mermaidcamp
Keeping current in wellness, in and out of the water
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Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open Minded
March 8, 2013
— 2 Comments
The Zappos fourth core value is about creativity and adventure. This aspect of life is my driving force. I enjoy being creative in everything I do. I have had great work environments with all my marketing partners. I was an outside sales travel agent , an independent contractor teaching at fabulous spas, and sometimes I would combine the two. I was a potter before that who had marketing partners in galleries. I supplied the creativity, sometimes the product, and they provide the infrastructure, like accounting. I embrace failure by being very productive..moving beyond errors by making lots of them. This core value at Zappos is an acceptance of failure as part of success. Without courage to fail you also lack courage to change anything.
I want Zappos to be my next marketing partner because I believe it can work very well for both of us. I think the product Floatli will be popular if marketed well, and that the sport, Floatli, can be a thinking, training, cooperation activity at Zappos. It can be totally non competitive, or mimic another game like volleyball wearing the equipment. By reversing gravity, the participant usually regresses and feels like laughing. If you loose control you just float to the top of the water, so injury is extremely unlikely while practicing Floatli in a pool, river, or lake. It can also feel good to move underwater with support when injury makes walking or running impossible. Prehabilitation is a great use of the Floatli system. With good range of motion and enhanced flexibility from movement n water, you are a lot less likely to hurt yourself at an active sport like skiing.
I am not looking for a job at Zappos, but a partnership, to sell the most innovative system for staying fit and flexible in the water. I will fly to Vegas, Tony, and give you a demo any time you feel adventurous and open minded enough to give me an opportunity to show you how it works. I believe we have very similar core values. I always love your products, and on my visit I loved the atmosphere at the office in Henderson. I admire the way you handle business and the happiness of all involved. I believe I can make a positive contribution to that mission, and add even more creativity to their already very zesty mix.
The Spa in Bedford Springs, Pennsylvania
March 4, 2013
— 3 Comments
I stand corrected about the spa culture in Pennsylvania. It is alive and well in Bedford Springs. The indoor and outdoor pools are heated with mineral spring water. The hotel, now operated by Omni, is an historic building as well as a health resort from another era. The historic Bedford Springs Hotel was a favorite of many presidents of the US. The healing waters were taken internally as well as used in bathing. The existence of 8 different sources makes this a very special location. The revival of the hotel to a glorious state of the art facility warms my heart, and will warm my body in September. I love to visit places that have been in continuous use as health resorts for centuries. They acquire a certain culture that is always interesting and usually healthy too.
As an historic landmark the hotel building has very specific restoration standards. They are exacting. A source of water was discovered during the renovation that is known as Spring Eternal. The new deluxe spa is named after this spring. The large property was purchased by Dr Anderson in 1796 for development as a health center. His approach included diet and exercise as well as use of the healing waters. The inclusion of local botanicals as well as the spring water is still part of the treatments at the fancy new facility. I look forward to taking a dip, wishing the live musicians were still playing at the indoor pool. There is even an herbal steam room..be still my heart.
Plant Strong
March 3, 2013
— 2 Comments
The newest food craze is not called vegetarian, but plant-based diet. I listened to the interview on Marketplace with the CEO of Veggie Grill who is capitalizing on the trend. I noticed also in the news is the very trendy Engine 2 Diet in which real firemen show you how to quit eating meat. Firefighters are known to enjoy good food and being fit, so this image gets the attention of guys. I love all the new recipes and products one can try on the market. I even love the boot camps the Engine 2 peeps do at farms. The mother of them all will take place in New York in August. It will be called…you will not believe it…Plant stock. It will be followed be the Woodstock Fruit Festival.
Drugs are not the alternative now, since everyone is on prescriptions for virtually any small annoyance. Everyone is on drugs, so the alternative culture to take the stage for the youth today is raw vegan health food. Who would ever have thought this would happen? We should have known something was up when Bill Clinton became a vegan. I have been mostly vegetarian since 1969, with a few fishes eaten in the late 1970s. Frequently when fads catch up to me I drop them because it is dull by the time everyone does it. This time I am crazy about the fad, and embrace the young hippies with all their kale and juicers. They have a good idea, and it is catchy. I wish them luck as they try to make food last for the next set of eaters.
Frankfort Mineral Springs, Pennsylvania
March 3, 2013
Investigating the possibilities to spa down in Pennsylvania, the past appeals to me much more than the present. The current favorite for PA visitors is the Hotel at Hershey which has many chocolate ways to do body treatments. Oh dear, was that ever not what I had in mind. I looked for hot springs, which are almost non existent. The one that served as a health spa is now part of a state park near Pittsburgh. In the 1800s it was all the rage to take the waters and seek health in Beaver County. I wish my class reunion in Oakmont could end with a month of water taking, but, alas, that was a different century. This spring was closed in 1912. The lodge burned down in 1932 and was closed for good. The ghost people like it. If my own ancestors had been there I might be more into the hauntedness. What I am seeking is a big pool full of hot mineral water. This does not seem to exist. It looks like the only ones who do spa rituals in Pennsylvania are dead people and folks for whom chocolate is a travel destination…very interesting.
early sketch
state park
Beaver County Landmark
Rebel Archetype
March 2, 2013
— 2 Comments
If I am classified by others I imagine the rebel archetype is used liberally. I have both cast myself in this role, and have been asked to play it. Rebels are catalysts for change. They reject conformity. Steve Jobs made the misfits trendy and to disrupt is now an honored business method. Disobedience or disrespect of authority is not as evil as we are taught by those same authorities. Revolutions are brought about in all corners of the earth by people who are willing to risk and step outside the norm.
Many revolutions in history have been brutal and angry, while some of the grandest have been almost sneaky. The digital revolution has a cutting edge that must be driven by rebels because it takes that spirit to continually disrupt and change the current methods. We may soon have Google glasses and internet TV at home because of the rebellious among us. I have to tend my own rebel, who does not do homework, who procrastinates, and who takes shortcuts. She is not terribly evil, but she does give my teacher archetype a whole lot of flack. If I have an internal war, it is between this teacher and this rebel. They are both persuasive and have great achievements to show for their particular philosophy. Both study and patience and completely out of the ordinary gambles have worked out for me. I need to honor them both because they are sticking with me for the rest of the flight, it seems. The rebel must be unleashed with care and proper consideration for best effect.
Psyche
March 2, 2013
— 1 Comment
Butterfly
Psyche is the goddess of the soul. Her curiosity and her great beauty made her life difficult. She was the object of Aphrodite’s jealousy. The story of Beauty and the Beast is almost exactly the tale of Psyche. She earns her place in the pantheon by enduring hardship and deceit. Psychic has come to mean the ability to sense beyond the obvious. Our experiences in life that test our ability to see through disguises are maturing our psyches.
Congress Hoist with Own Petard
March 1, 2013
— 1 Comment
If only the congressional lemmings were left to their own devices I believe we could be rid of them. Their herd has lost all healthy instincts, all survival skills. If we did not support them they would not survive on their own. They appear to be determined to do anything to blame somebody else for reality. They have all this lobby/campaign money and ethic that leads them directly away from the people’s work. They are transparent as they fatten up every piece of greasy legislation with porky-hambone-chops. The have no shame about their intentions, which are to be sent back to live the life in the nation’s capitol at our expense. They have gone on a long weekend break, having been exhausted by non stop refusal to cooperate. Why are we overpaying toddlers to fight with each other? Why are these reckless petardiers still loose on the town with our money?
Hoist with their own petard, they run home to whine to voters about the contents of this mess. Is there anyone who does not wish the Congress would just stop bickering and start working? The whole thing looks like a cartoon each night on the news. In dreams the Roadrunner deals with their crazed, inflated-ego selves, as he does with the delusional Wylie Coyote.
I Once Was Lost, But Now Am Found
February 28, 2013
— 1 Comment
Handicrafts Club
I have been found by a group of people I would never have guessed were looking for me. My classmates from elementary and junior high have tracked me down to invite me to the reunion of the graduation I would have had with them had I not moved. I am blown away in many ways. First, I always admire good detective work. Second, I am touched and pleased and thrilled to be remembered for so long. Third, in am in flashback mode, laughing hysterically. Stories and pictures have been produced that take me back to Oakmont, PA in the 1950’s and early 1960’s. These were very fun, if somewhat unfashionable, times. In the above picture I am in the front row with jazz hands crossed on lap at the left end. Nobody remembers what kind of handicrafts we made. Another sexist ploy like home ec, where I received the one and only D of my academic career for stabbing the seam ripper through the pocket of my apron sewing project. Mrs. Gallashun, you can shove your apron….because I still have it for some perverse reason.
Jr high cheerleaders
In the photo above I am seated in my Oaks sweater, which was green and white. I am third from the left, leaning conspicuously to the left in some body language clue about my feelings about my fellow cheerleaders. This one is very funny to me because it brings on total recall of the games and the cheers and getting my collar bone broken playing tackle football with the high school boys when my parents were out of town. In fact it brings back floods of nostalgia and appreciation for the really excellent place we had to live as kids. We had Roberto Clemente, and life was very easy.
These are the people with whom I built snow forts, went sledding, ice skated, sang, baton twirled, and played dodge ball. These are the people who taught me to speak with a very heavy accent I no longer have, but do enjoy hearing. I am into the Amish Mafia on TV because I like to hear them talk. I can’t believe they have changed so much, but still sound the same. The Oakmonters are having a party which includes a tour of the high school, which happens to be the same building where I went to elementary school, two blocks from my house. I think I have to go. I think the past is calling loudly, and I have to answer. It is just too funny.
Peach Flower Essence
February 27, 2013
— 2 Comments
The use of flower essences was made popular by Dr Bach in the first half of the 20th century. He was a physician who discovered the effects on his own emotions when he took simple essences of flowers. His formulas are used widely today, the most famous being rescue remedy, which is a combination of flowers. I have used these concentrated bottled products for years and find them to be effective. However, when the flowers bloom I enjoy making and drinking fresh pure flower remedies.
Practitioners of this method must know and study carefully the proper dosage for a patient. Since I am enjoying my own, I am not concerned with the conventional practice of using a few drops diluted in alcohol for a remedy. I drink much larger quantities straight up. I always know the meaning of the flower and the cure for which it is used commercially. There are many local companies doing remedies now, so finding a reference to a specific flower is not so hard. It does require the use of the Latin name. Common names in botany can lead to serious errors.
My peach tree is in bloom now and the bees are busy turning the blooms into peaches. I will make an essence when the weather warms later in the week. Peach, Prunus persica, is used for altruism. It is a catalyst that facilitates the release of tension by those who fret excessively over their own problems. It allows nurturing from wholeness rather than from neediness. It is recommended for external application. This is important. The remedy works if you put it in a bath or rub it into the skin. You do not need to consume it to enjoy the benefits. The first step in making an essence is to meditate on the plant. Enter a quiet state, the best you can, and ask the plant for healing.
This is not natural to you yet, but if you do it for a while, you will begin to feel (notice, perceive) the plant respond to your request. Staying quiet and respectful, pay attention as you pick the flowers so as not to strip or deplete the tree. Placing the flowers in a clear vessel full of clear water, rest the glass container in the sun (or moon) for a while. This is subjective. Do not let it become sun tea, as the flower is delicate. Stop before the flower wilts, but after a taste has entered the water. It often tastes like cucumber or melon. Roses, iris, violets, and citrus taste just like they smell, which is lovely. Peach has little smell or taste, but the beauty of the flowers makes a very happy meditation.
bee in peach tree
prunus persica
peach blossom special
bee on peach
bee with pollen sacks
bee in peach blossom
bee in peach tree
prunus persica flowers
Civilized Dining Near Death
February 27, 2013
seasonal food
“The preparation of good food is merely another expression of art, one of the joys of civilized living…” Dione Lucas
Survival depends on finding a source of nutrition. Today there is a trend to look to restaurants for food service. In the distant past the household was challenged to grow, kill, store, and otherwise provide the food for a family. Now by driving through, it is possible to leave the drudgery of dietary delicacy decision making to the folks at Dairy Queen. Restaurants now exist in giant chains with processed ingredients provided by the central supplier. This has given rise to a slew of cooking shows and networks, and celebrities. These celebrities enjoy food and know how to prepare it. That is why they are out of the ordinary in 2013. They remember, or have been trained, to eat and enjoy a variety of seasonal foods. They may have even visited a farm. No wonder we regard them as very special beings.
The McRib is not a seasonal food, although Americans believe it is. The pumpkin spice latte is not either. Pumpkins themselves are seasonal, growing outside in fields and needing to be picked at a certain time. Latte flavoring is forever. It is possible it will remain in your organs forever also. How is it possible that America is so far removed from grow it, kill it, eat it, that they have no idea where their food has been, or by whom it has been handled? I am not a stuffy or a picky eater, which might be challenged, since I am a vegetarian. What I want when I pay another entity to feed me is attention to detail, each and every detail. I want to feel the careful work that has been done to please my palette every time I put a bite into my mouth. When I cook that is what I hope to achieve. Of course, I do not always succeed, but there is never a doubt that I have made the effort. I would rather fail royally in my own kitchen than to be fed by the careless.
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