mermaidcamp
Keeping current in wellness, in and out of the water
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iPhone and I, Who’s Smarter?
March 26, 2014
— 5 Comments
We are not compatible. I am SO not adjusting to my iPhone and what it has to offer. I have now owned my smarty pants phone for 3 months, and have used it for a total of about 15 minutes. This is not a productive relationship, and the issues are all mine. The phone is and was neutral, but my use (or non-use) of it are a hold over from the past that makes no sense. I do not use my cell phone now although I was a very early adaptor of the technology. There is something I really do not like about the attachment to the phone I observe all around me. This is the turn off for me. I am amazed at the places I see smart phone addiction. The weight room is now a place where interval means lift some heavy stuff and then text for a few minutes. Needing to see the phone next to them on the floor next to the bench makes these big, strong, bovine guys look pretty wimpy.
I am not in danger of needing to be with my phone each moment, so I am not sure why I never even turn it on. I need to deal with my problems getting into this phone or stop paying $30 a month to have it hooked up all the time. My problem is not Apple operating systems. I just see the phone as a creepy distraction for so many that I have purposely bought and used all other iDevises. I use iPads, iPod touch 5, a couple of laptops and my original iPod full of tunes. I own stock in Apple. What is my resistance to this iThing?
- It is tiny
- It is slow
- It makes me look normal
- I can no longer roll over my minutes each month so it is costly
- I don’t want to be interrupted
The interruption factor I see in others appalls me so I am committed to avoiding it. People suffer from FOMO while they miss out on the world around them. I don’t really think that if I carry my phone and use it that I will be overwhelmed with bothersome unwanted news. I am only viewing the dark side of smart phones and therefore getting no benefit from the truly amazing technology. Either the thrifty part of me will start to use it to get my money’s worth or this silly aversion will continue. Don’t expect to see any real-time selfies any time soon. I have the opposite of FOMO…..FOBI….Fear of Being Inerrupted. I can’t be the only one. How about you, Gentle Readers? How is your relationship with your phone? I hope yours is less codependent than mine.
Flashback in the USSR
March 23, 2014
— 5 Comments
How prescient was Sir Paul when he said of course it’s going to go well here when we talk about the Ukraine girls? This song was sarcastic when it was written, and is more ironic now than ever. We are back in a state very similar to the Cold War, and the joke is heavy. Was there ever true communism??? I say no, just state capitalism, which is a sorry substitute. Today we know that putting our heads down in the hall of the school will not protect us from a full blown nuke attack. Do you see a good way to end the Russian stand-off, gentle readers?
Self Image, The Archetypes
March 21, 2014
— 2 Comments
Learning about archetypes has taught me to look at life more closely, and free myself of some old restrictive self images. We all play different parts in our own lives. As we age our desires naturally change and our personalities become more complex. In our history we can discern times when one role has been the dominant one, giving way to another as time passed. Some of us never outgrow our rebel, and some are artists whose latent talent is not discovered until a ripe old age. We all have within our psyches a child, a victim, a saboteur, and a prostitute that are brought to the spotlight by different circumstances.
Plato called this phenomena forms. Carl Jung coined the phrase and defined basic archetypes. He taught that these pure images arise in dreams and in reality as a result of the collective consciousness. Carolyn Myss has evolved the work to include many more archetypes, and has created books, cards, and courses to teach the concepts. It is a powerful practice to draw a timeline of your own life and remember when you encountered strong archetypes in yourself and other people, and how that may have been repeated. All religions use archetypes to teach lessons because they are memorable. The archetype in my first house is the hedonist. When that hedonist is good she is very very good, and when she is bad she is horrid. Such is the case with all of these eternal and universal roles. They have both a light and a dark side. The possibilities are endless. Do you have a strong dominant role you have played throughout your life?
Personal Branding, Fifties Fashion Style
March 11, 2014
— 3 Comments
Fashion follows function. In the 1950’s a model had limited options. She could be a junior or a high fashion model, a field that was evolving. Jean Patchett was a Mad Man’s dream, a fashion model married to a New York banker. She set style, but was not drawing any revenue from the rip off of her iconic eye and mouth printed on pairs of pajamas. She was in the vanguard of personal branding, but not the beneficiary of it. This interview with Edward R Murrow is a trip to a more sexist time. Jean’s famous eye had become an icon, but she had no creative control over it. She was happy just to be an icon with a famous eye, and her banker husband is happy for the same reasons.
She left us with some stunning images of her beautiful self in some amazing fashion. We will never know how liberated she was. She was able to live a life full of more travel opportunities than many had in that time, and the photos reflect her world travel. Her decision to be serious rather than smile in her shots is what made her a “high fashion” model. She was a ground breaker. She perfected the genre.
Self Evident, Truths
March 9, 2014
— 2 Comments
The Declaration of Independence is often quoted saying:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
- What then, is true about our life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness?
- Have the tables turned on middle class and working class tax payers, or is poverty the new happiness?
- Does the government work as it is intended or is it off the rails?
- Where is the Creator and what can be done to get some clarity about these rights that are not distributed evenly?
I believe that our short-sighted system that rewards politicians for serving special interests of all kinds is dishonest. Lobbyists and lawyers write the laws that favor their patrons. Our lawmakers just pass them with little revision or thought. This is not what the taxpayers intended when we paid our taxes. I wrote both a senator and a congressman about serious issues in the last year. The senator has not responded at all. The congressman never answered my concern but sent me an e-mail asking me to rate the quality of the help I had received from his office. I replied that there had been none, so it was not applicable. There has still been no response. I give it an F.
Education is the way out of this hole in which we find American democracy. It seems that the people who know who government works are abusing the systems, while the majority are not well served by the results. iCivics is addressing the problem of a large undereducated population that does not participate in elections. In the future we can hope educated people will make the bureaucracy responsive to all citizens. Learning how the government is intended to work is the first step toward making it work.
Self Sufficient, the Tiny House Movement
March 8, 2014
— 4 Comments
Americans have started to rebound from the culture of excess. The Tiny House Movement is a valid reaction to the waste and lack of awareness of the past. It is a growing trend with new options sprouting up all the time. There are rolling versions that replace the old trailer model of mobile home. There are plans to build your own as well as contractors who specialize in this kind of construction. The biggest advantage I can see is the tiny amount of time it would require to keep it clean. It would be impossible to leave any clutter I should imagine, since you have to see it constantly if you are not organized. I am so far from being able to contain myself like this. I own a barn and have an entire extra lot in which to garden. I do think it is an admirable goal, so I have started to think about what it would take for me to get tiny. I must start by selling many of my treasures that I no longer treasure. How hard would it be for you to go tiny?
Self Destruction, the History of Gin
March 7, 2014
— 2 Comments
The medicinal use of gin to prevent kidney problems in the tropics was made popular by the British. It was invented in the 17th century by Dutch medical professor Dr Franciscus Sylvius who called it Genever. It was pure alcohol flavored with juniper berries. The medicinal qualities of the berries treated the expatriate Dutch kidney complaints, since juniper is a diuretic. William of Orange made it popular in the UK. For almost the entirety of the eighteenth century half the population of England was guzzling gin. The cheapness and availability made it the curse of lower class London.
Gin and tonic also came about for medicinal treatment, for malaria. Quinine in tonic water was effective in prevention of malaria for the Brits in tropical parts of the Empire. One of the greatest fans of this medicinal drink was a medical doctor himself. Graham Chapman of Monty Python stayed drunk with Keith Moon of the Who for the decade of the 1970’s in an homage to the eighteenth century, I suppose. Dr. Chapman calculated how much gin and tonic would kill a person, and consumed just short of that amount each day. That is a scientific view of self destruction that is unusual. It took a toll. Now for Python lovers there will be a revival called One Down Five to Go in London.
Self Indulgence, Choose Well
March 6, 2014
— 4 Comments
Most luxury goods from ice cream to cars are marketed as being self-indulgent. The idea that we deserve some luxury is a tried and true method used to sell overpriced goods. Obviously luxury has to mean different things to each one of us, and our fortunes limit what we include in our worldly possessions. We do have to choose and over time our choices change. We move into a new phase or environment or hobby and find that what was a big treat in the past is not even interesting now. We may own something we thought we needed and wanted that now we no longer like. This is natural.
I am in favor of self-indulgence if it is done in a true spirit of enhancing the self. Self care and self-awareness are valid and necessary for a healthy balanced personality. To make good long-term investments in self ask yourself:
- Are there unhealthy consequences I am ignoring?
- Will this be likely to make me as happy next week as it does now?
- Do I have sufficient extra money for this indulgence at this time?
- Is there a way to try, rent, or take lessons before committing to buy?
- Am I responding to peer pressure or marketing?
- Might I enjoy this indulgence more if I saved for it or split the expense with others?
- Is there a possibility this indulgence may appreciate in value?
- How great is the possibility of buyer’s remorse?
There may be another element to consider when finding a reward for yourself that will reap future dividends. Would I enjoy this time/money/thing more if I gave it away or shared it with others in some other way? I personally can think of at least a million things I would rather own than the yacht A, and a million people who could make good use of a more reasonable boat. Everything is relative. To each her own. Choose wisely, gentle reader.
Self Image, Centering
March 5, 2014
— 2 Comments
Centering by Mary Richards
I made pottery on the wheel when I was young. Two books were read by almost all the potters I knew in those days, Clay and Glazes for the Potter by Daniel Rhodes, and Centering by MC Richards. The first technical manual often called simply Rhodes gave formulas and facts needed to produce pottery. The centering book was all about zen and becoming one with the clay in the middle of the wheel. I used to think the centering book was too silly, but now I think it is brilliant. I have not thrown pots for at least 30 years, but the practice did make a difference in my philosophy. To center the clay one must be centered. All work is exactly like that. If you are not centered, balanced, able to focus, your clay will be hard to manage. Your vision will not quite be achieved because of distraction. With clay it is possible to endlessly recycle it if it has not been fired. However, if one works for too long on a thrown piece it is very likely to collapse. Brevity and self assurance are the essence of throwing pots.
Centering was taken from an inspirational speech given to fellow craftsmen. Mary Richards was asked to elaborate on that talk in a book. The 25th anniversary edition is out so I have zapped it into my Kindle. In her introduction Ms Richards states, “The imagery of centering is archetypal. To feel the whole in every part.” Chapter one begins, “CENTERING: that act which precedes all others on the potter’s wheel.” This seems obvious, but the metaphors are many. Whatever raw materials we have must be treated as a whole to make the most of them. Many mediums are not as forgiving as clay. Once wood or fabric has been cut it can’t be thrown into a slip barrel and become new. An unfired pot that does not meet standards can begin as a new lump of clay. Sensitivity and refined touch are the main skills needed to center and throw pots. Porcelain has different feel and qualities to stoneware. Each clay body has potential and personality. Each will take glazes differently. The chemical process of fusing glaze to pot happens at high heat and must be cooled slowly to avoid cracking and crazing. There is technical accuracy, just as in distillation. One follows a recipe and keeps a firing log in order to attain exact desired results on a regular basis. There will sometimes be pots that are ruined in the kiln, and this is a fact that must be accepted. Not every pot will survive.
Mary Richards quotes Emerson who said the law is: “Do the thing, and you shall have the power. But they who do not the thing, have not the powers.” When I read this book about centering today I know that being a potter early in my life gave me an appreciation for practice and balanced design in all things. I enjoy making my own clothes, growing my own food, and designing my own life. The concept of centering means connecting from my center to the center of others, touching the core. That is the essence of life. Stay centered, my friend.
Donde Vas, Venezuela?
February 21, 2014
— 4 Comments
I lived in Venezuela in the early 1960s. My father was manager of operations for Mene Grande Oil Company, aka Gulf Oil. I lived in San Tomé in a remote petroleum camp in the llanos. I lived as a petroleum princess and listened to Radio Havana because it was the only station that came in clearly. We lived an opulent life surrounded by fences and guards. Trinidadians usually worked as servants in our homes because they were bilingual. We had one very high lifestyle in every respect.
John Kennedy was shot before I moved to South America, which was unsettling. Race riots were taking place in the states, but we were isolated from that reality hanging out at our private social club in the tropics. We lived in extreme segregation, but thought nothing of it. The seeds of revolution are planted many years before they mature. The wealth discrepancy in South America was shocking, but since it was all to our advantage we were told it was inevitable. These experiences all became part of my knowledge of the world and later part of my politics. I distrust all imperialists and their motives.
With a simplistic agenda to end unbearable insecurity the students began to march last week in all the cities in Venezuela. The outcome of this battle will be significant and was long in the making.
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