Guitar is just something I do for fun. Nothing super competitive or committed. It’s just purely for enjoyment. But probably the great thing about guitar is that is it so easy to share that entertainment. So many people enjoy listening to the guitar and it is a great way to spread joy and happiness with everyone. Personally, I like to find the core of everything, and the core of music to me seems like it is for entertainment. Perfection isn’t necessary, rather it is more about the vibe. 

So how do you learn guitar?

I’d say it’s just like every other thing in life – just gopher it.

In all seriousness though, just go for it! it really is more about setting your mind to learn it than any sort of natural talent of some kind. 

The best starting point is probably Youtube. Nowadays, the digital world of learning and tutorials has gotten so good that so many things can be learned directly online. Certain instruments like violin or cello might be more difficult to learn online mainly because of how important getting down the right posture is from the beginning, but for guitar, the posture is very straight forward and very learnable.

But you might be wondering what to look up on youtube to get a starting point. 

Here is a progression that would be pretty nice to follow:

Always start with the chords. Chords are the fundamentals of not only guitar but music in general. There is a reason why most pop songs today are called “4 chord songs” because the main structure as a whole is only based off around four chords. This is also what makes guitar the most learnable. The chords are MUCH easier to play than on any other instrument. Chords on a piano is relatively difficult, chords on a violin is extremely difficult, chords on any wind or brass instruments is improbable. Chords make any song sound more “full.”

A quick note: Always stretch out wrists before playing as I remember I started to get a lot of wrist problems when I was first starting out.

Once the chords are down, strumming and learning new strum patterns is a great way to add life to your playing. It is very easy to tune out from the same strumming and strumming over and over again, but with new strum patterns, it adds another dimension to the playing and sounds. 

After mastering the chords and strumming, the most fun part of the guitar comes with fingerstyle guitar. Unlike strumming, fingerstyle requires plucking only a combination of strings. This is where it starts to get difficult as it requires a lot of precision, but that precision comes with a lot of benefits as well. Fingerstyle playing allows you to play the accompaniment with the baseline usually with the thumb or pointer finger, and also allows you to play the melody usually with the rest of the fingers at the same time. 

All in all, playing the guitar is just a fun hobby to have. It is something that is easy to pick up and something doesn’t take much to learn. I’d definitely suggest everyone to go try it! Plus, Guitar Center is holding Christmas sales so it’s the perfect chance to start right now.

I’m a huge advocate for white sneakers. Why? Simply put – versatility. The clean silhouette provides for a look that can be pulled off in any setting, whether it is casual when feeling adventurous, or dressed up when feeling rebellious. Besides the look, it’s something that anyone can wear regardless of gender, and won’t break the bank.

So what are the top choices? Let’s run down the list real quick:

Nike Air Force 1s

Adidas Stan Smiths/Superstars/Gazelles

Vans 

Reebok Classics

Converse 

Meraki ones

Zara sneakers

I didn’t list them all because of course there’s no best anyways. After all, every person is unique with their own taste and style. So that’s what we’ll do today: go through a systematic step by step process to help find the best white sneaker that fits you!

Probably the first thing to look at would be high top vs low top. This is a great starting point mainly because there aren’t as many options for high top than there are for its low top counterparts. Some good choices here would be Nike Air Max, Nike Air Force 1 High Tops, Converse Chuck Taylor All Star High Tops, and trusty Vans. One thing to watch out for is that, although Nike Air Force 1s provide a great streetwear aesthetic, it isn’t a pair you would necessarily want to dress up in. 

Now to sort between the low tops, it really depends on the type of look you’re going for. The slimmer and the more tailored the silhouette, the more formal it can become, but the bulkier ones add much more personality and can add a lot more creativity. 

Top picks for the slimmer looks would have to go to the Adidas models, such as the Stan Smiths, Superstars, and Gazelles. Stan Smiths and Superstars are one of the most affordable options when finding 100% genuine leather shoes, and gazelles are one of the most affordable suede shoes in the market as of right now. I was also recently informed that Stan Smiths also come in velcro variants as well which seems a lot more comfortable and much easier to clean, but one thing to watch out for would maybe be that it might look a bit childish?

Another great pick for slimmer models is definitely Converse All-Stars, a classic trademark of sneakers that are actually great in any color whether it is white or not. With the new collab with Nike recently, the Converse lineup has extremely comfortable soles and overall is at a great price point. 

For the bulkier and more streetwear looks, there are also just as many options. Nike Air Force 1s have been blowing up recently due to its strong and distinct shape that matches extremely well with all sorts of different styles. The Reebok Classics are also a great pair that adds a lot of personality. The retro-inspired design is something that is hardly ever seen and is an extremely underestimated shoe.

To top it off though, I’d actually categorize Vans as more bulky and streetwear. Though it has a slim silhouette, it still has a bold and angular shape that adds a lot of texture. At the end of the day, you really can’t go wrong with Vans as they offer their shoes in leather, canvas, suede, everything.

What I’ve provided today was just a starting point. Just a few options of what I thought were good picks that were reliable and relatively on the more affordable side. But please, if I’ve missed your favorite pair, please let me know in the comments!

I couldn’t stop laughing. 

The scary thing is, my house had a similar architecture. We had meat stored in a kimchi storage fridge and you know what, it was just like how it was presented in the story. 

Thank god we didn’t have lamb. Because if we did, who knows? 

Lamb to the Slaughter was actually quite a hilarious story. Sure death isn’t something to be laughed about, but Dahl’s interpretation and writing don’t use death as a literal standpoint, rather a tool for irony.

Mary loves her husband, but her husband wants to divorce. She, being pregnant, has trouble understanding Patrick’s decision and hit him on the head with a leg of lamb. After realizing what she had done, Mary calls the cops and convinces them to eat the lamb, essentially getting rid of all of the evidence.

That’s really the whole reflectiveness of Dahl’s writing. It isn’t necessarily about analysis. It isn’t all about behind meanings. The power of Dahl’s writing is that it’s just entertaining and intrinsic value. 

And that isn’t to say that Dahl’s essay is poorly written or lacks any literary merit. In fact, Dahl wrote a plethora of works that are renowned throughout the literary world. The BFG, Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Dahl has implanted himself throughout.

But Dahl seemed to have written for a more familiar audience. More that is specifically tailored towards children, a younger audience. Without the focus in jargon and pretentiousness, Dahl is able to write with an emphasis on creativity. It’s the power of taking a simple saying like “Lamb to the Slaughter” and putting his own little twist on it to interpret the meaning literally. 

The thing is though, Dahl actually incorporated an aspect of analysis as well that can actually have meaning beyond the entertainment level. 

Lamb to the slaughter is a phrase that is used to describe the victims of the innocent that are unfamiliar to the perceived and presented dangers. Perhaps if we were to go into the analysis, we can see who in the story was representative of the title.

Mary? It seemed that Mary was definitely innocent. In unconditional love with her husband, she was in the state of irrational decisions. Her husband coming home was a factor that seemed to spark her initial emotions of love that were contrasted acutely throughout the story. There could be an argument saying how it was Mary that was the lamb to the slaughter. She was led into the world of romance and love that was unparalleled and unreciprocated by her at the time husband. 

But what about her husband. Perhaps he was a lamb to the slaughter as he was the one who thought he was safe in regards to the fact that he believed in the innocence of his own wife. The inclusion of her pregnancy is a misleading factor that represents her protectiveness and comfort, but in reality, it is just a coverup of her manipulative behaviors.

And maybe even the police? They fell straight for Mary’s trap. But I won’t spoil that part.

So then what really is the meaning? Was it really merely just an irony filled piece that serves the purpose for enjoyment and entertainment? Or was it actually a social commentary on perhaps even human manipulation?

Some say that it was all-encompassing, such as a critical analysis published on Academia.edu by Khairunnisa Mohamad Yusoff ,stating that the combination of Mary’s pregnancy, the fact that Patrick is a crime detective, and the overall idea of her acting out of pure anger all contribute towards meaning or a commentary on human behavior when upset, under stress, or oppressed.

All in all, Lamb to the slaughter is a phenomenal piece. It has all the components of good writing, humor, irony, meaning, and is a fairly quick read as well. If Mary was able to convince the detectives that she didn’t commit the crime, perhaps I could convince you guys to read this story. . .