New Generation of Mermaids

Today at the summer program, we showed Disney's "The Little Mermaid" to a camp full of kids for their after-lunch movie.
 
I assumed that most of the little kids and girls would enjoy watching it.  But I didn't even think that many of them hadn't ever seen the movie.

I told them that I would most likely be reciting lines from the movie, and that I would even do a bit of a song and dance routine.

As "Part of Your World" came on, I ran to the stage, and proceeded to sing and mimic the moves from the movie.  Obviously, I was trying to be really corny for the kids, but it was also just plain fun.  I got a bit of applause from the kids as I took my bow when the song ended.

Then, when "Under the Sea" started playing, a coworker joined me on stage for a little bit of a dance routine.  It was really quite fun and silly.  The kids even put on the spotlight for us.

I'm sure the kids assumed that we'd continue to sing songs, but those were really all we had energy for.  I actually got a bit of a burn on my knee when I was getting all dramatic during "Part of Your World"!!!

It still stings...but it was so worth it.

At the end of the movie, when the kids were filing out of the auditorium, one of the youngest kids came up to me.  She said, "Cecilia, I never saw The Little Mermaid before, but I love it!!!"

It was perhaps the most heartwarming and best thing a little kid has said to me in a while.  Some of the kids in my group thoroughly enjoyed the movie, also saying that it was the first time they saw it.

I'm hoping that I hooked some of the kids the way I got hooked when I first saw the movie.  I'm hoping that I'm creating a couple of new mermaid fans for the next generation.

"Mermaids: Body Found"

Absolutely geeking out over this!!!!

The acting is horrible, and I completely get the science fictiony stuff.  But man, I love that this is "based on some real events and scientific theories." 

So, forgive me while I *squee* uncontrollably.

14 Til 30 - Mermaid Songs

17 Til 30 - Mermaid Hair From Behind

Have I mentioned how much I love my mermaid hair?

30 Til 30 - Mermaid Hair

YES!!!

Today is a month away from my 30th birthday!!!

I'm so extremely excited and nervous and excited!!!

Believe me, I've given this some real thought.  I've thought about it all through my 20's, in fact.  Having always been the youngest in my group of friends, I was always looking forward to being just a little bit older.

Now that many of my friends have been in their 30's for at least a year if not more or gone past it, it just seems like there's a lot to look forward to.  Many of them talk about how they just stopped caring so much about what other people think, and focused more on themselves.  In Sex and the City, it seemed like being in the 30's opens one up for a whole different set of experiences that just aren't as possible when you're young, dumb, and...well...naïve.

I remember having friends who were not really looking forward to getting older.  When they talked about it, it felt like it would be the end of their life as they knew it.  That always confused me.  As soon as I turned 20, I promised myself that I wouldn't fear turning 30.

And since I first started this blog back in 2009, when all those Saturn's-Return-changes were all dropping on my head, 30 couldn't come any faster.  Last year, at my 29th birthday brunch with my friends in San Francisco, we joked about how I had 1 more year to blame stupid choices on my 20's.  

But we couldn't have been more right!  Remember when I got arrested?  Yup.

Now, I have 30 days left to do crazy things before I turn 30.  Though, I obviously don't think it's all going to stop necessarily.  But I still want to do these last days of my 20's BIG.

Naturally, I had to dye my hair mermaidy one more time.  It was just coincidence/fate that my appointment was scheduled for March 23rd.

So, without further ado, here are some pictures from my hair dying experience.

getting some bleach action

this is the new look, don't ya know...

blondie for 5 minutes

so awesome! so excited I couldn't
help but to take a picture on the bus!

rolled up in a minibun

a bit more how I like it

I'm sure I'll have more pictures as the days roll on.  It feels extremely empowering to have taken control of my hair, especially since I had thought about doing this since sometime last October.

My goal for the next 30 days is to go big in everything I do.  From grocery shopping to baking to work, I want my last days of being in my 20's to be lived with full intention.

Mermaidy hair is probably the easiest intention for me to see through.

Mermaid vs Whale: A Commentary on Body Shapes

This post has been a long time coming.  I've just been having this sit in my "Drafts" area.  But I wanted to give this enough thought, and really I needed time to give I enough thought.

I saw this post on Facebook a while back with the accompanying photo.

French model Tara Lynn

A while back, at the entrance of a gym, there was a picture of a very thin and beautiful woman. The caption was "This summer, do you want to be a mermaid or a whale?"

The story goes, a woman (of clothing size unknown) answered the following way: 

"Dear people, whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, seals, curious humans), they are sexually active and raise their children with great tenderness.
They entertain like crazy with dolphins and eat lots of prawns. They swim all day and travel to fantastic places like Patagonia, the Barents Sea or the coral reefs of Polynesia.
They sing incredibly well and sometimes even are on cds. They are impressive and dearly loved animals, which everyone defend and admires.

Mermaids do not exist.

But if they existed, they would line up to see a psychologist because of a problem of split personality: woman or fish?
They would have no sex life and could not bear children.
Yes, they would be lovely, but lonely and sad.
And, who wants a girl that smells like fish by his side?

Without a doubt, I'd rather be a whale.

At a time when the media tells us that only thin is beautiful, I prefer to eat ice cream with my kids, to have dinner with my husband, to eat and drink and have fun with my friends.

We women, we gain weight because we accumulate so much wisdom and knowledge that there isn't enough space in our heads, and it spreads all over our bodies.
We are not fat, we are greatly cultivated.
Every time I see my curves in the mirror, I tell myself: "How amazing am I ?! "

Okay....did you get all that?

I feel like this is one of those stories where 1 person shares it, and it becomes a friend's story, then it becomes a friend of a friend's story, then it becomes someone my friend knows' story.  But with the power of Facebook, this happens much faster.  Now, I'm about to take this apart, piece by piece.

The Gym
Let me first address this alleged sign an alleged gym allegedly posted.  I think it was a horrible horrible analogy, and I'm sure we can agree on that.  The fact that it plays on the negative body image as well as the issue of name-calling is just straight up bullying...and you're talking to the girl who goes to early-morning bootcamp workouts. While I guess one could say that this would help bring the gym more customers, it might not bring any real results because the gym is promoting a negative self-image to begin with.

The Woman's Response
Now let me address the alleged response from this alleged woman.  You know, I don't think that putting down the other group makes you better.  People come in all shapes and sizes.  Some people's bodies are naturally skinny, while some people's bodies are naturally thicker.  Nothing wrong with either as long as they're being healthy.  Whales look the way they are because that's how they have evolved, not because they think their curves are sexy (though, I guess I don't want to speak for the whales...).

Also, "who wants a girl that smells like a fish by his side"?  Really?  She's just as guilty at promoting a negative self-image by making women more self-conscious about how they smell.  The whole smelling like fish thing really isn't helping.  Fact: any unusual odor is caused by bacteria or lack thereof...in your armpits and your vagina.  Does she realize how many women are already so self-conscious about their vaginas?  So self-conscious that it might prevent them from becoming intimate with a partner?  Why make it worse?

The woman goes on to specify that if they did exist that they would have emotional and mental problems, and they would be lonely because they would be unable to bear children.  But in so many stories, mermaids are part of a family. Shape surely doesn't define how satisfied one is with their life or how social they are.

Shape can reflect the health of a person, but being extremely thin or extremely obese are (obviously) extremes that are not desired.  It's so cliche, but moderation is really a good way to go about it.

Mermaid vs Whale
As a fan of ocean creatures and mythical creatures, it's weird to me that this comparison has happened and then was propagated in that woman's response.  Who says that a mermaid has to be super skinny?  Who decided this?  Being that they are mythical creatures, it doesn't seem fair to decide that they look one way versus another.

Don't get me wrong.  Being that I've got curves, I definitely favor a more curvy shape in my mermaids.  But that's a personal opinion.  Some people don't like whales or mermaids, and that's okay.

But using them for the purposes of making women feel less beautiful seems like an unfair and unproductive thing indeed.

Book Review: "Mermaid: A Twist on the Classic Tale" by Carolyn Turgeon

Hi All!

I just got back from Vegas late last night, and I have to gush about this book.  I began it right before I left for Vegas, and finished it on my stop-over back.  I literally had to hold back from weeping right there in the terminal.  It's a beautiful book, and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid."  Here's my review on Goodreads.com.



Mermaid: A Twist on the Classic Tale by Carolyn Turgeon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Absolutely loved this twist on Andersen's story! I'm not a fast reader by any means. But I couldn't put this book down! The story becomes more rich with the addition of the Princess' point of view, and it just changed my perspective on the entire story. This is definitely one of my new favorite books!



I also highly recommend checking out her blog: IAmAMermaid.com

I kind of want to read the book all over again, just in case I missed something the first time.
*sigh*

10 Day YOU Challenge - 9 Loves

9 loves:

1.  My Kitties

Yoni

Mencken

 2. My Family

3.  My Friends on Both Coasts

map of friends listed on Facebook

4.  My Zune and Music Collection

I've been listening to a lot of Tori lately due to her new album

5.  Dancing

Taken by Nina at Katia's Retreat

6. Food!

mmm..mickey mouse ice cream bar...

 7.  The Ocean and Beach

From Nahant Beach

 8. The Color Green in Every Shade

9.  What else but Mermaids!

my mermaid scarf

 

Beach Day - Dennis and Plymouth

I originally planned to do absolutely nothing this past weekend.

Absolutely nothing.

But when my friends asked if I was interested to join them in a beach day on the Cape, I couldn't say no.  I had only been to the Cape once before to explore the area, but it was still pretty chilly in May.

Earlier in the week, I went with the camp to Singing Beach (so called because the sand squeaks when you hit it at a certain angle).  The sand was ridiculously hot and the water was ridiculously cold.  It really should be illegal for beach water to be that cold.

But I managed to submerge myself underwater several times, but it surely felt like I might go into shock.  Still, even with nearly 100 kids, we survived.

Exhausted...but happy...and on a yellow bus...

So, it was difficult for me to believe that any beach water in Massachusetts could be manageable.  But we made our way to Dennis, which was located on the bicep of the Cape arm.

It's definitely worth it to get up early to make it to the Cape, just so you wouldn't have to park super far away from the actual shore.  However, with thanks to the town of Dennis' Beach Department (I love that they have a Beach Department!!!), if you pay the $20 to park at one beach parking, you can then park at any other Dennis beach parking lot.

At first, we stopped at Chapin Beach.  Though there was a line to get into the lot, it seemed that people were heading out fairly quickly.  We learned that it was because of the swarm of flies that were coming from the marsh on the other side of the dunes.  Those flies were pretty brutal, really.  I counted about 5 different bug bites at the end of the day.

Really, the best way to avoid the flies was to get into the water.  I was shocked at how warm the water was compared to Singing Beach!  So I was quite the happy camper.

Chapin Beach
July 16, 2011

There were also tons of little fishies swimming around!  I overheard a man telling his son that they were minnows, so I'm going to take his word for it.

Fishies, algae, seaweed, tosies

At some point, we started snacking on what we packed.  My friend asked if we wanted some chicken, which we enthusiastically said yes to.  Never would I have ever guessed that she would bring out an entire rotisserie chicken.  But never would I have ever guessed that it is really kind of a genius idea.

Chicken? Heck, ya!

After a short while, we got pretty sick of avoiding the flies, and decided to explore the town.  We ended up at the Cape Cod Chat House, which has a wonderful courtyard area where you can sit and enjoy an iced beverage and pastry.

playing with my new hair piece from Siren's Grotto on Etsy

Eventually, we decided it was nap time.  We braved another wait for parking at Mayflower Beach, and it was most definitely worth the wait.

gorgeous waters and clouds

There's a lot more space, and almost every inch of the beach was filled with people and their beach accessories.  But by 3 or 4 in the afternoon with high tide behind us, the shore was shallow for a good while.  I felt like I was walking and walking and walking and that the ocean might just take me.

It was gorgeous.  It's definitely worth it to make the early morning trek to get to Mayflower Beach.  Be patient with the morning/merging traffic and with the wait for parking.  But believe me, it is worth it.

After floating around in the water, napping, and sunning, one of my friends suggested that we head to Plymouth for dinner.  Though we ended up there just in time for the dinner rush, we eventually settled at the Blue Eyed Crab.  The food was pretty good and filling.  I had a crab burger...num!

Cheers to a successful beach day!

I was definitely nicely sunned and sleepy by the end of it all.  And I'm looking forward to more beach days with the kids, my fellow staff, and with friends.

Day 30: Older and Wiser and Mermaidier

This picture is for my best friend, since she asked for me to take a picture of my hair of the day.

Well, I feel like I really could have done a lot better with the 30 Day Challenge.  But, I really got to enjoy learning how to mess with my camera application on my phone.

It was the longest month of my life, thus far.  I'm really glad I got to participate in the 30 Day Challenge since it reminded me to slow down and notice things around me.

I probably won't stop taking random pictures, since I enjoy it so much.  But I definitely would recommend taking 30 Day Challenges that make you look beyond what you usually do.

Mermaids as The New "It" Thing

Straight up, I'm having some mixed feeling about this.  There's a part of me that's extremely extremely excited about having so many mermaid events, movies, and books coming out in the next couple of years.  Then, there's the other part that makes me nervous that mermaids won't be portrayed in the way that so many of us love them.

Then there's the issue of the bandwagon jumpers.  I know there are so many folks who love mermaids the way I do.  But I get nervous that people will be into the trend not because they love mermaids, but because it's the trend.

Does that make sense?

But, let me backtrack.  Let me gush about all the exciting things that are happening in the mermaid world.  I'm going to do it in order of the things I'm LEAST excited about (so that I can get the snark out of the way) to the things I'm MOST excited about.

Stephanie Meyer, the author of Twilight, takes on mermaids
*groan* *eyes roll*

Really?  I'm sorry if you're a Twi-tard...but I absolutely disagree with this.  Here's an article about what she's been up to and planning:
http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/movies/stephenie_meyer_no_DgiDULW5T8tmOlNIhQDJ1K 

Apparently, she's been interested in writing a new novel about mermaids.  But I just can't help but feel she will screw with the mythology and just fuck it all up (pardon my language).

In my opinion, she ruined vampires and werewolves, especially considering that she had not ever read Bram Stoker's Dracula.  I'm not really going to be okay with her ruining mermaids.  I really am not.

Well, this is actually the only thing I'm not at all looking forward to.  So on to the more exciting things!

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
On the whole, I have enjoyed the Pirates movies, even though I think Orlando Bloom is a horrible actor and Keira Knightly is just too damn skinny but feel kind of ambivalent about her.  Johnny Depp, though, well...he's hilarious and just seems like a really down to earth person even though he picks the wackiest roles.

But when I saw the first previews for this 4th movie and spotted the mermaids, well, I was excited all over again!  Then I saw a preview of it in the theaters, and was honestly shocked to know that mermaids play such an important role in the movie!

Basically, the plot of this Pirates movie is that Jack and his comrades are looking for the Fountain of Youth, which can only be found using the help of, you guest it, mermaids!!

Well, once I realized how important they were to the plot of the movie, my desire to watch this in the theater went from 0 to 10.  I might just check it one on a random weekday.

Possible Live Action "The Little Mermaid"
Here's the article that I saw posted somewhere:
http://perezhilton.com/2011-05-23-the-little-mermaid-gets-two-adaptations

I would love to see a live action movie of Andersen's version of the story!  It's obviously the better version, though I also love the Disney movie(s...though the 2nd one entitled "Return to the Sea" kind of pissed me off a bit).  But to finally get a well made movie by a pretty decent director would be great!

Of course, it's up to us sirenophiles to be the ultimate judge of that movie.  But I do hope it comes through and more information will come out soon!

"Mermaid" by Carolyn Turgeon
If you clicked on the link about about movie, you would have also seen that there's another movie out in the works.

This book has been on the top of my Amazon wish list for a while, and you better believe that when my finances are more in order that I'll be ordering me a bunch of books!

The "twist on the classic tale" is absolutely fascinating!  I personally have always sided with the Little Mermaid's point of view.  Call me biased, but I just couldn't help but feel more connected to the mermaid.  So, I'd love to read another mermaid-lover's take on the other princess' point of view.

Carolyn also has an awesome blog which I've been trying to catch up on where she interviews different folks who are involved directly or indirectly with the mermaid world.

Ariel's Undersea Adventure in California Adventure
I've been looking forward to this for forEVER!  I had the pleasure of going to Disneyland and California Adventure twice last year, and I definitely plan on making it there again before the year is over!

On June 3rd, the ride will open to the public.  So, the next time I make it to California Adventure, I plan on hitting up Ariel's Grotto (finally...I just have never been able to make it in time), Ariel's Undersea Adventure, and resting up on King Triton's Carousel of the Sea.

Me on the dolphin back in January 2010

But here's a video of the ride from someone who got to ride the preview of it.  It's not as exciting as I would have liked necessarily, though I'm not really sure what I would have wanted from it.  I do think that there was a lot of potential if this ride was a water ride, though I suppose there are already a couple of water rides in California Adventure.  The animation of the characters is pretty amazing, actually!  I think that's the most amazing part of it.

The First Annual MerCon & World Mermaid Awards
I mean, really, how could I not be the MOST excited about this???  Even though there's no way in hell I'll be able to afford to go this year (and I need to lose a couple of lbs before I get myself a mermaid tail), it's so exciting to be keeping an eye on how this first event is transpiring.

The World Mermaid Awards and MerCon is meant to celebrate all the sirenophiles out there as well as those who help us all live in the fantasy.

Part of the event will feature a convention full of artists, vendors, mermaid camps, and mermaid tail makers.

Mermaid. Tail. Makers.

Oh, one day...one day, I will have my own tail.

Oh! AND there's a Mermaid Pool Party featuring different professional mermaids!  People get to literally sit and swim around in their tails.  *gush*

I wish wish wish I could go to this.  It's almost as if the Mermaid Parade in Coney Island and the World Mermaid Awards bookend the summer.  And it's awesome.

So, like I said in the beginning, I have some mixed feelings about all this.

There's so much potential for all us mermaid lovers to get more from our community.  But I want *real* mermaid lovers (and I'm not going to define that...since I believe there are different levels of love), not posers who are getting into it because it's a trend and then move on to the next "It" thing.

But, I think the rest of us mermaids will be able to weed out those who are the real mermaids and those who are humans dressed as mermaids.

Mermaid Sighting - March 27, 2011, New York City

Mermaids on the Subway
Artwork in the New York Metro
Click on the image to see the detail.

Christmas Tree Mermaid
Artwork in a Window Display

Mermaid Collages: Let's Trade Places Today

Let's Trade Places Today by GreenestMermaid

Mermaid Collages: Treasures

In the past several days, I've finally sat down and played around with Polyvore.com.  That site is somewhat addicting.

Firstly, you get to be really creative and have fun with the clips.  Secondly, you can "clip" images from public websites (like Old Navy, for example, which is where I got stuff from my first Polyvore set).  Thirdly, it's like making collages - but without the need for wasting paper.

So, I present to you, my first collage via Polyvore.

Mermaid Treasures by GreenestMermaid

What do you treasure?  Wealth, Freedom, or Love?  How about all of the above?

It's a bit inspired by my current unemployment state. 

Concerning wealth, I've still got a lot of thinking and convincing to do with myself, especially in terms of my financial situation.  I realized that I have this opportunity with my "side job" to really profit from it.  Why haven't I continued to pursue it?  Why should acquiring a day job prevent me from continuing to pursue it?

Concerning freedom, the fact that I've been at home without a schedule has made me feel like I am less able to handle spontaneity.  And that makes this Aries Taurus Cusp a bit depressed.  I need to really re-frame my way of thinking and really take advantage of my "free time" to really build my small business and work on my future dreams.

Concerning love, I am lucky to have people who love me in my life.  But I'm in the search for a lifestyle that I can love.  I know it's so available to me, yet I've hesitated, almost as if I'm waiting to get approval from others around me.  I know I know what I love, and it's time to just go for it.

It's a start, right?

My goodness, Polyvore is like going shopping for things you can never actually afford, but then being able to play with them!  I'm looking forward to creating some more sets of things as well as using it as a creative and mental-emotional outlet.