My Last Minute Decision To Go To Atlantic City Alone

If you follow me on Twitter or know me personally, then you’re probably well aware that I’m obsessed with Dillon Francis. Once I heard he was scheduled to play Premier Nightclub in Atlantic City on June 11th, I knew I had to go. After posting statuses on Facebook and Twitter and asking friends to join me and receiving “no” after “no,” I started to accept the fact that I wasn’t going.Days leading up to the event, I found myself dwelling on how badly I needed to get there. I woke up yesterday morning (the day of the show) and experienced insane FOMO like I never have before. I was borderline depressed the whole day knowing I was going to be missing out on one of my favorite music artists playing three short hours away from where I live when most of his shows are on the west coast.At 6:30PM, just hours before the nightclub opened its doors for the evening, I was eating dinner when something in me was saying “GO!” That was the moment when I decided that I didn’t need anybody else to join me. I had the money for a ticket, an open schedule, and the will to travel three hours to and from AC in one night… so I made the last minute decision to go, and off I went. I took the quickest shower of my life, scrambled to find an outfit, did my hair and packed up my makeup, and was out the door by 8 PM to get to the Borgata by 11 PM.With a 10:53 PM arrival, it was proven that miracles do exist. I found the venue, checked in, and walked on up the stairs into the club.I walk in to see groups of girls in low-cut mini dresses and heels and dudes in fancy shirts and dress pants EVERYWHERE, and here I am in my skinny jeans, black tank top, boots, and green jacket... alone. To say I didn’t fit in whatsoever would be a complete and total understatement.Despite my lack of proper attire and a friend group, I headed on over to the bar, bought myself a shot of tequila and a glass of Cabernet, and was on my way to a fantastic evening all by myself.And that’s exactly what happened.Throughout the course of the night, I talked to strangers, made friends, was approached by creeps, danced although I said I wouldn’t, and enjoyed every single second. Dillon went on around 1:15 AM and played about a two-hour set. I spent the night singing to his music, adding the occasional Snapchat to my story, drinking wine, and dancing both by myself and with others.Besides the fact that Dillon liked my tweet that said I was going (making this the third time he’s acknowledged my existence, thank you very much), I can honestly say that last night was probably the greatest night I’ve had in a long time. I was free to do whatever I pleased with whomever I wanted, and I took full advantage of the opportunity. I found myself breaking out of my shell and going out of my way to meet new people. There was nobody to pull me away from the show to run to the bathroom or get a drink every 10 minutes. I was in complete control of my time, and I loved every minute of it.Overall, I am SO glad that I decided to go and take on Premier Nightclub in my awkwardly inappropriate outfit despite the fact I didn’t have any friends to join me. Not only was it an insanely awesome experience, but now I don’t have to be left wondering what could have happened if I didn't go.In addition to memories that will last a lifetime, what I took away from last night is this:If you ever want to do something, DO IT. Don’t let anything or anyone hold you back because all you truly need (and have) is yourself. As long as you have the willpower and the ability to do something, go for it.Life is too short to be left wondering what could have been. Take the risk. Chances are you’ll be glad you did.

The "American Dream" Is Not A "Dream" At All

Straying Away From The Dream To Follow Your Dream

Today, I'm going to write about something we all learned about during our younger years. I'm going to write about what I've learned about that particular something as I've grown older. That something is the "American dream."I've always been a self-starter. I've worked in restaurants for about seven years where the schedule I was given each week was dependent upon my own hours and availability. I eventually started up a web development, marketing, and branding business. After this, I freelanced -- once again on my own terms in regard to both workload and hours.Then November rolled around.This past November, I started working full-time as a content writer living the 40-hour-workweek, Monday through Friday, 9-5 lifestyle at a digital marketing agency.I made it! Hired to do what I love and went to school for in a time when there are minimal open jobs in general, let alone in the field of writing -- what could be better?It felt really cool to be a "part of society" in the working world like millions of others are doing and have done before me. Throughout history and still today, people have come to America to live out their dreams. That's essentially what I was doing -- I was following suit of the "American dream."Here I am, six months and two promotions down the line, things are all different. I worked my last shift on Friday."What? You left?! But it sounded like you were set!"At 23, I had a full-time job as the head of a department with job security, health benefits, a 401k plan, a biweekly paycheck, and room for growth both professionally and monetarily... but I wasn't happy. I wasn't living my dream.Although I may have lost all of the above, I gained experience, knowledge, and some really great friends. Most importantly of all, I gained back my happiness.I can't stress enough how important it is to be happy where you are not only in your career but also with your life. Far too often, I talk to others and they vent about their current position and how unhappy they are, whether it's about their job, their relationship, their eating habits, their mindset...If you're not happy, you can change that. It's all in your power, and in your power only. It's all in your being to make things happen and to change things accordingly.If you're not happy, become happy.If you're stressed, de-stress.If you can't stand the way things are going, change.Devote your energy to the things in life that lift you up rather than drag you down. Work toward your goals, but never settle for less than what will make you happy in the short or long-term.  Find what makes your heart sing, and pursue that career, relationship, and/or lifestyle wholeheartedly.I promise that you will adapt, and you'll see that things will all work out the way they're meant to. It'll all get better, and you'll wonder why you ever let yourself dwell in a situation you weren't happy in to begin with. You just have to be willing to sacrifice a little to get a lot in the long run in order to truly achieve the "dream" you are so desperately seeking.[do_widget id=blog_subscription-2] 

An Introduction: Welcome To hawk + pearl

Welcome to hawk + pearl!

Hi! So I've finally done it. I've finally decided on a domain name that I like enough to purchase and use as my personal blog (I've been struggling with this issue for the past eight months or so -- you have no idea how excited I am to launch this thing).

I don't even know where to start. I had no idea what to write about as my first post, so I figured it'd be a good idea to begin with an introduction.

First and foremost...

What is hawk + pearl?

hawk + pearl is my version of a lifestyle and writing blog. On a daily basis, I experience or think of at least one thing that makes me go, "That would be a great topic to write about!" This is my place to do exactly that.

I've been contributing to BuzzFeed and Thought Catalog for a while now, and I even write for a living. You may have read my viral post titled "19 Classic Viral YouTube Videos You Totally Forgot Existed" that I wrote about a year ago (if not, go do so now). I also share my thoughts on social media channels like Facebook and Twitter sometimes. However, I've never had a place solely dedicated to my personal writing. I'm excited to say that that's about to change starting now.

Overall, this blog will serve as an outlet for the culmination of things I'd like to share with the world -- my experiences, thoughts, tips, tricks, recipes, and more. Whether you come back to read my posts or not, that's up to you. I'll be here writing regardless.

What the hell does hawk + pearl mean?

After these eight or so past months of struggling to come up with a blog name, this is what I came up with? "hawk + pearl"?

Yup!

I know. It's a quirky name, right? However, it holds meaning to me -- and that's all that matters, so if you don't like it, then I don't care! (just kidding... not really though.)

So, why hawk + pearl? I will refer to the explanation I wrote over on the about page:

As a child, I was raised by my father to look for and identify hawks, a symbol of power, perception, observation, and awareness. The middle name of my beloved grandmother, may she rest in peace, is Pearl, commonly defined as “a precious thing; the finest example of something.” The name hawk + pearl was created to represent the integration of the strength of a hawk and the beauty of a pearl.

And last, but not least...

Who am I?

My name is Morgan Mandriota. I'm terrible at introducing myself to others; partially attributed to the fact that I'm kind of awkward, and also due to the lack of interest I have in explaining who I am to others.

If you'd like to learn more about me, you can follow over to the about page for a better attempt at a personal description, or instead I can show you the inner workings of my mind through my writing on this platform as time moves forward.

And that's it! My first blog post is officially written, completed, and published. Thanks for taking the time to read this introduction -- seriously, I truly appreciate it. I hope you'll come back to read more of my work on hawk + pearl sometime again in the near future.

Until then,

Morgan