Tara Darazio

Musings on Amusement Parks

Posted on June 14, 2012 by Tara Darazio

When I woke up today, I had an overwhelming urge to go to an amusement park, and since that’s not an option (I don’t think my 13 month old would have much to do while Mom was riding coasters), I figured writing about it would be the next best thing.

Now, I don’t know where all of you are from, but I live near Kennywood Park in Pittsburgh, PA and it’s a fantastic place to visit.

I think all parks have most of the same elements, the sights, sounds, and smells that let us know SUMMER is here. My top 10 below:

1. Catching a glimpse of the tallest roller coaster as you drive down the road towards the parking lot
2. Pushing through that funky silver metal bar at the beginning of the park and trying to look cool doing it
3. The instant happiness that comes over you as you enter the park with endless options, what to do first?!
4. The eerie and familiar sound of the merry-go-round, and watching the faces of the little ones as they take their first trip around
5. The terrifying and awesome sound of the hum of the roller coaster as you ascend the giant hill
6. The taste of anything fried or served in the park in general. Fries taste better, cotton candy sweeter, and funnel cakes – you know you can eat a whole one yourself
7. The mist from the water rides as you stand on the bridge watching the people crazy enough to actually get soaked
8. The butterflies in your stomach as you dangle and fly through the air, coupled with the fear that your seat belt can literally bust at any time (the older we get, the more aware of how dangerous those rides can actually be)
9. The games and the arcade – especially SkeeBall – and trying our hardest to win the biggest stuffed animal, knowing we’re just going to throw it in the back of our closet at home anyway
10. Night time at the park – love everything about that

What are you favorite parks and favorite parts?

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged amusement parks, freelance writer, freelance writing, funnel cakes, kennywood, roller coasters, skee ball, summer, writing | 4 Comments

The smell and taste of a memory?

Posted on June 13, 2012 by Tara Darazio

This blog post was inspired by my best friend, Vicky, so thanks for the idea. 🙂 She said I should write about the correlation between music and memories. I am going to add one more thing to this, and talk about smells and memories, too.

It’s been said that smell is the sense most directly related to memories, and I definitely agree with that. How often do we walk by someone wearing a familiar cologne or perfume, and our brain automatically makes us think of the person we know that wears it. That response can be gut-wrenching, if it’s someone we’ve lost; sickening, if it’s someone we don’t want to think about; or exciting, if it reminds us of someone we love. And even if it’s just for a brief moment, our nose and brain can bring up that memory in an instant.

Music does the same thing for many of us. When I hear Earth, Wind, and Fire it will always remind me of driving with my dad when I was little, because he always played the cassettes in the car. An *Nsync song will take me back to the good old years of middle school and even high school, when crushing on a guy and getting our braces off were our biggest obstacles.

Many songs remind me of college, or more so, the people I met. I can see my roommate dancing around the room when I hear Bette Davis Eyes, or be brought back to girl’s nights with the best friends I’ve ever had when I hear Girls Just Want To Have Fun.

It’s almost amazing how much a song or a smell can mean to us. When we get married, we have “a song.” Maybe we should have “a smell,” too. My husband and I went to Atlantic City for our honeymoon and we go there as often as we can every year, and the smell that we both LOVE, the smell that reminds us of AC and our honeymoon and that special time, is the smell of Carmine’s restaurant in the Tropicana (our favorite casino and place to stay).

I don’t know if it’s a mixture of cheese and sauce, or dressing, but anytime a smell comes along that reminds me of that place, I am suddenly happy.

So smell your favorite flower, or burn your best candle. Put on some music that takes you back to a great memory. I think today, I’ll share with you my husband and I’s wedding song. Now, I’ll be smiling the rest of the day. What is your smell? Your song?

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged earth wind and fire, freelance basis, freelance writer, freelance writing, friends, lifehouse, memories, music, nsync, smell, writing | 6 Comments

The Candy Effect

Posted on June 11, 2012 by Tara Darazio

When it comes to candy, I think it can take anyone back to their childhood with just the mention of a certain favorite. After a discussion one night with our friends about how we were craving Tongue Splashers, I realized I had never taken my husband to one of my favorite candy stores from my childhood.

Baldinger’s is a candy mecca! Over 75 years old, this store boasts not only hard to find candy, but classic favorites, as well as VERY low prices. 10 cents for a Warhead?!
Yes, please. Check out some of my finds below:

This candy heaven was all ours for one rainy Saturday afternoon and it made for a perfect day. My mom, brother, sister, sister’s boyfriend, and of course, our little one, joined us for the trip. From the car ride over talking about what we hoped to find, to walking around through the maze of candy jars, buckets, and shelves, to checking out on the 19th century, original cash register, we had a blast.

The candy effect is magical. You can’t help but smile when you rip one of those candy buttons off the paper, or feel the click of Pop Rocks on your tongue.

Just doing a simple thing, like visiting a candy store, can make your day. It really is the little things that make us truly happy, and the $20 we spent was well worth it. We have candy for weeks to come and an even better story and memory to cherish.

Do something today that makes you happy. It’s Monday and we all need some extra help getting into the groove, so whether it’s munching on candy, or singing in the shower, or telling a corny joke, just enjoy yourself.

Now if you’ll excuse me, it’s time for a coffee and (candy) cigarette break.

Check out the Baldinger’s website here.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged baldingers, candy, childhood, freelance basis, freelance writer, freelance writing, pop rocks, tongue splashers, warheads, writing | Leave a comment

Time Machine, Anyone?

Posted on June 8, 2012 by Tara Darazio

I think a lot of us feel like we were born in the wrong era. I was watching Midnight in Paris the other day, a fantastic movie, especially for a writer, and that’s the premise of the whole plot. Owen Wilson’s character is a writer, a hopeless romantic, and when he’s transported back to Paris in the 20s, he realizes he’s finally found HIS time. Plus, the music is amazing. Put this video on in the background and check it out. It’s Friday, you know you aren’t doing any work anyway.

We can’t explain why we are drawn to certain periods in time, but it got me thinking of when I would have liked to live. There are two decades that I identify with, and they couldn’t be more different.

One is, like Owen, the 20s. Especially Atlantic City (my home away from home) in the 20s. I can see myself strolling down the boardwalk with a parasol, or attending a protest on prohibition. My husband and I are huge fans of the show Boardwalk Empire, and for that hour, I have my Midnight in Paris, whisked away to a different life. Men dressed how they should, in suits, and they sipped on scotch, smoked cigars, and played poker. They did everything the quintessential MAN does.

The other decade, and don’t laugh at me, is the 70s. I think I would have been a disco queen, or tried to be anyway. I love dancing, I would wear bell bottoms every day if they came back into style, and watching Saturday Night Fever never gets old.

And the best thing about these two decades? NO SOCIAL MEDIA OR INTERNET. I know that sounds hypocritical, since without those things, I wouldn’t have a job, but I forget what life was like before all of that, and sometimes I just want to go back.

Sure, when measuring my son’s medicine last night, it took five seconds to ask Siri how many MLs were in a teaspoon, and when I can’t remember what movie someone was in, Wikipedia gives me the answer in minutes, but life shouldn’t always be that easy.

I remember being a kid and pulling the dusty Encyclopedia Britannica’s off the book shelf to do a report. Didn’t that help build character? I’m glad I didn’t grow up with the easy way out. Kids these days will never understand. Typing that sentence just reiterated to me how OLD I am (re: last post on turning 29).

So from now on, my plan is to incorporate a little more of the 20s and the 70s into my 2012. From music, to fashion, to the way of life… now if someone could just tell me where I can find a parasol, I’ll be set.

I encourage you to do the same for your favorite era. When was YOUR time?

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 70s, atlantic city, boardwalk empire, disco, freelance writer, freelance writing, midnight in paris, owen wilson, twenties, writing | Leave a comment

29!

Posted on June 7, 2012 by Tara Darazio

I’m turning 29 this weekend, and I feel like I need to come to terms with that. This is seriously the LAST year of my 20s?! Where has the time gone? And before we go any further, every time you read or say 29 from now on, please say it like Schmidt does in the video below, from one of my FAVORITE shows: New Girl.

You can rest assure I’ll be saying 29 like that all year, just because I’m goofy, and I think it’s kind of awesome.

My 20s were the most defining time of my life thus far, so much has happened in the past decade. Pretty much every major milestone you can experience happened to me in my 20s. I graduated from college (I miss those days), I lost my grandparents (really the first time I’ve lost people so close to me), I decided at some point I was too old for the club scene (that was a hard one), I married my soul mate (coming up on 6 years in October), I moved three times (and probably will move many more), I gave birth to my son (after a complicated and scary pregnancy, which I’ll talk about someday in another post), and I realized my dream of writing for a living, just to name a few.

I’m pretty excited to see what this last year has in store for me, and I’m going to enjoy every single minute of it. Every age, every year, brings moments that we will never forget. Embrace your age, make it count, and even though my mom makes fun of me every year (you still go out and celebrate your birthday?!), I can’t wait until Saturday when I can go out with my family and friends, act a little silly, and live (at least for this last year of my 20s) young, and wild, and free.

And thank you to my girl, Stephanie, for these amazing and delicious cupcakes! You are never too old for sprinkles!

What was the year or decade you remember most? Or do you think THE year or time of your life has yet to come?

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged birthdays, celebrating, freelance writer, freelance writing, milestones, new girl, twenties | 6 Comments

Friends

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Tara Darazio

I took a “sick day” yesterday and didn’t do any blogging. I defintely missed it. And for a freelancer, a sick day also equals a NO money day.

But I’m back, and hoping my day goes better because I’m meeting a bunch of friends tonight for dinner and if I miss another day of work, I’ll be hoping someone else picks up the tab.

When we’re younger, we take for granted how often we get to spend time with our friends. In elementary and high school, we spend every day with them, and in college, most of us even lived with our best friends, growing up together and figuring out life together.

As we get older, those precious times with our friends become few and far between, as life just gets in the way. We get married, have kids, move away, change jobs, and it’s easy to forget how much we really need them in our lives.

This particular group of friends and I have been trying to get together for months, and we finally found a date and time that worked for everybody, which is pretty amazing.

And they are the type of friends, that no matter how much time has passed, it’s like we just saw each other yesterday. Friends like that are the most special, the most rare, and it’s times like these that take us out of our mundane, boring schedules for a moment and make us feel just a little more alive.

We will laugh like we haven’t laughed for a long time, and we’ll remember for those couple of hours we are together, that we have some great people in our lives. People who support us, and love us, even though they don’t have to. And we’ll wonder why we don’t do this more often, promising each other we will, knowing full-well we probably won’t.

It’s easy to get out of touch with people, but in today’s world, it’s just as easy to get right back in touch. If you’re missing an old friend today, drop them an email, or send them a text, or find them on Facebook, or tweet them, or use any other form of media you can think of, we sure have enough of them. Just say hi, and I miss you.

One of my favorite quotes says:

“People come into your life for a
reason, a season, or a lifetime.”

I have a lot of lifetime friends, and every one of them is a part of who I am today. I love you all, see you tonight, you know who you are.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged freelance writer, friends, lifestyle, old friends, writing | Leave a comment

The Bird Outside My Window (literally)

Posted on June 3, 2012 by Tara Darazio

My “desk” is also my dining room table, and to my right is a large window overlooking my backyard.

Not as exciting as looking out over a city, but lately it’s been just as eventful. A momma bird has built a nest on the corner of the sill, and everyday she’s been there, bringing straw and grass, adding to her masterpiece.

She was timid at first, flying away every time I would get close, but now I think she’s so used to my mug staring at her from inside the glass, she actually greets me by nodding her head, as if to say good morning. She even let me take this picture.

She has laid three blue eggs, and I’m waiting anxiously for the morning when I can snap a picture of the baby birds. It’s so cliché, but when you watch a movie about a writer he’s often setting up his typewriter or computer by a window, looking for inspiration, or perhaps, distraction.

One of my favorite examples is Chevy Chase’s character in Funny Farm. At first, the bird outside HIS window was a welcoming factor to his new life in the country. In the scene below, the bird becomes an annoyance and he tosses his coffee at her.

My momma bird is no annoyance, and she doesn’t realize how much she inspires me every day. I watch her dedication as she sits on her eggs in a downpour, or scares away the neighborhood cats.

She makes me look over at my little man and reminds me to take a break, and focus on the most important thing in my day, being a mom.

So while he sleeps away and I write this post, I encourage you to find the inspiration you need in something unexpected. I might not have a team of creative brains around me all day, but I do have the bird outside my window.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged birds, freelance basis, freelance writer, instagram, writing | Leave a comment

What’s Your Guilty Pleasure?

Posted on June 1, 2012 by Tara Darazio

It’s Friday! I got the idea for this post while cleaning off my DVR this morning. Tucked away in a folder were the two Days of Our Lives episodes I missed this week. I realized my mom was babysitting at my house yesterday, probably saw that, and secretly made fun of me for being a “soap queen.”

I guess it’s my guilty pleasure.

When I was first home with my son, and wasn’t back to work yet, I’d catch an episode here and there during that boring 3:00 time slot that nothing else worth watching was on television.

And then when I started freelancing and was home every day, I found myself putting it on in the background, slowly getting sucked into the drama of Salem life.

Now, I’m a full-fledged fan and never miss a show. That hour-long escape into the crazy world of the Bradys and the DiMeras is my “me” time. And as much as my husband pretends he’s not interested, every now and then he’ll ever so casually ask me what happened with a certain story line. I know he’s hooked.

Having a guilty pleasure is just plain fun. Embrace it, and most likely, you’re in the company of many of your friends and family, you just don’t know it.

So paying homage to my guilty pleasure, “like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives…”

Have a great weekend everyone! What’s your guilty pleasure?

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged days of our lives, freelance writer, guilty pleasure, writing | 4 Comments

Hi-ho, Hi-ho it’s off to work I go (for the day anyway)

Posted on May 31, 2012 by Tara Darazio

A few times a month, I head up to work in the office of my former employer. I work for them on a freelance basis now, but I go up from time to time to connect with everyone, attend some meetings, etc.

I must say that these days have become so “un” normal for me, yet they make me feel very good. It’s always great to get back into a familiar routine. When you’re a freelancer, your days are very different. Sometimes you’re so busy you don’t have time to brush your teeth, while other days you’re organizing every closet in your house because you’re so bored (I literally did this last week).

When I “go to work” it’s a different kind of day. I enjoy getting up and getting ready. I cherish the half of an hour drive BY MYSELF in the car (something a mom rarely gets). I take a moment to look at the trees and watch the wind blow, I laugh a little harder at morning radio, and I get excited thinking about the adult conversation that will take place in the office.

Plus, this is my view, so who could complain.

One of the little things I noticed this morning, something I forgot about, was how much I enjoyed reading the corny jokes that were posted every week outside of a building I used to pass. I hope today’s joke makes you smile.

“Haunted French Pancakes Give Me The Crepes.”

Classic. Corny. Kinda perfect.

If you’re a person who works at home and doesn’t get out much, change that today. Grab coffee with a friend or go visit an old workplace. Hey, you’ve already got a great joke to get the conversation going!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged corny jokes, freelance basis, morning radio | 2 Comments

When you know, you know

Posted on May 30, 2012 by Tara Darazio

When we’re kids, and we really believe we can be anything, our true character comes out.

I was a very shy, nervous kid. A pretty typical beginning for a writer, since we tend to be loners anyway. I used to hide in my locker in preschool, and in kindergarten when I would finish my spelling test, I would put my head down and pretend I wasn’t finished, embarrassed that I was done first.

I was always an old soul, I guess I still am. I was the kid sitting at the adult table drinking coffee while the other kids were outside playing. I never felt much like a kid. I was a worrywart, I was a perfectionist. I was too aware of everything, too wise for my own good.

So when I come across something from my childhood that actually makes me feel like I once was a dreamer, I’m very happy. My mom recently found a binder that my grandmother had kept full of drawings and stories written by the grandchildren.

Although I had some drawings in there, most of my pieces in the binder were stories. And at the end of most of these, I had signed my name and written underneath “world’s best writer,” or “famous writer.” It was my dream.

The best one I found was a letter I had written to my grandmother. She herself was a writer, and I had told her how much I wanted to be like her and how I promised I would dedicate my first book to her (that’s still a goal of mine). I wrote in the letter that if I didn’t write, I didn’t know what else I would do. I was 10 years old.

When you know, you know.

To be sitting here now almost 20 years later, writing for a living, makes me feel like I have fulfilled that little girl’s dream. And even though my grandma is not here physically, she is still inspiring me and reminding me of what I’m supposed to be doing. My mom finding that binder at this point in my life was no accident. Serendipity is my favorite word on Earth, and its definition is “a fortunate accident.”

That discovery was a fortune accident, and it gave me the boost and confidence that we all need sometimes, the confirmation that I’m doing the right thing.

I hope you all have a serendipitous day!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged writing | Leave a comment