Saturday, September 29, 2012

Ocean View

For those of us that do not live near the ocean, we can now explore the undersea world with Google. In a recent article at Mashable.com by Anita Li, we are introduced to the aquatic side of Google Street View.

Explore Australia's Great Barrier Reef, Oahu, Hawaii's Hanauma Bay, and much more. Let me know if you spot any mermaids!

Fuel?
Seawater as fuel?

Tired of high fuel prices? Tired of looking for a fuel stop when away from home? The US Navy is, too. The Navy wants to use seawater for fuel. Take a look at this article from Gizmodo.com by Leslie Horn.

What do you think of this idea? Is it feasible? Would it be environmentally friendly?

Getting Started

I have heard from a number of readers that are new to the mermaid community. Thank you for visiting! Some of you may be wondering how you can get started in mermaiding without spending too much money. Before you purchase a mermaid tail or make your own, you may want to practice swimming with a monofin.

One of the major monofin retailers is Finnis of Livermore, California. Several styles of monofin are available from Finnis, and children's sizes are available as well. Finnis also carries a wide variety of other products, including snorkels and training fins.

Once you have a monofin, you can practice the Dolphin Kick method of swimming. There are a number of videos on YouTube that can help you learn the technique. Just search YouTube for 'dolphin kick technique'.

And of course, remember to have your mertender nearby... Never swim alone.

Best wishes and starfishes,
-Mermaid Cynthia
cynthia (at) goldmermaid.com

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Monday, September 24, 2012

News Shell 8

Tossed in the seaweed once again, we find today's News Shell with more news and fun for merfolk.

How to Become a Real Mermaid

The Huffington Post always has some interesting articles. The recent article, 'How to become a real mermaid' by Brenda Peterson is sure to catch the eye of many mermaid fans. It provides a little history of a woman that ran away from home in the 1940s to become a mermaid at Weeki Wachee Springs.  It also covers Mer-Palooza and modern day mermaid performers such as Hannah Fraser.  Check out the full article.

Cat Tails?

We at News Shell realize that this isn't mermaid related, but most of us do come up to the surface from time to time. And, this is kinda fun... A Japanese company will soon come out with mind-controlled cat tails for humans. Their first offering was mind-controlled cat ears, and so the transformation is almost complete. Your heart rate and brain wave activity cause the ears and/or tail to reflect your mood. Read the full article on Wired UK

Sealife Word Search

Dive right in and see how many sea creatures you can spot in the grid below. Print out this page, and then circle each word as you find it.

O A T T E B A R C E R O H S H P
C C L A M E R M A N A T E E Q R
O J W H A L E F G R A T S A E S
R L V E S I T A N G N S N H U T
Y E P B T K S H S I F T A O G I
A S S D R E B R H E V R I R R N
R S Q U I D O P A E A O L S E G
A U D G P C L N R S N C D E E R
T M E O E O W I K I U K O O N A
N F T N D Z T H I O T F S W C Y
A H U G B X K C J P E I C A R L
M E R M A I D R O R P S A L A L
L M T L S L B U K O M H R R B O
N E L M S H R I M P I Y Q U I M
C J E L L Y F I S H L A E S W F

Word List:  BETTA, CLAM, COD, CORY, DOLPHIN, DUGONG, EEL, GOATFISH, GREEN CRAB, JELLYFISH, LIMPET, LOBSTER, MANATEE, MANTA RAY, MERMAID, MERMAN, MOLLY, MUSSEL, OCTOPUS, OSCAR, PORPOISE, ROCK FISH, SEA COW, SEA HORSE, SEA STAR, SEAL, SHARK, SHORE CRAB, SHRIMP, SNAIL, SQUID, STING RAY, STRIPED BASS, TANG, TUNA, TURTLE, URCHIN, WALRUS, WHALE

Trending

I enjoy checking out the blog statistics to see what readers are searching for. Here is the latest information:
- Mermaid
- Mermaid Kylee
- Shells
- Merman
- Mermaid Pictures
- Mermaid Profession
- Mermaid Rain

Best wishes and starfishes,
-Mermaid Cynthia
cynthia (at) goldmermaid.com

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Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Mermaid Mizuko


Today we take a trip Down Under for a lively chat with Mermaid Mizuko. Mizuko is Japanese for Water Child, and that fits our guest perfectly. As we arrive, we find Mizuko relaxing near the shore.

Mermaid Mizuko
Cynthia: Greetings! Tell us a little about yourself, Mizuko.
Mizuko: I'm a small town girl who moved to the 'big city' a few years ago! I have a lot of interests- including fashion, drawing, performing and day-dreaming. My favourite colour is pink, and it shows in almost everything I do, from my clothes to my computer! Until I moved to the city, I lived in a fishing/surfing town on the West Coast of South Australia, so I was extremely lucky to have an ocean-loving family and spent every spare minute at the beach or marina: swimming, surfing, diving, camping. Because of this I have seen a lot of amazing wildlife in their natural environment, which led me to be a big animal lover. I am so grateful for the upbringing I had, as I know it shaped the person I am today!

Cynthia: How did you first become a mermaid?
Mizuko: I took the dive and officially became a mermaid mid-2011, but in my heart I had been a mermaid for life. Having the opportunity to literally grow up in the ocean, the idea of living and breathing beneath the waves was always something I desired and dream about. I used to run around the house using Mum's sheets as a tail pretending I was on some undersea adventure, and I read numerous books about mermaids (my favourite still being 'The Mermaid Princess' by Shirley Barber, it continues to influence me today). I even swam like a mermaid, using dolphin kick, ALL THE TIME. I refused to swim normally! Haha!

In 2011 I took the plunge and decided that I should live my dream. I researched online about other mermaids and how to make tails. And then I purchased my first monofin! Oh man, was I excited! Then I made my first tail (pink, of course). It was such a learning curve, as I am terrible at sewing, but when it was done it was the proudest day of my life. The first swim in it was as natural as breathing, and I knew right away I had found myself.

Cynthia: What kind of performances do you do?
Mizuko: At the moment I am still learning on the performance-side of mermaiding! But I have a variety of skills which have helped me, such as singing, acting and dancing experience from my years on the stage. Kids love it when I burst out singing, it really makes them go “oh wow, she's a real mermaid!” My freediving has improved a bundle, too, as I practice as often as I can. This makes me more confident with underwater tricks like blowing bubble kisses and bubble rings, as I can stay down the bottom much longer!

I try my best to bring the fantasy of a mermaid into every experience I have with people- whether it be popping up beside them in the pool to just say hello, or talking about my sea-lion pup who keeps chewing on my hair. The main thing about performing is to have fun! If you are having fun, everyone around you will pick up on the vibe and will enjoy themselves too. Making people happy is such a wonderful thing to do, and its one of the best things about being a mermaid.

Cynthia: Tell us about your connection to the play, "A Midsummer's Night Dream".
Mizuko: Being on stage for most of my life, I love acting and being a new character. Midsummer's Night Dream is one of my favourite plays ever! Its full of love, comedy, magic and of course Puck! Puck is the mischievous (or is it just clueless?) fairy who causes all kinds of trouble for the fairy-folk and humans alike, and I loved his character the second I read the book. I've got the opportunity to play him in a few months and I am so excited!

Of course, the magic and fantasy of Midsummer's Night Dream isn't the only thing that makes it my favourite Shakespeare play! The best line (for me) is said by Oberon:

My gentle Puck, come hither. Thou rememberest
Since once I sat upon a promontory,
And heard a mermaid on a dolphin's back
Uttering such dulcet and harmonious breath
That the rude sea grew civil at her song
And certain stars shot madly from their spheres,
To hear the sea-maid's music.

Yes, it is my favourite line because its about mermaids! Hehe!

Cynthia: You have a blog of your own I hear.
Mizuko: I do! Its a mish-mash of my daily life, fashion, mermaiding, and a general diary! I found if I dont write things down, I tend to forget them. So it is a way of sharing my memories and experience with the world, as well as a good reminder in years to come for myself! I'm not a talented writer, so hopefully people find it easy to read! Haha!

Mermaid Mizuko
Cynthia: Do you have any special stories from your adventures?
Mizuko: In my short life so far, I've had so many adventures! Most of them revolve around the ocean and my own mistakes, haha! When I was in my early teens, my family were camping on the beach, and everyone but me had gone out on the boat for a day of fishing. I was swimming and building sand castles having a great time- when suddenly I saw this huge black shape come barreling toward me from the deeper water. Scared, I raced (backward) out of the water and watched it approach. Only to realize there was an even bigger shape following close behind it- water was spraying off its back as its belly scraped the shallows. Before I knew it, the first shape- a huge sting ray- launched itself out of the water on to the sand in front of me, followed only seconds behind by the biggest sea lion I had ever seen. The sea lion proceeded to bite hard on the ray, killing it instantly, and stood triumphantly on top of it. He then just stared at me with his round, dark eyes. Pretty sure I stared back in absolute disbelief.

I spent the next fifteen minutes backing away slowly, running to the tent, and searching for a camera. Eventually the seal ate the stingray, and casually waded back into the water to vanish. I never did find that stupid camera. And my family still doesn't know whether to believe me or not!!

Cynthia: Is there anything else you would like to share with us?
Mizuko: If there is one thing I have learned since becoming a mermaid, its that being yourself is the most rewarding thing anyone can do! Follow your dreams, no matter how far away they feel, because every step toward your goals is an amazing experience and learning curve.

I hope to use my mermaiding to bring awareness to the oceans off South Australia and Australia in general- I know the importance of sustainable fishing and ocean conservation as these were important parts of my life growing up. I believe people can live, fish and dive in harmony with the ocean and its creatures, but we have got to get the awareness up first! These are my dreams and goals, and I know that with hard work and positivity, I can make a difference. Which means we can all make a difference!

Cynthia: Yes, each of us can make a difference. Thank you very much, Mizuko. Look for Mizuko on Facebook, and do check out her blog as well.

Best wishes and starfishes,
-Mermaid Cynthia
cynthia (at) goldmermaid.com

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Friday, September 14, 2012

Entertainers With a Tail


On September 10th, CNN ran an article by Katherine Dorsett Bennett entitled, Mermaids: Entertainers With a Tail. This entertaining article tells you where to go in the US to find mermaid entertainers. Locations include the Sip 'n Dip Lounge in Montana and the Wreck Bar in Florida. As you may remember, The Wreck Bar is the home of Aquatic Performer MeduSirena (see photo). I had the pleasure of interviewing MeduSirena back in April of this year.

Also mentioned in the article is the Silverton Casino in Las Vegas, which was the home of the 2011 Mermaid Awards and Convention. Mermaids are a regular attraction there, and the primary theme of the hotel and casino.

At the end of the article, Ms. Bennett invites you to send in your theme bar recommendations.

Tail Flip Magazine

The third edition of the online mermaid themed magazine, Tail Flip, is now available. As they say, the magazine is 'for the mer-community, and by the mer-community'. A big splash of thanks to Raina the Halifax Mermaid for putting together another great issue.

This issue contains a number of cool photos from MerPalooza 2012 on pages 10 and 11. There are also book reviews, an interview with artist David Ayala, and interviews with mermaids Lanai and Raven.

Tweets and Splashes

A recent visit to Twitter has proven that mermaids are still a very popular subject there. In this one short visit I collected quite a few amusing tweets:

"Lost my brush and had to use a fork to comb my hair. I felt like the Little Mermaid but older..."

"In case you're wondering, my 10yo and 4yo agree that a unicorn would beat a mermaid in a fight. Unless the fight was underwater."

This one was posted by one of the other many mermaids on Twitter:
"If I had to choose between dating a human boy and keeping my tail, I would choose my tail."

"Convince the rubes on this passing cargo ship that you're a mermaid by wearing seashells and refusing all offers of rescue."

"I panic like a mermaid stuck in a puddle."

It is great to see folks that plan ahead:
"Today: cleaned room, won a Lakers cape, planned film shoot. Still To Do: Go to airport, bible study, put a mermaid in a fountain."

"Always be yourself. Unless you can be a mermaid. Then always be a mermaid."

"Walked in on my 8 year old sister rubbing salt water on her legs. I ask why. Her response: I'm trying to turn into a mermaid. No words."

"Retweet if u r a mermaid."
So I did!

Best wishes and starfishes,
-Mermaid Cynthia
cynthia (at) goldmermaid.com

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Sunday, September 9, 2012

News Shell 7

You are just in time for another informative News Shell. If you have mermaid related news to share, please send it to me at the email address below. If you see an interesting news article online, let me know about that as well.

Water Ball

Humans love the water almost as much as we merfolk. I was at Grapevine Mills Mall in Grapevine, Texas over the weekend, and came across the scene on the right. A water ride in the middle of the mall, yet nobody gets wet! What will they think of next? The young women that were splashing around when I went by appeared to be having a great time. Everyone loves splashing around.

Boiled Shrimp Recipe

I like many seafood dishes, and shrimp is one of my favorites. At home, I usually have baked shrimp covered with Italian style bread crumbs. Recently, I thought of making boiled shrimp at home. After finding a promising recipe at food.com, we decided to give it a try. The results were quite good, so I thought I would share the recipe with you.

The recipe works well for shrimp that will be served hot as well as cold. When serving warm, bring along your choice of cocktail sauce or Cynthia's secret recipe tarter sauce.

The Starbucks Logo

Most of us are familiar with the Starbucks mermaid logo, but are you familiar with the origin of the logo? In a recent article on The Next Web, we learn the origin of the Starbucks logo and three others: Android, Apple, and NASA. What was the inspiration behind these four world-famous logos?

Interview Responses

I would like to thank Carolyn Turgeon once again for publishing her interview of me on August 29th. The response from readers has been wonderful. Here are just a few of the responses.

The first is from a sister mermaid on Facebook:
Greetings! I read the interview of you on the blog I Am a Mermaid and instantly thought, "Wow! A kindred soul!" I heard about your facebook group [Merfolk] and decided I would greatly like to join. The Sea has always been a mother to me, and, seeing as I'm still in school, I only do birthday parties and such. I would be honored to join your group!
I met a woman that I occasionally volunteer with about the time the interview came out. During our short conversation, she called me a mermaid due to my long hair. Since she brought up the subject, I gave her the web address of the interview and asked her to check it out. I heard from her a few days later:
OMG!! That is so funny! I totally called you a mermaid before knowing you ARE a mermaid! How cool is this!!!!? I’ve always been obsessed with mermaids and the ocean! I used to pretend I was a mermaid. I grew up on the beach and swam every day! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the ocean! This is super wild! Hehe Now I can say I know a real mermaid! ... Well, Miss Mermaid, I am so happy we talked!
Best wishes and starfishes,
-Mermaid Cynthia
cynthia (at) goldmermaid.com

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Tuesday, September 4, 2012

MerPalooza II


Here are some more photos from the MerPalooza mermaid convention, which took place in Orlando, Florida the weekend of August 10th, 2012.  In 2013, MerPalooza is scheduled for August 9th through 11th. Visit the event's web site for all the splashy details.

Below, Stephanie William Sims, one of the event organizers, shares some information about this year's event.



Stephanie: MerPalooza 2012, mermaiding’s annual event, was a feast for the eyes and truly the largest gathering of merfolk! Thursday night kicked off a directors’ meeting. Press opportunities and interviews occurred Friday.  Friday evening’s highlight was a tiki bar poolside “meet and greet” with mers from Canada, California, Colorado and beyond!



Stephanie: Saturday’s trade show featured 40 vendors and hundreds of attendees, many of whom were new to the “mer” concept.  Awards followed, where the mermaid and pirate community’s top honors were bestowed upon deserving recipients. The International Mermaid Pageant had 28 contestants. Afterwards, there was a pool party under the stars.  The rain could not keep these fish out of the water - It was magical!  Attendees enjoyed the parks and photo opportunities, excursions to the waterways around Florida, Weeki Wachee, etc.



Stephanie: Notable attendees included Traci Hines, singer, Thom Shouse, Vira the California Mermaid, photographer Cate Vail, entertainers Alexanderia the Great, Liang Patti from America’s Got Talent, belly dancers Hips of Destruction, magician Brandon Smith, Stephanie from Gasparilla, and so many more, including most of the big name tailmakers in the industry.

We had wonderful artists, including Tammy Derwick and Jennifer OBremski.  Tammy created our official poster and tee shirt.

Cynthia: A big splash of thanks to Gary Antol, Jr. and to photographers Cate Vail, Stephanie William Sims, and Bob Pickering for submitting these and many other photos to the MerPalooza Facebook page.


A Reminder

The exhibit “Mermaids and Merwomen in Black Folklore” is being held at the City Gallery at Waterfront Park in historic Charleston, South Carolina from now through October 28, 2012. There will be an opening reception on September 8th from 6pm to 8pm EDT. For more information on this exhibit, see my earlier blog post.


Best wishes and starfishes,
-Mermaid Cynthia
cynthia (at) goldmermaid.com

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