Do guys do this?

Do they get that feeling? ANY feeling for that matter when they meet someone "interesting" whether it's for 10 seconds, 10 minutes or 10 hours? Do they long for a person once they're gone? Does your curiosity keep you up at night? Do you go back and forth in your head what you should have said, could have done, or would do if you got the chance to meet again?

My trip to LA last week - which was very hard to return from - was for a quick freelance gig to manage a photoshoot. I've met most of the team before on prior projects but when this blonde dude with piercing blue eyes walked in I immediately clammed up. So pathetic.  He introduced himself and I immediately recognized his very strong accent. The shoot began and we barely got to chat 1) Because our stations weren't really that close all day 2) I was too shy to make jokes with him but talked to everyone else (FML!). We made eyes throughout the day but nothing else. Towards the end of the day when we began cleaning up I asked him "So where are you from? What is your accent?" He replied "I'm from Hungary."
Oh god. So I did that crazy girl thing in my head where I picture him coming to NJ meeting my family and they're all happy and talking about "back home". Crazy right, but we do it. Uncontrollably do it..even the "coolest" of girls haha Damnit! So I said "I knew it!" then continued to speak in Hungarian. No lie, he turned around slowly with his eyes & mouth wide open. Then I clammed up again, made some stupid joke in English and walked away. WHAT THE HELL TINA!?

When he was finally leaving for the day we shook hands, chatted for about 2 seconds and that was it. I was basically saying bye to him before the conversation was over because I was so nervous. I was pretty much pushing him out the door while my face felt like it was blushing to a crimson color and I could barely form a sentence. What is that all about?! Jerk. The second the door closed I mentally slapped myself and thought I should run after him and give him my card and say "if you ever come to NY look me up!" and obviously in the back of my head I'd be thinking: even if you don't come to NY, call me.
None of that last part happened and now I can't stop thinking about a guy I barely know.  And it's completely not like me to sit back and let this pass me by, but I've been putting off contacting our mutual coworkers and getting his information. I don't even know his last name. Am I crazy?  I'm more of an "at least you tried" kind of person so I should get on this, shouldn't I? I think if I don't I'll regret it forever (or at least until I stop thinking about it...who knows when that will be!?)

So I keep wondering if guys ever go through this? Are they ever slapping themselves over the coulda, woulda, shoulda stuff when it comes to girls? Yesterday, my horoscope (unknown source, as I was reading it on a tv screen at a coffee shop around 6pm last night) read that someone from my past will come back into my life and has changed for the better. While those of you who know my past can pinpoint where my mind went to, I secretly I hoped my "past" was only a week's time.  I don't think guys go through any chain to track down a girl but my natural optimism always says "you never know". I'll probably be sending an email to get his info today. I'll let you know how it goes.

MARK YOUR CALENDERS! I'll be celebrating my 29th Birthday MEAT MY FRIENDS style in Staten Island!
Thanks to my friend Jose for the awesome flyer. If you don't know him, he is also the mastermind behind Molto Burlesque. Check it out!! I'm excited to be bringing two newbies Francine & Foxy Vermouth to the island, as well as bringing back faves Evelyn Vinyl & Dottie Dynamo. AND some friends of mine from Airplane Noise are gonna open up with some songs...got any cover requests? Let them know! I thought about some classic song to join them on. We'll see what happens!

This is my first official week with only 1 job...I'm LOVING today. I think Tuesdays are going to be my days off so Tuesday with Tassels should get more interesting as I'll have more time to devote to things floating around my head.  As I mentioned up there, this trip to LA was very hard to come from. I had such a great time on set and then bike riding through the Larchmont section of town. My celeb siting this round was Eric McCormack!  I'm looking forward to making moves. I've been applying to jobs and organizing bigger, better events.

Thanks so much for stopping by and hopefully enjoying your time here. If you're interested in guest posting, I'm still accepting. I had a lot of people express interest, but I'm still waiting for them! Send submission to TinaTassels@gmail.com - look forward to hearing from you!

Ciao for now,

TT


PS: The other day at work, I joked with our security guard that he has to apprehend this really attractive guy because he's stolen my heart. OH SNAP! After my cheesy line, I was laughing as I began working on a client's makeup and told her about my awesome line. I wondered if people really say things like that because I think they're charming. She went on to tell me about her would-be husband and how they met. He walked by her and after they passed he yelled back to her "excuse me miss, you dropped something!" and she said "oh thanks, what was it?" he replied: My heart. SO corny, but it SO worked. She showed me the ring. Crazy right?

You Can't Freakin Win Sometimes

I'm so over people that get territorial and even rude when it comes to accepting others as part of a certain "scene" or group or whatever. Does that even make sense? haha What I mean is along the lines of telling someone they're shirt isn't pink enough to be in the pink shirt club. Get it?

This thought came up a few weeks ago when I attended a plus sized event for Fashion's Night Out: Plus Night Out. At first I was going to go by myself as I would know a few people there. And as unsettling as going places by yourself can be, I told myself a year ago that I would start being more confident in attending events or shows etc..that I wanted to even if it meant walking in alone (and looking awesome as hell doing it). Before I knew it though, my girl Brassy was interested in going too!!

Anyway, I was explaining to her that big girl events make me extra intimidated to attend alone because I always get the "girl, you ain't plus size" crap. The "you're not quite big enough for this posse" comment. So not only are big girls pinning themselves against little girls, they're also pinning themselves against smaller big girls. What the fuck? I know this always stems from some sort of self consciousness and happens in all sorts of circles but I'm just so turned off by it. I find it unappealing and it's essentially moving things in a backward direction rather than forward. 

I thought about this again on Saturday while I was in Long Island at yet another AMAZING festival that I emcee. This one happened to be extra good too for some reason. Everyone seemed in such a better mood than usual and really in it for the long haul. There were a lot of vendors, food, classic custom cars, people dressed up, 10 bands and even legendary band The Rockats stopped by for their 1st set in NY since 1984 (I think ha!). SO GREAT!

Out there I always host the pinup contest and this time I assisted in the first Greaser Guy one too. Usually I try to go around and chat with the party people and ask for question ideas to ask contestants. While I approached a group that looked like no joke (I'll admit I was nervous haha) one of the women, maintaining her furrowed brow and non-smiling face said to ask questions along the lines of "are they a real greaser or just a weekender?" then puffed her cigarette. I smiled and said something sort of implying that she was a bit too serious for my taste and walked away.

I could care less if someone is a weekender or a day-to-day anything. If you enjoy something fuckin enjoy it and don't let other people grill you over it. Frankly, I wish I curled my hair every day but I don't, I'm a weekender pinup and it even depends on the weekend. Call me lazy, a fake, whatever it is that helps you sleep at night, but while you're at it you can also kiss my ass.  I don't bother you about not being enough XYandZ so what the hell do you care what anybody else is. I won't get defensive I'll get real if you want to get into it.  People are so corny...get over yourselves.

I leave for LA tomorrow!! It's turning out to be an all work, no play trip but whatever. I'll take a few hours in the air and some time to myself for a few days. I'm not complaining. I'll also take a trip to the Bettie Page store on Hollywood Blvd. no biggie haha I REALLY wanted to check out my girl's new Pinup Girl Clothing store in Burbank but alas I will not have time...booooo! If only LA was a little more like NY in walking city type of way...*sigh

COMING UP: MEAT MY FRIENDS: My birthday show at Full Cup in Staten Island!!
Woohooo - some live music might be added to the roster, you'll have keep in the loop to find out!!
I hope you're all doing well. I for one have been enjoying this transition to Fall weather! I love summer but wish I could wear my fall clothes. Does that make sense? Stockings, jean jackets, and cuffed jeans here I come!

Ciao for now,

TT

Broad on a Budget

HELP!! I'm going to die of starvation!! Thanks to living in NYC after losing the job I moved for, I racked up some debt. I'm thankful it isn't anything over the top but we all know (and it's logic) that it's hard to pay off bills if you're barely makin dough! 

Forgive my dramatic entrance, I won't die of starvation but I'm kind of freaking out. This will be my last week with my additional Babysitting income. I'm actually scared that after ensuring my rent & bills are paid (the minimum amount due) I will have small funds with which to buy food. I won't be starving but I'll be living like your average college student: on ramen. And listen, I love Ramen as much as the next drunk girl at 3am but the reality is that my body & skin despise it. But at 10cents a pop -in some strores- it seems like the cheapest way to stuff your face.

I eat well. I mean that in two ways: I'll have a salad for dinner AND that salad will be a huge one. A head of romaine lettuce, a cucumber, an avocado, a tomato, half an onion, maybe some shredded carrots, a little bit of cheese, etc...I love salad, but not a sissy salad hahah I buy fresh veggies almost daily. This adds up. I'm going to have to really monitor my portions.

It's good I don't shop much in general unless I'm feeling stressed or find something I really love and it's on sale. I have more than enough clothes and junk to keep me covered and busy for awhile.Over the years I've become really aware of how fortunate I am and decided to be more "adult" about my purchases, meaning I prefer to step back and decide if something would be useful to me. I don't believe in weighing "I need" vs "I want" because the reality is that we don't NEED more than we already have. We are WAY above and beyond compared to a lot of the populations from around the world. Stop whining and start appreciating.

I was wondering if anybody has any good tips to share that help them save money or spend less or get the most bang for their buck? Do you put away your loose change? Do you plan meals/grocery shopping? Do your prioritize payments as to which bill you wanna pay off faster? Do you stock on household goods when they're on sale (toilet paper, paper towels, etc)?
At the beginning of every month I make list of all my bills and dates they are due and what the current balance is on each account. Seeing the numbers is much less frustrating than avoiding them and being in the dark about it.

Hope to hear from you!!

Ciao for now,

TT

I had one of those moments...

I had one of those moments when 30 seconds feel like 20 minutes and you sink so far back into yourself you essentially feel like you're on the outside looking in.
I saw myself standing in BB King's in the middle of Times Square watching a Buddy Holly tribute band (The Rave-Ons). People were clapping and even some dancing around their tables. The maturest of audience members were mentally revisiting their teen years as "True Love Ways" closed out the night. I coulda cried if I really wanted to, but I sucked it back up and celebrated the moment. I thought about years from now when I'd be able to look back at my 20s and realize how amazing and fortunate my time here in NYC has been so far. I'm pretty sure I told someone about having "big dreams" last night and that it's possible to make em come true.






For those of you that don't follow me on one of my many social networking platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr) you might not know that I am a 2day-a-week babysitter for almost 3 years now. I've done it to supplement my my other job(s). Recently though, I decided it was time to quit. I'm kind of freaking out because that extra money (although I was underpaid) makes such a huge difference. Anytime I sort of thrust myself into these "hard" times, it is during them I end up challenging myself and becoming much braver. I'm looking into jobs that I would otherwise be scared to even apply for (which is nuts!), I will be going to LA in a few weeks for a quick production job, I will have more time to focus on making new acts and hopefully bigger and better productions on the way!

As for now, September 15th I'm heading back to Long Island to emcee. I LOVE going out there for these quarterly car show/music/swing dancing/pinup contest festivals. The people are always so kind to me and I really enjoy the night!  Friday, October 5th I'll be celebrating my 29th (EEEK!) Birthday at Full Cup in Staten Island!

I was originally welcoming guest posts for Summer, but since I've got a great response so far I'm keeping it open!  If you'd like to submit something, please send to TinaTassels@gmail.com. This is an attempt to give readers a voice! You are welcome to be anonymous. It's a fun way to get some feedback on lingering questions you've had, bitch about something/someone, or just share a creative piece.

Thanks again for stopping by! Have a great week :)

Ciao for now,

TT