Bellydance Daily Drills

When I started down my path in the world of bellydance, I was lost on what to do at home in-between my classes and my dance mommies instruction.  And now that I have students of my own, I have finally written down what I started out with :)  These moves are for Egyptian Bellydance!


Now don't just do the 25 of each and leave it at that!  Play with the movement: speed, count, which muscle group is fueling the movement (legs, glutes, abs)

And the most important about your home practice - HAVE FUN!!  Now grab your hip scarf, a mirror, and your music and get to it :)

To start out pick two of the following movements and perform 25 of each :)

Spotlight Erie - Mutiny Ink

Mutiny Ink in North East, Pa is the first establishment in a long line of posts of individuals bringing culture to Erie, Pa.

So if you take the scenic 15 min drive past vineyards into North East, you will find the old bank building on Main Street fly the Jolly Roger.  Now why is this flag flying?  Well that is because that building belongs to a motley crew of tattoo artists that supply the tattoo sub culture with a way to express themselves.  The crew consists of Nate "Capt" Bajis, Patrick  Mazzone, and Tim Schwenk.  Combined these talented individuals have 23 1/2 years experience in the industry.

If you are thinking you've seen one tattoo shop, you've seen them all - think again!!  Mutiny Ink is a very inviting place that is well lite and you are greeted when you come in the door.  these guys are great with people - while I was there our conversation stemmed from the zombie apocalypse to why puppy mills are horrible.  These guys do flash but prefer to do custom pieces that no one else will have.  If you bring an idea into them they will work something up for you that you will love! Oh and did I mention the cannon?  yes there is a cannon there!

Another thing that I love about the shop and these guys, they give back to the community.  They are involved with Breast Cancer Awareness this month and when you go in and get the pink ribbon tattoo the proceeds go to the cause!!!!!  They are also involved with Autism Awareness and Fraternal Order of Police (FOP).

Now let's meet the guys shall we!

Nate "Capt" Bajis

(yes he is working on my latest tat)


Coming from the Art institute of Pittsburgh - Graphic Design, he brings 4 1/2 years of passion in the craft.  He stated that while he was an apprentice he would ask and ask to tattoo and when he finally got the chance he fell in love with it and did not want to do anything else.  When asked why his reply was simple yet perfect "Art is fun and tatting was a great avenue to live art" And it is about the art for Nate, he prefers to work with modern design with traditional techniques.  Nate's first tattoo was a Jedi (very fitting, and you'll see once you go in) and it started a love affair that has brought Mutiny Ink to North East.  Check out more about Nate and the Shop at
 Artwork of Nate Bajis
 Mutiny Ink



Patrick Mazzone

This guy has been creating art since he could hold a crayon!  He is a self taught man that brings 6 years of creative backing.  Pat told me that he actually started out when he was a kid working on comic book design and one day he was at a local restaurant with a buddy and it was his buddy that got him in the industry.  He loves the fact that tattooing is like comic book design in the fact that you are working with lines and shapes and you do that when you tattoo someone - you work with the lines of that persons body.  I asked Pat who his idols were and my little hand could hardly keep up lol  they included the likes of - Ben Temple Smith, Scotty Young, David Tevenal, and DJ Minor - just to name a few.  His style is modern design with traditional techniques and loves to work with multi-session pieces and is always thinking of ways to improve the pieces that he is working with.  This guy loves what he does for sure!!  Check out more and see for yourself:
Pat's Blog
Pat's Tumblr
on Twitter @patrickmazzone
on Instagram at bornasghosts

Tim Schwenk

What can I say about Tim, a man of many words and he definitely does not want to own a puppy farm (yes from the conversation we had when I was in the shop)  This guy brings to the table 13 years of experience to Mutiny.  He said that he just loves the way a shop smells and couldn't think of any other profession he would enjoy more.  He is another one that has been been creating ever since he could pick up a crayon, in fact he joked and said the only reason he went to school was for the art supplies!!  His style is different in that he enjoys to do animal portraits the most, when I asked why that is he stated it was all in the shading.


I cant say enough about these guys, the shop, or the work they do!!  Asked about any advice or words of wisdom they may have for the public or other artists and the advice was:  Artists - DO IT RIGHT!  Tattoo Seekers - Get something that has meaning and reflects the person you are at the moment of the tattoo, make sure it is you!!

And in the words of Sailor Jerry (and this one was said a few times) "Good tattoos aren't cheap, Cheap tattoos aren't good"

Thank you guys so very much for being my first Spotlight Erie and my first interview :)  I hope you enjoy it!!!!

Did You Know: Pumpkin

Charlie Brown was right!!  There is a Great Pumpkin out there, and at this time of year there is not a single one of us that can say "I couldn't find any at the store".  I used to think that the month of October marked the first days of National Eating Disorder season but once I started looking into what we put in our bodies a few years ago, I realized that this season is chalked full of foods that are amazing for us.

Now let us take a look at the food that starts the holiday whirlwind - Pumpkin.  These guys are jam packed with Carotenoids, Protein, Essential Fatty Acids, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Magnesium, Potassium,  Zinc and Fiber.  Am I speaking Greek yet, then let me break it down for you.

Carotenoids help us rid our bodies of free radicals (those nasty little agents that assist in premature aging).  Protein is important for the growth and repair of every aspect of our being from our cells to our big toe.  Essential Fatty Acids are what we call the Omegas, they are important to assist with brain function, vision, and immune system.  Vitamin A and C are great antioxidents.  Magnesium is here to help all the bodies biochemical reactions.  Potassium is an electrolyte and is vital for heart function.  Zinc is great for the immune system. We need fiber for proper digestion.

Now how does this basic information help in me in my everyday life?  Pumpkin is a superfood and can help you with cancer prevention, depression, joint pains, vertigo, intestinal worms and helping stomach issues in our pets.

This is just a little introduction into the wonderful world of pumpkin so this holiday season when asked if you would like some pumpkin pie you don't have to be worried about it because you are giving your body just what it needs and then some!

Party Meatballs

What is a budding domestic goddess to do when her love says "hey lets have people over",  I would love to say that this particular goddess went straight to the kitchen and whipped up an amazing spread of mini quiches from scratch and stomped grapes to make the wine everyone will have but that's not what happened hehe  She looked at her love and said "Ok, what do we have"

So this first party pleasure comes from my domestic god :)

These little gems are wonderful, quick and have an Asian flavor to them!!  And did I mention EEEAAASSSYYYYYY!

Now don't those look super tasty!!  And did I mention EASY!

All you need are four items: Crockpot

                                          Grape Jelly

                                          Heinz Chili Sauce

                                          Frozen Meatballs

1) put all contents in your Crockpot and turn on low for 2 hours

(Or if your like us, on high for 45 mins)

These little bundles of meat become in a party in your mouth so get ready to hear the "oh my" from your party goers and the gasp of shock when they find out the ingredients that you used!

Happy Meatballing!!

Welcome One - Welcome All

Well this is the official launch of Adventures in Mereland!!!!!  You are apart of history (my cheesy history but History none the less)  So welcome to the inner workings of my mind and those of you that know me are surely shaking your head cause its going to be fun and random!  One post will be about cooking and the next will be about how to perform a yoga headstand or the perfect shimmy or even how to make glitter shoes.  Ok buckle up, grab some popcorn, use the restroom cause we are about to get rolling.......Enjoy!!!