Out at Sea

Two summers ago I went to Mystic, Connecticut. We visited the Mystic Seaport which is a port with museums, fun activities, and whaling boats! As I come to the nautical part of my book I am brought back to Mystic Seaport for some nautical knowledge. I came across Captain George Comer, who was a foster kid! and Captain, (first set sail at age 17), and anthropologist (extensively studied the Inuit!) All three fit my book. 

http://www.mysticseaport.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewpage&page_id=0E0A66FA-65B8-D398-73AF33D5C768027A

Captain George Comer: By the Numbers

Some of the amazing statistics Comer accumulated during his 14 Arctic voyages:

Typical voyage length: 27 months Total time away from home, 1875-1919: 23 years Number of surviving journals and notebooks: 30 Number of photographs taken: 300 Number of sound recordings made: 65 Number of Inuit artifacts collected for museums: 4,000 Number of plaster life masks made: 300 Close calls: 2 shipwrecks, 2 near-drownings and 1 attempted shooting

Details about the schooner Era's voyage to Hudson Bay, 1903-05:

Number of crew members: 20 In pounds, amount of bread brought along: 21,803 In pounds, amount of coffee brought along: 1,900 In pounds, amount of sugar brought along: 1,982 In Fahrenheit, coldest temperature registered during their stay in Hudson Bay: -53 degrees In feet, thickness of ice measured: 6' 3" Another helpful site is this one I came across early one morning. The Bounty Blog that follow Tall Ship Bounty on an adventure sailing this summer along the East coast from Florida, above Nova Scotia.   https://sites.google.com/site/tallshipbountysails/blog?offset=10 To help know the tides... http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/station_info.shtml?stn=8518750%20The%20Battery,%20NY And, in case I want my characters to hitch a ride on some cargo http://www.panynj.gov/port/ocean-shipping-schedules.cfm A  live view of Nanasquan Inlet, NJ to get the feel of the ocean as I am writing http://www.surfchex.com/manasquan-web-cam.php

Instinct versus Choice

Animals are instinctual. A dog does not look at a squirrel and think...should I chase it? Should I stay on the leash with my owner? Or a cat doesn't think...I shouldn't hiss, that wouldn't be nice.  He can be trained to stay next to his owner, but that is training. Animals DO  NOT deliberate in their mind what they are going to do.  This is something only humans can do.

We, humans, have choices. We can use our minds to make up something in our head. We can believe that something exist that isn't there, for example, God. However, even that sentence would be offensive to those that believe in God because in their mind, GOD DOES EXIST.  Or, vise verse, we can believe something didn't happen when it did. We can make up our own mind.

Protestors, for example, like to change peoples minds.  They think ALL people should think they they do. OR they believe that they can change peoples minds. OR for people that haven't made up their minds, they persuade them to believe the same as they do.

Others that try to change your mind and do not value your opinion, thoughts, or perceptions are abusing your mind. Your mind is yours. If you talk about something that isn't there, people can have empathy for you, but they should not devalue your mind. They do not convince you're wrong. This would be a form of abuse. They are attempting to control what you think.
We can change our mind. We are never forced to do drugs. It is not instinctual to be addicted. Addiction is an illness, but we still have a choice if we want help.

The MIND is fascinating. We change it when ever we want. We believe what we want or We believe what we don't want. 

The most WONDERFUL thing about being human is that WE CAN CHANGE OUR MIND!

Why feel bad about canceling the wedding the day before, it is the most inherited right from above, to CHANGE OUR MIND. 

Some people get upset when people change their mind! IT IS OKAY TO CHANGE YOUR MIND. If humans decide they don't want to do something they just change their mind. Some people do this frequently. But I have never met anyone that likes to change their mind. It is seen as a negative thing. As if, the person didn't know better. They were ignorant. Changing your mind may mean you were enlightened or deceived. If it is the latter, change your mind again. DON'T FEEL OBLIGATED!
And children will hold you to your word if you said you would take them to the park. But, explain this: I can change my mind. Because children need to understand that it is OKAY TO CHANGE YOUR MIND. 

The mind can also block unwanted memories. This a protection for humans. The mind can exaggerate       things. This is fascinating. Just as in the Movie "A Beautiful Mind". He believed things were happening and no body could just say to him, this isn't real. He believed it. It was an illness, but his mind saw and heard things that were not real. A child can believe what they want. 

No body can make you believe something that you don't want to. No one can take away your beliefs as true or false as the may be. People can talk to you for hours, and try to change your mind, but it won't happen unless you choose. I can decide to like someone or not. You can't change my mind. It is wonderful to have control over this.  

This is why I love our minds. People can try to control your mind. But, people ultimately have control over their minds. Someone can talk to you until they are blue in the face. Someone can make you repeat phrases or say things you don't mean....But you still believe what you want to believe.  They can't see your mind. You and only you can know what you believe. The MIND is fascinating. 

So, if you are ever worried about changing your mind....don't be. It is your inherent right to change your mind. You are not an instinctual animal. 

Skipping Stones- A Multicultural Magazine and the Disappearing Language

Here is a link to the April- June 2014 Issue of Skipping Stones- A Multicultural Literary Magazine.
Erman was a proud contributor (his Apache words) on the story that I wrote about the Disappearing Language of the Apache People on the reservation. They are slowly losing their language as the newer generations do not teach it to their children.

Skipping Stones Issue April-June 2014


And this is food for thought. My niece was in a store and over heard to white woman discussing the Natives in Arizona. This is what she heard them saying. Although it was true, I feel it was said with the utmost disrespect.

Atiana A Jay

December 1 at 7:11am · Cibecue, AZ · 

Something that was being discussed right in front of me 😒.
"Of all the adversities the Natives went through, they are still here and that was their main goal right? just to exist and show the government they can't kill them off that easy? and wasn't the governments main purpose to kill the culture, keep the individual? that my friend is happening now. How many Native Americans still practice their tradition on a daily basis? How many speak the language that makes them who they are? Not many. The traditions that were once sacred are now being treated as events or festivities and money has to be present in order for people to show up or host. That is not what those practices were intended for. Their language is basically history and no one follows old traditions. Times are changing and so are the people. Many natives think their own culture is wrong and many don't want to learn their language or keep it alive. This new generation of natives will be the proof that the government won. Their language is dying along side the traditions not many practice. Soon they will be a bunch of English speaking, treating their traditions as history, fully transitioned Americans, and that my friend was calvary and the governments goal."

Whol Fhaye A huge topic and platform to cover, it is said also some tribes are consider putting in the agenda that future generations will only be considered enrollment if parents are married bcuz of many kids are born to parents that are unmarried. I wonder how that will play out??? Jus something I heard

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 · December 1 at 7:28am

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Dain Ahasteen I wish I could share this

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 · December 1 at 8:22am

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Dain Ahasteen replied · 2 Replies

Jessica Dahl Ivins Were they purposely trying to get under your skin or were they that ignorant?

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 · December 1 at 6:45pm

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Paula Ivins What's sad about it is that they introduced Alcohol & Drugs to help in killing the values of our traditions, keep them drunk & incompetent to keep them from thinking straight.. Prayer & Faith is what well help in restoring what we can and know to be True.. A good topic to bring up to a Candidate Atiana A Jay.. ❤️

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 · Reply · December 1 at 7:

Teenagers...ahahahah!

I love babies! But Teenagers? 

First born girls are more likely succeed [because their mom's didn't give up]. Hence...Beyoncé, Hillary Clinton, Sheryl Sandberg, Oprah, J.K. Rowling, Lena Dunham, Kate Middleton and Angela Merkel were all firstborns.

What about boys...24 out of 44 U.S. Presidents were first borns. 21 out of 23 Astronauts were first born sons.  One reason first borns are so success full....

according to wise geeks...... "because oldest children tend to be given more responsibilities, such as babysitting their siblings, which might translate into the older children becoming comfortable with being leaders. First-born children might also have more confidence because they do not have to share attention with others as much during the first years of their lives, and their milestones are often more celebrated because they are the first in the family."

and this business insider will give you lots of theories....business insider "first born children smarter"

I have watched mothers give up on their teenagers. They sink into their own lives and stop telling their kids what to do. 

Statistically, first children are more successful....because their mothers have not given up on them. 

BUT forget theory....Both Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg have older siblings.

It all comes down to ....

Mom is  TIRED