mermaidcamp

mermaidcamp

Keeping current in wellness, in and out of the water

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I Adore Elisio Pitta

December 13, 2013 — 2 Comments

I met Elisio Pitta 20 years ago when he visited Rancho la Puerta to teach and do a capoeira demonstration.  I had never seen capoeira before and was fascinated by the grace and power of the movements.  He taught us some Brazilian folkloric dance also.  We were all beginners, but he managed to get us all moving and enthusiastic in the few days he was our teacher.  I have had the opportunity to learn from excellent teachers, but his talent to both teach and move was beyond compare.  I never really attempted to learn the form, but I never forgot it either.

His career in dance has taken him around the world from his hometown, Bahia.  He lives on a hill with a fantastic view of  the Atlantic and has very deep cultural roots in the city.  He has been performing a new dance of his own creation there this week, and soon will take the show on the road.  Next month he will perform Othello in Shakespeare’s own country, in Liverpool England.  Using Brazilian music and original choreography by Elisio he interprets the classic story of jealousy and regret.  He dances the part of Othello and projects the other characters onto the stage in preproduced segments to tell the story of Desdemona’s ill fated murder and his subsequent remorse.  He is using contemporary props and costuming in the production to go with his digital cast members.  I asked him why he decided to be Othello and he told me that it is the Year of Shakespeare and he always wanted to do it.  Classy.

I admire his extreme creativity and dedication to the art of dance.  His natural talent is obvious, but he has used his talents and his strong cultural lineage to transcend boundaries.  I think Shakespeare is proud of him.  I am pleased to know such a talented and artistically ambitious man.

Flaunta, Goddess of Confidence

December 12, 2013 — 2 Comments

Flaunta was the second cousin of the goddess Aphrodite.  She became the goddess of confidence.  Her journey to her vocation to inspire and represent confidence was a story of self discovery. Aphrodite needed no outside assurance to know she was a great beauty.  She exuded it.  The young Flaunta was not convinced of her own powers, but passed through a jealousy of earth women who enjoyed and were confident in their own good looks.  She studied the powerful and confident women, learning their secrets. Eventually her cousin would bestow the title and the powers of confidence goddess on Flaunta.  She is active today in the complicated self image issues women face about appearance and competence.  Being authentic and unique leads to the highest kind of confidence, as Tank Girl can attest. Confident women know:

  • Personal power and charisma are unlocked with confidence
  • Spending lots of time and money on appearance defeats confidence
  • Standing out from the crowd is a fabulous way to be
  • Following fashion can make a monkey out of you
  • Your instincts are worth following
  • Your artistic style has yet to be fully nurtured and developed

Get to know Flaunta, and take her with you next time you need to look something or somebody right in the eye.  Nothing says “I got this” like control of your gaze.  Bluffing or not, the first impression you give will remain strong when you show self assurance.

Rock, Paper, Paperwhite

December 11, 2013 — 1 Comment

I am a recovering reading addict. I will probably be an over-reader for the rest of my days, so the question is where why and how to read. I received my Kindle Paperwhite yesterday and am very pleased with it.  It has a very adjustable screen that allows you to fine tune the font and the backlight to suit all situations.  It is light and I find it is much easier to hold than an iPad, where my first Kindle books resided.  There has been much thought and design work put into this creation.  It is for reading, without distraction.  It is a noticeable upgrade from paper.

People used to hold newspapers up to read, and some still do.  This is a kind of space divider that lets others know (or think) that we are busy reading, learning and becoming more informed.  I used to read the Wall Street Journal almost every day with the small print and big ads.  If you hold that paper up to read at the Starbucks you are making a statement about your interests.  I used to read Architectural Digest and Yoga Journal all the time.  I still have  subscription to The Week  magazine which I am much more likely to read in the digital version, while the paper one sits around unopened.  I just cleared out years of them from my magazine rack, most with almost no pages read.  I bought a 5 year subscription, and I do love the reporting/curation because it features articles from journalists around the world rather than an American only perspective. While Newsweek is returning to print for subscribers only, my involvement with paper publications is dwindling. If I have a burning news question I ask twitter what is happening. My conversion to digital makes my life easier and better because:

  • The Paperwhite and it’s cover fit nicely into my purse
  • The entire Amazon Prime lending library is available to me on it
  • The advanced comfort and ease of the adjustable settings is stellar
  • I can store books in it for reading with no Wi-Fi
  • I have nothing to return to the library or eliminate if I don’t like the book
  • The screen stays on for recipe use, which is a problem with iPad
  • It has a super long better life so I can read for days without recharging

In the kitchen or on the go, the Paperwhite is the tiny portable but unlimited library I always wanted.  I am sure I will return some day to the Pima County Library, but for now I am perfectly happy to have my library in the cloud.

Winter Traditions Unplugged

December 10, 2013


The ancient world was more highly aware of the seasons than we are today because they had to make fire to stay warm or see at night. Religion, tradition, and regional provincialism are woven together at the winter solstice time.  We have a food and drink festival that imitates Saturnalia and a birthday the resembles the birth of Mithra.  I believe I have inherited some feelings for Christmas from the way my ancestors behaved.  I have had the good fortune to be in other countries to celebrate the season, which opened my eyes to the wide variety and regional roots of the holiday practices.  I choose the part I like and feel no pressure to perform now that my ancestors are all dead.  I see the end of the year as a fun break before tax organization season, and a good excuse to party with friends.  We give few gifts, but like to share extra food and drink with friends.  I like to embrace it as an upside down time, a season for preparation and clearing.  Spring will be right around the corner, when the harvest cycle can begin once more.  For now, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen; it is time to party.

Poet Archetype

December 8, 2013

The poet archetype is insightful and artistic.  Symbolic language captures the spirit of a person, place or time to place it in the timeline of history.  Painters paint and dancers dance to express wonder.  Joy, sorrow, and the deepest amazement can be brought to the surface through art.  The audience, the reader, or the viewer  is symbolically imprinted by the artists’ insight and ability.  Poetic styles change with language as it evolves over time. Essence is the poet’s product.  Language is capable of painting subtle watercolors, and leaving haunting images with the reader. Poetic language does not always need to appear in published poems.  Poetry and motion have similar qualities.  There is style, strength, and expression in everything we do.  If we were to become conscious of a story that is ours to tell, and begin to tell it, we will be poetic.

Maker House in Tucson

December 5, 2013

I have been hearing a lot about the Maker House downtown, so today I dropped off some of my old Christmas decorations and took a tour of the space with Lisa. What a fabulous space!!!! I plan to go  back over the weekend for the tree trimming party. I want to learn how to use the programmed sewing machines and the 3D printers. This is exactly the kind of development that will make downtown vibrant and economically sustainable.  I enjoyed a very tasty cappuccino before I left, then came right home and joined on line.  I think this is just what the fun doctor ordered.  I always like old and well designed buildings.  It is great that this one has opened to the public.

Sugar Plums

December 4, 2013


Dancing in our heads in December are sugar plums, even if we don’t know what they are.  I started making them years ago after I looked them up in a cookbook. I mix and match any dried fruits and nuts for the desired texture.  I am not a fan of fennel or anise, so I never use those spices.  You can choose the ones you prefer.  I like the drunk ladies’ addition of the orange peel, and I plan to incorporate it this year.  I am also stalking an exotic date found only in Scottsdale, the Black Sphinx.  I am going up soon on a visit and will bring these delicate beauties home for an extra special batch of sugar plums.  Dates are extra sticky and sweet, and lend themselves well to this treat.  If you have not tried to make this, it is almost impossible to fail, so give it a whirl.  They are universally liked by all ages.

Aguinaldos for Christmas

December 4, 2013


In the tropical part of the world Christmas is celebrated differently. Aguinaldos are songs that people sing during the season.  The man above is playing an instrument I have not seen, the Puerto Rican cuatro ( which seems to have 8 strings and be pretty big).  The traditions differ, but where I lived in Venezuela, the parranda, or band of musical merry makers, went from house to house singing, drinking and then taking the family with them along to the next house.  Unlike Christmas caroling, this parranda gets bigger and more spirited as the night continues.  They usually came to my house last because my dad was their boss (everyone who lived in the petroleum camp) and it was fitting that he supply the alcohol for the majority of the evening. They came with harps and cuatros, guitars and furucos, cramming into our large central courtyard and rushing the bar.  They made up improvisational songs about our house and our family, a la calypso (which comes from neighbor Trinidad).  Many of the songs were funny and had nothing to do with Jesus.  Some people think of Christmas and snow, and that is fine, but there is more to December than sleighs and gluttony.  Here are some religious Venezuelan aguinaldos. I do like to hear the Mormans ripping a Hallelujah Chorus or two, but I am also very nostalgic about the memory of my tropical Christmas fun. Feliz Navidad!

Trickster Timeline for December

December 3, 2013

When our parents told us about Santa they may have introduced the trickster archetype. They meant to transcend stuffy conventional behavior by using a character who rides in a reindeer sleigh.  They created a fairy tale about being good little girls and boys in order to influence us.  They fooled us, some more, some less.  I remember finding the matching Ginny doll ( she was before Barbie, and younger with flat feet) dress my mother was sewing hidden in a drawer before Christmas.  I knew it was going to become a surprise from Santa, and I instantly activated my own trickster archetype in order to make my parents keep up the heavy duty gifting.  The double tricking, which was probably known to all, lasted until I felt the need to tell them I had busted them and was no longer in need of a Santa Claus.

Kids in other cultures are taught different stories about Christmas.  Traditional celebrations  frequently predate Christianity, but have blended now with church practices.  Krampus, aka Shmutzli, is the dark, scary-hairy dude who travels with St. Nicholas on Dec 6.  They have the job of scaring all the children into good behavior for the following three weeks.  Only the well behaved kids will be gifted by the baby Jesus on the night before Christmas when he flies around and enters their windows with presents.  Advent is typically a big deal in Europe, as is Three Kings Day.  They spread it out over a longer period, not so much focus on 25 Dec and buying all the goods in the world.  December 6th is officially Krampus Day in Austria, which they enjoy with much costuming and scary monster gear, like torches.  I was once in Vienna on Krampus Day and came upon one in the night..they jump out and shock the bejezuz out of you.  Krampus is much more popular in Austria than Santa, I think because he is more exciting.  He is often seen hanging from rear view mirrors in December in Austria.

NaBloPoMo Ends

November 29, 2013 — 5 Comments

All good things must come to an end. My month of blogging daily has been a good practice. NaBloPoMo, the challenge, officially ends today. I had not participated in any blogging events before this one, and have found many new blogs I enjoy reading during the month. BlogHer is very well organized and vast.  Now that I have been there for a month, I think I will look around more and learn how the whole site really works.  The blogging conference they hold each year is popular and well attended.  In 2014 it will be in San Jose, CA.  I am not too excited about conferences in general, and big ones like this are even less appealing.  I do believe I can enjoy meeting and reading other bloggers who participate without getting on a plane and seeing them in person.  I appreciate the opportunity to join in the fun from my own office. Next November I think I will prepare by making an editorial calendar. The best part of reading new blogs is the variety.  I am constantly amazed by the creative and imaginative work I find in blogs.  Finding new work I like to read is like finding buried treasure.  The discipline of producing a post every day was good, but even better was the fantastic artistic energy of the entire group of participants.  I expect it gets bigger each year.  Next November, instead of growing a mustache, consider blogging daily…(They are not mutually exclusive, and many blog about their mustaches).