Find Me at MegaCon Tampa Bay This Weekend!

Posted on October 24, 2016 by Tara Lynne

I was lucky enough to be a guest at MegaCon Orlando earlier this year, and I’m super excited to have the opportunity to attend MegaCon Tampa Bay this coming weekend as a guest, as well! I’m still tossing around cosplay ideas, but I’m pretty sure I’ve finalized my daytime schedule with Pearl from Steven Universe, Cersei Lannister in mourning from Game of Thrones, and Ellie Sattler from Jurassic Park. I may end up switching which days I wear what, but keep an eye out for me nonetheless!

I’ll also be on a panel Saturday at 2 PM – “Cosplay for Beginners” in Room 18. But I have to be honest, I’m most excited about the official MegaCon afterparty on Saturday night. It’s being held at Orpheum in Tampa’s Ybor district, and yes, there will be a cosplay contest! Tickets are only $15 in advance so I highly suggest purchasing yours soon if you plan to attend. I know I’ll be there, along with some of the other cosplay guests…and who knows what celebrities might show up 😉

(Of course, now I’m trying to decide what cosplay I want to wear for the afterparty…if I can dig up Playboy Bunny Effie Trinket, that’s a possibility…though I also have Katya from Archer laying around, or I can always go more comfy with Starbuck from BSG or Wendy from Gravity Falls…I’m not sure if I have too many options or not enough of them!)

Meanwhile, if you’re wandering the convention floor and want to stop by and say hello, you can find me at booth #535, which is on the aisle where the Community Zone abuts Artist Alley. I’ll be selling copies of my novel and promoting some of the conventions on my 2017 schedule – including Ice & Fire Con and Beach City Con, of course.

Are you attending MegaCon Tampa Bay? What about the afterparty? (Which is bound to be the best Halloween party in Tampa, let’s be honest.) If so, I hope to see you there!

Spicy, No Onions, & Italian? Challenge Accepted!

Posted on October 17, 2016 by Tara Lynne

I owed someone a favor and wanted to cook that person dinner. The only requirements were that it would be spicy and/or Italian, and not include onions.

Needless to say, I was stumped. I knew that I also had to limit cheese, so I went to Google…and found Real Simple’s recipe for Cauliflower Penne Puttanesca.

Granted, I changed a few things about the recipe, but here’s what I ended up with 🙂

CAULIFLOWER PENNE PUTTANESCA

3/4 lbs Penne pasta, cooked by package directions
3-ish tablespoons olive oil
1 lb. cauliflower, cored and chopped into small florets
Salt & Pepper, to season
3 cloves garlic, chopped
One 28 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes (DO NOT DRAIN!)
1/3 cup pitted kalamata (calamata) olives, chopped
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
1 tablespoon fresh flat-leave parsley, chopped
Grated Parmesan cheese for serving

– While pasta is cooking, head up olive oil over medium high heat. Add the cauliflower, season with salt and pepper, and cook 5-6 minutes (tossing occasionally until slightly browned).

– Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for one minute.

– Add the tomatoes and their juices, the olives, and the capers. Cook approximately 10 minutes, breaking up the tomatoes and stirring every couple of minutes.

– Toss the pasta with the sauce and then gently mix in the parsley. Serve with grated Parmesan if desired.

Throwback Thursday: Emotional Wellness with Alpha Sigma Tau

Posted on October 13, 2016 by Tara Lynne

So back in college I was in a sorority – Alpha Sigma Tau (trust me, if you’re surprised to hear this, you’re not the only one who has been). Was it the most amazing experience of my life? Well, to be honest, no – at least not in terms of the people. But I really enjoyed being Recruitment Chair and Social Chair and the work those positions involved, and from time to time it has provided me with some networking opportunities post-college.

All that said, I was contacted last year about the possibility of being featured in the Fall 2015 edition of The Anchor, our sorority magazine. This issue focused on the “six dimensions of wellness“, and I was lucky enough to be chosen to represent emotional wellness. In this respect, emotional wellness is defined as having “a positive attitude, high self-esteem, a strong sense of self, and the ability to recognize and share a wide range of feelings with others in a constructive way”.

The thing is, I don’t always fit that description, but apparently a fellow alum thought highly enough of me to suggest me for this feature, and after speaking with my interviewer and reading her article, I’m really happy that I was able to participate. So for today’s Throwback Thursday, here is the full article that was published last year 🙂

Why I’m Voting for Hillary Clinton

Posted on October 11, 2016 by Tara Lynne

I think it’s about time that I announce that I’m giving in and voting for Hillary, despite the fact that I’m not even voting in a swing state, but one that is solid red.

I don’t want to vote for her – I was a solid Bernie Sanders supporter and hated how this year’s primaries turned out, and even when Bernie told us we should vote for Hillary, I still couldn’t bring myself to make that decision. I don’t like her. I don’t like many of her policies. She is on the worst end of the career politician spectrum. I do not doubt that she will screw up quite a bit when she’s in office.

But I would rather have four years of Hillary than four years of Donald Trump. The man is a menace. We’d be lucky if he didn’t cause World War III. At best we would have to face four years of him demeaning literally anyone who isn’t a white male.

And hey, remember the election in 2000? If you are too young, let me [very briefly] explain what happened: There were so many issues with certain states ::cough cough FLORIDA:: that Bush only squeaked by in winning the election BY ELECTORAL VOTE.

I honestly can’t vote third party right now because if I do and that means that Donald Trump SOMEHOW, some way, eeks out a popular vote or electoral college vote “win”, then I would be one of the people who caused that, and I would seriously dislike myself for having done so.

Hillary is horrible, but she’s not the worst. And there are plenty of exaggerations and lies being spread about her, and people trying to make her sound worse than she actually is, while we have physical evidence of Donald Trump ACTUALLY BEING THE WORST.

Please, I’d just rather you not vote at all (or, if you just REALLY have to, vote for a third party candidate) than vote for Trump. Look into your heart and ask what you stand for, because if it’s anything like what Donald Trump is, then honestly I’m not sure if I care to have you in my life.

Thirsty Thursday: Tara’s Pumpkin Pie Martini

Posted on October 6, 2016 by Tara Lynne

I’ve actually been cooking a lot lately. It’s something I did several times a week for many many years, but the past couple of years I slacked off a lot. There are a lot of reasons behind that (not the least of which was depression), and I’m still working at really getting back into the cooking groove.

Of course cooking only rarely meshes with the “geeky” side of my life, but it is something I love doing. I’m probably better at cooking than I am at mixology, but I still have fun making new drinks once in a while…so I figured I might as well make a Thirsty Thursday post!

I can’t imagine that I’ll be able to keep up with Thirsty Thursday every week, but I’m going to do my best to post one of these…let’s say at least every month?

As it’s October, I figured it was the perfect time to bring up one of my very own creations…my personal version of a Pumpkin Pie Martini 🙂

I stumbled upon Fulton’s Pumpkin Pie Liqueur many years ago, and I even though I’m not big on pumpkin SPICE, I thought that I could probably make something generally-pumpkin-PIE flavored work. Of course I brought it home and realized that most recipes called for Baileys and other liquors/liqueurs that I simply didn’t have. So I made up my own recipe and thankfully it was delicious!

Tara’s Pumpkin Pie Martini

1 (slightly overflowing) shot Fulton’s Pumpkin Pie Liqueur
Approx. 2/3 shot Pinnacle Whipped Cream Vodka
1 shot regular Vodka
1 shot half and half

– Put some ice in a shaker, add all ingredients, shake well and pour in a Martini glass. Drink immediately and then make another one and drink that too. Repeat. (haha)

Recipe: Chicken Broccoli Ring

Posted on October 1, 2016 by Tara Lynne

This recipe may not be super healthy, and yeah, it’s a bit of a pain to put together. You definitely won’t see some fancy Buzzfeed-style videos of me making something like this (or really anything) with seemingly no effort at all.

But this meal is delicious, and can be easily halved if you want to make a smaller portion. It can also be sliced into neat little triangle appetizers…but if you can make it and eat less than three sections I applaud you 😉

CHICKEN BROCCOLI RING

Two 8-oz packages of Pillsbury crescent rolls
2 cups boiled chicken breasts, pulled/chopped
1 1/2 cups finely chopped fresh broccoli florets
2/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2/3 cup shredded Monterey Jack or Colby Jack cheese
1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Miracle Whip
2 teaspoons dried dill weed
1 tsp minced garlic (about 2 cloves…a little more is never too much!)
1/4 tsp salt

– Preheat oven to 375 degrees
– Place chicken breasts in large pot with room temperature water; set burner at high and let sit/boil for 20 minutes before pulling/chopping
– Combine chicken, chopped broccoli, cheese, diced red bell pepper, mayo/Miracle Whip, dill weed, garlic, and salt in a large bowl; mix well.
– Separate the crescent rolls into triangles and arrange them, slightly overlapping, in a circle on a baking stone, with the wide ends approximately 2 inches from the edges of the stone. The points will extend off the edges!
– Scoop the filling evenly over the dough in a continuous circle.
– Bring the points of the triangle up over the filling and tuck under the dough at the center to form a ring.
– Bake 25-30 minutes (until deep golden brown).

Who I am in Three Fictional Characters (Sort of)

Posted on September 26, 2016 by Tara Lynne

So this “which three fictional characters represent you” meme has been going around for…oh, I don’t know, over a week now? I’ve participated on Facebook but also thought it would be fun to share my answers here! I had some thoughts as to who I was most like, fictional character wise, but I also asked my friends what they thought…

Now, my first reaction was Cersei Lannister and Starbuck, but I couldn’t come up with a third character. Then I realized that I was only including Cersei because I identify with minor parts of her character…and because I cosplay her a lot. Thankfully, my friends’ suggestions helped a lot, and even though I didn’t choose all of them, I wanted to share some of the comments:

My initial idea was ‘can we just squish Pearl and Cersei Lannister into one character? Cerarl? Persei?’ – Brian W

Part Lightning from Final Fantasy 13…mixed with some Rikku from Final fantasy 10 for the [light-heartedness] and kindness. – “Aussie” Scott

I do wish I knew more about Star Trek because my good friend “Admin Angel” from The Geekiary – said, “You are the Doctor McCoy to my Kirk. You help me keep my ship running and include plenty of sass along the way.” I mean, I know enough to get it, but I think I’d fully appreciate it if I knew more about Star Trek and these characters 😉

I also thought I was more Garnet than Pearl. Yes I’ve grown to love Pearl a lot more in recent seasons of SU and certainly see some of myself in her – or some of her in myself, but at least one person agreed that I was more like Garnet. I will never argue with that. Garnet —>>>

However, my Hufflelove settled at least that argument with specifying that I’m Ruby, which I definitely agree with…

…and although I totally understand why he included Cersei and Penguin from Polar Bear’s Cafe, I still had to think about things (and get a few more suggestions) before deciding on my final three. Another cosplay buddy of mine suggested Lagertha from Vikings and Andrea from the Walking Dead *comics*. Lagertha because, in his words, I am “strong, able to overcome people that betray her trust, and love/loyalty for her family and friends”; Andrea because she “has dealt with loss and is still putting one foot in front of the other” 🙂

So in the end, my friends all kind of played a part in who I eventually chose…which makes me feel better about how realistic these choices are, at least. Those being Starbuck (Battlestar Galactica), Ruby (Steven Universe), Lagertha (Vikings), and my own addition – an honorable mention to Eowyn (Lord of the Rings):

Now, we also had a discussion going in the Ice & Fire Con Facebook group about what three ASOIAF characters we would be. While I think I was Sansa once upon a time, and have probably been Cersei now and again as well, in this case the “honors” went to Oberyn Martell (because I am a Martell but too temperamental to be Doran), Daenerys (which is a bit of a “sigh, do I have to” for me, but I know it’s true), and Asha Greyjoy (Queensmoot FTW).

A Geek Saga ASOIAF 3 fictional characters

All images (c) the ASOIAF Wiki – http://awoiaf.westeros.org

Who were your three fictional characters? Did you have any honorable mentions? Did you ask friends to help you identify them?

Travel Tuesday: My Las Vegas Bucket List

Posted on September 20, 2016 by Tara Lynne

Okay, I’ll admit it – most of this list is copied from my old blog. But hey, I have more Vegas trips under my belt…and another one coming up soon. So here’s my Vegas bucket list so far!

Also, I apologize for some minor formatting issues. Sometimes WordPress hates me ::sigh::

1) Stay up all night
This is one that I’ve actually accomplished several times over 😉 I’d say the most epic time, though, was in May 2011 – when I woke up at 9:30 AM and somehow stayed awake until my 2:30 PM flight the next day! Those last several hours were rough to say the least, but I made it! (That said, probably the second most epic all nighter was with my best friend Jenna, because we both caught flights on the east coast at like 6 AM and stayed up until 7:30 AM Vegas time the next day…and a lot of those wee hours of the morning were spent hanging out with a guy who just hangs out on the Strip playing the saxophone and hearing his crazy decades worth of Vegas stories.)

2) See a show
Another one I’ve experienced more than once! I saw the Cirque du Soleil Beatles show, LOVE, and Peepshow back when Holly Madison was in it. Both were epic, though Peepshow was a lot more, you know, Vegas 😉 However, they were trumped by Absinthe, which I saw on my New Year’s Vegas trip 2014-2015.

3) Spend someone’s 21st birthday in Vegas
This was actually my second trip to Vegas – I took my baby sister there for her 21st! We were joined by our other sister Christy, our cousin Katie, and our good friend Lauren, and to this day it is still one of my favorite trips ever (yeah, not just one of my favorite VEGAS trips – one of my favorite trips EVER 😉 )

4) Visit Vegas over Halloween
Some day…some day…

5) Visit the Hoover Dam

When I took my baby sister to Vegas for her 21st birthday, the Hoover Dam was the one thing we did to prove to my parents that we weren’t just in Vegas to party…haha.

6) Get a tattoo

I finally accomplished this on my last trip to Vegas! My friend Natalie and I had quite the adventure finding a tattoo parlor that had been suggested to us and that turned out to no longer be open…but we tracked down one of the artists at another shop and I finally got my number 13 on the back of my neck 😉

7) Stay in a suite

This is another two-timer! Most recently we had a suite at the Mirage for my 30th birthday, but it was definitely most exciting the very first time 😉 That said…I’ll be doing it all over again next month with some amazing friends, many of whom have never even been to Vegas, and I can’t wait!

8) Spend New Year’s Eve in Vegas

Thanks to my lovely friend Natalie (who convinced me to meet her, our other friend Natalie, and their friend Gabby in Vegas for New Year’s), I finally accomplished this over New Year’s Eve 2014-2015. I don’t think I’d do it again (it was a bit crazy even for me), but I did have an amazing time!

9) Visit Red Rock Canyon

Kind of a random decision, really – but another time where I thought, “I’ve seen so much of what Vegas has to offer, maybe I should get outside of the city and explore a little bit.” And what better time than during my 30th birthday trip? (Well, minus the fact that it was freezing cold that day…)

10) Get a table/do bottle service at a club

This activity has become kind of a staple, because I’m old now (heh) and like to be able to, you know, sit down once in a while. Even when I’m out clubbing in Vegas 😉 I got hooked on this the first time I did it, for sure.

11) See a Vegas wedding

Okay, so *technically* it was a vow renewal, but since it was a full-blown Elvis-themed vow renewal at one of the infamous Vegas chapels, I’m counting it! I actually attended this just this past weekend – the cousins of my good friend Natalie did it – and it was hilarious and a blast and such a cool way for them to celebrate their 15th anniversary!

12) Go to one of the big pool parties

So I had attended a sort of pool party at Bare at the Mirage many years ago – but I wanted to check out one of the named ones! Though we went on a Thursday and it wasn’t nearly as insane as it is on the weekends, we rented a bungalow at Wet Republic and it was amazing…and after my upcoming trip I’ll be able to say I did a cabana at The Linq pool party as well!

13) Spend MY birthday in Vegas!
In 2010 I went the week after my birthday, but in 2012 I planned a big 30th bday trip with some awesome friends. It was my best birthday ever and the perfect way to spend my 30th…I’d do a Vegas birthday again in a heartbeat, for myself or anyone else!

14) Rent/ride in a limo for no reason

Since I’ve visited Vegas with sizable groups of friends several times over the years, we’ve actually taken a lot of random rides in limos – often doing so ends up being the same price as (or cheaper than) taking a cab, when you’ve got 8 or more people and you’d have to split up anyway. But there was one time when five of us outright rented a limo for the evening kind of “just because” – visited the Vegas sign, and downtown Vegas, and then had it drop us off at Encore so we could go to XS for the night. Champagne was included (well, a bottle of it was) and it was a blast! (Not surprisingly.)

15) Go on one of the helicopter rides/tours over the Strip

16) Get a picture with the Las Vegas sign

I’ve actually visited the Vegas sign twice, but honestly it’s hard to get a decent picture there! I hope to return to it on my next visit, for sure 🙂

17) Two words: Champagne Brunch.

Seriously, if you’re in Vegas on a weekend there is no reason to NOT hit up one of these. They have them at most hotels, though some have better food (Mandalay Bay) and some have freer-flowing champagne (Planet Hollywood).

18) Visit Lake Mead
(Okay, technically I’ve done this, but I’m not really counting it as I just went to an overlook. One day, when I’m in Vegas and the weather is nice, I’d love to go out here and boat on the lake for a day!)

19) Check out “Old Vegas”

I mean, why not? Cheap[er] drinking. Cheap[er] gambling. It’s kitschy and while you don’t need to spend a ton of time there, it’s fun!

20) Play blackjack!

To me this is just the quintessential Vegas game – so again, this almost always happens when I visit. Sometimes I even win 😉 (Okay, USUALLY I win if I’m at a table with the right people. If you’ve ever played Blackjack you know what I mean. I prefer Binion’s because hey, $5 buy in, but I’ve won the most money at Planet Hollywood. Twice.)

21) Introduce Vegas to someone who’s never been before.
Out of the 11 times I’ve been to Vegas, at least four of them, I got to show this ridiculous and amazing place to friends who’d never before visited, and honestly, that makes the experience even better than it already would have been 🙂 (And since I’ve never had a bad trip to Vegas, that’s saying a lot!) As a special note, the following picture was taken on the last morning of my second Vegas trip, and I was the only one of the five of us who’d been there before…

Not-So-Honorable-Mention

People who’ve thought/assumed that I was a prostitute. One time a guy who I thought I’d just been having a polite chat with asked me how much I went for (“$1,000 an hour?” Hey, I guess he aimed high?) and another time I was playing computer poker at a casino bar at 5 AM and this guy was offering to pay me more money than I care to mention to go back to his room with him. It got to the point where the bartender had to ask him to leave because my increasingly firm refusals weren’t making any difference. Oh, Vegas. (Also, if you want to know what one guy’s idea of a $1,000 an hour prostitute is, this is me the night I got that little “compliment” ::rolls eyes:: Oh and the person behind me is my friend, not the guy who thought I was a prostitute. Heh.)

Like I said, I’ll probably add more to this list as I finish the last few goals that I have yet to accomplish…but these are my general suggestions for awesome things to do in Vegas. I could never live there, but obviously it’s one of my favorite places to visit…and I already can’t wait to go back!

My Fifth Dragon Con (And the Best One Ever)

Posted on September 18, 2016 by Tara Lynne

I’ve had some good Dragon Cons, I’ve had some great Dragon Cons, and I’ve had some horrible Dragon Cons…but until this year, I’d never experienced a perfect Dragon Con.

More than anything else, this is because I have absolutely found MY PEOPLE. Throughout the past five years, I’ve made friends and lost friends (never by choice, mind you), and among all of that, I’ve grown closer to some people and pushed others away. I’m only human, after all.

But it was this year that I finally realized that I was surrounded by an absolutely amazing group of friends. Some were old, some were new. Some I saw every day, some I saw only twice. What mattered is that we were there, we hung out, and we had fun.

Thursday was my “no way am I going to cosplay” day, and yet we ended up with a roving group of Pokemon Go Team Valor members with a Pokestop and lure. We didn’t get a lot of pictures, but we did get a lot of shout outs…although it was hard to keep our mouths shut when people got insistent about being on Team Instinct or, more especially, Team Mystic 😉

Thursday night was Bunny Hutch, and the first time I’ve participated in the Playboy Bunny costume…thing. We had a group of Hunger Games characters, and though we never did find our Katniss, I had a blast as Bunny Hutch Effie Trinkett!

Honestly, I expected Friday to be an easy day. It was the one day I wasn’t on any panels, and I was just wearing another Cersei cosplay…but I had more people take my picture than the previous two times I wore Cersei cosplays at Dragon Con. I have to be honest…I completely credit my awesome wig 😉

Friday night was something of a mess, if only because Brian and I cosplayed Charlie and Dee from the “The Gang Beats Wade Boggs” episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Yes, we started with the tallies from the beginning of that episode, but thirteen beers later, it was obvious that I was doing my Dee Reynolds best to try to keep up.

Saturday was the day I finally debuted my original Disney Princess Kylo Ren at a convention. Thankfully, my lovely friend Tanya also made a Disney Princess Leia cosplay, and even though my gown was hot as hell and I was on a panel at 2:30 – meaning I couldn’t just hang out and get pictures taken of me all afternoon – I thoroughly enjoyed portraying this original character and can’t wait to do so again!

My first panel was “Game of Thrones: Concepts of Honor” and despite some hiccups I really enjoyed most of my fellow panelists and the discussions that ensued. As soon as it was finished, I was ready to change out of the heavy, hot Disney Princess Kylo Ren cosplay I was sporting, and after a bit of rest Brian and I donned some silly Thor costumes, put together a bunch of signs, and lugged a trash bag full of mini Mjolnirs to the Westin in order to campaign against our friend Scott, who was cosplaying Loki…

Despite the fact that we never met up with Scott at the Heroes & Villains Ball at the Westin (we got in almost right away but alas, he arrived too late and got stuck in line), we did camp out at the Pulse bar in the Marriott and mock several other Lokis…and eventually Scott, as well, who was a very good sport and even had an “I <3 TS” tank top under his Loki cosplay!

Saturday was supposed to be my “take it easy, go to bed at a decent time” night, but as Dragon Con would have it, that didn’t happen. This meant that getting up for my 11:30 AM panel on Sunday was a bit rough, but thankfully I rallied and that panel – “Netflix, Cable, and the Mainstream” – was my favorite of the three I was on that weekend 🙂

When I finally got back to the room, it was time to get into cosplay. I was wearing a tuxedo and a borrowed wig as Pearl from Mr. Greg (thanks again to my friend Carly for lending me her wig!), so it wasn’t a time-consuming cosplay…I was just too lazy to get out of bed and wear it to my panel.

Honestly, I was again surprised at how many people loved my Pearl cosplay. I’m pretty tall, and not particularly slim (not like Pearl, I mean)…and although my friend Bekah did a great job with my makeup, I certainly didn’t go all out like some Pearl cosplayers did. I did, however, get to sing “It’s Over, Isn’t It” several times, which kind of made may day. (Someone even snapchatted me doing it. I wish I could have seen that…)

Also, I got to meet Will Friedle! He was very interested in my current state of affairs (it’s apparently a thing he does, asking what he calls ‘somewhat uncomfortable questions’) and it was overall a fun five minute conversation 😉

Sunday evening I was on another panel – the American Sci-Fi Fantasy Media track’s “The Expanse: Politics and Power” discussion. While I enjoyed the panel, I was previously unaware that The Expanse was based on books – completely my bad, but as someone who watched and loved and knew the show on its own, I suddenly understand how Game of Thrones fans feel when they go to a show panel and people can’t stop bringing up the novels.

I have to admit, that tuxedo ended up being very hot (not generally uncomfortable, just hot), and I was ready to change out of it and into my “Party Hufflepuff” outfit. At this point I was all play and no work, after all, and despite claiming yet again that I would go to bed at a decent time, of course that didn’t happen. This was, after all, the last night of Dragon Con.

In fact, we had an afterparty in our hotel room, and not surprisingly, had security called on us. What can I say? I invited three friends, and each of those friends brought a half dozen or more people with them. I’m not going to say I regret it, though I do understand that at least one of our neighbors was pissed, and I am sorry for that.

We were up and out of the room on time Monday, though I’m seriously considering adding Monday night to our room reservation next year. I love the Hyatt, and I try to use the elevators as little as possible, but when it’s necessary – such as that one thing you can’t carry up or down the stairs during mass checkout time – man is it a pain in the ass. The best part was that we were still able to take our time visiting the vendor hall (finally, the first time I’d done so all weekend), eating a decent sit-down meal, and then still being able to get our car and get home by dinnertime. I even got to leave some Thor signs behind not far from where they were created…

Except for the fact that the Hyatt valet *lost* our car for a good thirty minutes. Don’t even get me started on that.

Were there some snags at Dragon Con 2016? Of course. I ran into one person i didn’t need to see far too many times. I missed a couple of panels because I couldn’t bring myself to walk all the way to the Sheraton to visit disability services (as press, I pick up my pass in the Hyatt). I absolutely ate pizza that was not fully cooked at one point (and that’s why that pizza place in the food court didn’t have a line; lesson learned).

The thing is, I’ve finally found my Dragon Con niche. I enjoyed wandering through the Walk of Fame. I loved being able to participate in three panels. But above all, my friends made this Dragon Con great. I could never name them all, but they know who they are. Thank you. Thank you for reminding me how amazing and fun and drama-free people can be. Thank you for the cosplays, and the drinks. Thank you for the laid back hangouts, and the crazy nights. This Dragon Con was my best Dragon Con because of all of you.

Don’t Talk to a Woman Wearing Headphones

Posted on August 30, 2016 by Tara Lynne

Wow, I’m so not sorry that Dan Bacon used to be hopeless with women. I’m not sorry for picking apart his article about “How to Talk to a Woman Who is Wearing Headphones“. I AM sorry for any woman who has fallen for his bullshit.

Listen, if there’s some sort of emergency, I get it, make me take my headphones off. But other than that? The article insisting that there is a way to get a girl wearing headphones to talk to you is obnoxious.

I don’t care why a girl has headphones on. I don’t care if she’s walking, or jogging, or riding public transportation. No matter what, don’t force her to interact with you. And that’s what this article is about – forcing a woman who is doing her own thing to interact with you. So in regards to talking to a woman who is wearing headphones…

Don’t stand in front of her. That’s threatening.
Smiling is fine, but her smiling back doesn’t mean that she owes you anything.
Don’t wave your hand at her like she’s less than a person for not paying attention to you.
Don’t order her to take off her headphones. Oh sure, you can act like it’s a request, but it’s not. Just don’t do it.
You won’t have to “acknowledge the awkwardness” if you don’t cause it.

Compliments and confidence don’t mean anything if you’ve ripped a woman out of her safe zone. Again, whether she’s walking, jogging, using public transportation, or something else, you’re bothering her. Leave her alone. Don’t assume that she will be “flattered by your compliment and impressed by your confidence”. Most likely she wants you to leave her alone. If she didn’t she probably wouldn’t be wearing headphones in the first place.

And hey, if she doesn’t want to be left alone? Teasing her by saying that you have somewhere to go, after interrupting her in the first place, is probably the worst idea ever.

As for the “mistakes” guys make when approaching a woman with headphones?

Approaching in a nervous manner should be the way you approach, because any decent guy will recognize that they are very likely bothering the woman.
ALLOWING HER TO IGNORE YOU IS A MISTAKE? That isn’t a MISTAKE, that is her RIGHT. Whether she’s wearing headphones or not. I can’t even imagine how anyone could rectify this.
ALLOWING HER to take control of the interaction??? “No matter how confident or challenging a woman might behave, she still dreams of meeting a guy who is more confident than her.” I’m not speaking for every woman who exists, but I am speaking for a lot of them – we don’t want someone more CONFIDENT than we are. We want someone who is our EQUAL. This isn’t the 1950s. Or before. Get over yourselves.
Oh wait, you shouldn’t stick to polite conversation? I mean hey, yeah, I agree that you shouldn’t ask too many personal questions and all, but you wouldn’t really be in this position if you hadn’t BOTHERED THE GIRL WEARING HEADPHONES IN THE FIRST PLACE!
Flirt with people who [don’t] want to be flirted with. Again, perhaps not all girls who are wearing headphones want to be left alone…but honestly, the fact that you are assuming these woman are okay with being bothered in the first place is a problem in and of itself. Attempting to flirt with them is just beyond.

As for the idea that “Most women are open to being approached”?

While many women don’t usually go around approaching men, there are many different reasons for this, and none of them are anyone’s business but their own. I’m not saying don’t ever approach a woman, but approaching a woman wearing HEADPHONES? And following the steps listed in this article? Disgusting. Never assume that “Most single women wait and hope to be approached by a guy so that they actually have a chance to meet a confident alpha male.”

We are our own people, and for fuck’s sake, if we’re wearing headphones, don’t push it.

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Author Archives: Tara Lynne

Find Me at MegaCon Tampa Bay This Weekend!

Spicy, No Onions, & Italian? Challenge Accepted!

I owed someone a favor and wanted to cook that person dinner. The only requirements were that it would be spicy and/or Italian, and not include onions.

Throwback Thursday: Emotional Wellness with Alpha Sigma Tau

Why I’m Voting for Hillary Clinton

I think it’s about time that I announce that I’m giving in and voting for Hillary, despite the fact that I’m not even voting in a swing state, but one that is solid red.

Thirsty Thursday: Tara’s Pumpkin Pie Martini

Recipe: Chicken Broccoli Ring

This recipe may not be super healthy, and yeah, it’s a bit of a pain to put together. You definitely won’t see some fancy Buzzfeed-style videos of me making something like this (or really anything) with seemingly no effort at all.

Who I am in Three Fictional Characters (Sort of)

Travel Tuesday: My Las Vegas Bucket List

Okay, I’ll admit it – most of this list is copied from my old blog. But hey, I have more Vegas trips under my belt…and another one coming up soon. So here’s my Vegas bucket list so far!

4) Visit Vegas over Halloween
Some day…some day…

15) Go on one of the helicopter rides/tours over the Strip

18) Visit Lake Mead
(Okay, technically I’ve done this, but I’m not really counting it as I just went to an overlook. One day, when I’m in Vegas and the weather is nice, I’d love to go out here and boat on the lake for a day!)

My Fifth Dragon Con (And the Best One Ever)

I’ve had some good Dragon Cons, I’ve had some great Dragon Cons, and I’ve had some horrible Dragon Cons…but until this year, I’d never experienced a perfect Dragon Con.

Don’t Talk to a Woman Wearing Headphones

Wow, I’m so not sorry that Dan Bacon used to be hopeless with women. I’m not sorry for picking apart his article about “How to Talk to a Woman Who is Wearing Headphones“. I AM sorry for any woman who has fallen for his bullshit.

I owed someone a favor and wanted to cook that person dinner. The only requirements were that it would be spicy and/or Italian, and not include onions.

I think it’s about time that I announce that I’m giving in and voting for Hillary, despite the fact that I’m not even voting in a swing state, but one that is solid red.

This recipe may not be super healthy, and yeah, it’s a bit of a pain to put together. You definitely won’t see some fancy Buzzfeed-style videos of me making something like this (or really anything) with seemingly no effort at all.

Okay, I’ll admit it – most of this list is copied from my old blog. But hey, I have more Vegas trips under my belt…and another one coming up soon. So here’s my Vegas bucket list so far!

4) Visit Vegas over Halloween Some day…some day…

15) Go on one of the helicopter rides/tours over the Strip

18) Visit Lake Mead (Okay, *technically* I’ve done this, but I’m not really counting it as I just went to an overlook. One day, when I’m in Vegas and the weather is nice, I’d love to go out here and boat on the lake for a day!)

I’ve had some good Dragon Cons, I’ve had some great Dragon Cons, and I’ve had some horrible Dragon Cons…but until this year, I’d never experienced a perfect Dragon Con.

Wow, I’m so not sorry that Dan Bacon used to be hopeless with women. I’m not sorry for picking apart his article about “How to Talk to a Woman Who is Wearing Headphones“. I AM sorry for any woman who has fallen for his bullshit.

4) Visit Vegas over Halloween
Some day…some day…

18) Visit Lake Mead
(Okay, technically I’ve done this, but I’m not really counting it as I just went to an overlook. One day, when I’m in Vegas and the weather is nice, I’d love to go out here and boat on the lake for a day!)