Throwback Park

I spent this past weekend with my family in a place I didn't know still existed.  Imagine a grove amidst rolling, forested hills with a crystal clear stream running through it.  A stream so clear, you can see the rainbow trout resting within the shade cast by a wooden bridge built one hundred years earlier.  Trout whose ancestors undoubtedly watched the birth of a family's farm slowly, carefully, transform into a gathering place for hundreds of families.  From the simple gesture of a picnic table placed under the canopy of an old oak tree, sprung a park unlike any other in America.  Imagine an amusement park that charges no entrance fee.  Allowing for generations to play together without having to break the bank.  Imagine an amusement park that welcomes the family pet, yet is impeccably clean and recycles everything from pizza boxes to soda cups within it's own grounds.  

The rides are carnival-like.  You pay for tickets for the rides you want to go on.  All the staples of amusement parks can be found within the park.  The Ferris Wheel is grandiose and beautiful.  The sides of the baskets are completely open and the backs are low.  There are rides from your childhood which you won't see at any other "modern" amusement parks even though they are as thrilling as the highly engineered rides of today.  Some of the rides are believed to be no longer in existence at any other amusement park in America.  As a matter of fact, the most thrilling ride for me was a slide.  In the kiddie park.  No kidding.  It's a light-house type building where you climb up a long and steep spiral staircase to get to the top.  Once there, you sit on a reed mat, knees bent, arms locked around your knees and then you slide.  Sounds benign enough, right?  Far from it.  The sides of the slide only come up to your waist, the slide itself only being wide enough for one person.  Remember the steep staircase?  Well now you're sliding down around and around in just as steep a decline.  You pick up so much velocity that at the bottom of the slide, there is a runway about twenty feet long for your momentum to expire.  And believe me it takes all twenty feet!  Proof that kids are braver and more resilient than adults by an outrageous degree.

So you've ridden for half a day, exhilarated by the rides of a throwback time, thrilled to have the chance to introduce your own child to your favorite rides, and now it's time for a break and a bite to eat.  Here, you take another sigh of relief.  All the junk-food favorites are here: hot dogs, pizza, burgers, funnel cakes, hand-dipped ice cream, and cotton candy (here they still call it floss) yet, you are not bombarded by the marketing emblems of the fast-food chain empire.  The only thing you'll find with a label is the soda.  If you're craving a little more substantial meal, there is a sit-down restaurant and a pavilion with a wide variety of food; Chinese, Mexican, Southern, International.  The choices are endless.  They even serve an inexpensive breakfast until 2 pm!

The breakfast comes in handy if you've chosen to stay at the park's campground, which adds exponentially to the awesome experience of this park.  There are hundreds of tent and RV sites available in a Pine grove as well as several log cabins.  We stayed in an adorable cabin, rustic but cozy.  A double bed on the main floor and two doubles on the loft that you get to by climbing a log ladder.  Each cabin has a covered porch and all sites have their own campfire pit.  The campground sells wood and there is a store that sells absolutely everything you may need to enjoy a night at the park.

Since we are big water people, the pool and waterpark was the cherry on top.  They have a kiddie splash park area that is as good as any other I've ever seen.  But if you're past the floaties stage you'll love the massive pool.  From the beach entry to a 12 foot deep diving area, is nearly one million gallons of crystal clear stream water!  There are even two 3.3 meter high dives which I haven't seen in a pool since I was young.  One bit of warning, pike dives off the high dive are not as easy as they once were-I have a bruise to prove it!  There are also two water slides, one is a fast and furious mat slide the other slide actually has two slides side by side that twist and turn and allow up to two people at a time on a raft.  You will get a wonderful workout climbing all those steps to the top, holding an inflatable tube over your head, and soon work up an appetite that you can satisfy at the pool snack shack.  Again, the staples: hot dogs, nachos, soft pretzels.  You won't find fries though, as the elderly lady behind the counter explained to me, "although he's dead know, it was always the owner's wish that there was no grease around the pool for the kids safety.  We continue to honor his wish even though people want the fries.  He was a good man, a good boss to work for."

And the feeling you get after a little time at this throwback park, is that she's right.  The people who have nurtured this park into the 21st century with all of our family values intact, must be good people-it shows.     

Wow! My official coming out!!

Today is a beautiful day! The sun is shining, the breeze is gentle. It's absolutely ripe for laying in the maca with a good read and a mint lemonade (mint from the garden, ofcourse!). If I could have one wish, these following books would appear in my maca with me: The Throwaway Piece by Jo Ann Hernandez White Bread Competition by Jo Ann Hernandez America Libre by Raul Ramos y Sanchez Dark Lullaby by Mayra Calvani Sunstruck by Mayra Calvani Okay, so I wouldn't be able to read them all today, but I'm pretty sure I won't be able to put them down until I'm done. It's not the reviews that have me convinced, although they are all quite impressive. What convinces me that these books are quality reads is the quality of person of the authors. I feel so fortunate to have been introduced to these authors, and many more, through the group Nunca Sola . These authors have taken time out of their busy schedules to welcome me and support me as a writer. I have often felt alone in my quest to pursue writing as a career and these authors have helped take the edge off and given me the confidence to continue. I am eternally grateful and humbled by their generosity. Jo Ann Hernandez of authorslatino has invited me to be her first "blog brag". Not only did she publish my first public blurb, she went as far as providing me with feedback, and completely editing and reorganizing my piece into a cohesive statement! This kind of generosity and support, as I said earlier, is humbling. I feel so grateful. Since I have started to take myself seriously as a writer, I have found a world full of rejection and failures, mistakes and disappointments. It's no different really than the "other" world, but here it matters more. Fortunately I have also found that it's not all pain. I can share in other authors' accomplishments and I thrive upon learning of their successes. I firmly believe what makes writers endure is the unique comaraderie that we find when we open our hearts and search for it. Following my passion and truly believing in myself has been exhilerating, and I'm sure the ride has only just begun. So I invite you to come and check out my official coming out as a writer; there's no turning back now!

virtual book tour

I'm so excited to have been invited to host a Virtual Book Tour through the BronzeWord Latino Author Blog http://authorslatino.com/wordpress.  

I'll be highlighting Latino author ESTEVAN VEGA

www.estevanvega.com/index.html

**Check out Vega's website right now--it is ULTRACOOL!!

Here is a brief bio:

As a young boy, Estevan Vega never really felt interested in the written word. Far more fascinating things like comic book superheroes and sketching fantastical beings caught his eye. But in the fifth grade, writing short essays for a standoffish teacher ignited a fire that is still burning. Using his imaginative father as a springboard for ideas, Vega set out to write a full manuscript. His dream to become a published author came forth when he was just15 years old, releasing his first literary creation, Servant of the Realm,to the world, a story about a teenager who sees the future deaths of those he loves and tries to change it. "There is something therapeutic and natural about breathing life into the mundane, or finding escape through odd characters and strange concepts," says Vega. The Sacred Sin, his second book, was published when he was 18, and shows a darker edge and deeper intensity than his first effort. The Sacred Sin bleeds with honesty and emotion, and tells the story of Jude Foster, a cynical self-loathing detective,assigned to bring down a serial killer capable of stealing victim's souls without ever touching them. Stopping this ghost killer, fighting against his demons, his inner darkness, may be the only path toward sanity and a new beginning. With a curiosity for the supernatural, as well as a feeling of discontentment with humanity's complacency, Vega’s story-lines dwell somewhere in between fiction and reality, a place where the world is as blurred and irregular as human choice and consequence. Vega resides in Connecticut, a small New England state most people forget about. Tate Publishing will release his latest creation ARSON in 2009.

I'll be posting more details as soon as they become available-stay tuned!

And remember: 

inhale love, exhale fear...

xoxo nilki

ALLSTARZ! TV REALITY SHOW CONCEPT-COMING SOON!

ALLSTARZ!

A TV reality show concept

by

Nilki Benitez

WGA Registration # 1280429

CONCEPT

 

ALLSTARZ! will present kids who are making a difference in their communities and societies by working hands-on with charities and even creating their own charity organizations. 

 

ALLSTARZ! will present three youngsters per episode and feature their work.  As a reward for their philanthropy, a celebrity who is involved in a similar form of charity will surprise the featured youth at school or other event and congratulate them on their nomination as an Allstar.  They will also offer their endorsement to the featured child’s organization or work.  At the end of the show, viewers will have a specific amount of time to nominate one of the three featured youth to become a semi-finalist.  After ten episodes, ten semi-finalists will have been selected.  The eleventh episode will feature these ten semifinalists participating in an obstacle course that will teach them team-building and leadership skills.  They will share their insights with the viewers.  At the end of this segment, all featured youths from the season will join the semifinalists and ask them questions.  The youth who were not selected as finalists will vote for one finalist who will be announced “Survivor”-like at the end of this episode.  Home viewers will then have the opportunity to vote for one more finalist.

The season finale will feature the two finalists as they prepare for a makeover and a star-studded event.

AUDIENCE

ALLSTARZ! is targeted towards youth between the ages of six and eighteen.  At a time of dwindling role models, ALLSTARZ! will introduce this general population to their peers who are accomplishing noble work and to celebrities who are going beyond their status-symbol life and working to create a better world.  American and International youth will be exposed to the hard-work and dedication of their peers who work in philanthropy, and come to see community service as fun, cool and hip.

HOST/HOSTESS

The host/hostess of ALLSTARZ! will be a young icon who is admired by both girls and boys in the target age group (6 to 18) and who is involved in charity work.  The host/hostess position could also rotate between different young stars. 

EPISODE SAMPLE

 

(The featured youth and celebrities are examples only and are in no way associated with this project as of yet)

 

EPISODE #1

·      Introduction:

Twelve-year-old S.W. of Tampa, Florida, U.S. is fighting to save the Arctic wilderness by recruiting her peers to educate automobile drivers to keep their tires inflated properly to conserve fuel.  This part shows Savannah at home, with pets, girlfriends, playing sports, hobbies-basically the regular 12-year-old girl next door that all kids can relate with.

Thirteen year old D.L. of Saco, Maine, visits schools and speaks to K-5 about bully prevention and helps children understand what they can do if they are bullied.  Footage of Drew with friends, sports, hobbies.

·      Activism:

SW discusses how she became interested in the subject, what made her decide to follow through and create the program, what challenges she faces, what successes she has been rewarded.  Finally, she gives a bit of advice to her peers.

DL discusses his experiences of being bullied and how he became involved in the organization Crossroads Youth Center, what challenges he faces and what successes he has been rewarded through his work.  Finally he gives some statistics and advice to peers.

·      Reward:

For the surprise, SW is visited at her school by Mariah Carey who works with the Fresh Air Fund. In an all-school assembly, Mariah presents SW with the ALLSTARZ! award (monetary funds to charity, college fund) and informs Savannah that she will be endorsing Savannah’s project PUMP ‘EM UP (www.pumpemup.org)

For the surprise, DL is visited at school by David Beckham, who, in 2005 gave out the millionth blue wristband in the U.K.’s anti-bullying campaign.  In an all-school assembly, Beckham presents Drew with the ALLSTARZ! award and informs Drew that he will be endorsing his project CROSS ROADS YOUTH CENTER (crossroadsyouthcenter.org).

At the end of the episode, the viewing audience will pick one of the featured youths to go on as a semifinalist.

EPISODE #11 – Leadership Building

After featuring the progress of their work, the ten semi-finalists attend a leadership/team-building camp where they learn about working together by helping each other through an obstacle course.  This is a fun episode, lots of laughs and camaraderie and at the end of the day, youths featured throughout the season join the semifinalists around a bonfire and while roasting marshmallows, they ask questions of the semi-finalists.  Then in “Survivor” style, they vote for one finalist.  The finalist is revealed immediately and the viewing audience then gets to vote for one other finalist.

EPISODE #12 – The Finale

In the finale, the two finalist are treated to an age-appropriate luxury (ex. a senior in high school might get a makeover and tips on how to dress professionally, a youngster might get a day in an amusement park) the finalists will then attend a star-studded event.

SIMILAR PROJECTS ON TV NETWORKS, ONLINE, AND BY CORPORATIONS AND MUSICIANS

 

·      MTV U’s Cause Effect

·      Cartoon Network’s Props

·      Earthforce.org

·      Leagueworldwide.org

·      Childrenforchildren.org

·      Youthfoundationcenter.org

·      Microsoft’s i’m: im.live.com/messenger

·      Doritos’ Do Something campaign: dosomething.org/Doritos

·      Prudential’s spirit of community awards: prudential.com/spirit

·      Flobots.org

 

a mid-night confession

Her name was Quinn that’s all she knew, but he knew more. 

She had come to him in a dream, actually two.  She had told him everything, well, anyway that it would be okay.  But now she wondered.  It wasn’t like the dreams she’d had, true love affairs, swept-off-her-feet years later even in a dream…but her name was Quinn. There must be an e in there Quinne.  That was more like it.  Yes, Quinne.  She had died in a car crash.  Years earlier, when asked why he didn’t go after the pretty, skinny, blonde or brunette girls that so obviously liked him; what was there not to like?  Swiss blonde hair, crystal blue eyes with a hint of rebel, muscles developed, not from baseball, or basketball, football or even wrestling, but from concrete.  At fifteen, tougher and cooler than James Dean, too old, an untouchable at Central Bucks, he had lied.  He had said he loved a girl and she had died.  In a car crash.  Now, thirty years later, he told her she would think he was crazy.  Her!  The craziest chica he had ever known, endured.  But she didn’t.  She just smiled and said she understood, and he knew she did.  And their little girl slept with the Chihuahua that had snapped and bit his chemical burned finger tips for two weeks, who just days earlier had not been able to raise her head off a Philadelphia alleyway, who was now playing like the puppy she should have been five years ago, like him, the boy that should have grown.  Both of them, reveling, growing, in the safety of what’s known and trusted in the comfort of home.  Suddenly, she remembers the California boy, from somewhere in the valley; Palo something or something Verde.  He was the little brother of her sister’s college roommate.  It was that innocent thing where the parents think they have some sort of connection because their daughters have somehow been placed together in a tiny room, somewhere far from home.  She went out with that California boy, with the blonde hair and big smile while the rest of the family went out to dinner.  They drank dark beer at the place that explained what a levy was when the levy was dry, she was a dreamer, a poet, really it was a dried up wash, arroyo seco, like the LA river.  That night, thirteen, drinking beers in a van driven by a fifteen year old kid, they had kissed and it was heaven.  A boy, the same kind she was always attracted to, the clash between her dark brown skin and eyes and his eyes that glowed in the dark, his skin that did the same…His sister had leaked milk out her breasts without even knowing she was pregnant.  This was years later.  After the crush had faded.  Someone had jumped out a window and then she had started gushing.  This all made perfect sense, even though things were so terribly confusing.  Everything happened so perfectly, always, though there was never an explanation as to why.  And that’s the way she gave up her virginity, one night, with a boy who would later say he was sorry, if he had only known, things would have been different.  As if that made any sense or even mattered.   

I *heart* our earth

My first iddy biddy step towards inner peace is to take back control, in a positive way, of the food I make available for my family and I to eat.  Our food nourishes, comforts and cures our bodies.  The way it's grown and processed and distributed does the same for the earth-if done right.  

Some years ago, when I learned I was incubating a tiny, human life inside, I did what any rational woman does- I freaked.  I became so over-consumed with the "right" things to do, that I became a quasi-terrorist in my home.  All the food had to be organic, all the cleaners natural and medicines herbal.  Sounds healthy, right?  It wasn't.  It was so severely extremist that it was unsustainable.  And then I didn't know what to do.  Enter despair.  Slowly, things have balanced out but very likely at a cost to my relationship with my partner who, quite honestly, was drug through the mud (more likely compost) while I yo-yoed up and down and all around on my way to finding balance.  For the most part, I have found a balance although it has not been steady, and lately I realize I've almost given up.  Just thrown my hands up, or less dramatically, shrugged.

And it doesn't feel right.  So I'm starting again by taking a little part of that radical ideology and nurturing it into a teacher rather than a dictator.  We still eat organics, especially the leafy veggies, roots, meats and oils.  My baby who loved quinoa and kale and veggie sandwiches has grown into a child who still loves salmon and beets, but whose favorite foods are now pizza, chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese and hot dogs (a big thank you to public school lunches...) You get the picture.  I still cure minor ills and ailments with herbs and I still garden organically.  Right now, I'm growing tomato seedlings from seeds collected from my heirloom plants last year--you can only imagine how proud I am!! 

So, my first iddy biddy step towards inner peace is a conscious effort to eat food grown locally.  I'm starting with a bit of a hefty goal of eating 2/3 of each plate local.  But it's either overachieve or lay on the couch for me so... I started yesterday.  Here's how i fared:

Breakfast: pancakes with walnuts, maple syrup: FAILED

Lunch: pasta, spaghetti sauce (local), free-range ground turkey (local): 2/3 LOCAL SUCCESS!

Dinner: spinach (organic local), steak: 1/2 LOCAL SUCCESS!

Breakfast: boca burger, fresh salsa (local): 1/2 LOCAL SUCCESS!

Not bad.  But here's the thing, the salsa is made local and the spaghetti sauce bottled locally, but where are the veggies REALLY coming from?  I have to do a bit of research.

Wish me luck.  I'll keep you posted and if you feel inspired, join me and let me know how it's going!!

Inhale love, exhale fear...and live a happy life!!! 

Oh, whoa, is me

So I'm coming out of the darkness...a little bit.  Sometimes it just seems like I'm not living the life I want to live, or doing the things I picture myself doing, some are things I used to to, some are things I always wished I do, and some are things that have only just appeared before me.  Overall, it seems like I'm just not charging and nothing is very much fun...anymore.  It's been so easy to blame it on an East coast versus West coast thing, the seasons, the overcrowded city, the boring small town, the iddy biddy family, my partner's personality, having to be at the bus stop at a certain hour, the big dog, the small dog, the wild cat, the blah, blah blah.  

It's just sick, isn't it??

It's enough.  I'm stopping the madness.  Really, I know that the only thing all the things I blame and bitch about have in common, is me.  I don't exactly know how to be one of those happy, put-together people.  But damn it, I know what I believe in, what i want, who i want to be, who I want surrounding me and I've just plain run out of excuses.  I don't know why I carry the weight of the waves crashing on my back rather than float in the ocean's bouyant bosom.  But I'm starting to suspect that it's all in the way I'm choosing to see things and if it's as simple as that, then look out- one step at a time, I may just glance in the mirror and see a happy girl with a happy blog.  (Don't worry, I'll still allow myself iddy biddy lapses into nostalgia--it's just too delicious to totally go without ;)

Alright, vamos!  I'm not even gonna wait for the sun to come out!