Going-Away/Coming-Back/Going-Away Again Party

A funny thing happened to me on the way to my blog......What was it again? Oh yes....life. I haven't written since February and it's quite sad. Wouldn't it be great if I could sit down and write for as long as I want and as much as I want? Alas, duty calls and someone has got to pay the bills.

So for those of you who don't know yet...the rumors are true...I have officially relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada! I know my move was sudden for many, but it was an idea in my head for a while. I was given an opportunity to work in TV/Web Production and decided to strike while the iron was hot. Even though I'm originally from the West, he decision was not an easy one for me. I left a many loose ends behind in my sudden departure: my buddies, my Sweet, my apartment, my friends' wedding (Sorry Mars), Meekers, my Sorors, The Trinity, my cats, my car, and the list goes on and on and on. However, I assure you that I will be back to say my proper goodbyes (and collect my things...lol). Hey, maybe I'll even throw myself a "going-away/coming-back/going-away again party!" That could be fun!

Even though I'm sad about what I left behind, I am very excited about my new future in a new place. Life is too short to (Insert standard quote here..) I have to admit. I like quotes. I'm a quote nerd. If you don't like quotes then skip the next few lines...

Here are two of my favorites:


To change one's life:  Start immediately.  Do it flamboyantly.  No exceptions.  ~William James

Contemplation often makes life miserable.  We should act more, think less, and stop watching ourselves live.  ~Nicolas de Chamfort

I'm not going to bother saying goodbye because I KNOW I will see many of you in Vegas in the next few months. I haven't even gotten my apartment yet and I already have 12 RSVPs...party animals..lol

Carpe Diem People

Espina Negra

Can You "Do Nothing For 2 Minutes?"

I was speaking with my significant other the other day and we started discussing how busy our lives had become. With school, work, friends, and family, we realized that we never had any time for ourselves.

It seems like even when you're by yourself, you're not really by yourself. When I'm alone, my cell phone is buzzing with eager friends wanting to know if I'll be meeting them for drinks later and my computer is always on my lap while I check my Facebook, update my Twitter, and browse my favorite gossip sites. Don't get me wrong, I'm an unashamed social media junky, but I think sometimes people just need to take a moment for themselves and just be.

Recently, I stumbled across this interesting website named "Do Nothing For 2 Minutes." "Do Nothing  For 2 Minutes" challenges you to do just that. Nothing! It forces you to sit in front of your computer and asks you not to touch the mouse or the keyboard. You just sit back while the program plays the sounds of soft waves and seagulls.

It sounded easy, so I decided to try it for myself.

I waited until my lunch break at work. I settled into my desk and started the program. The first 20 seconds were a breeze. 'Please, I can do this,' I thought. At around 30 seconds, I received a text message on my cell phone. I almost reached for it, but then I remembered my goal and returned to my ever important mission. At about the one minute mark I started to get a little antsy and began doubting myself. Random thoughts starting running through my head like, 'Why am I doing this?' and 'I'm thirsty. Would it be cheating if I reached for my Coke?' and my favorite, 'I'm so bored!'

By the time the two minute mark rolled around I found myself strangely antsy and agitated.  I knew I was supposed to feel relaxed, but instead I felt like I had just wasted a perfectly good two minutes doing absolutely nothing, which I guess was the point. I had to admit, I was glad it was over. Very strange reaction for someone who was longing for some downtime, don't 'cha think?

Try it out and let me know how the experience was for you! Did you feel relaxed, bored, or just indifferent?

Do Nothing For Two Minutes

ESPINA NEGRA

Can We All Just Sit Down?!

As most of my friends know, I have many pet peeves. For example, I can't stand the sound of an empty potato chip bag being crumpled in someone's hands. I actually snatched an empty bag out of a child's hands when his mother wasn't looking because he kept playing with it...sorry, it just gives me chills up my spine. When I load up my car after shopping at the grocery store, no matter how hot it is outside, I never roll the windows down for fear of hearing my plastic shopping bags ruffling in the wind. The sight of any honeycomb pattern makes me immediately nauseous and I really dislike people who use too much sarcasm in their daily lives.
But one of my biggest pet peeves is a messy toilet seat in the public bathroom.

I'm guessing this is mostly an issue for the woman's bathroom since I have no idea what goes on in the men's bathroom (That's my story and I'm sticking to it!) Men, do you have a problem similar to this in your restrooms, or is this a female thing? Do share.

 
When I was a kid, I don't remember a wet toilet seat being an issue. We went to the bathroom, sat down, did our business, and left. Ladies, when did we all start hovering above the toilet seat to pee and why? Many experts have done scientific studies on the dirtiest parts of a public restroom and they have proven over and over again that the dirtiest place is the floor, followed by the sanitary napkin receptacle. Scientist have told us that we won't catch germs from the back of our thighs and that the toilet seat is sometimes one of the cleanest places in the bathroom, so why do we still do this???

The only thing you accomplish by hovering over the seat is strengthening your thigh muscles (good for you) and creating a mess for the next person (bad for us). Then the next person has to go in and hover because you did it and so on and so on. But what would happen if we all just, wait for it....... SAT DOWN?!! Think of what a perfect world it would be where all of the toilet seats are dry and clean for the next person. I aim to start a revolution, no, a REVOLT against the culture of hovering!! I would like you all to join me in my fight and maybe,  just maybe, we can all take a seat and not have to sit in someones DNA that they left behind.

 

However, if you STILL insist on being a rebel without a cause (a.k.a. a "jerk") and hovering above the toilet seat like a human UFO, please, for the love of god....PLEASE, clean up after yourselves. Because we all know your aim isn't that good!

Espina Negra

C'mon...What Are You REALLY Thankful For?

Thanksgiving is almost here! The time of year where we really think about what there is to be thankful for in our lives. Last night I decided I would try to write out a list of things that I am truly thankful for. The list was pretty short and went something like this: Family, Friends, Love, Health......blah blah blah...
Yep...that was pretty much it. Then I started thinking, 'Why do I have to name the regular old cliche boring things that EVERYONE is always thankful for?'  Why can't we just get real and say what we're REALLY thankful for? So I erased and revised my thankful list for this Thanksgiving holiday and it went a little something like this:

CLEAN SUBWAY CARS

I'm thankful for a clean subway car in New York City. They're very hard to find, but worth the search. Anyone who has ever been in a subway car that the homeless have slept in all night can appreciate this. Because believe me, you haven't really experienced New York until you've accidentally walked into a non air conditioned subway car smeared with fecal matter. I love this city.

SMARTPHONES

I'm so very thankful for my Blackberry. Thanks to my Blackberry, I can update my Twitter, check my Facebook, read my Gmail, bid on that dress on Ebay, Blackberry Message my friends, AND talk to my mom all at the same time! Never mind the fact that while I'm doing all of this, the real world is just passing me by. Sure, I've lost almost all of my person-to-person social skills, but at least I can still earn the Socialite Badge on Foursquare.

ALCOHOL
Seriously....what in the world would we do without alcohol at Thanksgiving? (See Picture Below) 'Nuff said.

IN N' OUT BURGERS
Anyone who has ever grown up around the heavenly goodness that Is In N' Out, only to ripped away to a cold and bitter place where In N' Out doesn't exist, understands this pain. Moving from Southern California to New York City left me with little regrets, but this was definitely one of them. Nothing out here on the East Coast could compare to In N' Out and I found myself really missing those silly little paper hats they always wear. The age old saying is true, "You never really know what you've got until it's gone."

LAW ENFORCEMENT
Ya...I said it! Cops! Now I know everyone always says there never around when you need them and they're always around when you don't, and then there's that whole police brutality issue...but be honest, it would pretty much suck without them.  

 

MILITARY SOLDIERS

There are not enough words in the English language to express the gratitude that I feel for our servicemen and women in the United States of America. No matter what economic or sociological background the hail from, they put themselves on the line, fly to foreign lands, bust their asses and even die for our country. They serve for us, so the rest of us don't have to. The next time you see a service person in uniform, go up to them, shake their hand and thank them for their service.

And last but certainly not least, I'm thankful for the one thing that brings us all together on this joyous holiday. The REAL reason for the season....

FOOD!
 I mean do we really battle the uncomfortable airline flights, the 4 hour long drives, and the train rides  home just to see our relatives? Please, we go home for the freaking food! It is so worth going home and getting into your annual family Thanksgiving argument for the awesome 6 course meals consisting of pumpkin pie, turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans with those little crispy onion thingys on top, or whatever the heck else your family eats this time of year is . Just thinking about falling into my annual post-dinner Tryptophan coma is getting me all excited! 

So whether you'll be spending your Thanksgiving alone with a glass of wine or at a dinner table filled with your dysfunctional family members. It's important to remember the things that you're really thankful for that make this holiday almost bearable.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Espina Negra

Would You Rather Be Groped Or Be Naked?

The holiday season is quickly approaching. People will be returning home to enjoy Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa with their family and friends.
Most of these people will be traveling by airplane.

So, you arrive at the airport, luggage in tow. Hustle your way through the crowd and get your boarding pass. As you wait in the insanely long line for security, the big question awaits you:

Would you like to be groped or be seen naked?

We live in a post 9/11 world people. Security in the USA is essential. As of November 2011,  whole body scanners are now in every major US airport. These scanners can see right through your clothes and they take a digital picture image of all of your goody bits, baddy bits, no bits, or whatever you've got hidden underneath your clothes. The TSA says that going through these machines is completely voluntary and you CAN choose to opt out. Whoopee!

Ahhh...but beware what awaits you if you do!

The TSA has approved a new pat down procedure for people who choose to opt out of the body scanners. Gone are the days of the simple pat down with the back of the agents hands. 

"Arms up, feet up, turn around, go ahead." 

The agents are now authorized to use the front of their hands to feel their way around your luscious body. 

They are also allowed to grab crotch now.  Although some people may like that.
(Men, I'm talking to you) I don't.

I don't know about you, but this all seems like a really fast first date to me. 

I mean at least buy me dinner and some wine first! I drink Sauvingnon Blanc, thank you.

Sooo Since I'm going to the airport next week, I've though long and hard about it and I'm going for the pat down. I feel like the scanner is an extreme invasion of my privacy. Don't get me wrong!! I'm all for safety, but if I wanted to pose nude, I would have accepted that offer to audition for Playboy back in 1999!

So what do you think? Will you go for the scan or the pat down? 

Oh and don't even think of refusing both or you'll end up like this man at the San Diego International Airport

Espina Negra

Blackthorn

As I sat down to begin my blog I wondered, 'What should I talk about?' Should I talk about my past or my future? My family or my friends? My relationship or lack thereof?

Then something hit me.
'Will anyone even care?' Does anyone want to hear about my life and how I'm living it, where I've been or how I got there?

I don't know.

Let me begin by explaining the name of my blog.
Blackthorn has always had a special meaning to me.
A Blackthorn is a plant which can grow in the harshest climates. Even when nature is trying to push it down, to utterly destroy its existence, it survives. Blackthorns are beautiful to look at. When you come upon one, you want to reach out and touch its delicate blossoms. But beware, as beautiful as this plant appears, it is dangerous. Sharp, prickly, black thorns are hidden underneath its pristine white blossoms. You will feel the pain prick your fingers, blood may be drawn and you will never forget it.
But you'll be back again next season when it blooms, to experience it all over again.

I am a Blackthorn.
Espina Nerga...

So where are we going?
As I begin my journey into the world of blogging I'm just going to let it flow. You're going to see the good, the bad, the ugly, and everything in between. There are no walls, only windows in which to see through. Nothing is off limits. Walk with me and experience my highs and lows, my peaks and valleys. More importantly, let's learn from each other. Hold my hand. We'll do it together.