I am a changed human!

I haven't posted on this blog since the middle of my summer vacation and I must say that cringey as it sounds the first half of my junior year has widened and altered my perspective on many different things in my life. 2017 had its fair share of rough patches to say the least, but nevertheless it was an important year in my life and since the internet provides me the means to do so (maybe not for long though so feel free to text RESIST to 50409 to combat the repeal of net neutrality) I decided that I wanted to document my life at this  moment in time so that when I'm older I will have the chance to look back at what my interests were as a 16 year old.

With the spiel over, here are (in my humble opinion) the 17 best (in no particular order mind you) things about 2017:

#1) Stranger Things
(Technically I should say Stranger Things 2 because Season 1 came out in 2016, however, I just watched the show upon the release of S2, so I saw it fitting to group S1 in there.) On the off chance you haven't heard of it, Stranger Things is a Netflix original Sci-Fi series set in Hawkins, Indiana in 1983 centered around a young boy going missing. The show is filled with monsters and a mysterious telekinetic teenager and to say the least it was nothing short of amazing. As of December 2017, 2 seasons of the show have been released with a third season expected to come out in 2019. In my opinion, the actors were cast perfectly and although jump-scarey at times, overall the show was fantastic and I would 11/10 (that's a pun you would get it if you watched the show) recommend it.

#2) Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp
T H I S! THIS RIGHT HERE was hands down one of the best things to come out of the travesty that bore the name 2017. One of my friends and I waited THREE YEARS for this game to be released. That's right folks since first semester FRESHMAN YEAR. Thankfully, the mobile game did not disappoint. Although its no City Folk, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp satisfied that burning desire for Nintendo to infiltrate the app store with something other than Super Mario Bros. 

#3) Spider-man: Homecoming
Two words: Tom Holland. I saw this movie over 6 times in theaters not only because I loved the plot and the direction they chose to go with the movie, but also because of the amazing cast. Much like Stranger Things, Spider-man: Homecoming was cast perfectly. Not going to lie, Tom Holland was one of the best parts of this movie. In addition, they chose to go a different direction than Spidey movies had gone in the past and that totally ended up paying off for the creators. Perhaps the success of this movie was in part caused by it being produced by Marvel, however, nonetheless it was a great movie and it completely deserves a spot on this list.

#4) Liza Koshy & David Dobrik & the "Vlog Squad"
For those who don't know, Liza Koshy is a youtuber who has over 10 million subscribers. She makes comedy videos and is one of the greatest people on this planet. Her videos never fail to make me laugh and put me in a better mood and she is such a great influence and in general just a great person. To continue on the topic of YouTube, David Dobrik and the other members of their unofficially named group, the vlog squad, (included but not limited to: Scotty Sire, Zane Hijazi, Carly & Erin, Heath Hussar, Todd Smith, Jason Nash, Kristen McAtee, Gabbie Hanna, etc.) are on the good side of the YouTube-verse. They mainly make comedic vlogs and the occasional sit down video. David and Jason do a podcast called "Views" and during the summer I had the chance to attend their first live show and I was able to meet both David and Jason. Currently I have 3 merch items of David's (technically one is a collab with Alex Ernst so I guess 2?) and I am 100% planning on getting more. I am slightly obsessed but they are really funny people and if I have to be obsessed with anyone I'm glad its them and not Snake Paul.

 #5) Marvel Movies
Although I had been a fan before, this year's release of movies helped to kickstart my love for Marvel once more. Aside from Homecoming, Thor: Ragnarok and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 were AMAZING films. I expected Guardians to be great, however Thor I only had moderate expectations for but it skyrocketed past my expectations and was nothing short of fantastic. The movie even had a guest appearance from one of my favorite Marvel characters, Doctor Strange. This year of Marvel movies has left me even more excited for the upcoming Avengers movie, Infinity War.

#6) Why Don't We
Why Don't We is a fairly new boyband that initially started out as an inside joke within our friendgroup until we realized that we actually all (except one hahaha) really like their music. We all (except one lol pt 2) bought pit tickets for their concert in March and I am really excited!

#7) The Return of 80s & 70s Fashion
2016 was arguably the year that 90s fashion came back in style and this year fashion continued to move back in time with the return of 80s and 70s fashion. Let me just say I AM SO HERE FOR THIS. Maybe it was the influence of shows like stranger things, but it isn't debatable that 80s and 70s fashion made its comeback in 2017.

#8) Harry Potter's Comeback
 Did Harry Potter ever even leave? No not really, HOWEVER, for a hot second I forgot about it. Although the books are fantastic, the movies are GEMS! As I recently discovered one of the best things to do is watch Harry Potter on a rainy day or stay up watching it at a friends house to evade the responsibility of the muggle world. If you haven't watched Harry Potter recently I HIGHLY suggest you do, because it is 10/10 worth your time.

#9) CW Shows
Before this year I had no idea that the CW existed. Actually, that's a lie. I had binge watched shows from it before on Netflix but I had never really taken the time to look at the other shows on the channel but BOY AM I GLAD I DID. Recently, the CW released a show called Riverdale which is a murder-mystery of sorts with characters loosely based off of the classic Archie comics. In addition, two fantastic DC shows, The Flash and Supergirl, both air on the CW and they are fantastic!

#10) Marine Life
In April of 2017, my family and I went on a trip to Hanalei, Kauai and I snorkeled for the first time that I remember. It was a completely life altering experience and sparked my interest in marine biology. In addition, it also caused me to want to create a reef tank of my own. Also, I went to the Long Beach Aquarium for my birthday.

#11) Vans
In addition to the great clothing styles of 2017, checkered shoes and other different styles of vans came back in style and it is possibly one of my favorite trends of the year. Old Skools and Checkered vans are just two of my favorite styles, but there are a plethora of adorable casual shoes.  

 #12) Twenty One Pilots & Jon Bellion
I guess you could consider this year as my year of emo realizations. Thanks to the Krogs subscribing to Spotify premium I had the ability to explore my music tastes more and thankfully I came across a rock-alternative (?) band called twenty one pilots. Some of my favorite albums are Blurryface (cliche yes I know) and Vessel. In addition, I discovered Jon Bellion. He is a solo artist and his lyrics are extremely interesting and often have double meanings so  its interesting listening to his songs. His favorite album of mine is The Human Condition.
Here is my TOP Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/ogmorgs/playlist/5423M6w8dm7nK5y0NRTuTS?si=tMiOSSYpQyCLz3Ls7CC-V

#13) 80s Music
Thanks to the influence from my Dad, Spotify suggested, and the Guardians soundtrack, I fell in love with some great classics from the 80s. You always hear people say that music is gradually getting worse and not going to lie, in many way it is. With such great classics its hard to compare it with modern music.
Here is my 80s Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/ogmorgs/playlist/12DzYIJPJ2UgPkvV04IIIn?si=cRmQ98WhRTGxRV6gsrkA3w
 
#14) Country Music & Alt
Music is a major part of this list mainly because it has such a big influence on my life. Whenever my mom used to play country music I used to despise it, but ever since I became friends with someone who loves country and my sister started finding good country songs it has become something I listen to on the regular. In addition, I started working at a small surf shop in Newport and when I was looking through songs to play I found a radio station on Pandora for the band Phoenix. I forgot about their music (which I used to listen to when they had a major hit, "Liztomanina" a couple years ago) and decided to listen to the station. This opened up a hole other world of songs that I had forgot I loved and helped to expand my music taste.
Here is my Country Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/ogmorgs/playlist/12DzYIJPJ2UgPkvV04lIIn?si=cRmQ98WhRTGxRV6gsrkA3w
Here is my Alt Playlist: 
https://open.spotify.com/user/ogmorgs/playlist/4VqI1vXdfl0vPnvTgcTE4X?si=zZdhRsGOQT2PMzm25gFPaA

#15) Gel Nails
Before this year I had only had Gel nails one time. (8th grade graduation if anyone was wondering) When I went to see Homecoming with one of my friends she got Gel Nails because she was going on a trip to Europe and didn't want them to chip. Prior to then I had no idea that they don't require time to dry. When I went to get my nails done for one of my first football games they asked me if I wanted regular or gel so I decided to try gel and it was life changing. I am so accident prone that my nails always chip after a day or so, so it was great to have something that lasts for weeks at a time.

#16) Colorful Hair
2017 marks both the first and the second time that I dyed my hair. The first time I dyed it I did a blonde balayage and ombre. The second time I cut 12 inches off my hair and did a short platinum balayage. Although I haven't gotten adventurous with colors yet, I am obsessed with lavender, blue, and pink hair. Next year I am looking forward to dyeing my hair a color (probably lavender, because it fades the best).


#17) Thrifty's Birthday Cake Ice Cream
Technically, I discovered birthday cake ice cream at the end of last year, however I just started eating it throughout the middle of this year. It has replaced donuts and any other type of sweet as my favorite treat and is absolutely delicious. A solid 10/10. 

Ignore the snapchat filter on this photo l0l

Hey Everyone!

Hi Everyone!

Welcome back to my blog, and if you are new here welcome!

Today's Daily Blurb is an open discussion about Social Media. At any point in this post feel free to state your opinion in the comments section below.

As a teen growing up in the age of technology I am no stranger to Social Media. Before there was the booming sites of Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter, there were sites that were innovative at the time like Myspace and (old to me) Facebook.

It is rare to meet someone that has none of these sites, and although there are positives to social media, it  has become a crutch for young teens as well as a platform for cyber bullying. "Likes" determine how they feel about themselves, and "followers" give them a false sense of belonging and popularity. A "feed" can also portray a well organized, perfect life, but there is no way to know what is actually going on behind the photo.

On average, teens spend around 9 to 10 hours a day on social media. That is around 40% of the entire day wasted looking at posts from celebrities or those you wish to be like. I am no stranger to social media and I will not deny that I too follow these same habits, however after doing the statistical research for this post I now recognize that it is a major issue that society faces today.

I have Snapchat streaks that range from 18 to 452 days, and I have experienced first hand the obsessive behavior that comes with such "streaks". People will get mad and even stop talking to you if you "break" a Snapchat streak. Some are obsessed with growing their streaks and multiplying the amount that they have, and others take it so far that if they are going on vacation or will be unable to use their phone, they will give someone else their password and pass them the "responsibility" of maintaining their streaks.

I recognize by talking about this subject t that I most likely sound like a middle-aged mom trying to complain about my kids' constant use of social media, however I am actually on the receiving end of that spectrum. Believe me, I am 16 and I have had my fair share of social media obsession.

I am constantly being ridiculed for using data and for wasting hours of my free time doing virtually nothing on my phone. I find that many unknowingly begin to live vicariously through the photos and videos that they see posted online.

If I could leave you all with a message today, I would like to encourage both you all and myself to put down the electronics and go do something with your life. Creative outlets can be found anywhere, and personally one of the best feelings is accomplishment. Accomplishment is not something that can be achieved with ones nose stuck in their phone 24/7.

Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed this daily dose. :)

- M