You are what you tweet.

It's 2011 and we literally have the world at our finger tips. I can go on and on about how limitless our access to information is, but I'd only be telling you something you already know and I don't want to waste your time. You get it. Let's move on. 

You know that little thing called the internet? I thank God for it everyday. No really, I thank God for the internet every single day. If you think that's silly try going a day without it. Bet you can't. Now from this little ole internet thing has come another thing - social media....and google. Put those two together and we're all in for a good time!  Or are we? Let's hope so.

See where I'm going with this? I knew you would! 

Do me a favor, google your name and browse the results. You will likely come across some stuff that you had no control over. For instance when I do this I come across a whole lot of stuff - much of which isn't me because I have the most common Hispanic name in the world, but some of it is me...and I wasn't the one who posted it. I can find my sisters names, which high school I attended, my father's address, and apparently (grrr) a whole lot of other information about myself that I never released.  So now we get to the stuff I did have control over....Yeah, I said it, and then hit TWEET!  Yes, I'm using the term "tweet" loosely - facebook status, gowalla/4square check-in/blog/tumblr/yada yada yada. There is a lot online that we cannot control, however there is one thing we can control - ourselves...so please do! 

As much as I would love make a list of awful "tweets" that were either poorly written, incredibly inappropriate, or just plain dumb I'm not. You have eyes, you've seen it, and I will not let the foolishness live on on my page (this isn't blast.com). I WILL however, leave with you a few of my social media rules of thumb: 

1. If you wouldn't want your Dad, Grand, or CEO to see it don't post it. 

2. Remember this is evidence. A paper trail. Watch it! You will get busted.

3. Use spellcheck. "Dat" will never be "That," nor will "WUZ" ever be "WAS" - you will be judged. 

4. Don't let social media determine your relationships. Whether it's with a friend or a significant other. If it's real, it will be real even when the power is out and batteries are dead. 

5. If you are having a drink (or 5) do this one thing - STAY AWAY! Just step away from your computer and put your phone in a safe place. (This will save you in more ways than one)

6. Leave your rants at the keypad. Please don't fill my timeline with your negative energy. We all have rough days, and I'm willing to bet Monday's suck for us all. 

7. Don't air your dirty laundry. If you want your business to stay your business, don't shout it on the interweb rooftops! (or your baby-mamas, friends, cousins, coworkers, or boyfriend's mama's)

8. Photos - real friends don't let friends look janky, tipsy, glossy, or BUSTED. Let your friends tag themselves and be cut-throat when untagging yourself. 

9. Remember your resume, and how hard you've worked to build it. 

10.  Proceed with caution. Even if you have the tightest privacy setting remember digital is forever.....FOOOOOOOOOR.EVVVVVVVV.ERRRRRR.

I'll be the first to admit that I've made some unwise decisions online, but with age comes wisdom and frankly, I'm getting old. We're human and we slip up sometimes, but remember one small slip up can cause a whirlwind of trouble. (Just ask ol' weinershnitzel.)

 I take pride in calling myself a "Social Media Love Child" and being able to say that I was on facebook when it was only for certain colleges. I talk in #hashtags and truly get offended when they are used incorrectly. I've seen the good, the bad, and the uncalled for on myspace, twitter, facebook, and a few others. Whether we like it or not, social media is here to stay! Say what you want but never forget:

You are what you tweet.

~A Charlie Gal

Guilty By Association

Time out! What song are you listening to right now? What does it make you think of? 

I'm currently listening to Donnell Jones "What's Up?" and it reminds me of dance team sleep-overs in high school. (Save the Last Dance, duh.) 

Next up, John Legend "Green Light" - reminds me of my first apartment in Austin and adventures in the warehouse district with....we'll call her "Amber." You get the idea. We all have songs that automatically take us to a place in our past - be it a good memory or a bad one. These songs are the  soundtracks to our lives. (I admit mine has a WHOLE lot of Bee Gees) 

Well what happens when you automatically associate your favorite people with your favorite songs, and then all of a sudden they aren't your favorite people anymore? The song that you once loved soooo much is now jaded. You knew all the words, sang them in the shower, had a copy on your ipod, your phone, your car, your work desk, and of course your living room stereo. DUNZO. Are you ever able to listen to the song again? Yes my kiddies, you are. 

Now this is coming from someone who has teared up and wiped teary eyes because of song association. We've all been there, and it comes down to two choices:

 1. Delete the song from your library. Be mad, sad, or all around miserable the next time you hear it. 

 2. Get over it. Detach the memory from the song, and let the song live on as the masterpiece it is. 

I choose the latter. Call me cold if you want, but I love music and my soundtracks are living. "Cold hands warm heart" is what my Grand used to say, so there. TAKE THAT! Yes, songs still remind me of certain experiences, but when it comes to the emotions they provoke that's a different story. If it's not positive, it's not happening. I realize this isn't a light switch either. It took me a long time be so breezy about this subject, but here I am. 

Have I conquered song association? I feel pretty confident that I have. However, recently while sipping a cocktail with some friends over at the W something happened. I was slapped in the face with nostalgia. This wasn't just a fantastic cocktail. It was the cocktail I drank the night I went to a Christmas party at Malverde. I suddenly remembered every single detail of the evening - the party, my outfit, the karaoke and who I was with. #LameSauce. After realizing that song association had now become cocktail association I reviewed some of my favorite libations. Yep, a lot of them were linked. It was time for a pep talk. I had two choices. (Please refer to previous paragraph if you do not know what they are....shame on you). 

Pep talk given, "wolfpack" consulted, and it was time to put my money where my mouth was. One week later I sat with a friend at the same bar, ordered the same drink and stared before I sipped. I confess, I was nervous but knew what had to happen. I took a sip, and it was delicious, and just that. (insert sigh of relief) I came. I saw. I conquered cocktail association.

Now without sounding like a monster lush, this is what I determined:

Life happens. You can either link it and lose it, or keep it and drink it. 

....or something like that! 

~ A Charlie Gal

Chillin' wit my Dad and you already know...

Yes, he slightly resembles "Young Homer Simpson" here, but just look at how dreamy he is! I wonder if he had any idea back then just what was in store for him. This man sharpened knives and cleaned shotguns when boys came over. He supplied me and my friends with loads of tiolet paper during homecoming week to "decorate" houses, and then set up a video camera in our front room to patrol our yard after we accidently started a "TP War." He picked me up from dance team practice wearing wife-beaters in his old faithful pickup, and never missed one of my performances....not one. What grown man wants to sit through 6 hours of dance competitions?  HE DID! And I was only 16 back then. He moved me from San Antonio to San Marcos, and then from San Marcos to Austin. All the while encouraging my every decision (even the not-so-smart ones) and reminding me of how proud he was, is, and always will be.  I took the Hallmark route today, but thought why stop there? Call me biased, but I'm convinced I have the greatest Dad in the world...no really.

Happy Father's Day Pop! 

~A Charlie Gal

**Addition**

Immediately after I finished this post my stepmom told me a few weeks ago she a found class picture from when I was in the 4th grade. The note on the back read: 

"Dear Daddy,

I love you so much, but sometimes you make me mad.

Love always,

Mandy" 

Yep, I'm my father's daughter! 

Quickie

I made it back to the great state with about 4 unpublished posts. I'll get to them just as soon as I get over this writers block I encountered. Until then, here is quote I found this morning while surfing the interwebs:


"Whatever someone did to you in the past has no power over the present. Only you give it power." 


The source? Oprah.com "The Top 20 Things Oprah knows for sure"
If you know me I'm sure you're thinking "ummm WTH?!" Calm down! I didn't join the BIG O cult while in Chicago, but this article got me thinking. Check it out!

~A Charlie Gal

20 Questions

Almost a year ago I received one of the coolest emails. It was from the lovely editor over at Tribeza Magazine asking if I'd like to be featured in the August 2010 "Nightlife" issue. I was immediately caught off guard and was shocked to even be asked, and then I got excited.... really excited. Tribeza had just asked me to be part of their "Nightlife" issue! I agreed and so we began. They sent over some questions, I answered, and then we took some fun pictures at one of my favorite places in Austin, The Highball. One of the questions I was asked was, "What are your future plans?" The question that every single, 20-something loves - especially when asked by your parents, older siblings, or boss.  I took the safe route with my response - 1/2 professional, 1/2 personal. Now I really don't want to dive into the professional part right now (believe me, that will come later) however, my personal goal was to "Take on a creative writing project..."

Well Mama, I did it! Actually, we did it.  After much discussion, brainstorming, and some other stuff, my dear friends Rose, Annie, and I decided to start something fun: 

Twenty Questions For Austin

20QAtx is a monthly post featuring an Austin musician we adore. The concept is really pretty simple - we give the musician a few questions, they answer them, and then Annie takes bomb.com photos of them. What's the catch? We ask questions about the person - not necessarily the artist. Get it? We're still new to this and are definitely working out the kinks, but it's kind of like having your first kid...or so I hear. (???) Any who, see for yourself! 

This month we feature God-des of God-des and She. She's pretty much a badass. We've also featured Zeale, Adrian Quesada, and Kat Edmonson. 

.....

Did I mention I'm a shameless-self promoter? (hehe) Best believe I do this for my friends too, so shut it! I decided to google "Twenty Questions" to see where we fell and guess what, WE'RE ON PAGE 1! (near the bottom, but still). Some interesting things came up. One of them was:"Twenty questions that you can ask a boy"Naturally, I clicked on it. I'm a big fan of the "get-to-know-you" 20 questions, whether it's for a romantic connection, a friend, or even a cousin you haven't seen in a while....or all your life. (lol, it happens)  I mean, you should know the people you associate with right? Anyway, if those are 20 you can ask a boy, I wondered what 20 you can ask a girl. I googled that too. It was lame. 

However, below that was another 20, this one was for speed-daters - wayyy more interesting.  It's late, I'm wide awake, so why not? Besides I'm going for the longest post ever apparently. Here's a few I thought I'd share: 

1. If you could visit any foreign country, where would you visit and why? Greece and I'll tell you later

2. What qualities do you look for in a mate? Eeeh not here

3. What is your favorite holiday? New Year's Eve

4. Do you floss before or after you brush your teeth? After

5. If you could meet any person, living or dead, who would it be? Not sure yet

6. Do you consider yourself an optimist or a pessimist? Optimist, but wasn't always that way.

7. What is your arguing style? Simple, I win. (jk)

8. If all jobs paid the same salary, what would you do for a living? Not sure, but there would be a lot of what I already do involved.

9. If they made a movie about your life, which celebrity would play you? Probably Rosario Dawson - she's badass, and gorgeous. No I don't think we look alike. 

10. What social issue, if any, do you care most about? Eeeh not here either

11. If you were a kitchen utensil, what would you be and why? A fork, because they can multi-task

12. How long did your most recent relationship last? Eeeh not here either

13. Tell me about your first childhood pet. We had a tiny little turtle named Buford, and dogs named after liquors. Yes. I know...

14. What role, if any, does religion play in your life? BIG, but I'm not getting into it here either. 

15. Do you think that the man should always be the breadwinner in a relationship? No, we'll dive into that soon I'm sure. 

16. What is your favorite type of food? Depends on my mood, but I never turn down some BBQ. Texas blood for ya. 

17. If you had a million dollars, how would you spend it? Wisely....and foolishly, but mostly wisely.

18. What sort of music do you listen to? Good music.

19. What was the last book you read? Currently reading "Captivating," "Wicked," and "Decoded"

20. If you had three wishes, what would they be? Eeeh not yet. 

Well, I think I've succeeded with the longest post ever. Oh, and here's the final Tribeza article if you're interested. Don't worry, as soon I'm back to my non-vacationing life these will be short, sweet, and hopefully not non-existent. 

What are your 20?

~ A Charlie Gal

Charlie.

Here are a few of my favorite Charlie's :

Charlie's Angels

These gals were gorgeous, carried themselves with style and grace, and could kick your bunza without ruffling their feathers...and by feathers I mean legendary locks.

Charlie Chaplin

The man who said it all without saying a word - now that takes talent....especially for you guys. #justsayin
 Maybe it's just me, but silent films always seemed magical. 

Charlie Brown

He's determined, he's hopeful, and just so lovable! He has the worst luck and is kind of a sucker, but hey, we all have our moments. 

Charlie Sheen (pre-tigerblood)

Again, PRE-TIGERBLOOD!!! I appreciate his performance in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and seeing as how I am the daughter of a war/violent-movie loving man, I can appreciate him in Platoon as well. All that said,  2011 "Winning" Charlie Sheen is a fool...and I'm just going to leave it at that.

(Uncle) Charlie Wilson

1. He's a music man.

2. The Gap Band, "Outstanding"

3. "There goes my baby" and his bedazzled fedora (+ I love Snoop)

 2. The Gap Band, "You dropped a bomb on me" and their bedazzled camo

4. Hey girl, how you doin? My name is Charlie. Last name Wilson...

Say what you want, but this old man is a pimp. #truestory

  

Charlie Bucket

He's got a GOLDEN ticket!

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and it's incredibly awesome sound track basically sums up every summer break from the time I was 5 until I was about 17...

Ok fine, another confession, I have searched the interwebs many a night so that I can relive the magic...and still know the entire movie by heart.  If the words, "everlasting gobstopper" do nothing for you and "Slugworth" has never given you nightmares I leave you with this: "Pure Imagination"

Charlie Parker

Well what do you know, another music man!

This time it's a dreamy jazz man. 

Summmmmertime, and the living is eaaaasy.

And now, ACE.

                                                                                                          

A picture is worth a thousand words, and soon this blog (cringe) will have that many as well. #affirmation

Now, before I get to the point I planned on making about this particular "Charlie" let us take a moment to appreciate this photo. No, this was not taken with a Hipstamatic or Instagram app - this is the real deal. 

From left to right we have my Grand, then Hey Mama, whom I look like more and more since graduating college and my recent haircut, and then......

 BAAAM!!!!!

On the far right we have the man with many names - Ace, the original AG, Chuck, Pops, my dear ol' Daddy, and the last but not least what most people know him as, Charlie (boy).

Now, you know how they say God gives you what you need? Well, God gave my dad 3 gals and no boys...not even one. I don't know what that says about Pops, but I know that I often tell my guy friends, "You just wait, you're gonna have nothing but girls," because of certain areas of their behavior. But hey, what do I know. (*cough* Pimpin' ain't easy)

Back to Charlie. 

The other day I was wondering if it made my dad sad or disappointed that he didn't have a son to "carry on the family name." You know that whole man-pride thing. As of right now I'm the last standing "G" in la familia. Maybe I'll stay that way, or maybe one day I'll get caught up in the cake and eventually change my last name. Point blank, I'm not counting my eggs on either end of the spectrum, but it got me thinking. 

Thinking led to remembering. My father and I share the same initials (ACG), and for a while growing up, I secretly wished I had been named Charlie.  I thought it would be fun to have the same name as my dad, and got a kick out of the thought of being called Junior or C.J. Did I mention I was convinced that girls with boy names were simply bad ass. What's that they say about the grass always being greener?

Yep, that's me. Luckily, I got over that stint and have accepted the fact that I have one of the most common Hispanic names ever. Say I'm lying and I'll show you proof. 

Back to Charlie.

I could go on and on, but this post is way longer than most attention spans, mine included! In closing, I'll just say my dad may not have a son to carry on his last name, but he sure does have a daughter to carry on his first. 

We'll begin with a blog (cringe) and see what happens. 

~ A Charlie Gal

Build a bridge.

I once read that "introductions" are bridges that transport a reader from their personal life into the place of your "analysis," or in this case my blog (a term which I kinda hate, but that's a different post). After a reader picks a piece to read, the bridge should do one thing - make them leave their world full of text messages, twitter timelines, and trash TV and enter a new world, my world.

Well I suck at introductions, AND will likely never build a bridge (non-metaphorically speaking of course)- however, this is my pledge:

I pledge that as long as your eyes are focused on this Charlie Gal, I will do my best to make you at least try to get to the bottom of your screen without skipping words, but skipping worlds. Your world to my world....or something like that. Ya dig?

Now, for my first confession. I've had every intention on writing this blog (cringe) for quite some time, and have done nothing. Why? Because I'm a slacker!!!! There I said it. I do a lot, but at the same time I don't. I've come to the realization that I will bust my bunza for a lot of things, but not so much myself. YES, I skip eye appointments and dentist appointments, but I'm working on it, ok? It was also brought to my attention that I don't know how to relax. Now this does not mean I don't know how to have a good time - not to toot my own horn but, TOOT TOOT, I'm a fun gal! Anyway, back to RELAX - the word I literally had to look up. I don't know how to sit still. This has nothing to do with my ADHD self-diagnosis, but really, even in my down time I'm constantly on the go....not relaxing.

So lucky me and my seemingly infinite amount of unused PTO. I am currently in Chicago with my glowing Mama-to-be sister, best friend, and best person in the universe (or at least my universe) learning how to....wait for it....RELAX! (ahhhhhhh) Yes, a full 10 days with nothing do but do nothing! Go figure that on Day 2 I decided I needed something to do. Which brings me back to my slackerville-self and the blog I created and abandoned. What a good way to get a headstart huh? Write 3-5 posts while on vacay, and use this as my motivator for when I get back home, yes? YES! Well that's the plan at least.

Stay tuned, and I'll explain the "Charlie" thing later.