mermaidcamp
Keeping current in wellness, in and out of the water
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Our Sling Fling
November 1, 2016
— 2 Comments
Sling TV
I hooked up my new ROKU stick today. It was an easy and quick transition from my ROKU box, which was working just fine. I was enticed to try Sling TV with the promise of the stick as a subscribing gift. It is cool, and a little easier to navigate than the old model. It has preprogramed buttons for Amazon, Sling, Google, and Netflix which the old system did not have. This convenience of going straight to those channels is a good shortcut. Everything else is the same. It is super easy to take with you on the road if you care to do that. The only missing element on the new stick remote control is an earphone jack. I used the earphones occasionally after my partner had fallen asleep, to keep the noise to myself. He sleeps very soundly so I don’t think the loss of this feature will be a game changer for our household.
Sling TV is a major hit with us. I can’t predict if I will keep it after my initial subscription for 3 months, but I feel like a savvy shopper who found a great bargain for now. I got the ROKU stick and three months of Sling (plus 7 days free from the offer open to all takers) for $60. I am a satisfied customer at that price. I am easily fatigued by television, but sometimes have been known to binge on shows I really like. Sling is offering us a new variety of content. I don’t care about the sports programing much, but Bob will be able to see 3 different ESPN stations. The subscription lasts until 25 of January next year, so we will have plenty of time to get tired of it as a constant feature. There is no obligation to stay subscribed, which appeals to me. I get a month of Hulu 4 times a year, and freeze it for the maximum amount of time in the interim. I may alternate Hulu with Sling after I binge myself out on all the fun documentaries, comedies, and music content. The new stick answers a need in me to have new gadgetry when it comes out. I get a little thrill from that, and a pretty big one from all the new entertainment from which I can now choose. The upgrade packs a lot of punch for the bucks.
I hardly have time to read all the new books Amazon Prime is lending me every month. I need to make sure that my subscriptions are not outstaying their welcome, becoming useless expenditures. As a thrifty person I hate when that happens. I heartily recommend Sling TV for those in the market for new ways to buy entertainment at a good price. At least we are paying far less than we did for cable. The trend is away from cable for very good reason. There are perfect custom solutions now for far less. How do you buy tv, gentle reader, if you still watch it?
Livin’ La Vida Local
October 31, 2016
Day of the Dead in Tucson
Localoop
My city is the best place to live, or to be dead. Tucson celebrates Dia de los Muertos in a very big way. I love the festive, colorful death party that is our own home-grown version of the Mexican All Souls Day. My own parents are in the cemetery not very far from downtown, so I am sure they will take part again this year. My hound dog now joins her grandparents in the festivities. She is scattered at the pet cemetery across town, but space and time are no longer an issue for her, and she loves to party. They will be in the ghostly part of the procession.
My friends joke with me about my extreme localism. My business jurisdiction (where I spend my money) is as tight as I can make it. I am a true believer in supporting the small business efforts of my neighborhood establishments. I love to discover local providers of all kinds. This week I discovered two new ways to fulfill my dream of finding and frequenting local enterprises. At TenWest I met Aaron Gopp, creator of a new app, Localoop. He is enthusiastic about his new service, locating businesses that meet a strict locally owned and operated criteria for people like me. It was a lucky break that he stopped to chat at our table. His directory was created for my very picky and specific needs. It will also help businesses discover and reach potential clients in the area. I have downloaded it and already have found a couple of places near home of which I was unaware. As he develops this I look forward to the guidance it will provide to consumers as well as to businesses. My neighborhood could use some economic development.
While I was out biking around town with my homies I stopped at the Local First Arizona booth. Aaron credits this group with helping him and giving him good guidelines to follow for defining what is local. This non-profit foundation exists to support local small business. It has membership and benefits, like a chamber of commerce. They have created a system of locating local food sources called Good Food Finder AZ.com This page lists local providers, restaurants, farms, markets, and aggregators. There is even information about local food assistance programs. This is a major service to society. Both the food finding and the local looping will make me very happy, and upgrade the economy around me. Do you like to shop local, gentle reader? What are your best ways to discover new places in your area?
Tracking The Victim Archetype
October 27, 2016
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birth chart
Carolynn Myss defines the victim archetype in her Sacred Contracts course as one of the essential characters we all embody at some point in our lives. There are four survival archetypes present in all of us representing life challenges and our methods of maintaining self-esteem. These four are child, victim, saboteur, and prostitute. The lesson each one offers pertains to use of power and self-image. The child is needy, showing us good reason to strive for learning and independence. The victim endures bullying of various kinds in order to learn courage. Eventually the victim teaches us how to recognize and stand up to bullies. The prostitute teaches the value of maintaining integrity. Once the prostitute recognizes the folly of selling him or herself for support of others, individual mature ethics are developed. The sabatuer archetype lets us know when we are working against our own best interests. Self sabotage can be avoided once we learn to spot it. These universal psychological traits can be traced through the stories of our lives, and interact with the other 8 archetypes in our make up.
I have gotten far enough in the course to have drawn my archetypal wheel, which is played out exactly like the wheel in an astrology chart. The number 12 was chosen because it already has meaning in astrology. In reality we all have more than 12 archetypes, an unknown number. To make a practical study and apply it in a personal way the student is asked to identify the 8 most pronounced archetypes present in our lives. Placing the archetype in a house creates a kind of map. The combination of the house and the character tell a story about an aspect of our nature as it reacts with a certain aspect of our circumstances.
I find it interesting to compare the symbolic characters in my astrology chart with those in my archetypal wheel. My victim is in the 12th house, which rules self undoing and our unconscious. In my astrology chart my 12th house is loaded. It contains Venus, North Node, Jupiter and Mars. If I believe these charts my shadow side must be a deeply intuitive victim. It is very hard for me to see myself as a victim, although I have a normal life with ups and downs. Our shadow is not our bad or undesirable part, but the part of ourselves about which we remain unaware. As I take up my course work I need to write essays about when and where I encountered these archetypes in my history. I met them in others and played them all myself. The goal of the course is to learn about the dynamics of the soul. I have my work cut out for me on this victim essay. It should prove to be very self revealing. Have you ever studied the archetypes, gentle reader? Astrology is based on archetypes assigned to each house and each planet. The symbols represent characters we can recognize as actors in our world. When you hear the word victim, who pops into your mind?
archetypal wheel
Downtown Tucson, Hipster Destination
October 25, 2016
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street party space
registration
podcasting workshop
I traveled from midtown to downtown Tucson yesterday to attend the TenWest Festival. This week-long entertainment and educational event is sponsored by local businesses to promote the retention of talent in town. This miniature knock off of the 30 year old South by Southwest event that happens in Austin each year is a distinct reflection of our community. Volunteer staff organizes the flow of students, speakers, and social gatherings.
I attended two excellent workshops on podcasting. Both speakers were well prepared with visual aids and stimulating material. Best of all, they are both true experts in the field. Dave Young is a marketing and content professional who helps small businesses develop materials. He has been podcasting for and with his clients to bring their messages to the public. He explained the explosive growth in podcasting and some of the reasons for the popularity of audio programs. His very enlightening presentation was followed by a more technical workshop by Bjorgvin Benediktsson, a professional audio engineer. These classes continue all week. At the end of the day a keynote speaker and a social hour are planned each day. Our speaker and social hour were upstaged yesterday by a sudden thunderstorm.
This is an odd time of year for rain in Arizona, but about 10 minutes into the social hour we heard a very loud thunderclap echo between the tall buildings where we were stationed. Shortly the rain was pouring and the winds was whipping the signs and tents around like crazy. There was a river running through it. The volunteers all had to scramble to keep the stuff from blowing into the air and doing some damage. Since the bar was set up with a special permit that was only valid for the outdoor space the few of us who were outside had to chug our drinks and run into a building. There were two of us there who had umbrellas…I was proud to one of them. The party made an attempt at restarting inside the building, but most people had scattered to the hard driving wind. I called my Uber and made my way home.
I will go on Wednesday to learn about 3 D printing and artificial intelligence. The speaker and social hour will be about our city’s special gastronomic designation from UNESCO. The food peeps will be there, and we can only hope we will have clear skies. On Friday there will be TED talk and two concerts from which to choose. I love our little start-up convention, which is only in the second year of its existence. I believe it has major potential to achieve its goal and to bring visitors from out of town to the event in the future. Our downtown has been revitalized by a tram system, and is starting to be as hip as Austin. I hope we can retain our hipness without acquiring the traffic problem they have in Austin. Wish us luck.
Daisy Duke Rides Again
October 23, 2016
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I went to a music festival in Tucson yesterday on a sunny hot beautiful day. My favorite local band, Calexico, was playing. The crowd was overwhelmingly college aged people. I was struck with the fact that more than 90% of the young ladies were dressed in Daisy Duke shorts. I was teasing them because they buy them pre shredded at the hem rather than cut them off and wear them until they shred.
I had a really good time at the festival hanging out and meeting the youngsters. I danced with some and joked around with a few of them. One young lady asked me if I had gone to music festivals back in the day. I said yes and chuckled to myself thinking I was dressed just like they were back in the day. The music made me very happy. The food was good, and the community came together in a super festive mood. I left early, senior citizen that I am. I was completely satisfied with my festival experience, so I called my Uber and made it home by my regular bedtime.
cut offs
cut offs
cut offs
Dusk Music Festival
Weekend Coffee Share TenWest in Tucson
October 22, 2016
— 10 Comments
my produce haul
my produce haul
If we were having coffee I would tell you that my quiet, at-home routine will be suspended this week. I have signed up for TenWest, a Festival to mimic South by Southwest in Austin. There is a plethora of educational, social, and artistic content offered. The week-long event began last night. The first event I will attend is a big concert in a local park very near my home. During the week my plans include a couple of workshops on podcasting, one about 3D printing, and a symposium about our special city of gastronomy designation. I may attend the final concert and the TED talk also, even though they are past my regular bed time. This will be a great week of learning and entertainment for me. My schedule rarely gets this crowded, but this will be worth the effort. I look forward to learning a lot. I should have lots to share with you next weekend.
I can offer you coffee, or all kinds of tea again this week. I am lingering over iced roiboos tropics while we savor a heat wave here. Summer is still with us, which means my big stand-off with tidy muse has not yet been resolved. I am still wearing shorts and summer dresses. It was 94 yesterday, so there is no rush to get out the winter gear. I have promised myself that the big clothing purge will take place when I do the seasonal switch of my wardrobe. I have inquired about giving my friend and neighbor some of the jackets..but that does not really count. I am still just procrastinating…in flip flops and shorts. This too will pass.
Please help yourself to soup shots. On the buffet you will find white demi tasse cups and saucers. Serve yourself from the wide selection of soups. We have sweet pepper cream, corn bisque, tomato basil, minestrone, gaspacho,winter squash and ginger, with all your favorite toppings. Add sliced green onions, crispy fried shallots, croutons, nuts, or grated cheese to complete your composition. Although it is still warm, the produce season is leading us into winter. A light meal featuring all these different seasonal delights is a great way to share this fall weather and our news. Who doesn’t like soup? Enjoy the sensuality of the season with all the colors, tastes and aromas. Hang out and tell us what you have been doing.
In the winter months Tucson is lucky to be served by the Santa Cruz County Food Bank. The excess produce from the big produce wholesalers in Nogales is shipped to Tucson and sold. For 60 pounds of produce we pay $10.00. This boon to our budget is very welcome, since fresh fruit and vegetables make up a big proportion of our diet. My partner had to work today (Saturday), but he called me while he was out on calls to let me know that the food distribution had started in the neighborhood. The scheduled start was Nov. 3, but they had produce, so they began today. What an excellent October surprise this is!!! The truck was full of squash, coconut, tomatoes, cucumbers, two kinds of sweet chiles, and watermelon. I give away as much as I can to neighbors, and then get to work roasting and processing it before it goes bad. I will be charcoal grilling vegetables for a few hours today. I love the smokey flavors it imparts to all the dishes I make with them. If you stay for a while you can taste some tomatoes fresh off the grill with some pesto I made this week. I promises to be a very delicious day.
If you want to join this international coffee drinking, weekend sharing soiree just click here. Add your 2 cents. Let us know what you think.
#WeekendCoffeeShare
Bob Dylan Follows Jean-Paul Sartre’s Existential Lead
October 21, 2016
— 3 Comments
Sartre
The French writer Jean-Paul Sartre was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature on 22 October, 1964. He refused to accept the honor, as he had done with all honors in the past. He wrote a detailed letter to the jury in Stockholm that arrived after they had confirmed his prize. He listed personal reasons as well as objective reasons. He basically thought writers should write without any undue influence from any institution. In his own words:
“The writer who accepts an honour of this kind involves as well as himself the association or institution which has honoured him,” he said at the time. “The writer must therefore refuse to let himself be transformed into an institution, even if this occurs under the most honourable circumstances, as in the present case.”
This existential Frenchman was the only literature laureate to refuse the honor until now. It appress that Bob Dylan has not returned the calls of the esteemed Swedish Academy since he was awarded the same prize. Today he erased a mention of the prestigious prize from his website. It appears that our famous existential poet is declining and going one step beyond his predecessor by making no comment on the matter. I think this is a perfect response from this rebel recluse who does exactly as he pleases. He can well afford, like Mr Sartre before him, to rest on his hefty laurels.
This refreshing point of view on celebrity is blowin’ in the wind when the celebration of celebrities has become a full blown obsession. Reality television and I don’t know what else, has brought us to worship fame for itself in the weirdest ways. I have been listening to Bob’s music almost non stop this week, rediscovering the genius of his impressive timeless lyrics. I have seen him perform three times, and am mighty glad I got that opportunity. He is our troubadour, and he don’t need no stinking prizes. I am highly amused at his attitude. What do you think, gentle reader? He may still decide to show up at the ceremony.
Tricking The Treat Monster #OctoberUnprocessed
October 20, 2016
— 6 Comments
There is much pressure this time of year to start loading up on candy and other treats to celebrate Halloween. This commercial season swings right into Thanksgiving, followed by end of the year parties. Our household is a reasonably healthy place to eat, but in the past we have used the holiday season as an excuse to indulge in extra sugar and junkier food. As I observe #OctoberUnprocessed I have not felt overly restricted. We are almost three weeks into the experiment and I have not prepared anything with sugar in it all month. I might make an apple pecan bunt cake this week, but I do not plan to bake any more desserts during October. This will set the tone for our seasonal celebrating. We will still have special foods, and go out to dine. I am not going into production of extra loads of sugar and butter filled foods because it is been our habit around this time of the year. This is a fine time to alter that.
Trick or Treat Witch
Going to extremes rarely results in permanent change. Too much restriction results in rebounding. I am not banning all sugar, but am limiting our consumption from now until 2017 to two small packages of sugar, one white and one brown, which I have on hand. I have some wonderful honey in the cupboard, some pomegranate molasses, and agave nectar. These sweeteners will have to last us until the end of the year. I think this will be easy, but it remains to be seen.
I am signed up for the recipes and helpful hints published by Eating Rules that arrive daily in my e mail box during October. The above very insightful article arrived two days ago reminding me that all forms of sugar and salt must be used sparsely. The biggest problem with processed food is the excessive use of sugar and salt. This diet has accustomed Americans to those higher levels to the detriment of our public health. I have been eating fruit and honey as a snack, but the amount is small, so I will continue to enjoy that within reason. There is no need to go radically ascetic about holiday eating. Cuisine is one of my life’s great interests. I will not cut us off from all food fun, just from the least nutritious and most fattening. This Halloween we will focus on the dearly departed rather than on our trick or treat haul.
Day of the Dead altar
Transforming Apathy To Empathy
October 19, 2016
— 1 Comment
fall flora
There is despair in the air. Our society’s collective adrenal gland is shot from the constant stress of our current political battle. Fight or flight, a reasonable healthy reaction to scary circumstances, has been exhausted by the season’s campaigns. We are sick of the fight, and there is no place to flee from reality. The blame and shade is flying freely. Our weary spirits are drained of faith hope and charity. By charity I mean extending the benefit of the doubt to those with whom we disagree. The most charitable act to make is to listen with care. The most civilized goal to set is mutual understanding. After this election we will still be living with each other, so our current problems will not vanish in November.
To dig ourselves out of this mess we will need to:
- Set much higher standards for performance from our lawmakers
- Scrutinize the taxation policies in order to reduce and eliminate loopholes
- Focus on improving education quality, and close predator private colleges
- Base health care payments on patient success rather than per procedure
- Find real solutions for our opiate and exotic prescription drug addiction
- Stop bickering about every little thing
This is a tall order, especially when everyone is bracing for total disorder. We have our work cut out for us after we finish counting votes. Our futures depend on our ability to listen, which means we will need to be quiet for a while. We will need to be still and know. How hopeful are you, gentle reader? I am optimistically neutral. We have survived tragedy in the past. This too will pass.
Say It in Latin, Caveat Emptor
October 18, 2016
— 2 Comments
cactus in bloom
The Latin phrase caveat emptor means let the buyer beware. This concept is a warning to all consumers that they have less information about the product in normal circumstances than the seller. Common law provides that the seller must deliver the goods, free of encumbrance by third parties, and that the goods must be suitable for the intended use. This applies to real estate contracts, where the seller may hoodwink an unsophisticated buyer into paying more for the property than it is really worth.
Once the deal has been closed there is very little the buyer can do other than regret the purchase. Property sold with obvious concealed flaws is difficult to return, and will involve legal fees and court costs. A couple from Europe bought their first home in our condo village and learned after the closing that the place was full of toxic black mold. I felt really bad for them because they were stuck with the home and the costly mold removal fee because they could not prove that the seller knew about the mold before the sale. A good inspector could have saved them before they signed that contract, but after the signatures, they were stuck. To prove fraud after the fact is much harder than catching it before the unfortunate purchase has been made.
In real estate sales it is common for both parties to employ agents to represent their interests. The buyer needs to be wary of the true intention of both agents, which is to make a sale from which they will cut a commission. The first time buyer can be confused by appraisals, financing, points, insurance, inspections, taxation, and by the contract itself. Emotional factors go into home buying that make this important decision very tricky from a financial standpoint. For many people the investment in housing is the biggest single investment the family makes. After the last housing meltdown and mortgage fraud this reality became clear to many who lost their homes.
If you consider purchasing a home that is governed by an HOA I urge you to fully investigate the corporation and its standards before you buy. Some are overly strict and micro manage. I live in a condo village that has had no management, standard operating procedures, or enforcement of our deed restrictions since I moved here. The governing board has drained the value from all the homes by neglecting the common areas and failing to properly manage and maintain our assets. This puts a real wrench in the works for shareholders who have pride of ownership. I would avoid buying any property that is governed by an HOA in the future. The system leaves much to be desired. I have learned this lesson the hard way. Have you ever made a disastrous investment due to factors beyond your control, gentle reader? It is a drag. Inform yourself. That goes for elected officials too.
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