Being Human (U.S.) Season Three Review

Warning: Spoilers below!

Before I saw season three, I remember wondering how our main characters could possibly get themselves out of the predicaments set up from season 2.  Sally went to limbo, Aidan was buried alive, and Josh and Nora were last seen fighting Ray.  The writing does an excellent job at solving these problems.

Right away, it's easy to tell this show is headed in a fresh direction.  Josh and Nora look and act more mature because of all they've been through.  It's nice to see their relationship thriving again.  They've been trying to find Sally and Aidan for the past eighteen months.  Interestingly, Josh, Aidan, and Sally have all defeated their makers.  Aidan killed Bishop at the end of season one, Sally shredded Danny in season two, and now we learn Josh has lifted his curse by killing Ray to protect Nora.

As a last resort, Josh and Nora get involved with a witch named Donna.  She's not very likable at first, but she helps bring Sally back. Not just her spirit, Sally comes back from the dead!  I was thrilled by this because I was really concerned about how her story could progress any further as a ghost.  I think she changes the most because just when you think there's nothing left, we get majorly surprised with where her character goes.

It turns out, Aidan was buried at the best possible time because the vampires are on the verge of extinction.  A flu broke out among humans and when vampires drink the blood of someone who had it, they get sick and slowly die.  Mother and most of the other vampires are dead, except for Henry.  When Aidan is finally reunited with Josh and Sally, it takes him a minute to realize Sally is alive and this scene is one of my favorites.

They go all out with Sally's different hair, makeup, and fashion choices and it's so much fun finally getting to see her live for real.  But as we know, magic always comes with a price.  At first, she seems totally normal.  Then we start to notice her eating...a lot.  It seems innocent and we're even led to believe it would make sense since she did come back from the dead.  But it gets to the point where she eats constantly and nothing satisfies her hunger.  After cleaning out the fridge one night, she munches on some raw meat, confirming something is really wrong.

Connor and Brynn's father, Liam, stirs up trouble throughout this season.  We find out Nora killed Brynn in self defense and Aidan takes the blame.  Josh is scratched again, this time by Liam, but he's not as emotionally affected by this as we would expect.  Liam uses another werewolf, named Erin, to try to kill Aidan and I didn't care for her story line.  However, it did contribute to the discovery that werewolf blood is a cure for the vampire virus.  When Aidan gets sick, we get flashbacks as he remembers his long dead wife.  When he recovers, they remember he drank from Josh and when Erin tried to poison him with her blood, it gave him a boost, causing him to beat the virus.

Sally's condition worsens and she learns the only way she's temporarily satisfied is to eat something living.  She eats a mouse and decides she doesn't want to go down the zombie path.  She gives up and gradually starts to decompose.

Aidan loses Henry to the virus before he knows about the cure and then he meets Kenny.  Kenny is called the bubble boy because he has an autoimmune disease and has to live in the hospital where  Aidan works.  Aidan is able to sneak Kenny's blood because he knows it's clean.  The bits where Kenny is trying to prove Aidan is a vampire are pretty funny.  After a lot of begging, Kenny convinces Aidan to turn him so he doesn't have to live in a bubble the rest of his life.  Aidan has been mourning Henry and feels like he can start over with Kenny and raise a "son" the right way.

Josh and Nora get engaged and we see them planning their future together amidst all the turmoil around them.  In episode 12, they quickly plan a wedding at the house because they want Sally to be there, but it's too late.  She's fading fast, but doesn't die before Nora helps her pick out a killer outfit for her second afterlife.

After Sally dies again, she goes through the door Donna has prepared for her.  Donna tricked everyone so she could eat Sally's soul to preserve her youth, but Sally is able to defeat her with the help of Aidan and Josh.  Sally attends the wedding in spirit and of course she gives some hilarious commentary that Josh is unable to hear since he hasn't turned yet.  Aidan marries Josh and Nora and I'll admit I cried a little during their ceremony.  They've gone through so much to get to that moment and it's obvious they're meant to be together.

Of course, there are consequences to the vampire virus cure and when Aidan turns Kenny, he becomes a werewolf-vampire hybrid.  In the season finale, Liam tries to kill Aidan and we get an awesome scene where the group unites to survive his attack.  Josh and Nora can't even enjoy their honeymoon without some sort of dark drama interrupting.  In the end, Sally is able to save them and we get hints that she's a different kind of ghost now.  We also see Aidan's wife step out of a cab in present day Boston, setting up her role for season four.

Towards the end of the finale, Donna shows up as a ghost and pulls Sally down a hole that appears in the spot where she died.  Josh and Nora turn together again but Nora wakes up to find Josh is still a wolf the next morning.

With all of this being said, season three is my second favorite.  I love the choices they made because our characters were able to go through intense growth and development.  My favorite part was seeing Sally alive, even if it was only temporary.  What's up with her new ghostly power and where did Donna take her?  What will Josh and Nora's married life be like, especially now that Josh is a wolf indefinitely?  And how is Aidan's wife alive?  These are all the cliffhangers we are left with leading to my favorite season of all.

Being Human (U.S.) Season Two Review

Warning: Spoilers below!

Season two of Being Human (U.S.) is my least favorite of the four because everything you don't want to happen to our four main characters happens.  Even so, it still has some great moments and intricate story telling.

Aidan is faced with the challenge of cooperating with "Mother", the oldest, most powerful vampire.  She comes to Boston to decide who will take Bishop's place as leader.  Mother has Aidan dig up her daughter, Suren, who was buried alive in the 30's.  They cleverly say she has been "grounded" for eighty years.  Mother wants Suren to lead Boston with Aidan's help and he reluctantly agrees. At first, Suren's character is a little annoying but if he helps her succeed, he can have his freedom.  We are shown flashbacks to the time before she was grounded and we're introduced to Aidan's only "vampire son", Henry.  Henry and Suren were briefly together and Aidan warns Henry about getting involved with a royal.  When Henry betrays Suren, she reveals herself as a vampire in front of an extravagant dinner party which is what lead to her grounding.  Henry shows back up in the present time and in order for him to be forgiven, Suren skins him.  Thankfully, nothing is shown, but this is one of the more gruesome aspects of the show.

Josh and Nora's relationship is rocky in this season.  Nora is now a werewolf and I love the scene the morning after her first turn where she finally meets Sally.  We're also introduced to the twins, Connor and Brynn, who are pure bread werewolves.  They definitely contribute to the growing rift between Josh and Nora.  The ex who gave Nora the burns on her stomach returns and Connor and Brynn encourage her to get revenge during a full moon.  She ends up killing him, leading her down a dark path.  The conversation Josh and Nora have about how they both hate the morning after a turn brilliantly reveals opposite perspectives about their wolves.  Nora enjoys the power while Josh hates himself.  They break up and after Aidan kills Connor, Nora runs off with Brynn.

Sally's story line is the most dull in my opinion because it's all about a mysterious reaper who is "shredding" other ghosts.  It gets better in episode 10, when Sally is trapped in an alternate reality where she's engaged to the reaper, Scott.  The scenes in this world are actually quite beautiful and I especially love the color scheme.  The apartment is redecorated and everything is black, white, and gray, with generous pops of purple.  This is the first time we see Sally with different hair, makeup, and clothes and she looks great.  In the real world, she is taken over by this reaper and the scenes where he talks through her are extremely creepy.  One of the reasons I thought this was one of the weakest plot points is because we find out Sally is actually the reaper and has been the one shredding ghosts all along.

In this same episode, something very significant happens between Josh and Aidan that will come up again in later seasons.  The "reaper" has sealed the house so Josh, Aidan, and Zoe, a ghost whisperer, are stuck there.  Aidan is starving and Josh will be turning soon, putting Zoe in danger.  It's always fun when they tell someone new about their secrets and we get that here with Zoe.  As a last resort, Aidan drinks from Josh and we see how a vampire's body handles werewolf blood.  At first Aidan feels super charged, but soon he's on the floor with blood coming out of his mouth, nose, and eyes.

We are also introduced to Julia in this season when Aidan starts dating her.  There is an incredibly awkward scene when Josh and Nora meet Aidan and Julia in the kitchen and we discover Julia is Josh's ex-fiancee.  It's previously hinted that Josh was supposed to get married and we get a lot more of that story.  After Nora is out of the picture and Aidan breaks up with Julia because of his loyalty to Josh, the sparks between Josh and Julia cannot be avoided.  I was very conflicted about this development because Josh and Nora's relationship always seemed right since he could be honest with her.  As a result of the pain from their past, it was hard to see Josh and Julia as right for each other.

Another aspect that gets better towards the end of the season is the romantic relationship between Aidan and Suren.  They end up falling in love after he breaks up with Julia.  In episode 11, Aidan and Suren have a double date with Julia and Josh in an attempt to resolve tension.  Sally watches the whole thing, making funny comments, and Julia is the only who can't see her.  We also learn more about Suren and Aidan's past and this scene really made me like her character and their relationship much more.

In episode 12, Josh almost turns in public because his transformation is triggered by an eclipse.  Unfortunately, Julia chases him in the street and is killed when she gets hit by a car right after seeing his fangs and claws mid-turn.  Josh doesn't realize he's talking to her ghost until her door appears.  Before she goes through it, she says she loved him enough, he just didn't believe it.  It's so sad, but I believe it had to happen for the sake of the story's progression.  Another result of the eclipse is all the ghosts Sally shredded make a brief reappearance and she learns how bad it is in limbo.

Nora comes back towards the end of the season and tells Josh she learned that if a werewolf kills their maker, they will be cured.  Josh is resistant at first, but they eventually make a plan to murder Ray.  I really hated this part because even though we aren't meant to like his character, it's still sad.

Once Aidan successfully helps Suren clean up Boston, he's cut off from the vampire world.  This is Mother's way of maintaining control because he does get his "freedom" but now he's forbidden to continue his relationship with Suren.  They briefly run away together but she's too weak and decides to go back.  Even though I did like their relationship, this demonstrates that Suren didn't love Aidan enough to stay with him.  Mother's cruelty is showcased when she tries to force Suren into killing Aidan.  This would prove to Mother Suren will be the leader she's always wanted her to be.  In the end she can't do it, and Mother kills her own daughter.  Interestingly, by the end of this season, Josh and Aidan both lose their love interests.

I can't deny the finale is great for this season.  Mother grounds Aidan and Sally shreds herself to try to find a way to help all the ghosts she shredded.  We hear a gun shot and it's unclear if Josh and Nora were successful at killing Ray.

This season is tragic, but if these events didn't happen, we wouldn't have the foundation for the next two seasons, which are my favorite.  These trials make them who we want them to be and their relationships become even stronger as a result.  Check out my Being Human (U.S.) Season Three Review now!

Being Human (U.S.) Season One Review

Warning: Spoilers below!

Being Human (U.S.) has got to be one of my all time favorite shows.  I just finished rewatching the entire series for the third time.  I first discovered the show several years ago and from the first episode I was hooked.  I've always loved supernatural shows and the idea of a vampire, werewolf, and ghost living together as roommates instantly intrigued me.  The quality stands out among many other shows and movies in this genre.  Overall, my favorite aspect is the lovable, complicated, damaged characters and the close relationships they form with each other.

Aidan, played by Sam Witwer, is a charismatic vampire struggling with his unquenchable thirst for human blood and the bond he's constantly trying to sever between himself and the secret world of vampires.  Josh, played by Sam Huntington, is a self loathing werewolf who ran away from his human life in an attempt to shield his loved ones from the monster he believes he's become.  The two become friends and the basis of the show is formed when they move in together in an attempt at "being human".  That's when Sally, played by Meghan Rath, comes in.  She's an outgoing, quick-witted ghost who died in the house Aidan and Josh have rented.  They are able to see and speak to her because they're all supernatural beings.  Kristen Hagar plays Nora, Josh's gorgeous love interest, and the four of them make up the main cast.

Season one is my third favorite of the series.  It lays the groundwork for the four characters to develop as individuals, and in their relationships with each other.  Not only are we introduced to dark themes such as addiction, self hatred, revenge, and loss, there are many comedic moments that let us know this isn't all about heartbreak and death.  Specifically, in the pilot episode, Josh delivers several hilariously awkward lines I always look forward to when revisiting the series.

Each character is faced with separate obstacles they must overcome.  Sally has been dead for six months when we meet her energetic spirit.  She doesn't remember how she died and is unable to leave the house.   The show cleverly and gradually reveals it's ghost mythology as Sally learns to navigate her afterlife.  She can appear and disappear, make objects move, possess other humans, and speak to people who are open to it.  All ghosts are waiting for their door, which is unique to each ghost and leads to a mysterious white light.  The problem is, she can't move on until she resolves all her earthly issues.  This aspect reminded me of the show Ghost Whisperer.  At first, she wants to talk to her fiance, Danny, and let him know it's okay to move on.  She even blesses his relationship with her best friend, Bridget.  But as the details of her death are slowly revealed, we learn that Danny has a temper and he was the one who killed her.  The clogged plumbing in the house represented the repressed memories of Sally's death and once the engagement ring she dropped down the drain is found, it all comes back to her as the pipes unclog.  Once Danny's true abusive nature is discovered, Sally is able to get through to Bridget, saving her from a similar fate of untimely death.  We see justice for Sally when Josh and Aidan help her force Danny to turn himself in for killing her.

In interviews about playing Aidan, Sam Witwer has often said what his character struggles with is a metaphor for being a drug addict.  Aidan's life as a vampire is, as one would expect, extremely bloody.  He tries to survive on the bagged blood he sneaks out of the hospital where he works as a nurse.  His career choice may seem strange for someone constantly fighting the urge to drink human blood, but he explains this is a way for him to help people and make up for the gruesome things he's done in the past (which we get awful glimpses of throughout the series).  The bagged blood only satiates him for so long until he slips up and drains a girl he's dating in the first episode.  The fact that he slips up sometimes really makes the show seem more realistic.  His maker/vampire father, Bishop, played by Mark Pellegrino, is eager to clean up the mess because it's a way for him to suck Aidan back into the underground world of "running" Boston.  I will say I didn't care for the Rebecca story line and the scenes with Bernie were heartbreaking.

Josh also works at the hospital as an orderly.  Since becoming a werewolf, he has given up on his aspiration of becoming a doctor and just focuses on getting through each full moon.  The werewolf mythology is pretty standard.  The transformation is extremely painful and happens every full moon.  At one point Sally tells Josh she would trade places with him if she could.  She'd rather be a werewolf once a month and have a life than be stuck as a ghost indefinitely.  Later, she sees him transform and apologizes for not realizing how bad he really has it.  Ray is another werewolf that comes onto the scene claiming to want to help Josh.  He seems okay at first and even teaches Josh tips about their shared condition.  Eventually, Josh is sickened to learn Ray is the one who turned him.

The romance between Josh and Nora begins with awkward, yet charming, pick up lines he learned from Ray.  They do end up dating and as the chemistry between them heats up, Josh finds it hard to let himself get intimate with her.  We learn about her past when she reveals burn scars on her stomach from an abusive ex, which is expanded upon further in future seasons.

  In episode 7, there is a hilarious scene where Josh is visiting his parents.  Aidan shows up and for appearances he eats dinner, which happens to have garlic in it.  In this world, garlic effects vampires by revealing their natural form, so Aidan has to hide his fangs and black eyes by hiding out in the bathroom.  I always laugh when Josh walks in and is surprised to find Aidan in the bathtub with herbs trying to get the garlic to wear off.

At the end of the season Aidan kills Bishop and the theme of "the son always kills the father" is introduced.  In a previous episode we learned Bishop chose power over love so it's a little surprising when he's almost proud of Aidan for succeeding in killing him.  Sally misses her door to help Aidan and it is unclear what this will mean for her future.  Nora finally discovers the truth about Josh and we're left with a cliffhanger when it's revealed Josh accidentally scratched her just before he turned.

I would recommend this series to anyone who likes the supernatural genre.  Currently, you can marathon them on Netflix.  This show goes deep into the struggles of being something other than a human and it's done in such a way that makes you fall in love with all the characters.  Check out my Being Human (U.S) Season Two Review next!

5 Easy Tips For Making Cleaning More Enjoyable

I readily admit I am a clean freak.  I get it from my mom who always kept our home immaculate.  The thing is, it's not just that I like having a clean living space.  I genuinely love to clean.  I look forward to my weekly cleaning day where I dust, scrub the bathrooms, mop, vacuum, do laundry, etc.  I understand many people do not feel this way, which is why I've created this list of ways to make cleaning more enjoyable.  Even if you're unable to devote an entire day to cleaning, you can incorporate these tips into whatever task you're working on.

Tip #1: Get in the Right Mindset
If you begin a cleaning session with an attitude of dread, you will not enjoy yourself.  Those negative thoughts will permeate the whole experience.  Instead, try to think positively about what you're doing.  You have a living space and the ability to get up and do something good for you and your family.  This is a necessary task, so instead of complaining about doing a little work, accept where you are and try to feel joy in the present moment.

Tip #2: Create a List
Instead of just starting a random task, make a list of everything you want to get done in a convenient sequence.  I always dust and wipe counters before I vacuum so dirt and crumbs that land on the floor will get picked up.  I don't have kids yet, but I plan to use the method my mom did with my sister and I where we would make a list of chores to help her check things off.  By making it into a game, it teaches them cleaning is fun and not a punishment.  This will benefit them later in life.

Tip #3:  Listen to Music or Podcasts
This is my favorite thing to do when I clean.  I love music and podcasts, so I always have something playing.  This is a great way to distract your mind and focus on what you're listening to.  It helps reduce negative thoughts and makes whatever you're doing go by much faster.  Most of the time, I carry my phone in my pocket and use headphones when I vacuum.  The headphones are great if you need block out noise or if you're trying to be quiet for others.  Some of my favorite podcasts are The BadChristian Podcast, You Hate Movies, Beauty Inside Out With Kimberly Snyder, and Lead Singer Syndrome.  You can subscribe and get new episodes regularly on your podcast app.  That way, you get new content every week.  There are podcasts on just about every topic so just search the app for whatever you're interested in and try a new show.

Tip #4: Use Cleaning as a Form of Exercise
When I'm scrubbing surfaces or vacuuming the floors, I can feel my muscles getting stronger.  Our bodies release endorphins when we exercise and it's important to stay active if you want to live a healthy lifestyle.  You're really killing two birds with one stone.

Tip #5:  Embrace Your Accomplishments
Once you've completed a task, take a deep breath and give yourself permission to be proud of what you've accomplished.  Take pride in keeping your home clean.  It's not always easy to get things done and when you're successful, that work should be acknowledged.  Once you are done, you can enjoy the rest of your day in a fresh, healthier living space.

I hope these tips help future cleaning experiences become something you can at least no longer dread.  I believe maintaining a clean home is a major aspect of creating the best possible environment for a healthy family.  You'll be surprised by how putting in a little effort and using these simple techniques to make the process go smoother will reap awesome rewards and benefits to many aspects of your life.  You'll be less stressed and improve family relationships, convenient living, and overall health.

The BadChristian Podcast Review

I didn't even know what a podcast was until October of 2014.  I was browsing Facebook and saw that one of my favorite bands, The Devil Wears Prada, shared an interview with their lead singer, Mike Hirancia.  This was the first episode of The BadChristian Podcast I listened to.  There was something about the humor and dynamic between the three hosts that intrigued me.  I ended up listening to all the past episodes and it didn't take long for me to realize this was something special.  I also realized two of the guys, Matt and Toby, are in the band Emery, which I used to listen to as a teenager.  I got back into their music and bought all the albums I had unfortunately missed out on.

Their perspective is great because they've toured all over the world with their band and met all types of different people.  The third guy of the group is their friend Joey, who is a pastor, and he brings a more conservative perspective to the show.  The premise of this podcast is about giving Jesus all the credit because we are "bad" Christians and He's our great savior.  They don't shy away from cussing and controversial topics.  This is refreshing because so much of Christian culture is very legalistic.  One of the things they often say is they fit into a very small niche because they're too Christian for some people, but not Christian enough for others.  I love that this is acknowledged because that's how I've felt most of my life.

Another great thing about this show is there is such a diversity in the guests.  My favorites are when they interview people from bands because most of the time I know the music.  They also interview, atheists, pastors, an ex-porn star, an ex-Muslim, gay people, a super bowl champion, a former bank robber, authors, and many more.  Their approach is not judgmental and they often have respectful conversations with people they don't agree with.  You are exposed to so many different viewpoints and this has been very enlightening for me.  I still love Jesus and I would actually say my faith has become stronger since listening to this podcast.  It's allowed me to view God as more than who I thought He was.  Because He's so powerful, we shouldn't be threatened by what non-believers say about Him.

One of my favorite parts are the funny personal stories.  Joey shares a hilarious condom story and how he kicked a dog in the face once to protect his son.  Those are linked to YouTube videos so you can preview them if you want.

BadChristian isn't just a podcast.  They have a record label, publishing company, podcast network, blogs, and merch.  I was introduced to one of my new favorite bands, Wolves at the Gate, and found other podcasts like Free Sex Podcast, Lead Singer Syndrome, Pastor With No Answers, Break It Down With Matt Carter, You Hate Movies, and Ask Science Mike, through this show.

Every episode is fresh and different.  They even record some live to change it up and there is definitely a unique energy for those shows.  They always start with a different freestyle beat box that never disappoints.  I have made it a routine to always listen while I clean my apartment and it's become something I look forward to every week.  If you can't tell yet, I absolutely love this podcast!  No matter who you are, I think everyone can learn something and be entertained by this show.

If you want to start listening from the beginning, click here.  That will take you to the backlog of episodes starting with the first one.  You can also subscribe on your podcast app and get new episodes automatically.  They are all worth listening to but below are a list of my favorite episodes:

4 Chris Dudley (Underoath), 18 Former Porn-Star Brittni Ruiz, 23 Ex-Muslim Naeem Fazal, 24 Kevin Max of DC Talk, 32 Lecrae, 39 Mike Hranica from The Devil Wears Prada, 40 JT from Hawthrone Heights, 42 Lacey Strum formerly of Flyleaf, 50, Jen Smith- The Unveiled Wife, 59 Aaron Gillespie - Underoath, The Almost, Paramore, 84 BC Live in Tampa feat. UNDEROATH, 87 Stephen Cobbuci-Lead Singer, Wolves at the Gate, 98 Josh Dies: Vocalist, Showbread, 109 Matt and Toby and Shane Claiborne, 113 Aaron Lunsford, As Cities Burn Drummer and Author, 118 Spencer, Tim and Aaron. Underoath is BACK!, 120 Matty Mullins of Memphis May Fire, 135 Zachary King former Satanist, and 160 John Burke Author of Imagine Heaven.

It Isn't Easy Being An Introvert

In my introduction post, I shared that people have criticized me my entire life for being an introvert.  As I've become more confident in my identity, I've learned to be comfortable with this aspect of myself.  I also realized the people who were making these critical remarks probably didn't mean to hurt me.  They genuinely didn't understand me.

Recently, my father shared a video with me called, The Power of Introverts.  He said it helped him better understand my personality.  This inspired me to share my own personal experiences growing up as an introvert, because we are so often misunderstood.

Many different people told me there was something wrong with me because I didn't express myself.  They'd ask "Why are you so quiet?".  My answer was simple.  I was very shy and would only speak when I had something important to say.

It's not that I don't enjoy the company of others.  I love spending time with family and close friends.  But being around people I don't know very well, especially in large groups, takes up a lot of mental energy, and after such gatherings introverts need alone time to recharge.  Like Susan Cain mentions in the video, I often become overstimulated in these chaotic social situations.

Because I was so different from my peers, in my interests, looks, and personality, it made me feel like an outcast.  This resulted in some intense bullying in middle school, which made my introversion even more extreme.  School was particularly difficult because the systems seem to cater toward the more outgoing students.  Any time I had to do an oral presentation or felt all eyes on me, my face would turn bright red.  This continued throughout high school and even some in college.
I'll never forget one specific time this happened because it's one of the most embarrassing moments of my life.

English was my best subject, so ever since 6th grade, I always took an advanced class.  The English teacher I had in my junior year of high school created a very stressful environment for me.  We would often have class discussions and everyone was expected to participate.  The problem is, when I'm put in this type of situation where I could be called on at any moment, I stop learning and start panicking.  My heart beat sped up and I felt sweaty and spacey.  We were being graded on how we contributed to a discussion with the entire class and this created an unfair advantage for the students who were comfortable with speaking out.  If I had time and space to expand my thoughts, I'd have just as much of a chance at succeeding as the extrovert sitting next to me.  But that's not how this class was set up.
The teacher began the discussion and started calling on random students.  I couldn't breathe as I sat in silence hoping to become invisible.  When the moment came and he called my name, I was unable to think of an intelligent response.  He said "What do you think about this?"  The topic was something I had no opinion on because I had never had to think about it before.  All I could say was the truth.  That I didn't know and I didn't have an opinion.  He asked me to try and I said "I don't want to be noticed".  He said "You are noticed.  We are all noticed" and went back to the discussion.  I thought the horror was over, until a girl looked at me with a confused look on her face.  She said "Why are you turning red? You're the color of your hair."  I was mortified.  Remember how I said this was an advanced class?  Yeah, I made my first C in English that year.

This is a stark contrast to how my senior year English class went.  I loved the teacher because she was respectful to her students and taught in a way that allowed me to succeed.  Every day there was a journal topic on the board and we would spend the first fifteen minutes of class writing about it.  We read interesting books and plays, wrote essays on fun topics, and I don't think I had to give any lone presentations that year.  She always gave my papers constructive criticism in a tactful way.  On one, she wrote something like "You have a natural talent for writing.  Never give it up."  That always stuck with me as an encouragement.  

Reflecting on these two completely different experiences has made me really angry.  I don't understand why some teachers play favorites based on personality.  In the 11th grade class, I felt I was being punished because I was shy, quiet, and reserved.  Like Susan Cain said, it's not that we should change the current systems to accommodate only introverted learning styles.  There has to be a balance.  I'm great at learning by listening and observing.  If that teacher had set up an optional participation discussion, I would have benefited from it much more.  I could actually try to learn and pay attention to what everyone was saying rather than having an internal panic attack at the thought of being called on.

Another aspect of my life that others made me feel inferior about because of my introversion was my love life.  I didn’t date much as a teenager.  Someone once told me I'd never meet anyone if I didn't go out and try.  Their suggestion was to go to a club or bar and try to meet guys there.  But that's not where I wanted to be.  Why would I want to meet someone where I'm not comfortable?  Shortly after that conversation, I met a boy, who is now my husband, in my own way.  You don't have to be super outgoing to get what you want out of life.

In recent years, I've become better at not letting other people's comments bother me.  It's not that I don't like people, it just takes me a little more time to get to know someone before I can fully be myself.  The bottom line is, we introverts need some grace.  We shouldn't be criticized for our innate personalities.  We shouldn't be made to feel guilty because most of the time we'd rather stay home than go out.  God made us all different for a reason and we should be motivating each other to be true to ourselves so we can reach our full potential in all aspects of life.

The Red Fox Strikes Again

At some point, all gingers have been called "Red".  Recently, my nickname has become "The Red Fox".  Before any assumptions are made about this, let me explain.  I'm a prankster.  I have been my whole life and it was inevitable for me to turn out this way.  Growing up, I was constantly teased by both sides of my family.  I had to adapt in order to survive.

The first prank I can remember was pretty intense.
At about the age of 3, I was terrified of "the paper-face lady".  She was a mannequin dressed in a bathrobe with a towel on her head and wore a mask decorated with floral magazine clippings.  She stood in the display window of a bath products store and every time I'd go to the mall with my mom, aunt, and cousins, they would tease me because I was so scared of her.   One day, my biggest fear came true when I saw her staring at me through the sliding glass door of my home.  I'll never forget the horror I felt in that moment.  A shiver of fear ran through my tiny body.  I was crying in my mother's arms when she let the paper-face lady inside.  It turns out, it was just my aunt dressed up.  She came in, took off the costume, and let me hold the mask she had made.  Once I calmed down, I felt better and my fear of her was cured.

As I got older, I discovered how much I enjoyed pranking others and actually got pretty good at it.  To some people, this might seem mean spirited, but to me, it was an expression of creativity.  Prank calling became a standard activity for family gatherings.  I used to booby trap my sister's room and couldn't wait for her to come home and be entangled in thread across the doorway as water would dump on her head.  Don't worry, she got me back.

A few years ago, my husband told me our friend was having some issues with his insurance company and encouraged me to send him a prank text.   It said something like "This is "so and so" insurance company.  You have requested too many claims on your policy and you now owe $500.  Please make your payment as soon as possible."  Since he didn't have my number in his phone, he believed it.  He spent a few hours looking over his policy trying to find something to fight the payment.  When his wife came home, she said an insurance company probably wouldn't send a text and they realized something weird was going on.  He texted me back and the prank was revealed.  He was a good sport about it and gave me the nickname "red fox" because of my red hair and ability to be cunning and tricky.  From now on, whenever I get away with pranking someone we always say "The red fox strikes again!".  

This past weekend my husband and I were hanging out with these friends and they asked how to find my blog.  I said it's under my name since I haven't been able to think of anything clever to call it for the time being.  The friend I had pranked suggested I use his nickname and that's why I have changed the name of this blog.  I am The Red Fox.