I have a wide range of interests. Beyond my love of tarot and my interest in spiritual development, I enjoy modern culture. Trends in music, fashion, entertainment and politics fascinate me. On this blog you will find my observations about the world in which we live - everything from dating advice to resturant reviews.

Here in the Dark Forest, anything can happen. If something captures my interest, I am likely to write about it here.

Dark Forest Blog Christiana Gaudet Dark Forest Blog Christiana Gaudet

Festival of Awesomeness (I mean Festival of Chocolate)

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If I have a complaint about living in West Palm Beach, it’s this.  There is just too darn much to do.  My biggest problem is that I hate to miss stuff.  In West Palm Beach, there is so much going on that it is impossible not to miss something.

One event my husband and I did not miss was the Festival of Chocolate, held in the Palm Beach Convention Center on November 19 and 20.

The $12 admission was worth every cent, just to be engulfed by the aroma of a room full of chocolate.  For additional fees, one could play chocolate bingo, or participate in a wine and chocolate pairing seminar, with plenty of sampling.

Chocolate vendors were everywhere.  We had two main goals – to eat chocolate now, and to bring chocolate home to eat later.  I am happy to report we succeeded at both.

We enjoyed huge lumps of chocolate billed as “The World’s Best Brownie.”  My husband bravely tried a wasabi chocolate, and liked it.  My favorite was the chocolate wine.  The vendor was gracious enough to let me sample the wine five or six times, just to make sure it really was good.

There was a chocolate museum.  There were chocolate sculptures, and chocolate trivia games.  We saw the step-by-step process of making chocolate, and sampled what was sure to be the freshest chocolate we would ever eat in our lives.

Culinary types participated in candy making and cake decorating workshops.  We were busy figuring out which treats would come home with us.

In the end, we chose cookies and chocolate-covered marshmallows from blue-ribbon winner Kriss Velasco, Grand Marnier truffles from the Notter School, and raspberry truffles from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.

Back at home, we enjoyed our treats, and talked about the fun we had.  Seeing people of all ages, genders, shapes and sizes enjoying chocolate as much as we do was perhaps the best part.  No, that’s not right.  The chocolate was the best part.

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Dark Forest Blog Christiana Gaudet Dark Forest Blog Christiana Gaudet

Five Simple Things to Know about Dating

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As you can imagine, as a professional tarot reader I spend a lot of time talking about love.  Over the almost twenty years of my career, I have learned a few things that seem to be universally true.  I’ve listed five of them here.

Dating is a numbers game.  The more people you meet, the more chances you have.  It’s that simple.  One hundred failed dates don’t matter if the hundred and first makes you melt.

Never date anyone who is more screwed up than you are.  We are all damaged.  Try to find someone whose damage is no worse than yours.  It will make things a lot easier, and will keep you from being in the position of constant caregiver, or constant forgiver.

Try to see the worst in your potential partner.  When we love someone, we see the best they can be.  That’s the inherent power of love, and it’s a beautiful thing.  But everyone has a dark side.  Until you know the very worst your partner can be, you won’t know if there is a deal-breaker lurking around the corner.

Don’t bring leftovers to a new table.  It’s good to learn from the past.  Once you’ve got the lesson, though, you have to let the past be the past.  Don’t make a new partner pay for the bad behavior of your ex.  If you can’t grow past your “ex-periences”, you simply aren’t ready for a new relationship.

Don’t be a cynic, or a Pollyanna.  Love is everywhere, and yet it can seem to be the most elusive thing to find, and the most difficult thing to maintain.  Believe in love, no matter how much it has disappointed you in the past.  On the other hand, taking off the rose-colored glasses will allow you to make the right decisions.  Find the right balance, and know that healthy love relationships, unlike Santa and the Easter bunny, really do exist!  Love happens, and it can happen for you.

 

 

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