Rothacker Reviews

Never Let Go by Kelley Benham

What does quiet sound like? Quiet is when you're in a room with over one-hundred people listening to a couple tell the story of how their daughter survived childbirth - all one pound and four ounces of her, and you can hear over one-hundred hearts pounding to escape the prison of their rib cages...thump, thump, thump. That's quiet.

I attended the Write Your Hearts Out, Tampa Bay event at the Straz Center this past Sunday. The speakers were insanely talented authors. A couple of Pulitzer prize winners, writing professors, two columnists, two fiction authors and a gentleman who is referred to often as the best writing coach in America. And as if this wasn't heavyweight enough, the Poynter Institute, one of the most prominent journalism schools in the word, sponsored the program. There was more literary and journalistic knowledge in that room than air. 

Attendees came to learn about writing. And we did. But we were on the edge of our seats, trying to keep our hearts from exploding because a couple took turns telling the story of how their precious daughter survived childbirth and the subsequent months prior to her hospital release.

I am telling you that Kelley Benham and Tom French's daughter Juniper, survives. Because when Kelley's story in the Times first came out in December of 2012, I couldn't read it. The byline of Kelley's story read:

When a baby is born at the edge of viability, which is the greater act of love: to save her, or to say goodbye?

I was not about to read a three-part piece to learn that this brave couple had to say goodbye. Sorry Kelley.

Tom and Kelley are an intriguing couple who seem to be thriving in the land of opposites. Tom seems laid back and Kelley doesn't. After listening to Kelley talk for a few minutes, the words wild child popped into my head. That character of hers combined with a straight-forward-tell-it-like-it-is-genuineness and I could listen to her stories for hours.

 

Here's Kelley's story. These are Juniper's actual footprints.

New Tampa / Wesley Chapel: Sola Salon Studios

 

Yesterday I had the most excellent and pleasurable of conversations with Rich and Mary Saltzman, owners of Sola Salon Studios serving the the Tampa Bay New Tampa and Wesley Chapel neighborhoods. There's much I'd like to tell you (and much more for me to learn), about the unique business concept that Rich and Mary deploy, their business philosophy, their story and the salon owners who are open to sharing their individual stories as they relate to business and perhaps most of all, their ability and freedom to express who they are through their work.

My interest in Rich, Mary and the salon owners relates to the freedom that is now part of their lives. This is what my future writing will focus on, not the promotion of their individual businesses per se. Before I move on from the thought of promoting the salon owner's however, I'd like you to think about one thing. 

Would I want a stylist working on me who works in a shop laden with the pressures of drama, competition, inattentive / unreasonable owners, overall shop helter-skelter and messiness? Or would I want a stylist working on me who is free to express his or her artistic license?

There is a chance I put the cart ahead of the horse here. Rich and Mary are on board with my project. As are two of the salon owners. But as yet, I have not approached the others (I'm working on it. To be real, I was just so excited about what I witnessed yesterday that I had no choice but to write today). With this in mind, I'd like to tell you something about Rich and Mary. 

Rich and Mary understand that the more positive stuff written about both their operation and those of the salon owners, the better it is for their business. They could easily pass out a memo encouraging salon owners to talk with me. But they will not. It's important to them that the salon owners have the autonomy to do their own thing. Perhaps the salon owner might be insanely busy or have other things going on in their life or maybe they just don't feel like participating; no worries, Rich and Mary are totally cool with it. This speaks volumes about these two engaging entrepreneurs.

More to come. Stay tuned. By the way, Rich and Mary have owned a Sola Salon Studios, which is located on N. Dale Mabry in Carrollwood, since 2009. 

New Tampa Pizza: Full Circle Pizza & Grill

Rosemary and I ate at Full Circle Pizza & Grill last night. We both agree, it's the best pizza we've had in our eight years in New Tampa. I also had honey barbecue wings and she had a wedge salad...both were spectacular. 

I am neither a foodie or a food critic. It either tastes good or it doesn't. Rosemary, on the other hand, is. A combination of her own Iron Chef background, her Italian heritage and upbringing, and an over-the-top obsession with TV shows like Restaurant Impossible and Chopped, more than qualify her. She gives Full Circle a five-star on the food, service, atmosphere and restaurant design. As a matter of fact, she wondered out loud if Robert Irvine from Restaurant Impossible might have done a makeover here. She knows that he did not, but she mentioned that Full Circle meets every single one of Irvine's criteria. (Well, there's one that she's not sure about right now. I intend on getting intel on that and a few other things and will update this article).

From the time we walked in the front door and were greeted by three friendly people, almost in perfect harmony, until we left, this was one of the most pleasurable experiences we've had in a New Tampa restaurant!

I notice that Full Circle is getting good reviews at Yelp and Urban Spoon. 

M & M Sharpening - Tampa & Wesley Chapel

We were at Wiregrass Mall this past Saturday. Rosemary was shopping and I was people watching and vendor observing. Wiregrass had their Fresh Market event going on. 

I walked up to M & M Sharpening's booth. Or rather I was attracted like a rat to cheese. I've owned knives since I was a pre-teen. I think I'm on my fourth or fifth sharpening stone and I flat out suck at putting a decent blade on a knife. I asked proprietor Mark Bertsche how long it would take to sharpen my pocket knife. He did it and would not accept payment. He said, "tell your friends about us." He didn't know about Rothacker Reviews and I didn't tell him. Btw, my knife's blade was gorgeous when Mark finished with it.

I asked Mark how he got into the business. He retired as a software engineer and needed something to occupy his time. He attends local Tampa craft shows in the winter time and heads up north in the summers. Mark will not be back in Tampa until the Fall. Ric, a protege, who is also an ex-software guy, was sharpening knives in the booth on Saturday. He is providing area sharpening services at this time. I'll give you the 411 on Ric once I use his services, but I was watching him work on one knife and it looked pretty sweet. Drop me an e-mail if you'd like to get in touch with Ric in the meantime. 

Both Mark and Ric sharpen much more than knives. Check out M & M's site for more info. I love the fact of doing business with people who love what they do. Check them out!

New Tampa: Swiss Spirit Massage

You live in New Tampa and need a massage. Do you get one to relax? Or do you get a massage for the therapeutic value? Until first going to Swiss Spirit Massage a few years ago, I didn't even know there was a difference. I'd been trying out the various New Tampa massage establishments but couldn't seem to find the right one. Ten minutes into my first massage at Swiss Spirit and that changed. I experienced something that day that I continue to experience every time I go there and, after years of message therapy, had never experienced before. Still however, it's not the main reason that I go to Swiss Spirit once per week.

Bonnie Whitaker is one of the Swiss Spirit massage therapists who I see. Although Bonnie has had her therapist's license since the late 1990's, owned her own business, is most talented and knowledgeable, I think one of her main assets is due to her previous work history - she's no longer there. Bonnie finally found an outlet to truly channel a deep desire to help and make a difference in people's lives. 

Bonnie possesses a very, very rare talent when it comes to message therapists. She orchestrates a combination of physical strength, compassion and softness of spirit into a symphony of pure ecstasy. Bonnie's specialty is deep tissue massage along with therapeutic, neuromuscular, myofacial release and traditional Thai massage.

Marlen Caduff is the owner of Swiss Spirit Massage. Marlen is a registered nurse with four-year college degrees in both nursing and massage therapy. That experience that keeps me coming back to Swiss Spirit every week?  Well, actually, it's an integral piece of the culture that Marlen has built over the years. I call it a learning environment. To learn one must be exposed to knowledge, information and wisdom. That is exactly what Bonnie and the others do each week. Whether it is anatomical, physiological, holistic, nutrition-wise or basic overall health, the knowledge is there to be had. I suppose if you wanted to lie there in silence and listen to relaxing music you could. I'm way too curious for that. And the fact I'm educated in a subtle, clear and succinct manner, I simply can't resist. I've dealt with therapists at other establishments who have a pretty good handle on anatomy. But never a place like Swiss Spirit where an overall holistic knowledge is so pervasive.  

What could be even better than the opportunity to be educated and massaged each week? This borders on downright magic and it's difficult to explain. A deeper grasp and understanding develops after multiple visits. Bonnie and the other therapists learn your body and its needs and adjust treatment as they go. It's positively uncanny. I have fibromyalgia and am in tremendous pain 24-7. Bonnie has the ability to sense and exert the exact amount of pressure that I can handle and the treatment my body requires. 

I continue to visit Swiss Spirit once per week for the therapy my body needs and the knowledge my mind craves. Call and ask for Bonnie today! 813-325-1296

Update: 7/14/2013 Bonnie is no longer at Swiss Spirit. We'll miss her and wish her nothing but the best as she moves forward with her career. I recently had a massage from Swiss Spirit's newest therapist. Other than Swiss Spirit's Marlen and Ronda, I've never experienced such a positive connection so quickly! I need to spend more time with her and I'll write about the 411 here.

USF Humanities Institute:The Hillsborough River

The University of South Florida's Humanity Institute put together a schedule of events celebrating the Hillsborough River. I attended one of the events last night:  Dr. Kevin McCarthy, Professor Emeritus of English, University of Florida: “10 Little-known Facts About the Hillsborough River. My reason for writing today is not so much about Dr. McCarthy's talk as much as it is about the USF Humanities Institute's connection to the river, to the community and to me, a non-academic regular citizen with no commercial ties to USF or commerce involving the river.

It would be a total disservice to Dr. McCarthy however, if I didn't mention a couple of things first. I arrived early and spoke (but mostly listened) to Kevin and a couple of the attendees. It took me less than three minutes to decide that I had to have his book, Hillsborough River Guide. I later learned of his connection with Florida and what a prolific writer he is. It was impossible for this connection to not permeate his talk making it interesting and enjoyable. I recommend attending one of his talks if you get the chance and perusing the many books he's written. Although it wasn't like he was giving a talk at Florida State, he did a pretty decent job of keeping a lid on Gator Nation.

I believe that I represent a desired-type of attendee to a Humanities Institute event. I am not a student, researcher, professor or visiting scholar. I am not an Institute donor or sponsor. I am not related to the speaker or staff, nor am I a reporter. While attendance of these types of people is critical to the success of the Institute, I am just a member of the community - who is not a politician, museum employee, involved locally in the arts nor involved in charitable organizations looking to extend reach. I'm just a husband, dad and grandfather who is most intrigued by interdisciplinary human connection that is orchestrated by a great university bent on the enrichment of lives. (I'm not an alumni either:-)

From the Institute's director Dr. Elizabeth Bird to its assistant directior Liz Kicak to the staff to even
the bartender, I felt welcome. The other major felt sense that I experienced was one of caring. I spoke to Dr. Bird for a moment and watched Liz as she engaged in her role of support. It's perfectly clear that they care about the connection they are in pursuit of. 

The Hillsborough River is important to me because it symbolizes a sense of place. As we canoed down the river for the first time, I felt drawn into its history and needed to learn more. I was particularly interested in native Americans and the early settlers connection with the river. The folks at Canoe Escape where we rented our canoes, recommended reading River of the Golden Ibis. I wrote a little bit about it here. 

So my need to learn more about the Hillsborough River brought me to USF's Humanities Institute. And my need to stoke the fire of curiosity related to interdisciplinary human connection will keep me coming back.

Tampa Bay: Canoing

"The number is on the map.  Give us a call if you'd like to change your pick up time."

A perfectly reasonable request...except that we were about to canoe into 16,000 acres of wilderness.  And then the twenty-first century caught up to this ole twentieth century boy.  The college-age canoe guide took it for granted that we had a cell phone (we did).  This experience, which I only made a big deal of to myself, will go down as a Kodak moment.  It was a neat little chuckle that I'm not soon to forget.

Rosemary and I went canoing yesterday from Sargeant Park to Morris Bridge Park on the Hillsborough River.  The two hour trip was laden with gorgeous scenery and diverse wildlife.  As memorable, were the folks who rented out the canoes, Canoe Escape. Amanda checked us in and took payment, Tyler dropped us off and Kevin picked us up.  They were friendly, courteous and knowledgeable about the area.  Overall it was a great experience!

I highly recommend that you check out the Hillsborough River and surrounding area by renting canoes at Canoe Escape!