2016 RISE Festival Event

Review by Jodee Bowden, Travel & Social Media Coordinator

WebSite: http://risefestival.com/

I have to start out by saying that this experience was Euphoric.  The RiSE event happens every year around October in Jean, NV or The Mojave desert which is only a 40 minute drive from Las Vegas. Certain Hotels in Las Vegas such as the Paris have shuttles out to the event.  I live near Las Vegas so it was a smooth quick drive.

I suggest you get there early even though the event opens at 3pm, over 10,000 people will be there. We got there an hour early and the staff members were very helpful in directing organized parking and close to the entrance.  There is a 1000 meter walk in sand and rocks so wear comfortable shoes.

As we walked up to the RISE festival there were kind staff that greeted us and letting everyone know where the bathroom locations are and answering any questions you may have.  You receive a nice bamboo mat including a pen to write on your lanterns.  We got settled and grabbed something to eat but had a hard time deciding since they had quite a few food vendors. They offered Wine and Lagunitas beer.  I suggest you grab food before 7:30pm or you will miss the 1^st lantern take off.  There are 2 take offs. The weather was perfect with a slight cool breeze.

As the sun set and the calming music was playing, they told us to light our torches which are already provided for you. Thousands of torches were lit and the darkness just glowed.
 

As we lit our lanterns with messages on them, they had a countdown…. 3..2..1.. lift off. It was breath taking. To see over 20,000 lanterns lift up and people shouting with laughter was so touching. If anything to experience in your life, this will lift you up. After the lanterns are all released, they rewarded us all with a brief firework show. I am still on cloud 9 after 3 days.

I also purchased 2 RISE shirts which were a descent price for high quality fabric.

The online purchase went smoothly and picking up the tickets took a while but the staff was doing the best job and was organized.

I would recommend this wonderful experience to everyone!!!!!

There is no wrong way to experience RISE.   I hope to go again and again.

The Good Life

Most of my close friends know that music
moves me. When I'm smoking a cigar on
the beach while working on my laptop the
music gets me in the mood. Without
music to speed me along I would fall
asleep and no work would be done.

This post will focus on one of my all time
favorites "Frank Sinatra".

The song titled "The Good Life" reminds
me that my life is like a vintage wine.
With extra years you taste better.
Below are the song lyrics. Enjoy!



It's the good life, full of fun, seems to be the ideal,
Yes, the good life, lets you hide all the sadness you feel,
You won't really fall in love 'cause you can't take the
chance, So be honest with yourself, don't try to fake romance.

Yes, the good life, to be free and explore the unknown,
Like the heartache when you learn you must face them alone.

Peace be the Journey!

From a Woman’s Perspective

There is no roadmap for men to follow to get inside

of a woman’s head, because half of the time,

women don’t know either. Let’s take a trip into the

woman psyche. For women who have been in a

long-term relationship, they begin to find themselves

as one with their partner. Naturally, because of the

day-in-day-out influence of their significant other,

both partners begin to pick up minute habits,

and even character traits (which may pend on the

more dominate partner). Even an action as simple

as brushing ones teeth in the shower can be a habit

to pick up. Either way, both partners will always

alter a portion of their behavior due to the influence

of the other partner.

Thus, the woman will unconsciously or consciously

begin to mold herself into a different version of herself. She is, in a sense, two different people;

herself, and the person she has molded herself into, marginally different from the way she

was before. When a woman is in a long term relationship with a partner, she unites and

they become a team; this factors in with personality molding. In the event of a breakup,

this has a colossal effect on the woman both physically and mentally.

Overall, when enduring a breakup, her mind is consumed with agony and will only be

liberated with time, support, occupancy, and strength. As she begins to go through

the recovery stage, she will try to reinvent herself because she suddenly realizes that

this whole time she was involved with this person, she became another her and now

has to decide which diminutive traits or habits she wants to filter out. The stronger

and more intellectual a woman is, she will already have done some auto-filtering

while exposed to certain habits from her partner during their relationship.

Therefore, in the event of a breakup, she has already filtered out the character traits

that she does not wish to keep, or, filtered in the traits she wishes to keep.

During this recovery stage, when the woman begins dating, she will struggle with

acceptance and openness towards the new guy because she will constantly compare

him to her ex. Unfortunately, in the beginning, the ex will always win the comparing

battle because that’s what she is use to, and that’s what she knows. She will continue

to go back to the “smelly nest” because everyone wants to go back to what they are

used to, and what they know, no matter how unsatisfying. Opening up to something

new is work and time, it’s a new mentality. Even though this may pour a little salt on

the wound, she may desire to step out, date, mingle and have fun. She will need to feel

that sense of confidence in herself. She has to approach this in a totally new perspective

because it is not common. She doesn’t know this person; he has no idea about her.

Now, she has to open up. It’s about asking questions, it’s about the chemistry.

Chemistry is something that cannot be planned for, it’s just what comes, and it’s natural

only if the shoe fits. So now the big questions is, where can I find someone that I ‘am

physically and mentally attracted to and we just have a connection? Where can I find

someone who doesn’t possess all of my little pet-peeves and all those little idiosyncrasies

that I dislike? It’s going to take time and willingness to date.

Some women are confident and intelligent enough to know that there should be no

regrets, we learn from every experience and every relationship. People come into our

life for a reason, a season, and a lifetime. We all learn from everyone and should be

filtering in and out the good and the bad. There is no roadmap, we cannot predict the

future, we cannot read minds, but we can stay tuned in to ourselves and our partners.

Strength, independence, openness, growth, and communication are essential.

CigarPlayer

(a.k.a. Jerry Flanagan)

Shout Outs:

(a.k.a. people that helped present this blog post):

1. Thanks to Erika Hendrickson, for writing the article.

2. Thanks to Jacquelyn Clement for the styln photo shoot.

3. Thanks to all my 10,000+ fans in social media land! Appreciate you. Peace.

I Need Some Good Sad Songs?

QUESTION from Shaddy:

I need some sad sad songs? I got rejected and im tired of listening to the
same old songs; so anyone anything?







ANSWER from The VIP Gypsy:

Hey girl! I love listening to sad songs when I'm down too.
Valentines Day is always looked upon as a happy day. However,
a lot of people have lost a lover and this is also a sad day
for them. Sad songs can help heal.

My favorite song site is http://www.elyrics.net
It has all the sad song lyrics for you to read while
listening to them online.

Remember by Josh Groban
http://www.elyrics.net/read/j/josh-groba…

Seperate Ways by Journey
http://www.elyrics.net/read/j/journey-ly…

Lights by Journey
http://www.elyrics.net/read/j/journey-ly…

Take My Breath Away by Berlin
http://www.elyrics.net/read/b/berlin-lyr…

Tonight by Phil Collins
http://www.elyrics.net/read/g/genesis-ly…

When Doves Cry by Prince
http://www.elyrics.net/read/p/prince-lyr…

The One That Got Away by Pink
http://www.elyrics.net/read/p/pink-lyric…

What's Up Lonely by Kelly Clarkson
http://www.elyrics.net/read/k/kelly-clar…

I'm old school but, read the lyrics to the above songs
and try to listen/feel them in your heart & soul. Broaden your horizons.
This will also help you forget the pain in your heart.

Peace be the Journey.
The VIP Gypsy

How can I discreetly not drink around people who are drinking?

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Question from Jessy:

How can I discreetly not drink around people who are drinking?

Yeah, It's not that I care what people think, it's just that it gets annoying
because people treat you differently when you don't drink and they're always
trying to get you to have a drink!!

I really don't like to drink alcohol as it really doesn't seem to agree with my
body and rather than giving me a buzz, it tends to make me feel like crap.
I do, however, enjoy social situations that are based around drinking, such as
going to clubs, bars and parties. I have no problem being sober around drunk
people etc., I still enjoy myself fine and have fun, but people can tend to get
on my case about not drinking. It's not like I want to pretend I'm drinking so
people will think I'm "cool", but I don't want to put a downer on things always
saying, "Oh, I don't drink." I don't like to drink soft drinks either, so I
can't really just pretend a coke is a rum and coke. I also want to know what
to do if I guy sends me a drink, and I am interested, I just don't want the
drink! And what about when everyone at the table is doing shots? I don't want
to look like the boring teetotaler, because I'm not like that, I just don't drink!

If anyone has any suggestions on how I can deal with this, that would be great!

ANSWER from CigarPlayer:

Piece of cake girl. Check this out:

1. Clubs: Just ask for virgin versions of famous drinks.

Virgin Bloody Mary is tomato juice (V8) without the Vodka
Virgin Strawberry Daiquiri is without rum.
Virgin Rum & Coke is Root beer
Virgin Shot is Root beer or Jello cube
Or try Non-alcoholic beverage website like this one for more choices: http://bit.ly/6GQzjU

2. House Parties: Just drink kool-aid ice cubes or Jell-O cubes.
That's because you don't drink soda. Also, bring your own drink
mixes for non-alcoholic drinks (see website link). This way
your friends don't have to fuss and you have fun mixing them.

3. Friends: At the end of the day they should respect your wishes and just have fun.
In high school I did not drink and just substituted Root Beer a lot.

Have fun. Peace.

- CigarPlayer

10 Stupid Things Couples Do to Mess Up Their Relationships

1. Stupid Secrets - Withholding important information for fear of rejection
2. Stupid Egotism - Asking not what you can do for the relationship but only what the relationship can do for you
3. Stupid Pettiness - Making a big deal out of the small stuff
4. Stupid Power - Always trying to be in control
5. Stupid Priorities - Consuming all your time and energies with work, hobbies, errands, and chores instead of focusing on your relationship
6. Stupid Happiness - Seeking stimulation and assurance from all the wrong places to satisfy the immature need to feel good
7. Stupid Excuses - Not being accountable for bad behavior
8. Stupid Liaisons - Not letting go of negative attachments to friends and relatives who are damaging to your relationship
9. Stupid Mismatch - Not knowing when to leave and cut your losses
10. Stupid Breakups - Disconnection for all the wrong reasons

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Mars and Venus on a Date!

1. Whether you are recently separated, divorced, or you have been in the singles scene for longer than you want, this insightful guide will help you navigate the dating maze and find that special person you've been waiting for.

2. By discussing the differences between men and women, Mars and Venus on a Date provides singles with:. A thorough understanding of the five stages of dating:

> attraction
> uncertainty
> exclusivity
> intimacy
> and engagement

How to know what kind of person is right for you . Answers to burning questions such as why don't men call, or why do some women stay single? The best places to meet your soul mate. And advice on creating a loving and mutually fulfilling relationship. Filled with practical guidelines, inventive techniques, and witty insight, Mars and Venus on a Date will help single men and women explore the world of dating, understand how to make good choices, and discover the secret to finding a soul mate.

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Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus

Once upon a time Martians and Venusians met, fell in love, and had happy relationships together because they respected and accepted their differences. Then they came to Earth and amnesia set in: they forgot they were from different planets.

Based on years of successful counseling of couples and individuals, Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus has helped millions of couples transform their relationships. Now viewed as a modern classic, this phenomenal book has helped men and women realize how different they really are and how to communicate their needs in such a way that conflict doesn't arise and intimacy is given every chance to grow.

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