Update

 Yo! I don't have a story this week. I've been adjusting to new changes in my life. I recently got a 9 - 5 job. I've been going out more often. Also I've shifted how I go about my career. I was streaming and writing (along with all that comes with that). Now I've narrowed it down to simply writing. (Will potentially get back to narrating my stories, so keep and eye out for that.) I should have a story (or two) ready for next week. See you there!

My Birthday Weekend

    Months prior to my birthday, my mom and her friends planned a trip out of town. The trip was to Funk Fest; a celebration of black music. Since it was on my birthday weekend, my mom offered to take me with her. I accepted.

    Day One

    I initially woke up at 8:58. I had only fallen asleep four hours prior. I took a nap at 11:30 which extended to 1:45. Having pushed our leave so close (2pm), we simply left. After a couple hour drive, we made it to our hotel. I freshened up, changed into my favorite outfit (Grey sleeveless hoodie with Grey sweatpants), and we headed to where Funk Fest was held: Waterfront Park. I soon had the chicken taco special from a good truck (Chicago Jerk Chicken). The special was three chicken tacos with chips and salsa. With a satisfied stomach, I could focus on enjoying the concert.

    Being at a concert as an introvert (especially when most of the music played is at least a decade older than you) was interesting, to say the least. I love music and love the songs I recognized and even some I didn't. My highlights being Tahjena, Juvenile, Slick Rick, and the fireworks show. Tahjena performed well even with technical difficulties and has a great voice. There were some minor annoyances (DJ would talk over the songs and wouldn't let really good songs just play), but overall I had fun.

    After the concert at 11, we headed back to the hotel. Though we had to make a few detours for reasons I'll explain. First, Ma wanted to check out the area her friends were staying in. They had mentioned they were close to stores and restaurants. Though on our way to the area, we came across the site of an accident. I didn't get to see much. Only a broken motorcycle, though Ma saw more. Two bodies. One that someone was working on resuscitating and another that no one was working on. After we passed the site, we saw several emergency vehicles making their way to the site. We eventually made it to her friends' area. After checking it out, we were on our way back to our hotel. Though we couldn't go back the way we came. The way was blocked off. We had to make our way around the site.

    Then came the second detour: we were hungry. Ma more so than me since I at least had the tacos. She didn't eat anything at the concert. Since it was so late, our options were limited. It came down to Waffle House and White Castle. We drove around, searching for at least one of the two. We passed both as we made our way back to the hotel, so we knew they were close. We first found a Waffle House, but it was packed. We decided against that and searched for a White Castle. Though, we couldn't find it. We had just passed it prior to our search for food, but couldn't find it now. We then went back to the Waffle House just to find it closed. Passing it, we went back to looking for a White Castle. Eventually we found one.

    When we found it, the drive through line was lengthy. Ma then suggested seeing if the inside was open. I checked and to my pleasant surprise, it was. I then offered to get our food. Though the wait inside might have been longer than if we just ordered from the drive through. I probably spent about thirty minutes waiting for our food and ten to fifteen just waiting for an item they had forgotten Though I eventually got our food and Ma and I headed back to the hotel.

    We finally made it back around 1 or 2, ate our food, and then promptly went to sleep.

    Day Two

    Neither of us slept fully. Ma woke up at 4:30 and couldn't go back to sleep. Meanwhile, I woke up at 6:30 and then 7:30. From 7:30 I stayed up a couple hours before falling back to sleep. When I was woken up, it was 10:40. Twenty minutes before check out time. I quickly showered and we checked out the hotel. We then pondered our next move. Going with the flow, we landed on having Zaxby's for breakfast. This would be my first (but definitely not last) time having Zaxby's. We ordered our food to go and made our way to the Waterfront Park.

    We made our way to downtown Louisville and drove around seeing the sights and searching for a good parking spot. We passed a museum, the community arts center, and the Muhammed Ali Museum. We eventually found a great parking spot right up the street from the park. We sat there for an hour or two. Eating, watching whatever she put on her phone, and overall chillin'.

    What we each ordered from Zaxby's was their Wings and Things combo. Three chicken tenders, 5 wings, a slice of their toast, their fries, and we both got their sweet tea for our drink. I got their Sweet and Spicy flavor wings and Ma got their Buffalo wings. Everything was delicious. You could tell the tea was freshly brewed. The seasoning on their fries and chicken tenders was delicious. And the wing flavors we got had great flavor. Even the toast was good. Prior to eating Zaxby's, I had been going to Raising Cane's. Both places are very similar, having nearly identical menus. I had heard of Zaxby's and only heard good things. After eating their food, I now understand why.

    Once it was close to time for the concert doors to open, Ma and I made our way to the park. We got their on time... Though the doors didn't open for about 30 minutes. All of us who were line had to deal with standing in the hot sun. Eventually the lines got moving and we entered the park.

    I was more anxious this day than I was the prior day. Still not sure why. Could be because I sensed that this day would be different from the previous one. The crowd was much larger. The pauses between the performances were lengthier. I was aware of the imperfections of the concert. Later during the concert someone went missing. And when the concert was over you could see all the trash that people left behind. You had to actively watch your step to not step in a carryout box or kick over a can.

    Though when we did get the performances, they were great. My highlights this time being Cameo and Fantasia. Cameo and his band did their thing and Fantasia was worth the wait, easily being my favorite performance of my time at Funk Fest.

    After the concert was over, Ma and I waited in the car till traffic died down. Once it did, we made our way back home. We first had to stop at a gas station for fuel for us and the car. Ma got coffee and I got a dragon fruit Slushie and Doritos Dinamite chips. (One of my favorite snacks and not all that common.) The trip home took about two or three hours with us reaching home at 2:42 AM. I showered and promptly went to sleep.

    And that was my birthday weekend. Now 22 years old. Really enjoyed my time.

Might

    A lone warrior stood amidst a nest of demonic beings devoid of light. They snarled, hissed, and gnashed their teeth at the warrior. The warrior stood strong having already faced many of their kind. He tightened his grip on his sword, ready to cut down more of his adversaries.

    The first one leapt at the warrior only to be cut in half. The first one initiated an all out frenzy of claws, blood, and iron. Though none of the blood that spilt that night was the warrior's. One by one, ten by ten, the monstrous bodies littered the ground beneath the warrior. All the while the warrior was silent, cutting down the waves of monsters. Each wave grew in size of the monsters. By the time the warrior noticed this, the monsters were already three times his size. His slashes became more focused for these large foes, cutting vessels and tendons, slashing off limbs. 

    By the end of this hellish onslaught, there was no more ground to be seen. Only the bodies of demons cut down by our warrior. An earth shaking howl erupted from the other side of the chamber. The warrior wiped the blood from his blade and continued towards two giant doors. He opened the doors revealing a giant chamber with only one thing inside. A giant demon with bat-like wings, horns that could tear full grown cattle in half, and a mouth full of teeth that could tear though most armor.

My Take on Social Media

Social Media is not good for you. It's entertaining, yes, though the longer you spent on it, the worse it is for you.

Think of it as a roller coaster for your mind. A lot of stimulus that's really fun in that burst. Though when you're on it for too long, the good feeling fades and you start feeling really unwell.

Worse yet, it's addictive. When the good feelings fades, instead of stopping the ride (so to speak), you keep going searching for that good feeling again. Next thing you know, hours have gone by and you spent it staring at your screen.

Though like I said earlier, it is entertaining and fun in short bursts. My advice would be, if you're going to be on it, just be mindful and only do it in short bursts.