Tag Archives: Writer

Moonstone Beach

05 Friday Aug 2016

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Moonstone Beach…

AMM 08.04.2016Arcata CA July 2016 108

Do you believe a mood can be altered by a simple scenery change?

Moonstone Beach, in Humboldt County, is one of those places. You may wake up in a bad mood, but once your feet touch the cool, soft sand, squishing in between your toes, you are instantly transformed from blah to majestic. As if, something this beautiful can be real, but it is and trust me pictures don’t do it justice.

The same goes for us that live in the concrete city. We may wake up in a beautiful mood, and once we hit the road of constant and steady traffic, we are instantly put in a bad mood. Not to add to it, but the grey skies above don’t help either.

The sad part about human behavior is that we don’t appreciate all the beauty around us, we don’t live in the present, but instead we are either looking to the past or jumping to the future, never in the present. And then one day we look back and our lives are over and we think, dang I wish I had enjoyed that day more.

I tell my kids this each and every day, stay in the present and enjoy this very moment. There can’t be anything more precious or beautiful than right now.

We can hold our past in our memories and plan for our future, but living in the present is the most important time of our lives. Enjoy visiting the beautiful beaches of California and all the beachs in our world, for that matter.

Peace, love, and joy! The only motto to remember and to live by!

Written By: Ask Ms Mandi
Photograph By: Ask Ms Mandi
Copyright August 2016

The Lost Diary of Jane Doe

03 Wednesday Aug 2016

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The Lost Diary of Jane Doe…

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As she sat in front of the full-length mirror, intently staring into it, but not really seeing anything, she glanced down at the telegram that now lay crumpled up on her lap.

She felt numb, as no tears came. She knew she should cry or scream or laugh, just something, but she couldn’t. All sense of any emotion had escaped her.

It was funny to her, but all she was concerned with, at that very moment, was that she didn’t mess up her mascara or her prettily made-up face. She had spent hours on her make-up, spending thousands of dollars on her beautifully crafted, red-velvet dress, and even more on the stupid party.

The party that was going on downstairs and which she should have been attending with the man of her dreams on her arm, but instead she was lost in her own thoughts and paralyzed to her chair, without any destination of leaving her white-oak vanity desk.

Written By: Ask Ms Mandi
Photograph By: Ask Ms Mandi
Copyright: August 2016

The Lost Diary of Jane Doe

31 Sunday Jul 2016

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The Lost Diary of Jane Doe

Ms Mandi Photo 1

She quickly pushed her self-doubt out of her mind. She knew she still loved him, time had no relevance with a love like they shared.

It hadn’t been love at first sight, but had grown out of the need to be protected and sheltered from the harsh elements of the world. He had been her hero from the beginning of their relationship. This was something he craved, something he needed, the need to be needed. And she had needed it too.

However, it was much simpler for her. She just loved him the way he was, with all his flaws and all. She didn’t care about his past, she didn’t care how much money he made, all she wanted from him was his heart, his honor, and his commitment to her and only her.

When they had said their goodbyes, she believed him when he told her he would come back to her. He had promised not to forget her. He had promised not to leave her behind, without him.

She had believed him. However, as each year past, without a letter or any communication, she had developed a horrible case of self-doubt. She was afraid he wasn’t coming back.

But she had been wrong. The dark cloud that had been following close behind her, had parted. The telegram had explained it all. He was coming home. He wasn’t lost or dead, he was alive and coming home to her.

Setting down her brush, she smiled into the mirror for the first time in five years.

Written By: Ask Ms Mandi
Photography Bye: Ask Ms Mandi
Copyright July 2016

Excerpt from Manuscript – SNOW

29 Friday Jul 2016

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EXCERPT FROM MANUSCRIPT – SNOW

REDWOODS 07.29.2016

Reluctantly, she continued brushing her long blonde hair. She knew what was in store for her this evening. She had been anticipating this moment for some time. At first, she had been excited and vigorously her excitement had turned to a worrisome anxiety.

She smiled into the mirror, realizing she looked as perfect as a human-being could look. She had always been called beautiful, but she hadn’t seen it, not until this very moment.

Her eyes sparkled. Her skin was flawless. Her hair shinned under the dim lighting. The only thing missing was her smile. She tried smiling at herself, but what came back to her through her reflection was nothing more than a solace, grim, stare.

She thought to herself, “What if he doesn’t feel the same way? What if she had changed. She knew he had changed, but what if no longer loved her?”

She knew she would surely die of a broken heart, but seriously, who really did that.

“January, you are a silly girl, very silly indeed!”

It always amazed her how quickly her self-doubt appeared, even as she stood in front of the full-length mirror admiring her beautiful red-satin Armani dress.

Written By: Ask Ms Mandi
Photograph: Ask Ms Mandi
Copyright July 2016

AZALEA STATE RESERVE – HUMBOLDT COUNTY

13 Wednesday Jul 2016

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Azalea State Reserve – Humboldt County

07.13.2016

The time has come for our yearly trip up the coasts of California. Once again we are heading to the beautiful county of Humboldt, where this majestic forest of Redwoods live, called Azalea State Reserve at the Redwood National Forest.

Most of the time the camera lens captures the beauty of the image, but nothing can compare to the eye when walking through the grandeur of the Redwood forest.

It’s a place that must be on your bucket list, at least once. Or if you are like me, you can’t get enough of the tranquility and continue to visit each year, craving the nature and beaches more and more with each visit.

Come see Northern California for its beauty and stay for your peace of mind.

Written By: Ask Ms Mandi
Photograph By: Ask Ms Mandi
Copyright July 13, 2016

Excerpt from Manuscript Snow

09 Saturday Jul 2016

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SNOW

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Dear Diary:

Casually watching my foot steps leaving the softest of impressions in the sand, making me ponder over my life and the choices I had made. I had been called co-dependent before, but hadn’t fully understood the meaning behind it. Surely, I wasn’t the one with the problem. I wasn’t the addict.

I was normal, I had followed all the rules. I was a good girl, growing up in a well-to-do family in the suburbs, eating most my vegetables, attending church on Sundays, not talking back to my elders, graduating from high school and eventually graduating from college with honors and two Masters’ Degrees to show for all my hard work. I was the one following all the rules. I am not the one with the problem.

But, today my therapist told me a different ending. I was just like the addict, I was addicted to covering up for the addict. I was trying to save him. I loved him and to be honest with myself, I loved him more than I loved me. Just like an addict loves their drug of choice more than themselves, more than their wife, more than their mother, and more than their children. They would die for their addiction, just like I would have died for you.

But I’m not the addict, you are.

January set down her pen, reaching for the box of tissues, as the tears streamed down her face. Today had been one of the hardest days of her life and probably ever to come again. She had to say good-bye to Jack, he would kill her if she let him. He was drowning and pulling her down into the current with him.

But she was a survivor, she was stronger than he. She had the will to fight and gain back the control she had relinquished on the day she had accepted his drug addiction, thinking she could save him and not knowing she couldn’t, but no more. She wanted to live and she knew now that she must face these demons on her own and without Jack.

Written By: Ask Ms Mandi
Photograph By: Ask Ms Mandi
Copyright July 9, 2016

Excerpt from Manuscript – Snow

29 Wednesday Jun 2016

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Excerpt from SNOW

photo (9)

He was waiting for her, as she pulled up. She pretended not to notice him sitting on the grass in front of her apartment, but she felt his gaze burning a hole through her soul.

She thought if she looked down, playing with the callous on the palm of her hand, he would get bored and look away, but when she raised her head, peeking up and over her lashes, she caught his intent stare.

His eyes were black…black as the night.

She knew he was mad, but she didn’t care, well maybe a little, but not really. What the hell did he have to be mad with her anyway. She was the one who should be mad.

After all, he was the one who had broken up with her. Maybe she had broken up with him, but he had deserved it. He was going down a path she didn’t approve, nor did she wish to partake.

“Did you think I would just go away?”

“Jack, I’m too tired to deal with this right now, besides your high.”

“Damn it January. You always say that, but I’m not. I quit using, just like you asked me to.”

“That’s bullshit, Jack and you know it! And the least you can do is to tell the truth, for once in your life.”

“Maybe, I just did a little.”

“Exactly! Like I said, goodnight Jack.” She ran up the stairs, quickly looking down at him. She didn’t want him to see her tears, but it was too late.

Written By: Ask Ms Mandi
Photograph By: Ask Ms Mandi
Copyright June 29, 2016

Excerpt from The Lost Diary of Jane Doe

13 Monday Jun 2016

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THE LOST DIARY OF JANE DOE:

Humboldt County 03_edited-1

Youth is symmetrical to innocence.
Therefore, hate is a simile of violence.

Written By: Ask Ms Mandi
Photograph By: Ask Ms Mandi
Copyright September 12, 1995

Sushi Dining

11 Saturday Jun 2016

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SUSHI DINING:

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Southern California has some of the finest restaurants in the West, but if you are hungry for one of the best sushi spots in town, you must try RA. RA Restaurant is located at Dos Logos, in Corona, California.

The establishment is clean, the food is fresh, and the service is friendly. I have been to sushi restaurants before where the food was questionable, the service-ware was cheap and the service was left to be desired. But RA is different.

My favorite sushi roll is the Pacific Roll. It is one of their specialty rolls with fresh crab meat, cucumber, and a mango salsa on top. It is fresh with a hint of south of the border flare.

Some of the items are a little more expensive than some of the other local restaurants, but Happy Hour is served until seven pm almost every night, saving you money.

Next time you are visiting Southern California, make sure to stop in at RA at Dos Logos…you won’t regret it!

I have attached the directions and a link to their Corona location. Enjoy!

RA 06.11.2016-3RA 06.112016-2

Written By:  Ask Ms Mandi

Photograph By:  Ask Ms Mandi

Copyright June 11, 2016

THE LOST DIARY OF JANE DOE

08 Wednesday Jun 2016

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THE LOST DIARY OF JANE DOE:

Mt Whitney Labor Day 2014

Sometimes I sit on the beach watching the world go by,
wondering why I feel the emptiness I do.

Shouldn’t someone only feel sad if they had just cause to do so,
or does our mind play tricks on us.

Is there actually something out there that justifies such feelings,
sometimes I wonder.

Perhaps our conscious mind does not allow us to see all that we can see,
but our hearts can’t help but feel.

However, if there is no cause,
how sad would that leave us.

Written By: Ask Ms Mandi
Photograph By: Ask Ms Mandi

Copyright: February 10, 1994