Response #4 - Transgenders: Are They Transforming Our World?

Yo, yo, yo, yo! I have some important news, this is like, a legitimate PSA.

TRANSGENDERS ARE DESTROYING OUR WORLD.

Ha, more like, TRANS-FORMING our world! Get it? Yeah? No? Alright, well, let me get to the point of this post.

For you all who don't know what being transgender means, it's simply the transition from your born gender to the opposite one! (ex. from male to female, from female to male) A female transitioning to a male is a transgender male and a male transitioning to a female is a transgender female! Pretty interesting, huh? Let me give you a few rules though when encountering a transgender person:

1. Treat transgenders as you would other people, with respect! They aren't any different from you and I.

2. Use the correct nouns and pronouns! If they are MTF, they may want you to use "she, her" and if they are FTM, they may want you to use "he, his." DO NOT, by any means, call a transgender "it, thing"! Most transgenders change their names after their transition. Don't ask them what their born name was. It's rude!

3. Do not ask personal questions unless they give you the okay! Make sure you keep your questions appropriate and respectable.

4. Don't "out" a transgender!

5. Don't make assumptions!

If you need more explanation, click here!

Anyway, here is the exciting news. A transgender model by the name of Carmen Carrera is petitioned to be the first transgender Victoria Secret model. Here is a picture of this lovely, lovely lady:

Isn't she absolutely stunning? No, shhhh. I know she is. I don't need your input.

Now you're probably wondering: why is this exciting? It's exciting because it's revolutionizing the way LGBTQIA persons are looked at in the media! Victoria Secret is taking a big step to end discrimination by letting this transgender woman be herself and they're respecting her dreams to be an VS model. This is definitely going to make it into the history books, and I'm so lucky as part of the LGBT community to be a witness to such extraordinary and historic event!  

Prompt #3: Lost & Found - Episode 2

The warm, unblocked sun felt incredible on my weary eyelids. We had been sailing for about a week now, on the specific mission of finding Blake Sam's hidden treasure on the island of La Blancquilla. Everyone was getting restless and anxious; in order to keep myself from feeling that way, I decided to take a cat nap while Jolly Eyes and the rest of the crew manned the ship. Unfortunately, my siesta was cut short, (very, very short) when a sudden darkness cast itself over me. I cracked open one eye and found Jonny hovering.

"Can I help ye' mate?" I questioned with a hint of irritation. His body interrupted the sun as if the earth was experiencing a solar eclipse.

"Aye," he replied with the same fire, low and rough. His burly arms were crossed upon his chest; he appeared more terrorizing than usual, but it didn't really bother me. I knew that it was all an act. He shook a rolled up piece of cloth, his blue eyes shimmering and piercing. "I don't believe this is the right map, Captain."

"It is the right map." I closed my eyes again.

Quicker than I could take a single breath, I was off my feet and hovering over a deep blue ocean off the side of my ship, my shipmate holding me at my shoulders.

"This map is wrong!" Jonny bellowed. The bass in his voice was enough to shake me without him having to move his arms back and forth. I gripped the collar of his shirt and held on tightly, locking my jaw.

"You wouldn't fucking do it, mate," I ground out through my teeth. "Put me down now."

"Not until you admit that this map is wrong! It's sending us right to Davy Jones' locker and ye' knows it!"

I sunk my nails into his arms. He flinched a little, so I dug them deeper. "I wouldn't send my crew to Davy Jones' locker. Why would you accuse me of such treason."

"Ye wants the treasure, the fame all to herself!" He continued to hold me overboard. He had a tight hold on me, but I could feel myself slipping out of my captain's cloak.

"Do you remember when I picked you off the street in Tortuga? You were a miserable, waste of human skin and space, but I took you in, made you into a respectable man and crew mate on my White Stallion. I made you my right hand man, and this is how you repay me..."
Jonny's face twitched, a hint that I might have caused him to have a change of heart and not feed me to the sharks. He hauled me over his shoulder and placed me back onto my feet. I never missed solid foundation under my feet so much.

"I'm sorry," Jonny apologized, staring at the creaky, wooden floorboards of the ship.

"It's alright," I replied giving him my signature hearty slap on the back, "but because of all that, I might deduct some money out of your pay."

He laughed and so did I.

"Let's go get this treasure."

Tattooed on your chest, I.S.S.U.E.S.

So, Issues' self entitled album dropped on iTunes last night and was released in stores today (Feb. 18th). I pre-ordered it sometime in January and have been highly anticipating it ever since. I discovered Issues after a disagreement in the band Woe, Is Me where both of the headmen, Tyler Carter (who does clean vocals), and Michael Bohn (who does unclean vocals), called it quits and left. Tyler Carter and Michael Bohn have been best friends since their first band A Path Less Traveled which didn't work out so well, formed Woe, Is Me which also didn't work out so well, and created their own band together.

Thus, Issues was born!

I loved Woe, Is Me with a passion, and when I found out that Michael Bohn and Tyler Carter left to form their own band, I had to leave with them. Safe to say, I am not disappointed at all at what Issues has became and continues to become as I listen to their music. With Ty "Scout" Acord on the turntables as their DJ, AJ Rebollo as their amazing guitarist, Sky Acord as their fantastic bassist, and Josh Manuel as their drummer, they give a whole new meaning and feeling to their subgenre, and it's something that NO ONE was expecting. And that's the beauty of it.

Anyway, on to what I have to say about the self entitled album.

The album starts out very eerie with their song Sad Ghost. It definitely sounds like something that belongs in a horror film when you're traveling through the woods, a full moon high in the sky with scattered, gray clouds moving slowly passed it at first. All of a sudden, there's a build up with some awesome electronic sounds in the background. Then, Michael's voice comes full force, enough to take you off your feet. As you arrive at the chorus, you hear the sweet melodies of Tyler's amazing voice along with some kick ass scratching from Scout. It's a very different song and a very interesting way to begin the album.

The third song on the album is probably one of my favorite songs. Like Sad Ghost, it starts with a strange electronic song, but suddenly again, you hear the impact of Michael's screams for the first verse. As you get about 25 seconds in, Tyler starts to rap. Yes, RAP. It's amazing! It shows more talent in Tyler than just his flashy voice that everyone knows (and sometimes hates) so well. Scout also incorporates some more scratching and voice inserts to transition into the next verse. AJ's and Sky's guitars fuse really well in this song, definitely letting the bass get a chance to shine, which is often looked over.

Old Dena is the sixth song on the album, which gives Scout a lot of room to shine and flaunt his amazing DJ-ing abilities. It's only a minute and a half long, but it's an incredible short listen. It transitions very smoothly into the next song, Stingray Affliction which they released a long time before the album.

Stingray Affliction and Never Lose Your Flames are note-worthy songs on this album, not only because they were the first songs released to the public, but they have lyrics that you can truly relate to. In Stingray Affliction, the first and second verse speak about a "tough guy" who thinks he's the shit, and then the chorus goes into the victim's mind saying,

"No, I don't wanna be tough! I wanna make sure they can see me cry, sure enough. Don't wanna bottle this up, the way you make me feel when you're around."

Never Lose Your Flames is literally the anthem of this album. There's so much positivity in the lyrics, and you can tell that it comes right from how the band feels or has felt before. It's not the same reading the lyrics, it's definitely something you need to hear because Tyler and Michael place so much heart into it. These lyrics from the chorus get me every time:

"If you got the keys then start the car and drive as far as you can. If you got the blood then you got the heart to give yourself a chance."

ANYWAY...

I could go on and on about how fantastic this album because it really is, but I need to stop myself right now before I hurt myself and I'm pretty sure you guys don't care about my obsessions anyway. BASICALLY BUY THIS ALBUM IF YOU'RE INTO THIS TYPE OF MUSIC BECAUSE IT WAS DEFINITELY WORTH THE 10 BUCKS I PROMISE.

Found Poem - Questions

ask me
when the imprisoned return
and when their 15 hearts hold honor
and when their hands hold lilies

ask me
when the perfect blend of women
and earth
destroys humanity

ask me
why his lips
taste deeper meaning
and harsh desires

ask me
why this avenue is coated
with the lines
of a mountain

ask me
when the traitor's mind
discovers a reasonable
path

and ask me
why the billionaire
and his team
thrive in the history books

so ask me
and ask me again
will the pure
live here

Prompt 3: The Life - Episode 1

I became breathless at the horizon that laid before us. The sun was just rising, and pinks, blues, and purples swirled with the sky like paint in a bowl of water, freely, without pattern. I had never seen a more beautiful sight in my entire life, not even in the present day. There were too many buildings where I was from, blocking nature's gift almost everyday. I closed my eyes and allowed the sound of crashing waves to greet my ears. I was getting use to this type life, falling asleep to the sonorousness of nature, the rocking and wavering of the boat, taking anything and everything I wanted by just the draw of a sword, having people cower in fear, but the pirate life was still a rough one. Not only did we have to worry about extreme storms (too bad satellites hadn't been invented yet), but we also had to deal with the law and rival territories, specifically with the Spanish, and the lack of cleanliness.

My crew bustled down below from the Crow's Nest where I stood, getting my ship, the White Stallion, ready to set sail. There was only one more place I needed to go, and that was La Blanquilla. It's said that was where Blake Sam hid his treasure, and I wanted to find it. I grabbed hold of the closest rigs and climbed down to my rightful place on my ship, at the helm.

"I hope my steed is ready to tackle her course!" I bellowed taking the wheel. My first mate, Jonny Eras, or Jolly Eyes, handed me my hat. I gave him a hearty smack on the back.

"Aye," he replied in his raspy, low voice. "She's all ready to go, Captain." He was about 6'7", an absolute giant with a harsh demeanor, a big, scruffy, red beard that reached the midsection of his chest, braided, and bright, ocean blue eyes, hence where his nickname originates from. The guy was built like a tank, which made sense; he worked out non-stop as we traveled the seas. He maned the sails which required you to tug on ten pound rope. He had a scorpion tattooed on the back of his neck, its tail curling toward his collarbones, but I learned quickly that he had a heart of pure gold.

He became my first crew mate when I traveled to the 1670's, the peak of the Golden Age of Piracy. I always wanted to visit the pirate age. It intrigued me as I studied at the Institute of Time Manipulation in Tokyo, Japan. I read all about it; famous pirates like Blackbeard terrorizing the oceans with his ship, Queen Anne's Revenge. And so, I came across Jonny.

He was a mere beggar in the first island I came to, Tortuga. I knew he would be the perfect addition to the White Stallion, a Man O' War ship that I captured in the bay only days earlier. It needed work, and he was the muscle that I needed to get that work done.

"Could you spare some change, love?" He asked in that raspy voice that I now knew so well. Then, his beard didn't look nearly as red, and he didn't have his scorpion tattoo. He looked a lot less intimidating.

"How about a place on my ship?" I countered. "Leave this begging life behind. Sail the seas with me and you'll have so much gold that you won't be able to hold it all."

At first, he gave me a reluctant look. I knew he didn't believe me, but then I ushered him to my beauty that rested at the docks and he was automatically convinced. From that point on, I knew that it was the start of something great.

"Captain," I repeated. "God, I will never get over that." I sat my hat securely on my head and grip the wooden helm. I had been in this time period for a little over a year, but I felt like it was just getting started.