Taryn sees red

Posted on December 28, 2018 Posted in Humor, Life, TravelTagged anger, Coping, Emotions, Family, feelings, Funny, Healing, Honesty, Humor, Las Vegas, Mental Health, therapy, Travel, Traveling, writingLeave a comment

I always try to have a positive/funny vibe when I write, but today I’m going to keep it real and try a little rage/humor.

Guys, I’m a rage monster today.

I’m a cranky, annoyed, frustrated, grumpy Taryn right now. I’m seeing red and wanting to do something about it. I’m kick-a-bunny angry. Trip-a-kid angry. Punch-an-old-person angry. Yeah, I’m a hot mess. The funny part? On the outside, I look like:

But on the inside, I’m like this:

WARNING: Actual sighting of Taryn. Beware

Here’s a quick rundown for my anger (in no particular order):

Bank of America and their shady savings account fees
Clients that aren’t on the same page internally and are giving contradictory feedback, wasting my time
Having to walk on eggshells because a person whom I’m stuck spending the next few days with changes her mood every nanosecond (technically this is my fault. I booked a hotel and then canceled. Idiot)
Las Vegas drivers
Feeling creatively stagnant (not for long!!!)

The Upside to Anger

There is a beauty to my rage-ness. Anger tells me that I’m feeling! As someone who typically struggles with identifying how I feel, this is a positive. I’m also able to identify why I’m angry. Anger also confirms why I left Vegas in the first place and why I have to keep going, in spite of being uncomfortable with entering unchartered territory. Anyway, I’m less angry now. I’d say I’m more in the range of ambivalent/annoyed with a side of hopeful. Who knew that writing was more beneficial than alcohol?!

Well, hopefully, you enjoyed my little rant. I will be posting about my travels in the next few days. In the last 3 months, Abbey and I have been to 9 states! It’s been a blast, but I will be taking a quick break in Oregon for a few months. Traveling is a blast, but honestly, I need a quick chill pill to keep on keeping on with my journey. Until next time!

An Open Letter to My Neighbor

Posted on February 19, 2015March 21, 2015 Posted in Humor, LifeTagged Apartment, Awake, dogs, Earthquake, Embarrassing, friends, Humor, Las Vegas, Nature, neighbor, Noises, Open Letter, Roommate, Security Deposit, Sex, Sleepless, Suits1 Comment

Dear Neighbor,

Hi! We kind of know each other. We both have dogs and you seem like a cool lady. Your miniature poodle is one of the sweetest and friendliest dogs around. Remember that time he jumped into my car? I thought it was hysterical. I figure you have to be a pretty decent human being to have such a sweet pup. Plus, occasionally we’ve had random, but pleasant conversations. Continue reading “An Open Letter to My Neighbor” →

The Truth About MeetUp

Posted on February 16, 2015February 16, 2015 Posted in Humor, LifeTagged 20 something, Dating, Deception, Fiasco, friends, Funny, Humor, internet, Las Vegas, making friends, Mating, Meetup, Nightlife, Old People, Online Dating, PickUp Artist3 Comments

Looking for friends my age in Vegas is pretty tough. A lot of 20 somethings are here because they live for the nightlife and want to be in a club, on the dance floor, while chemically out of their minds. I’m not knocking that lifestyle, though I prefer more low key events and being in my right state of mind. I imagine that MeetUp is pretty much the same as online dating, except you’re looking for friends. Sometimes you meet weirdos who are not who they say they are. I happened to fall victim of this circumstance a few times last year. Here is one of the instances.

how-to-land-a-job-at-meetup-f7fed03e1b

Last year, after making it my personal mission to have a little more fun, I decided to join a new MeetUp group which catered to 20-30 somethings. Since I tend to be more of a wet blanket, I figured I’d get along with an older crowd. The event was a happy hour at one of my favorite downtown bars, Commonwealth. Since I haven’t been in forever, I figured, what they hay? One of my new friends was actually part of the group so at least I had a friend should this thing go south. And boy, did it go south pretty quickly.

One of my favorite parts of Commonwealth is that it has a great deck that holds a bunch of people overlooking downtown. Plus you can be as casual or as dressy as you like. I should also mention that I did some recon (stalking) of the members of the group so I can get a sense of what I was walking into and I didn’t see any red flags. I made my way upstairs since that was where the MeetUp was being held. I get to the group and introduce myself to the group and I can say for certain that 90% of the women in attendance used the term 20s and 30s very liberally.

To be honest, I’m pretty sure
that I was at least 20 years younger than most of the women (at the time I was 24). Despite my externally welcoming presence, I’m incredibly introverted. Seriously, most people are shocked to find that out, because I can come across as very social. Anyway, back to the Golden Girls.. er I mean 20s and 30s MeetUp. Instead of being awkward, I try my best to make conversation. My futile attempts were met with tight-lipped smiles. You know that smile you give when you’re talking to someone who is obviously “young” and too immature for the conversation. In my defense, I was one of the three girls who were actually in the age bracket, sorry I didn’t want to talk about denture glue.

Anyways I digress, I ended up bonding with the other two girls who were 24 also, we were talking and then all of a sudden the moderator of the group, Bianca, brings over some creepy dudes introducing them to us “young girls”. I couldn’t believe it, I was being pimped out for my youth. The emphasis on our ages was quite obvious and the older women kept mentioning that the group was full of 20/30 somethings.

The creepy older dudes beseeched upon us like a biblical plague. I was taken aback as this was supposed to be a girls bonding type situation. Having guys as old as your own father try to hit on you is creepy at best. Turning to look at the other girls my age, they were doing their best to be polite and cordial, though I could tell one thing was certain; we all wanted to get the hell out of there.

I politely excused myself and the girls did the same. Laughing about the awkwardness of the situation, we left to the next bar to drink away the weird encounter. The night actually ended up being a good amount of fun. We found ourselves going back to Commonwealth for their 90s hiphop DJ. I spotted Bianca with one of the creepers she had introduced to us. To be polite, I said hello and thanked her for putting together the meetup. As I was speaking to her, her gentleman caller had started walking off into the crowd. Mid-sentence, Bianca stops talking and starts sprinting after this dude as though he is the last viable man on this earth.

I turn to my friends, both shocked and laughing hysterically. Needless to say, that was my first and last time attending a MeetUp with the 20-30 Somethings group. Though it was a strange experience to say the least, I did make a new friend that day. While I hope the best for those ladies, I think the name “Find a Date Before it’s too Late” would be more fitting. 😉

I See My Name In Bright Lights

Posted on February 4, 2015February 4, 2015 Posted in LifeTagged 20something, acceptance, adulthood, Amanda Bynes, anxiety, articles, blogging, Career, Concerts, Conference, Elle Woods, Forbes, Freelance, House of Blues, HR Tech, Las Vegas, Legally Blonde, Millennials, Proud, publishing, ThirdEyeBlind, work, Writer, writingLeave a comment

So this whole “blogging regularly” thing is quite the task. It’s not that I don’t have anything to say, sometimes I just get so wrapped up in the delivery that I get overwhelmed and don’t say anything at all. Well, as a writer, whenever I go through a dry-spell, I become like a backed up toilet; clogged and unable to get the job done.

Honestly, writing is like breathing for me; it is essential to my wellbeing. So that said, I must write!!

Ok, now that I have my craziness/dramatics out of the way, I come bearing some pretty cool news. You know that secret writing thing I’ve been alluding to? Well, now I can share it! Last year in October I was approached to attend the HR Tech Conference by a little publication called Forbes. Yup! I was totally ecstatic (Also scared shitless, but I digress)! They needed a Las Vegas based writer to cover the conference for their BrandVoice channel and they reached out to silly old me!

I can’t get into too much of the particulars unfortunately, but the whole experience was AMAZING. Listening and being part of a conference where professionals met to understand the root-cause of talent acquisition problems was fascinating! It was an incredibly humbling and thrilling journey to say the least. It solidified that I love writing and being able to weave into various industries and learn about them. I felt like I was finally finding where I belonged.

In addition, the HR Tech conference hosted Third Eye Blind to play a concert! The first night of the conference, I was standing around with some newfound friends (yup, this introvert made friends, who knew?) in the front row at the House of Blues getting free drinks handed to us while belting out some 90’s alternative gold. It was a hell of a time. While I enjoyed the research aspect of the gig, I did have some learning to do on the editing side of things.

I learned a vast amount working with the editors at Forbes. They kicked my butt, but in the best possible way. I had to stretch my writing skills to the furthest literary mountains possible and get out of my comfort zone to meet their expectations. They’re high caliber for a reason, and the learning that occurred was invaluable.

So after some blood, sweat, and tears I am published and I could not be more pleased. I showed it to my parents, loved ones, and now I’m getting to share my excitement with my blogging buddies!! I’m not going to lie, being able to say that I have multiple bylines in Forbes exhilarating!!!

So without further ado, I Taryn am proudly showing off my work, feel free to check it out and let me know what you think! 🙂

http://www.forbes.com/sites/castlight/2014/12/15/4-ways-to-engage-and-retain-millennial-employees/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/castlight/2014/12/29/3-new-tech-tools-that-bridge-the-gap-between-employers-and-workforce-newbies/

Men of a Certain Age

Posted on September 15, 2014September 14, 2014 Posted in HumorTagged 20 Somethings, Actors, Aging, Confidence, Conversations, Dating, Funny, Humor, Las Vegas, Life, Men, Men of a Certain Age, Older Men, Stalk, UK, WineLeave a comment

I feel I should preface this by saying I don’t have “daddy issues”. In fact, my pops and I talk daily (just got off the phone with him actually). With that being said, let’s start the show!

I’ve had many interesting encounters with all kinds of people (I sense a book coming on, lol), but I find my interactions with random dudes to be the most interesting. I find that out of the XY chromosomal species I’ve ever had a random conversation with, men in their 30s+ hold way more interesting conversations. Don’t get me wrong, I still have love for the dudes in my age group, but man, interpersonal skills are few and far in between in my limited opinion/experience.

(Commonwealth, best bar in LV, in my opinion)

Case in point, I was sitting in my favorite bar in downtown Vegas, called Commonwealth, and a guy around my age plops down next to me and says “My place or yours?”. At first I thought he was kidding, but he was legit being serious. Really not a good conversation starter. To be quite honest, I have no clue why anyone would think to lead with that. There’s been other interesting instances, but in general it’s been awkward.

Maybe it’s because older dudes have more experience communicating or maybe they’re more self-assured. Who knows, but I find it that the conversation is more fluid and less awkward. Anywho, my fellow bloggers out there, do you think men are like a fine wine? Better with age that is, haha! Let me know. In the meantime, enjoy a short list of men of a certain age whom I admire (stalk… erm well, you get the idea).

(RDJ, proof that aging is wonderful)

(Idris Elba)

(Michael Fassbender, ok guys I’m moving to the UK!)

California Dreamin’

Posted on July 15, 2014 Posted in Humor, LifeTagged Beach, Beach Boys, California, Funny, Hollywood, Home, Humor, Las Vegas, Santa Monica, Sugar Daddy, Tourist2 Comments

I took an impromptu day trip on Saturday to one of my favorite places ever, Santa Monica!!!! I don’t know what’s up with that place, but I absolutely love it. It’s hard to explain, but I swear the California air makes me different; in a good way of course.

Santa Monica!

The trip was definitely a recharge to the batteries for me. These hot summer days in Satan’s Buttcrack are driving me a little batty. I do miss living in my home state and eventually I’ll make it back there. All I need to do is find a rich old guy… 🙂

I had to get a tourist-y picture in, 😉

So, yeah, I’m Pretty Awesome

Posted on April 23, 2014 Posted in Bum ChroniclesTagged 20something, Bonobo, Brooklyn Bowl, bum, Compliments, Concerts, Current Events, Decor, Drinks, Good Vibes, Harmony, Humor, inspiration, Iphone, Las Vegas, memories, Nature, Peace, Photography, Photos, RedRock, Self Acceptance, Vegas, weather, XXLeave a comment

I tend to downplay my awesomeness. I.E. when someone pays me a compliment, I tend to brush it off. More often than not because I usually don’t have the confidence to admit, that “hey, I might be talented”. It’s hard accepting compliments without feeling that A: you aren’t deserving of them, and B: you don’t want to appear cocky. I’ve also realized that I’m not the only one. Why is it, that most people (particularly of the XX variety) don’t take in positive affirmations well? I’m baffled by this. It’s like I’m automatically ready to dismiss anything nice that anyone says about me. It’s kind of sad really. So in my ever-growing quest for self acceptance, I’m challenging myself to take a compliment and accept it. No strings attached, no negative self-talk, just the appreciation that someone else likes whatever it is that I’ve done.

In unrelated news, I’ve been trucking along on my Bum Chronicles. I had the very distinct pleasure of seeing Bonobo in concert. If you’ve never listened to him I have attached a YouTube video of my favorite song of his (I love all of them, but I can’t post everything now can I?). It was at a newer venue in Las Vegas called The Brooklyn Bowl. If you’re ever in these parts, I definitely recommend that you check it out. It’s Brooklyn inspired decor plus the fact that you can eat, drink, bowl, and catch an amazing live act in one place makes it incredibly unique and super awesome to boot. Though it’s technically on the Strip, it’s far enough removed that most tourists aren’t even aware of it, which is nice for locals. But anywho, I digress. I absolutely LOVED the concert, just seeing all different types of people being moved by miraculous sounds is just something words cannot capture. The closest word I think that could describe the mood is: Harmony. I think that leaders of all countries should just attend a concert and get swept up in the vibe. Maybe we’d all get along better. Nothing like a good ol’ concert high. Well, there were people toking it up, but that’s unrelated to what I’m talking about, lol.

Also, my ventures to RedRock have been so amazing and great. I’m kind of a nature enthusiast now. Who would’ve thought? Getting out there in the open is so incredibly relaxing. It’s like my soul is being reborn every time I go. Fortunately there’s like 18 different trails, so I’ve been diversifying it up each time. I wish this weather would stay like this forever! So to some this up, learning to take a compliment, going to more shows, and getting outside more often than not are my main takeaways as of late. There’s so much to do and see, I want to take in all of it! I’m putting a bunch of photos of my shenanigans. Compliments are welcomed ;-).

Family Time

Posted on March 3, 2014March 6, 2014 Posted in LifeTagged Allegiant Air, Birthday, bum, California, Family, Getting older, Las Vegas, Life, Monterey, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Parents, Satan, siblings, SurpriseLeave a comment

I took a little break from the internets mainly because I went to Monterey to visit my parents and surprise my dad for his birthday. I decided to leave my laptop home and unplug while enjoying some family time. It was incredibly nice to see the ‘rents, though it was hard as it was the first time visiting without Kobe.

-Fisherman’s Wharf

Though the flight from Las Vegas to Monterey is only 1 hour, one can expect it to take about 3 when traveling with Allegiant Air. Right in the middle of take off, they all of a sudden break and we are immediately escorted off the plane. With no clear reason as to why, we had to wait almost 2 hours for another plane. Upon boarding sister asked the flight attendant why we had to switch planes in the first place. The attendant responded with “Be glad that we did” and that was all. They really should change their motto to “Allegiant Air: We’ll get you there… at some point”. A word to the wise, give yourself a 6 hour window when traveling with Allegiant.

– Window seat!

For my dad’s birthday, we went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and it was awesome! I never thought I liked aquariums (I was wrong). I suppose trying new things isn’t so bad 😉

-Monterey Bay Aquarium

-Jellyfish!

– One of the coolest looking jellyfish I saw that day

-Fish

-Octopus taking off

-Fun times at the aquarium!

It’s nice visiting my parents. They’re actually pretty cool peeps. I’m very lucky to have them because they’re so legit. Even when growing up doing my “angst” years, I never really had any parental “drama”. I think it’s because they’ve always been straight up with me and my siblings, I’ve never really saw the need to rebel or alienate them. Plus they’ve always given me the autonomy to be myself whether they understood my actions or not. Anywho, it was a really nice break from Satan’s buttcrack, though I must admit the weather has been nothing short of amazing here in Las Vegas. Let’s hope it stays that way for a few more months. It was a very nice visit and I’ll probably head back sooner than later (the perks of being a bum). Now that I’ve had a little digital break, it’s time to get back into the swing of things!

-On the way to the airport

-Getting ready to take off

-In the air

-Back in Vegas

What? This is What Having A Life is Like?

Posted on January 31, 2014January 31, 2014 Posted in Bum ChroniclesTagged 20something, Bar Hopping, Downtown, Fremont St, friends, Get a life, Las Vegas, LifeLeave a comment

Well folks, as I continue on my bum chronicles, I’m doing the unthinkable tonight.

Yes, I’m actually going out and it’s not work related… Gasp

Just kidding, what job? (saying that is glorious!)

I haven’t actually explored downtown in quite some time so I am a bit excited to see what shenanigans I can get into.

Until then, I hope my liver and I will be around to possibly blog about it tomorrow 😉

I’m Going Going, Back Back, to Cali Cali

Posted on August 9, 2013March 22, 2014 Posted in LifeTagged Arrogant, Beach, Biggie Smalls, Cali, California, Desert, Education, Flip Flops, friends, Geography, Graduate, Las Vegas, Law School, Mountain, Promise Land, Recreation, Relaxation, San Diego, Satan, shenanigans, summer, Travel, vacation, weather, Weekend10 Comments

It is time to make the pilgrimage back to my promise land! It’s been so long since I’ve been to So cal (or a beach for that matter), the reality of my trip may cause for my brain to combust from shear excitement. Being a So Cal native, it’s hard not to live there anymore, and with my work schedule it’s very hard to get back even though it’s a mere 3 hours away. So close, but so far. Back in college I remember my AZ friends saying that Californians were arrogant. My thought was always “you’d be arrogant if you lived there too.” I mean c’mon, where else can you drive literally 2 hours in any direction and hit multiple geographic regions (i.e desert, mountains, beach, etc.) There’s so much to do there, that if you get bored, get in the car and drive and you can find some new adventure to get into. Plus the mild weather, ugh how I miss the glorious weather! Living in Satan’s Butt crack makes me long for a normal summer.

Since it’s the tail end of summer, this trip could not have come at a better time. I will help a good friend spend her last weekend before her law school adventure begins. My destination will be SD and I plan on enjoying every single minute of it. One of these days I will get back to the land that I love permanently. Now, I shall go caffeinate and get ready for some shenanigans! California or bust!

Taryn Was Here

Tag: Las Vegas