It's Been Two Weeks Since You Passed: A Letter To Steven Larsen

In Loving Memory of Steven Larsen1991-2016

I went to your friend's party the other night for the fourth of July, but you weren't there. People were talking about you, but they spoke about you in the past tense. A friend said he made a song about you. A few of us were reminiscing about the time when we started dating. You should have been there. Your name should be spoken about in the present tense. You should have been at the Tap Room or some other party instead of somewhere we all can't join. The party was packed but it felt so empty. So many people, yet the one we truly wanted to see was you. And you weren't there. And you never will be.

It’s been two weeks since you passed… And it just still doesn’t feel real.

It's a fucked up feeling when someone passes away. It's confusion. Anger. Regret. Sadness. A whole bunch of emotions. I miss you so much and there's not a damn thing I can do about it except miss you even more. I have to accept the fact that you're not physically here with us any longer. I have to accept the fact that I won't be seeing you or hearing your voice or receiving texts or calls or snaps or sarcastic asshole Facebook and Instagram comments from you anymore. I have to accept the fact that I'll never see your smile or your baby blue eyes or the dimples on your cheeks ever again. I have to accept the fact that this is what it is now and there is no changing it. A piece of my heart had been taken along with you this past week. The peace of mind I had just two weeks prior has left me, and now I'm left with a fucked up semi-functioning brain to cope with this pain I don't even know how to deal with. I just don't even understand what I'm supposed to do or say, but I suppose there is absolutely nothing that can be said or done.You were taken from us way too soon. We had plans. We had places to go and people to hang out with and events to attend and fun things to do... Now none of it will ever happen. I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, but why the fuck did this happen? We will never know. It will never make sense. It will never ever make sense. You always made me so happy and could make me laugh harder than anyone I've ever met. Your spirit was unlike any other. You always looked out for everyone else and made sure everyone was having a good time. When we dated, I was so proud to call you my boyfriend. You were the epitome of a gentleman and a man's man. You knew how to have your fun and may have been deemed an "asshole" but you were always truly respectful and kind and full of love and joy. You always showed your best intentions because good intentions were all you ever had.I am so lucky to have known you. You were one of a kind, and I will never forget you or meet another like you. I will keep you alive through our memories. I will keep you in my heart and mind and think of you every day. I will speak of you in the highest regard and talk about you often. I will love you always. I will miss you forever. We all will.I hope wherever you are you are at peace. I hope you are with our loved ones who have also passed. I hope you're driving 200 MPH and having fun without worrying about cops or rules or laws (although I’m not too sure you ever did anyway). I hope you are looking after all of us. I hope you are smiling and enjoying your new life wherever you are and whoever you are with. I hope you know how much you were and are loved. I hope one day when I pass, you will be there to guide me to where you are and show me the ropes on how to send signs to those left behind as well as you do. You had told me when I saw you the Thursday before this happened that you had some blogging advice for me. You told me to be more transparent with my words. “When you read Lester’s blog, you can see him saying the shit he writes… but you look at my posts and can’t see me saying what I write.” Although I said okay and laughed it off and took your advice with a grain of salt, the fact that you, the guy who barely knew what BuzzFeed was when I was so excited to tell you I started writing for them, cared enough to read my blog means more to me than you’d ever know, and I wish I told you that.

So this blog post is for you. This one is straight from the heart, no bullshit, no words to evoke a reaction, no being “artsy” like you said I try to do. This one is completely and wholeheartedly for you, Steve.We will meet again one day, and I look forward to it. Wherever you are, please look after us all and continue to show us you are here in the ways you now know how. Rest and ride peacefully, Scuba. I love you and will miss you beyond words could ever say. Love always,Morgan

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.

Why It's Important To Shine Light On Dark Topics Like The Stanford Rape Case

We've likely all heard about the Stanford rape case that has recently been circulating the media.By slim chance you haven't, in short, Brock Turner was caught by two Swedish bicyclists sexually assaulting a 23-year-old woman, repeatedly referred to as “the unconscious woman” or “the victim” in news articles, behind a dumpster on the Stanford University college campus. Although the jury found Turner guilty of three counts of sexual assault, equating to a total jail time of 14 years, Judge Aaron Persky let Turner off easy with a six-month sentence because he felt jail time would “severely impact” him and his future athletic goals.Since the conviction, multiple news platforms, including but not limited to BuzzFeed, CNN, NPR, FOX, and The New York Times, have covered the case. Additionally, our social news feeds and search engines have been saturated with posts and articles regarding the situation.I've witnessed friends of all races debate how wrong it is for a privileged college student, swimmer, white male to be sentenced to six short months in jail for a crime worse than what many black males have been previously convicted of and are serving more time for.I've witnessed multiple female friends reveal their personal rape stories and state how situations like this justify there’s no faith in the judicial system for victims like them.I've witnessed male friends come forward and say this court case sets a miserable example for women and women's rights and how livid they'd be if this happened to their wife, mother, sister, or daughter.Although the posts ranged in sentiment, there was an underlying common bond throughout them all. There was a sense of unity that brought everyone together under one common cause that needed to be discussed.The general consensus was that something had to be said and done about the blatant injustice at hand.After this past week alone, change has already begun to occur. Brock Turner is now banned from USA Swimming for life. Judge Aaron Petsky is now facing a potential recall of his judicial position due to a series of inappropriate sentences and similar actions during the course of his career.Although it could be wishful thinking, I’d like to believe this is a direct result of the powerful force we, as a collective people, have created. Whether it was from our outcries of emotion and a demand for change or some other forces of good, our voices have been heard and something has been done.This should stand as a lesson to us all that we, the people, DO still have power, and we, the people, DO still possess the ability to make a change.No matter how dark or how grim or risqué or “hush hush” the topic at hand may be, whether it's rape, murder, gender equality, human rights, racism, abuse, political scandals, or any other potentially controversial situation that stands to be addressed, this is exactly what needs to happen. We need to stand united against the wrong and fight for our beliefs in what is right.This is how a nation should be -- as the pledge of allegiance that we once upon a time repeated day-in and day-out itself states, we are “one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” We are not as different as we may seem to be. We all crave fairness and equality and the fundamental human rights we deserve no matter our race, gender, sexual orientation, or religion.By standing and fighting together, we can demand and produce change. By pushing whatever nonexistent differences we have aside and instead choose to work together, we can create miracles. We have the ability to be loud enough to revolutionize and incite change. Let’s continue to use this power and fight for the other hundreds or thousands of inequalities and injustices we are faced with as human beings in America and across the globe so maybe one day we will eventually know peace, liberty, and justice for all.

Bumble BFF App Review: How My First BFF Date Went Down

It’s not that easy to make new friends anymore. If you don’t go to school, work in a place where new people enter the building all day long, or enjoy frequenting bars every weekend, the odds of meeting potential amigos are slim to none. Thankfully, the friend gods have answered our prayers, and the dating app Bumble has recently released a feature on the platform called Bumble BFF.One of my girlfriends told me she found luck and matched a couple of pretty cool girls, so I was inspired to see if I could get some matches myself. Lo and behold, I’ve already matched… drum roll, please… three girls! Yay! I’m on my way to #squadgoals heaven.After just one night of swiping, I scored my very first Bumble BFF match. Right from the start, Jackie seemed super nice and down-to-earth. We got along well and shared some common interests, one of which being the fact that we’re both proud grandmas and we don’t go out drinking every weekend like most of the people our age. We swapped numbers, texted, and made plans to hang the following week.Yesterday, she and I hung out for the first time. We went to the mall, grabbed drinks at Starbucks, shopped, and filled each other in on our lives. Not going to lie, I was nervous as I sat and waited for her to show up, but once we were talking, it felt like I knew her for years. Turns out blind friend dates are SO much less intimidating than typical blind dates with someone you're interested in potentially dating.PS: This literally sounds like I’m telling the story of the first date with my now fiancé (if I had one), and I’m so sorry. Just trying to give you guys a thorough review of how this app worked for me and what went down.Overall, I had an awesome time. I’m a pretty awkward human, but it wasn’t awkward at all. Jackie is totally someone who I could see becoming one of my genuinely close friends. This also means that I am officially one squad member closer to giving T Swift a run for her squad money -- score!

My suggestion? If you’re looking for new friends and don’t mind losing your pride or ego over downloading a “dating app,” then go install Bumble on your phone right now and go find your new BFF!If you wind up matching with anyone and plan to hang out with that person, here are four quick tips from my personal experience:

1. Be yourself.
2. Don't be nervous.
3. Have fun with it.
4. Don't be a serial killer.

So thanks, Bumble inventors, for enabling me to gain a new friend and for giving people like me who freelance, have already graduated from school, and don’t like the bar scene a way to meet people without having to join actual real-life social clubs or anything like that… because who actually does anything without the help of technology anymore, amirite?  Thanks for reading! Happy swiping. Have you tried the app yet? Have you had any luck? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below or tweet me @MorganMandriota!

The 19 Types Of People You’re Friends With On Social Media

I think it’s a safe assumption to say 99.9% of us have a social media account, whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Snapchat. I also think it’s safe to say 99.9% of us are “friends” with the same type of people on these platforms.After being on social since the good old Myspace days, I’ve compiled a list of the many different types of people I’ve noticed exist on my “friends” list who fill my news feed with the same old shit.  Here are the 19 types of people you’re friends with on social media: 1. The one you don’t know personally but are cool with.You’ve never met this person, yet you guys are super cool. This person comments on your status updates. They appreciate your witty jokes. They even like your selfies. They just get you. You’re practically social media best friends (PS: There’s a meme going around about this with Hey Arnold and the giant turtle high-fiving which is SO accurate). 2. The political person.There’s at least one person on your friends list who either does know what they’re talking about when it comes to politics or doesn’t, but it doesn’t matter. They will literally post every single update on presidential debates, whether or not they like Donald Trump, how they’re feeling the Bern, why our country is doomed, whatever. Either way, they need to shut up and leave politics off social media… and everywhere else for that matter. 3. The philosophical wizard.Whether they actually do or just pretend to, this person is super philosophical and grounded and knows so much about the world. You either hate them or you love them. You want to tell them how they profoundly impact your life with their positivity or you want to punch them in the face and tell them to shut up. There is no in between. 4. The yogi.The yogi posts pictures and/or videos of their insanely cool yoga poses. This friend motivates you to join a yoga class so you can do headstands on mountain tops like they can… but you never join a yoga class. You just look at this person’s updates in awe and wish you could be them. 5. The fitness guru.This person makes sure that you know whenever he/she works out. Gym check-ins, transformation Tuesday posts, protein shakes and smoothies -- the fitness guru’s got you covered with all of the above. 6. That one family member who comments on all of your posts.“HEY LAURA THIS IS A VERY NICE PICTURE TELL MOM I  SAID HELLO MISS YOU GUYS SEE YOU IN TWO MONTHS FOR COUSIN SARA’S COMMUNION I HOPE JOHNNY DOESN’T EAT ALL THE CAKE AGAIN LOL!!! --AUNT MARGARET” 7. The Negative Nancy.The dreaded Debbie Downer. The always negative Negative Nancy. The one who NEVER has anything positive to say whether it’s on your statuses or on their own wall. To all of you Negative Nancies out there, do us all a favor and either brighten up or deactivate your account and gtfo. 8. The girl who’s insanely obsessed with and in love with her boyfriend.There are two types of these girls. One is the girl who’s obsessed with her boyfriend after dating for three years… The other is the girl who’s obsessed with her boyfriend after dating for three weeks. Both equally in love. Both equally annoying.  9. The conspiracy theorist.Chemtrails, 9/11, ISIS, Monsanto, Illuminati, the Elite... the anti-corporate, the anti-religion, the Zika virus, the fact that there’s a cure for cancer but it’s being hidden from us, now poor Harambe the Gorilla… WHEN DOES IT END? Probably when we all die when the government turns off our microchip implants. 10. The one who likes all of your posts.You can always count on this person to like your stuff. Status update, shared video, relationship change, death in the family -- it doesn’t matter. He/she always has your back. 11. The foodie.Whether it’s BuzzFeed Tasty videos or their own cooking, organic or not, you can always count on the foodie to share delicious food posts. 12. The one who you stay friends with just to creep on.Whether it’s your ex, a friend’s ex, a new boyfriend/girlfriend’s ex (let’s be real, it’s mostly due to exes), you’re only friends with this person so you can creep on their posts. You have no genuine interest in their life. You might actually despise this person’s existence. However, you keep them around because you want to keep tabs. 13. The one who lets you know everything he or she is doing every single moment of the day every single day.Going to the gym! Finally in bed after a long day! Making breakfast then going to school! Just woke up! Just inhaled then exhaled! Sound familiar? Same. 14. The club/event promoter.You have yet to attend a single event that the promoter has invited you to, but he/she keeps on sending those invites.  15. The Candy Crusher or other game inviter.NO! I WILL NOT PLAY CANDY CRUSH OR ANY OF YOUR OTHER DAMN GAMES. STOP TRYING TO SUMMON ME.  16. The argumentative asshole.I’m thinking of one person right now. So are you. 17. The old high school friend(s) who you haven’t talked to since graduation.You guys graduated and haven’t talked since, but you’re friends on social media. You occasionally like their posts when they pop up in the news feed, but you guys never actually go out of your way to speak to one another. If it wasn’t for social, you’d have no idea if this person even still existed. 18. The old high school friend(s) who you keep in touch but only because you’re friends on social media.If it wasn’t for Facebook or Instagram, you wouldn’t have been friends with this person after graduation. This social relationship actually bonded you guys closer. You like each other’s posts and comment on each other’s life accomplishments. Who would have thought social media would bring you guys closer after all these years? Certainly not you back in high school! And last but not least... 19. The selfie king/queen.We ALL have the friend(s) who post selfies every day or at least 3x/week. There is no forgetting what this person looks like. We get it. We see you. Please... stop posting selfies. #nofilter I think that just about covers it! Did I leave anybody out? Is your friends list similar to mine? If not, how can I go about making my friends list look like yours? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below or tweet me at @MorganMandriota.Don’t forget to share this post on social media and tag your friends with their # (unless they’re 8, 12, or 16)!  Thanks for reading!  

3 Reasons Why Content Marketing Is The Perfect Career Path For Writers

I've always been a writer by nature, but I've finally found a way to combine my love of writing with a new, innovative, rapidly growing, insanely interesting career field -- content marketing!After becoming the SEO & Creative Content Director, then eventually creating my own lifestyle and writing blog, I hope to pass some of my hard-earned gold nugget wisdom on to you, aspiring writers and marketers. Here are three reasons why content marketing is the perfect career path for writers: 

1. You are most likely already well-versed in the ability to write (and write well) on a variety of topics. 

In college, English majors are required to make the rounds in various different courses related to writing and literature. Each course would demand at least one to four papers per semester, ranging in size from one to ten pages per essay. As a result, we ultimately become experts in the art of translating, quite literally, anything into grammatically correct, beautifully worded content magic.As a content marketer, whether you work as a freelancer or as a team player within a company, you will be writing about an expansive range of topics, including evergreen, trending, industry specific, and beyond. With overall writing skills, composing 250-to 500-word press releases, 800-word blogs, or successful newsletter content is more of an interesting challenge than an actual difficulty (plus, if you truly enjoy writing, these tasks will be *fun* rather than boring or draining). 

2. Content and digital marketing is a rapidly growing, insanely popular, ever-increasing industry. 

Although digital marketing is a newer realm, don't doubt its power!Since the dawn of the Internet, traditional marketing venues like newspaper ads and TV commercials have taken a significant hit. Ranging from social media management to search engine optimization (SEO) to email marketing, the industry is expanding at mind blowing speeds.It is a proven fact that people browse for companies, products, and services via smartphones and search engines more so than through newspapers or phone books. According to HubSpot, content marketing alone generates 3x as many leads as opposed to traditional outbound marketing tactics.If you're looking for job security in a constantly evolving yet fascinating and growing industry, it's safe to say that careers within the digital marketing industry, like content marketing, are here to stay for a while. 

3. Use your preexisting skills to make a difference in a brand’s bottom line.

What's really cool about content marketing, IMHO, is that our job is to use our already existing skills in driving sales for businesses.Why is that cool?Because our skill in writing puts money in other people's pockets. Our skill in writing promotes brand awareness and drives traffic to company websites and store locations to increase conversions and, ultimately, client revenue.The coolest part?We do this for a pay check. We do what we're good at for a living -- and THAT is something I see worth pursuing for a long time to come. So, writers, what's your future career goal? Have you considered or already landed in the content/digital marketing realm? Share your thoughts in the comments below or tweet me at @MorganMandriota.Thanks for reading hawk + pearl. Hope to see you back again soon! 

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So She Didn't Text Back

One day everything is fantastic. You’re texting a girl all day every day. You’re making her laugh. You’re making her think. Your emoji game is fire emoji. But then, all of a sudden, you get nothing. Radio silence. So, uh, she didn’t text back… Take a deep breath. She’s probably busy. Yes, sure, she usually answers within 10 minutes. Whether she’s sitting at home or she’s busy at work, she always texts back within 10 minutes. But today is different. She’s super busy or whatever. Anddd she just posted a new selfie on Instagram. Relax. She probably just doesn’t have service. She must have tried to post that photo an hour ago, but because she has no service, it only now went through. We truly take LTE for granted. What a time to be alive! Wait, who are all those guys liking her photo? Jesus, it’s only been up for 6 minutes and ten guys have double tapped it... Go ahead. Send that "What are you doing now?" text. No response again? Hahaha, yeah, no worries. Her phone is probably at 1% and she’s saving her battery for the remainder of the day. Be cool, man. You told her you really liked her the other day, so why would she be ignoring you now? Is it because you’ve been double and triple texting her all weekend? Girls like when you show that you’re interested, right? Yeah, that can’t be it. COOL. She just posted a new Snapchat story. COOL. Okay, put your phone down for a little bit. Obviously she’s playing hard to get, so just let her come to you. When she’s done with her little cat-and-mouse games, she’ll be diving head first into your inbox. In the meantime, head to the gym. Read a book. Get your mind, body, and soul in order... ...but send her a quick Snap first. She opened it immediately and didn’t respond. It’s almost as if she got excited to see that she had a Snapchat and didn’t look at the name it came from, but then was immediately disappointed to see it was your dumb face with a dog face filter and a hilarious caption that says "Life is ruff." Text her one last time. Let her know you’re on to her. “Cool.” Nailed it! That’ll let her know that you know that she knows. Check Facebook to see if she posted anything about how devastated she must be after you dropped the hammer. Oh, what’s that? She just posted a status saying "I hate when guys just don’t get the hint." That’s clearly about some other guy, right? Nope. That’s 1,000% about you. It’s over. You have been deaded. Fuck. 

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