January 2016 Update

It's been awhile since I regularly attended to this blog. I could say that I'm sorry, or I could accept that I started this blog with the intention of living my life differently, more fully, and that I have kept to that goal. So I'm not sorry.

JANUARY 2016 UPDATE

In the time that I've been gone, my health has had ups and downs including a nasty surgery nearly a month ago. Plantar fasciia, tarsal tunnel, bone spur removed, and some nerve issues fixed up - all in my right foot. This surgery led to the inevitable choice to drop all of my college courses and start focusing on my health and my family more vigilantly. 

It also led to bed rest. 

Bed rest leads to movies. 

Apparently. 

My instagram is @Ctarkeshian - just in case you want to see how 

the movie list ends and how my #2016ReadingList is coming along. 

I'm getting better. I'll be speaking at FanX (hosted by Salt Lake Comic Con) this March about my work with HitRECord - Joseph Gordon Levitt's production company. I've been working with HitRECord for almost 2 years now and I was included in the Season 2 episode, "Re: Your Mom". 

My weight has not gone down, so that's another thing I plan to tackle in 2016 with the help of my new gym; Lifetime Fitness. 

This summer our family plans to embark on a new travel adventure: A Panama Canal Repositioning Cruise on the Disney Wonder! We've been working toward this goal for nearly 3 years and WE ARE EXCITED! 

Stay tuned. 

More new posts are on their way! 

I'm back.

Dear Children: About that photo you found...

This is me. 

March 1998. 

Age 14.

I was traveling with a school group and without my parents.

This photo was taken in a bar in San Ignacio, Mexico. 

The fur ball on my lap is a rented chihuahua named Peaches. 

I have a feeling the chihuahua isn't the part you have questions about. 

You see, children, I had a pretty full life before I became your mother. I had my rebellious phase just like you will. I did things that I probably shouldn't have; things like hanging out at a bar in the middle of a foreign country when I was too young to even have a driver's license. Things like dyeing my hair blonde (look close... it's there and it's horrible). Things like watching movies that were way too grown up for me just because some stupid guy said I wouldn't and another stupid guy dared me to.

But it's not as bad as it sounds and it wasn't as bad as it looks at first glance. You'll never find any revenge porn of me. You'll never have to ask me about any photos showing me black-out drunk. This is because there aren't any. My questionable juvenile behavior went mostly undocumented in part because there wasn't all that much to document. This is probably the worst of it. 

Look at the table behind me, kids. That's a glass Pepsi bottle. Not beer. That was a choice I made. That chihuahua we rented? She belonged to the bartender's son. They were very poor and our Spanish wasn't great. We couldn't figure out the word for "rent" so we offered to buy the kid's dog for what would have translated to roughly $5 in US dollars at the time. He loved that dog, but his family needed the money. We were all homesick and looking for the comfort of a dog in lieu of being able to be with our own families and pets. When we were ready to leave town, we returned the dog, which we had named Peaches. The little boy offered to give us our money back but we refused to take any of it. We were rebellious, but not jerks. We weren't cruel. We wanted to do good things and to help people.

Children, if you can be rebellious without be destructive or cruel, and if you can keep goodness in your heart while you do it, go ahead an be rebellious. You've got my blessing. (Just don't expect me to remember that when you're neck deep in it.) Please remember that when I was younger, we didn't have social media. We didn't have cell phones with cameras. Most of us were lucky if we had a Polaroid that we used once in a while - mostly for family reunions or other parties. You may not have the luxury of keeping all your mistakes secret. Remember that when you're trying to decide if a mistake is worth making.

I love you,

Mom