old. It was something that I had wanted to do for 5 or more years but could never talk my mom into letting me do it. So during those years of waiting patiently to get my tongue pierced without having to ask for permission, I learned everything I could about tongue piercings and body piercing in general. At that point in my life I didn't realize that there was so much that could be done to the human body. Also during this time I began to gauge my ears. Gauging is a technique used to stretch the earlobes and in some cases other pierced body parts to desired diameters. Although it was a painful experience, I would eventually gauge my ears to a very small 12 gauge (many may think that this gauge is extreme; however I have seen earlobes stretched to the point where cellphones could be inserted into the void!)

In October of 2006, I decided it was time to get my tongue pierced. I knew everything I needed to know about aftercare for my new piercing, the placement of the barbell, and what to look for in choosing a shop to receive the piercing. So, one day during my lunch break from school, me and a couple of friends went to check out a potential piercing and tattoo shop. As soon as I walked in I found that I felt comfortable and very relaxed. However, I ended up not getting my piercing that day and had to return the next day (the piercer decided to take his time getting to work, however, the shop owner didn't want to lose a potential sale so he offered me a discount for the inconvenience.

So I returned to the shop the next day determined to get this piercing. Once I entered the shop, my feeling of comfort that was so prominent the day before, was gone. I was so nervous about having a hollow needle shoved through my tongue, but I refused to back down. I watched nervously and impatiently as the piercer prepared his work station for my piercing.

Once this process was complete, he asked me ever so politely to have a seat in what looked like a barber's chair. Reluctant but determined, I sat down and started gargling the Listerine that he gave me to clean out my mouth. Once I was done with that, I sat myself back in the chair and took several deep breaths as he prepared the tools he would need for the piercing. He asked me to stick out my tongue as far as possible. At that point he clamped the tip of my tongue with a pair of piercing forceps (which, by the way, was more uncomfortable then the piercing itself) and asked me to take a deep breath through my nose and to let it out slowly. He said he was going to count to three and then pierce me...well that didn't happen. As soon as the word "two" came out of his mouth, I felt a tight pinch in the center of my tongue. A few seconds later, he had me rinse my mouth with Listerine again and told me I was done. Unfortunately, this would not be my last piercing of the day.

As soon as I paid for my piercing, I felt like something was wrong with my mouth. I could no longer feel the newly inserted piece of metal in my tongue! Somehow, the bottom ball of the barbel had come undone, and because the body will automatically reject any "foreign body", the entire barbel had been forced from my tongue and into my mouth. By the time my piercer attempted to get the barbel back into it's original hole, it was too late. The hole had already started to close and there was no hope of getting that barbel back through my tongue. At this time I was offered an ultimatum: re-do the piercing now, or re-do the piercing the following day. I knew that if I left, I wouldn't return the following day; so I hopped back in the chair and had my tongue re-pierced.

Now, I personally have a considerably high pain tolerance. For me, getting my tongue pierced was no more uncomfortable then getting a flu shot. However, I did experience an increase in feeling uncomfortable during the second piercing, but that's to be expected when you receive two piercings in the same area, and on the same day no less.

What does this have to do with identity? I will soon explain.

A little less than two years later, I received my first tattoo (it is a Hatchet Man in bright pink ink, located on my right hip). Only a month or so later, I received my second tattoo (it is my nickname in black that fades into orange with the number, 92, underneath, located on my left ankle).

Now, as far as identity goes, getting my piercings and tattoos were all done for specific reasons.

First, I got my tongue pierced because I wanted to do something unexpected. In my family, I've always been looked at as the one who never got into trouble and always has her nose in a book, etc. For two years, the only people in my family who knew about this piercing were my mom, most of my cousins, and one uncle. About three weeks ago, my dad happened to see it (which I find hysterical because when we argue, we scream in each other's faces!), and now my whole family knows. In my family's eyes, it was an unexpected act from me, and as conservative as my family is, I have never received any criticism about it.

Second, I went for my first tattoo when I felt that I had actually "found" myself. I started going through a rough patch during my freshman year in college. My grades and attendance were suffering. My personal relationships with friends and family were going downhill. I started cutting. Eventually I would be diagnosed with depression and put on anti-depressants. During this time I was introduced to the music of ICP. The more I listened to the music, the more I began to feel connected to the world. Soon after listening to ICP's music, I began to educate myself in the history of ICP and I spent much of my time doing so. Eventually, I quit taking my anti-depressants, and was surprised to find that I was okay without them. So, me getting a tattoo of a Hatchetman (for those of you who don't know, the Hatchetman is the official logo for ICP and Psychopathic Records) marked a significant milestone for me. To me, it represents my fight against depression and myself.

My second tattoo was done in almost as a tribute. A friend that I met during my freshman year in college started calling me Juicy. To this day, I still don't know why she chose that as her nickname for me, but nonetheless, I answered to it and it stuck to me. Eventually, I would start introducing myself to people at local hip hop shows as Juicy. A group of friends also started calling me Juicy and introduced me to their friends as such. This group of friends mean worlds to me. They run a small tire shop (est. in 1992) by day, and help promote local underground hip hop and rock artists on weekend nights. For the past year, they have been there for me through thick and thin. When I decided that I wanted a second tattoo, I wanted to show my love and respect to the self labeled, "92 Krew", by getting my tattoo filled in with black and orange (their band colors) and I wanted to, in a way, say thanks to my friend who labeled me with such a unique nickname.

So, for me, my tattoos and piercings do not create my identity; rather, they just represent parts of what actually makes up my identity.

Response to Obama Speech

2008-09-01T17:15:00.000-07:00

"Now is the time for change". We've all heard it and many people agree. However, I think the message that Senator Obama is trying to convey is deeper than just change.

I felt that he is trying to bring unity back to the White House, the United States, and the world by ending the war and creating more jobs that will not be outsourced to foreign countries.

I also felt that his speech was not only aimed towards democrats. It seemed that he was targeting younger voters and first time voters by saying that they should be more politically active.

Over all, I feel his speech was powerful and heartfelt and reached the audience it was geared towards.

Text: What is educational? What isn't?

2008-08-27T12:54:00.000-07:00

Text: its everywhere. We see it during our daily commute. We see it in our homes. We see it in books and on the internet. But how much of it is considered educational? I suppose it depends on who you ask.

For the technology savvy youth of today, text messaging and email are apart of their daily routine. We use these forms of text to get and receive information in a very timely manner. It just seems more convenient. However, there are those who believe that text messaging and email are destroying the English skills of our youth.

Some people from pre-technological generations still resort to paper and pen as a means of sending and receiving information. Often referred to by many generations as "snail mail" or "pony express", this form of communication seems to be being phased out completely due to growing knowledge of technology.

As technology continues to advance, more and more people are needing to learn how to use computers and cell phones. It is inevitable that in the future all people are going to need to know how to use quicker means of getting "text" messages across.