mermaidcamp

mermaidcamp

Keeping current in wellness, in and out of the water

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MacParody

June 20, 2013 — 5 Comments


Apple is a legend and a brand. It has fans and detractors. I have always loved and used Apple products., and have considered buying the new MacBook Pro. I know I am in emotional attatchementville at the time of the new release, so I am not taking action. I have filled in the order in the cloud, and have not pulled the trigger. I am happy with all my stuff, but am attracted to some mystic upgrade I might perceive with a new super power as my tool. Still, none of my purchases has ever for a moment given me buyer’s regret. I have no iPhone and no plans to have one. I just bought iPod 5 that is a tiny iPad with Siri in it. I like it because nobody can call or text me, but I have everything else in a tiny package. Siri, so far, does not seem like such a genius, but I haven’t asked her much.  I am Apple faithful as well as a shareholder in the company.  In weighing the options I am keeping my money in the bank while I hear more from all the new users.  I am a fan, but not  sucker.

My Privacy Policy

June 19, 2013 — 8 Comments

single hibiscus

single hibiscus

single orchid

single orchid

solo

solo

privacy

privacy

free time

free time

Privacy and free time are the only true luxury items, in my book. They will not arrive on their own and they will not stay if not managed with care. We all have a privacy policy, and it is not like the one you get from your doctor. We either announce to the world where we are and what we are doing or not. The other branch of privacy is availability. Each of us decides if we are available to be called or texted all day and night. We let people know how and when to reach us, and based on those parameters our privacy policy is established.

I love technology and enjoy many facets of the world wide web and the power it contains.  I do not use GPS or smartphone.  I do not want to be tagged and given a free beer when I am in the hood.  I would rather retain the privacy.  I do no use my cell phone at all except for travel and odd circumstances.  I use Skype or my landline to make calls.  I do not text or receive texts.  There are some on my ancient cell phone, but I will never read them because they are from Virgin Mobile.  Some of my friends think this practice is wildly eccentric, and I suppose it is in 2013.  The reason I do not live my life connected to the internet or the phone is that I value my freedom and private life.

My filters and boundaries are clear to me, and obvious to others.  I publish 2 blogs, one of which is now mostly art.  I interact on various social media and in Triberr with a wide array of personalities and specialties.  I am active and interactive all over the world in this way.  I am a great navigator who does not use GPS because I think navigation is good for the soul.  I could never imagine giving up the thrill of knowing where I am and trusting some voice who has no idea where I am.  I had  GPS given to me in a rental car once, and it sent us drastically out of our way.  I did not even turn it on after that..how silly.  I have the same phone number at my home that I have had for about 20 years. There is a message system that works, and I respond when I hear messages that are for me.  I eliminate the spam and move on with life.

Membership for Dogs

June 18, 2013 — 1 Comment

Artemisia, red bone coon hound, is a new canine member of the Tucson Botanical Gardens.  On Tuesdays dog members and their families are welcome all day.  This was a very special day because professional pet photographer, Vicky Stromee was set up to take pictures against a green backdrop.  She and her assistant made the shoot quick and easy.  We strolled through the shady paths for a few minutes, stopping for a drink at the cafe, which was closed.  She smelled the door and wished it was open.  Her shady and relatively cool experience today will be followed by her card and collar ring which will arrive in the mail.  The dog membership is valid May through September.  We have been family members for years, and now we are officially all part of the garden family.  Artemisia recommends this reasonably priced membership to all Tucson dogs because of the shade. She liked it so much she sent an instagram.

Symbolic Transformation, #

June 18, 2013 — 4 Comments

# is a symbol. It has meaning, and it conveys something like punctuation. It says, “This is digital, not linear, not even physical.” It says, “2013 is all about #.” Yet there are those who never use it and maybe do not grasp the power contained in the #.  It is clearly and obviously a make-believe entity, the digital reality.  If anthropologists of the future go through the twitter accounts of the most famous people in the 21st century to learn about our culture, they will be flabbergasted.

Knowing the code, from secret societies to Morse code has always been significant.  Writing code to make the computer world exist is a skill, an art, and a secret to those who do not know how to do it.  The dewey decimal system was the grandparent to the #.  We no longer have a paper file at the library, and there is no need to go to a library to find reference materials.  If we Google, Bing, or # we go straight to the stuff we seek.  Hide and seek is not played outdoors, but in search.  I have often expressed the opinion here that there is nothing evil about technology.  There is a big question about the morality of those who have access to the best technology to act in the best interests of society.

There is no conspiracy to push wealth away from most people and into the pockets of those who have the most data and the fastest computers.  The shift from placing value on material goods to mining information about people’s habits has been in play for a long time. The society has participated in this shift willingly, and now is starting to wonder where the path leads. I believe it takes the individual where they intend to go, much like telegraphs and libraries. The choice is wider, but the choice of how to use and misuse is still a personal issue. The broader society, however, is suffering from the concentration of wealth and power in too few #’s.

Capt. John Gregory, England to Virginia

June 17, 2013 — 1 Comment

British flag

British flag

My 8th great-grandfather came from England to Virginia in the 1600’s. We don’t know much about him except that he arrived early in America.  He was a large landowner and his wife inherited land from her brother as well. These early settlers in Virginia had plenty of obstacles to overcome to just survive.

Capt John Gregory born: 1623 in Stockwith, England died: 1676 Rappahannock County, Virginia Officer in the Colonial Militia. Emigrated to Virginia prior to 1656; settled on the north side of the James River in Charles County. 20 February 1663 had a grant of 600 acres in Rappahannock County. Vestryman in 1665.

Capt John Gregory(1623 – 1676)
is my 8th great-grandfather
Mary Gregory (1665 – 1747)
daughter of Capt John Gregory
John Taylor (1685 – 1776)
son of Mary Gregory
John Taylor (1727 – 1787)
son of John Taylor
John Taylor (1747 – 1781)
son of John Taylor
John Nimrod Taylor (1770 – 1816)
son of John Taylor
John Samuel Taylor (1798 – 1873)
son of John Nimrod Taylor
William Ellison Taylor (1839 – 1918)
son of John Samuel Taylor
George Harvey Taylor (1884 – 1941)
son of William Ellison Taylor
Ruby Lee Taylor (1922 – 2008)
daughter of George Harvey Taylor
Pamela Morse
I am the daughter of Ruby Lee Taylor

Tapas Fusion in Tucson

June 15, 2013 — 2 Comments

We are happy to have a tapas restaurant in our neighborhood.  Tapas Fusion is our new favorite place to go for food and cocktail adventure.  We had brunch there last Sunday with good results, so we returned yesterday for happy hour.  Firey Friday features flambé drink specials.  I tried one, and then had a pisco sour, both new to me.

It was a blast. The crew, including the friendly owner Mary Bellin, make you feel welcome.  The happy hour pricing and the all you can eat tapas menu has something for everyone.  I am vegetarian, and Bob is not, so we each ordered small dishes until we were full.  The cuisine has many layers of flavor, with creative garnishes and fresh sauces making each dish pop.  The flavorful variety gives your tastebuds a lot of intrigue for the size of the plates and the total of the bill.  We are huge fans, and will return to try more of the menu.  Mary has a generous frequent diner offer, and she doubles the points on Tuesdays or Wednesdays. For summer the restaurant will be closed on Mondays. She offers the all you can eat tapas menu every day, and it includes a lot of choices.  Additional menu items are available a la carte.  So far, we liked everything we ordered…a lot!!

Nunta, Sun Goddess of the Cherokee

June 14, 2013 — 1 Comment

sunflowers

sunflowers

Nunta, the Cherokee goddess of the sun and health has power to bring healing or illness.  Remedy is remembering in her world.  Health emanates from the same source as pain.  Adversaries carry strong medicine, and sometimes must be faced in order to be free of an affliction. Willingness to meet an adversary for the purpose of healing sounds like fairy tale of fear and loathing.  The struggle is full of possible outcomes, including death.  Intuitively our bodies know which ones of our patterns is the most harmful.  Allowing an accumulation of foggy emotional distraction to cover the truth only leads to more complicated side effects.  The enemy of your good health is denial.  Nunta is the bright sunlight of awareness illuminating the medicine you need to remember.

  • Stop doing the things that make you unhappy
  • Start doing the things that make you happy
  • Remember the difference

Your personal happiness is unique and known only to you.  Taking a big dose of your own medicine is a step towards wholeness and health.

James Sweet of Warwick, Kent, RI

June 13, 2013 — 5 Comments

While studying my tree I noticed that one of the branches had some discrepancies.  The Sweet family of Rhode Island is a favorite of mine now that I have visited the state.  Consulting family written documents, my suspicions were confirmed that I had the wrong Sweet in the wrong spot.  I was sad because I had become attached to these people who would no longer be related to me, which itself is a ridiculous thought.  Now I have spent time to repair the error, and with a bit of luck I did get back to the correct ancestor in just 3 generations. I had listed his brother John in this generation, an erroneous idea I found in other profiles on ancestry.com.  Lucky for me, I do have family written references on this part of my fam.   My new, revised 8th great grandfather is from a Sweet family of famous physicians known as the bonesetters.  They carried on for generations in this capacity. I am now just as happy with the doctors as I was with the fancy politicians I gave up in the process. I have also been informed about Rhode Island history, which is fascinating.

James Sweet (1622 – 1695)
is my 8th great-grandfather
Benoni Sweet (1663 – 1751)
son of James Sweet
Dr. James Sweet (1686 – 1751)
son of Benoni Sweet
Thomas Sweet (1732 – 1813)
son of Dr. James Sweet
Thomas Sweet (1759 – 1844)
son of Thomas Sweet
Valentine Sweet (1791 – 1858)
son of Thomas Sweet
Sarah LaVina Sweet (1840 – 1923)
daughter of Valentine Sweet
Jason A Morse (1862 – 1932)
son of Sarah LaVina Sweet
Ernest Abner Morse (1890 – 1965)
son of Jason A Morse
Richard Arden Morse (1920 – 2004)
son of Ernest Abner Morse
Pamela Morse
I am the daughter of Richard Arden Morse

The second son of JOHN & MARY SWEET, James Sweet came with his parents to America in 1632. He worked at a grist mill with his step-father, Ezekiel Holliman. He was an inhabitant of Warwick in 1648, Commissioner in 1653/1658/1659, freeman in 1655, juryman in 1656 and lived at the estate of the late William Congdon at the foot of Ridge Hill. He married MARY GREENE, daughter of JOHN GREENE & JOANE (TATTERSOL) GREENE, about 1654 in Providence, RI. On Sept. 30, 1660, he sold to Thomas Greene, the lot he had received from the town of Warwick along with meadow land. Later, the family moved to Prudence Island in Portsmouth Twp. about four miles soutwest of Bristol in 1664 being one of the first families to live on the island from 1664 to about 1685. Several family members are buried in the old family burying ground in the center of the island.On November 8, 1686, he deeded his land in Providence that he had inherited from his father to eldlest son, Philip of Prudence Island. On the same date, he deeded to son, Benoni, certain land in Mashiantatack, and to son, James of Prudence Island, Valentine of Kingstown, and Samuel & Mary Sweet living with their parents, land in Mashiantatack. In 1695, James deposed and gave his age as 73. He died at age 93 years.All the “bone-setter” family lines originate with James Sweet and his wife, Mary, who learned the art of bone-setting from her surgeon father, JOHN GREENE. James Sweet & his brother, John Sweet were interpreters to the Indians for first settlers and their names can be found on early Indian deeds. James Sweet signed with his mark.

Transformational Groups and Language

June 13, 2013 — 1 Comment

I am in a chat group with some people who have been to est training or the Landmark Forum, but I have not done that. I enjoy their point of view, but am amused by much of the jargon. Recently somebody in that group asked if others had alienated others with special transformational language. I had to laugh and think of what my own transformational groups and languages have been:

  • childhood neighbors
  • early childhood school friends
  • summer camp buddies
  • petroleum camp amigos from Venezuela
  • high school choir and drama students
  • hippies
  • spa bunnies
  • swimmers
  • vegetarians
  • Swiss

There are sub groups,but these are the majors.  I have recently been united with my early childhood neighbors and school friends, one of whom went to summer camp with me.  I have also gotten in touch with many old friends and neighbors who lived in San Tomé, Venezuela in the early 1960’s.  This mostly bilingual group has a language and a culture that is unique.  I am not in contact with any high school or college friends, but a small group with whom I worked in a theater company in Cherokee, NC in 1968 has been drawn together through social media.  The hippies, spa bunnies, swimmers, and vegetarians all switch places and morph into the current culture.  I know a few of each group from the past.  I stay in touch with Swiss friends, although I have not visited for a few years now.

The language, slang, and meaning of these transformational groups imprint on us as individuals, and as a collective groupthink.  We share memories that fit together like jigsaw puzzles.  In the last month I have been amazed to learn some of the things my elementary classmates remember about me, and what I know about them.  The past plays back like a very funny movie, missing lots of dialog and motive.  What seemed insignificant is memorable, and what was important at the time has lost   significance. We do have a thread of common language, and some common ideas.  Although we may no longer be a group who hangs out in real life, we somehow are still transforming each other. Even learning about the death of some of our old comrades shakes the foundation of mortality, the ultimate transformation.

Red Rover with Big Brother

June 12, 2013 — 1 Comment

post industrial reflection

post industrial reflection

We are pretending that the data analysts of the world are geeks and, therefore, benign. How silly can we be? My own father jumped from slide rule to mainframe computer just to get bigger data. The rest of his life was consumed by the opportunity to get more and bigger data. He taught petroleum engineering students how to analyze big data to manage oil fields. He was recruited by IBM in the late 1950’s to be a believer.  Data was the future and the future was bigger data.

My parents and all their petroleum friends around the world distinguished themselves by the mass quantities of alcohol they consumed. They liked Ike, war, cars, and cocktails. I never saw them as particularly in touch with reality. They were, in their day, the big science data mangers trusted to produce energy for the planet. They were distinctly reckless, especially my father.  He adored fracking and exploding stuff of all kinds.  In his 60’s he became a reckless hot air balloonist, risking the lives of many to get his kicks.  I am not saying they were evil..not at all. They were lots of fun, and popular for their party antics.  What I am saying is that humans handle the data, and I suspect each person attracted to this kind of power (of geekiness and arcane knowledge) of wanting to pervert the universe.  I see the greatest generation as having used science to do much damage.  I think the Boomers will not be remembered so well in data history either.  Control of politics and data has turned into a giant Red Rover dare.  Protecting all the various digital borders is now impossible, so cyberinfo is a volatile hacking paradise.

Now there is so much data nobody has any idea how to manage it, let alone isolate the people ethical enough to handle it.  This whole idea and verbiage of leak is indicative of the problem.  We now have such a complex web of data moving non stop that leaks of all kinds are inevitable.  People will now devote their lives and fortunes to creating and finding leaks of important data.  The data came from Pandora’s box, but it is much too big to be contained now.  We let it all out, then we dare Big Brother to come over.  I witnessed first hand the people who conquered the oil fields with data and science.  They suffered from intense ignorance.  We do too.  It is not the tool, but the user,who makes the decisions, who has the power to change the outcome. I am not so worried about NSA wasting time analyzing my data as I am about all misdirected data studies everywhere. This data smuggling and whistle blowing has only just begun, gentle reader.  We have a tangled web of growing data to interpret, store and hide.