The Last of Us Part 2

As of recently, I’ve been playing The Last of Us 2 a lot more during my free time. I was a huge fan of the series already, but there being a second season made of a show on HBO has made me an even bigger fan. After I found out the second season was to be released mid April, I started to play the second game a lot more. While in the first game you play as Joel, transporting the immune Ellie across the country to try and find a cure, you actually play as Ellie in the second, seeking revenge against the killer of Joel. The differences in the gameplay between the first and second game aren’t SO different, but the additions in the second make it so much more addictive. You can dodge melee attacks, you can go prone, and you can craft more silenced weapons. I feel like the second game improves upon the first because it lets you more easily switch between playstyles, and it lets you slip in and out of stealth so seamlessly. My goal has been to get halfway through the game around the time of the second season’s release, primarily because the second season only covers the first half of the second game, and I want to be able to watch the show without spoilers. Pedro Pascal, the actor for Joel, is one of my favorite actors since the first season released, so I’m really excited to see him in the next chapter of this story.  – Miles Forshay

Civil War

Civil War is a modern-day dystopian movie written and directed by Alex Garland . In it, as the President commits atrocities in order to “preserve the union” and hold on to power, a group of brave journalists travel to Washington D. C. to capture the president’s final moments as the Western Forces of California and Texas close in. The most surprising part of the movie was that California and Texas agreed on something. As they get closer and closer to Washington, our heroes find more and more disturbing scenes as they try to capture the final moments of the war.  Our Protagonists include Lee Smith, Joel, veteran Sammy, and newcomer Jessie. Over the course of the film Lee and Jessie‘s relationship develops while they capture the—sometimes senseless— horrors of modern warfare. I loved the cinematography of the film and would recommend it though I would caution that it is R-rated and definitely deserves that rating for its numerous graphic and disturbing scenes. – Jackson Lee

Cheez-It Snap’d

Last night, I was poking around my kitchen trying to find a snack, when I found a bag of Cheez-Its. I had passed over it before, but I really wanted something to eat and it was the middle of the night. Admittedly, I am not a big fan of regular Cheez-It, so I didn’t expect much, but they were actually so good. They were white cheddar flavored and extra crunchy, but they come in a few different flavors as well. They are the prefect snack to eat while finishing up homework on a Sunday night. – Noa Zilber

Apples

Recently, I’ve been eating a lot of apples. They have become one of my favorite fruits. I love apples because they are sweet, but not overly sweet. They are crunchy and refreshing. I also love that there is lots of variety. I like how Granny Smith is sour, meanwhile Fuji apples are sweet. Whenever I want a snack or whenever I don’t know what to eat, I grab an apple. I was never a big fan of apples, but recently I felt pushed to try them again. Now that I have been eating apples more frequently, I realized just how great they are. – Juliet Gonzalez

Perimeter Mall

Almost everyone living in the Atlanta area has been to Perimeter Mall, but no one has really noticed how amazing it is. The mall has gained so many new stores including Aerie, Garage, Psycho Bunny, etc. You can spend at least a couple of hours at the mall because there are many restaurants and a big food court to keep you going. The mall has become so popular that they have started to charge for parking, but it’s not very effective because it’s only the front lot and you can just park on a different side. Perimeter Mall has fewer designer stores than Lenox or Phipps, but it’s a lot safer. Chamblee High School is fairly close to Perimeter so you should definitely be able to go. – Kira Lawson 

Projects

As I scrambled to finish my project that I had two weeks to work on, on a Saturday evening, memories began to flood of how much I enjoy making projects. A big part of my elementary school life was making projects and the unexplainable joy that I received from making them was untradeable. Project over time became like a chore. But on that Saturday evening I was happy to set the materials I needed and looked at my chart to the project, and back to my chart. I used much unnecessary hot glue but it worked out in the end. Having an order of how to do a project never works out how you want to, so it tests you and your flexibility skills. That is what I love about it. Lastly, the outcome of your masterpiece. I love it. 🙂 – Teresita Trujillo

Glee

I’ll probably regret writing this, but this weekend I started watching Glee. I had a sleepover with my cousin and while eating Cava, we turned on Glee. Little did I know… I used to listen to Glee’s version of Don’t Stop Believing, but I always thought it was just some stupid, nerdy show. If you think that too, let me tell you it is not all theater kid crap. Basically, the show is about a Spanish teacher at a high school who sponsors the school’s glee club, but the club is the laughing-stock of the school which does not attract students to join. It’s a sitcom/ reality TV type show with plenty to binge and so many dynamic characters and plot lines going on at the same time. I watched Modern Family and Young Sheldon and this show is a perfect bridge between stupid humor and reality TV for me. Highly recommend Glee on Hulu! – Ellie Owens

They Might Be Giants

Recently, I’ve been listening to a lot of They Might Be Giants music. You’ve likely heard at last one of their songs in your life, such as “Istanbul, not Constantinople,” but if you haven’t delved further into their music, I highly recommend it. Many of their lyrics are silly, and nonsensical, but catchy as heck. The members are clearly kinda nerdy and these songs really speak to the neurodivergance in me. All in all, the songs are constantly stuck in my head, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. – Maren Merkel

Cooking Combos

Ask anyone to name one thing about me and I guarantee they will mention food in some way. I love food, but what’s better than eating food? Making it. Cooking is one of my favorite things to do in my free time and coming up with new, tasty combos is something I think about a little too often. It often happens as I’m cooking. “What would go well with this,” or “Wait this would go crazy with this,” is my usual process. I feel like a mad scientist in the kitchen and my favorite combo is mac and cheese with soy sauce, ground beef, and caramelized onions on top of a toasted brioche bun. Literally a heart attack in a sandwich, but it’s the most heavenly creation I’ve ever come up with. -Michael Bryant

“Do as Infinity” – Fukai Mori

Most songs are forgotten, one good listen, and out the window. However, some songs always return to you, regardless of your mood. Even though I have never watched Inuyasha, one song from the show has always been in my mind. 深い森 (Do as Infinity) reminds me of a strange feeling. It’s one of those feelings where you feel like you’ve been in a place before yet don’t know where it is. It’s that feeling of craving nostalgia yet not getting it that this song brings to me. It’s like a time capsule that you’ve never experienced, a trip to the past that you don’t understand. That is what this song means to me. – Tommy Liang 

Sony Cameras

If anyone knows me, they know that I love taking pictures and videos of just things I do or see and I just see them as aesthetically pleasing. So I always end up with less storage every day on my phone so I’ve been scouring the internet for a camera that will do both and I think I finally found one. So let me tell you about the Sony ZV-1, although this camera is kind of old, it is a nice camera for both videos and photos. It would be good if you don’t want to buy a camera for photos and one for videos this would be the camera. Now cameras would always be a little pricey so this camera is around $600-$800. I would also recommend the Sony ZV-10 which is way better than the ZV-1 but like I said it is way more expensive it goes for around $900-$1000. So if you can and have the money get a Sony ZV-10 because the quality is immaculate. If not the ZV-1 is a great camera as well you would have to make certain tweaks to have the camera be the way you want it but it is a great camera. – Ashley Chay 

Cameron Whitcomb

Cameron Whitcomb is a new country artist who I’ve been listening to a lot lately. He got his start on season 20 of American Idol and is quickly rising to fame. His debut single was a song called “Quitter”, which tells the story of Cameron’s struggles with addiction and how it ties in with a breakup story. One song that I’ve been listening to a lot lately is “Medusa”, a story about a dysfunctional relationship that mixes in clever allusions to Greek mythology. Each song on Cameron’s “Quitter” EP is so different from another when it comes to lyrics and style, and they’re all definitely worth listening to, especially “Love Myself”, so stream it on Spotify here. -Maven Bolick

Granny Smith Apples

Not to be confused with my Granny whose last name is Smith, Granny Smith Apples are the best snack. Last week, my mom brought home a bag of Granny Smiths and set them on the counter. So far I have eaten 5, one by itself, 2 in honey, and 2 with peanut butter. I’ve even put them in ravioli. They’re such a nice treat and it’s super easy to just grab one and go. They are surprisingly very refreshing and have a very interesting taste that can satisfy your craving for sweet and sour flavors. – Ella Engle

Water Proof Bags

I had the recent idea to start painting watercolor in my free time. I had all the supplies to do this activity, but I did not have a place to put them. Then, I remember that my friend worked at a baby clothing store and sold mini water proof pouches. I decided to make a trip to see my friend while she was working and find the perfect watercoloring bag for my needs. Immediately, I saw one in a green and white gingham pattern; I decided to purchase it on the spot. In my opinion, this bag was extremely overpriced. However, it was exactly what I was looking for: the right size, shape, and color. In addition, my friend was able to give me a 30% discount. This is what officially made be decide to purchase it. Now that I bought this overpriced water proof bag, I am much more motivated to start on my water color adventure. Not only is this bag perfect for watercolor, it would also work for a variety of other occasions. Regardless of the price, I think this was a purchase worth making. – Anna Kate Flood

Jerry’s Habima Theater

Over the weekend, I had the most amazing time attending Jerry’s Habima Theater’s production of Fiddler on the Roof at the MJCCA. Habima is a program in which professionals in the theater industry join together with adults with developmental disabilities to produce a heartwarming and inspirational show that gives you perspective on the plight of others. Fiddler on the Roof was such a amazing choice for these cast members because of the theme of belonging as well as the spotlighted moments it provided for very talented and entertaining actors (the guy who played Tevye? Incredible!). Jerry’s Habima Theater has been around for a long time and they put on a musical every spring. I totally recommend going to the next one! They never disappoint! – Finley Malone

Ice Skating 

On Sunday, I went ice skating with my friend, and it brought back lots of memories from my childhood. I used to do figure skating as a sport, and I believe it is one of the most fun sports anyone can do. It is so fun to be able to skate on the ice and spin around, and it is very freeing. Simply skating for enjoyment is such a great activity, and I feel bad for the people that never learned how to. I wish I kept up with it as a kid, because I would love to still be able to do the cool tricks I once learned. When I go to the rink I see so many kids doing turns and skating on one leg and it reminds me of how much fun I had. However, I never ended up being flexible enough so I stopped skating. Overall, ice skating is awesome and more people should put their kids into ice skating as it is a really cool sport. – Sasha Lapayeva

The Way Huge Atreides Analog Weirding Module

Are you familiar with Rick & Morty? No? Go watch the first three seasons and come back. Ok, now that you are familiar: the Atreides effects pedal is like a portal gun for sound. Turn it on and run sound through it and the sound that comes out the other side is from another dimension. It is super customizable with sliders for various aspects of the pedal lie range, fuzz, rate and sub (sub-octave), so the pedal can really send your sound to any dimension known or unknown. Yes, it is designed for guitars and basses, but when I run a vintage drum machine into it I get a molten-lava-infused guitar monster out the other end. I bet you can find it locally at Atlanta Discount Music, too! – Fred Avett