Taryn and the Bear

Posted on October 10, 2018October 10, 2018 Posted in Humor, Life, TravelTagged Animal, Bear, Big Bear, Birthday, California, Family, Humor, Jurassic Park, Photography, Travel1 Comment

So I’ve been slacking. This is in part due to work, preparing to head out for the last wedding, and having to cope without Abbey (Only for a few days due to the wedding). So I’m going to do a little housekeeping:

I’m 29!

I turned 29 last Wednesday. Celebrating my birthday isn’t something I put much effort and energy into. This year was a little bittersweet because I normally spend the day with my rents, but they’re on different continents living their best life at the moment. They’re the ones who spearhead the shenanigans, otherwise, I probably wouldn’t bother, ha! I’m not a huge birthday person and haven’t been since I was 11. But since I didn’t want to be a complete abstainer, I did get a small cake and a mimosa for good measure. See mom, I did something! I did have fun though. Abbey and I went on a trail, hung out by the water, and just relaxed (and worked a bunch).

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

My nightly routine usually involves chilling in the jacuzzi and listening to some tunes. The townhouse that I’m renting has the perfect blend of “cabin-feels” without the cabin maintenance– I love it!

Anyway, I was outside and I had happened to take out my contacts because they were irritating me. As I was adjusting the temperature of the jacuzzi, I looked up and like eight feet in front of the gate, I saw a dark blob on the grass next to the fruit tree that generally isn’t there. I thought to myself, “huh, that blob isn’t usually there,”. I squinted to get a better look and the blob moved! It grabbed a piece of fruit, and that’s when I realized, it was a FREAKING BEAR!!!!

Image result for wtf gif — My reaction, obvi.

You’d think that would run back inside and wait for it to pass on by but noooo… like the village idiot that dies in dinosaur/crazy animal films, I went inside to grab my camera and take photos of it. Fortunately, when I came back outside, it was further away, so my idiot self felt even more confident. As I was snapping away (with my flash on, like a genius), I guess the flash annoyed it as it made a fake charge motion towards me. Needless to say, I was pretty scared, but I was literally a step away from my door, so I squealed and ran back inside.

Image result for jurassic park getting eaten gif — What I thought was going to happen

There’s nothing like a little bear lunge to get the adrenaline running. As I said, it wasn’t super close, but close enough for me to rethink my bravery level. So, my takeaway is, if I can snap photos of a hungry bear, I can handle anything. That, and I’m likely the first person to die during an “animal on the loose” type of situation. 😉

I told my brother and my parents and they all said “So that’s why Big Bear is named that”, ha! Leave it to my family to be more excited to see the bear than disturbed by the fact that I was dumb enough to stick around for a photo shoot. Perhaps that’s why they’re my family, haha! Enjoy some shoddy quality bear photos!

Taryn Does Photography

Posted on September 30, 2018September 30, 2018 Posted in Photography, TravelTagged Big Bear, Canon, DSLR, Editing, Hobby, Photography, PhotosLeave a comment

Recently, I came to the realization that I don’t actually partake in the activities that I am interested in. Photography has been on my list of things to do for so long, but the perfectionist in me has kept me in a perpetual thinking state. I have to laugh at myself because I want to be “great” yet I hadn’t started.

After reading a few photography blogs on different techniques, lighting, etc., I gave it a shot. I even dabbled in some editing. It’s not perfect, but, I am enjoying the process. Plus, I’m stretching some creative muscles I didn’t know I had. My goal is to shoot every day. Lord knows I have the time, so why not?! Here are a few snaps I took on my walk with Abbey today. I used a Canon EOS Rebel T6.

Finding My Groove

Posted on April 28, 2014May 3, 2014 Posted in LifeTagged fear, Freelance, growing up, habit, inspiration, Life, motivational monday, perspective, Photography, productivity, schedule, struggle, writing3 Comments

So I recently talked about meeting my neighbor who’s encouraged me to put things out into the universe. Since then, I’ve managed to get picked up writing for a really cool site, more on that later. I’ve also gotten better at writing my work in a more timely and fluid manner. I’m still working on getting out of my head. It’s a killer; who would’ve thought my own worst enemy is the very thing that makes me, me? Anywho, it’s a constant struggle for me to get out of my thoughts and stay the course. I may lose a few battles from time to time, but dammit, I’m going to win this war.

On another note, I’ve decided to really give photography a go. I love observing people/things and I’ve found that I have an eye for it. My biggest reason for not ever talking about it, is fear of seeming pretentious. Then, when I really think about it, why is it pretentious to start a hobby? Again, my super positive thoughts are at work. Right now, my “homework” is to think less and do more. I’m learning that clearing hurdles is pretty much the easy part, being consistent, now that’s the kicker. So as I journey to finding my niche in this world, I hope you all are breaking out of your comfort zone and doing the things you love most. Happy Monday!

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 ;-).