Head shots, nature, animals and more!
COMING SOON!
Monday, December 28, 2015
Friday, September 18, 2015
The important cause of The Rainbow House
I feel it is time for me to give back.
Although I only have about 1/16 Cherokee blood in me and I am in no way, shape or form considered Cherokee, but a Blond Viking king who came to Scotland and Ireland~Ha~ My family has a very long history with the tribe. I imagine by today's standards my family would seem quit evil. Nevertheless, it is a piece of history and one can only hope to learn from it.
My GGrandfather, Andrew Pickens was small in stature, measuring about 5'3 with a large
prominent nose. He was a quiet man who wrote little, despite the assumption that he would be bold and loud when one met him.
Although, General Pickens began his military career by fighting the Cherokee in the Anglo-
Cherokee war, he was well respected by tribal leaders. They called him "Skyagunsta" or Wizard Owl.
Andrew Pickens fought against the Cherokee Indians and in his final battle with them,
called the "Ring Fight," he was outnumbered 7-to-1, but still defeated them. They came to
revere and respect him, and indeed he chose to live only one mile from the site of this
battle, and among the Cherokee.
From what I can tell ...
The Cherokee named him Skyagunsta ("Wizard Owl") in honor of one of the greatest
Cherokee warriors and chiefs, who was the head warrior of Tassaetchie in the early
1700s.
This earlier Skyagusta (usually spelled Skijagusta, and who was also known as
Kittagusta) was said to be a man worthy to be the king (according to the British way of
thinking) of all the Cherokee tribes when the English conquered the Cherokee.
This earlier Skyagunsta was taken, along with several other chiefs, across the ocean to
This earlier Skyagunsta was taken, along with several other chiefs, across the ocean to
London by Sir Alexander Cumming (who had led the fight against them), where the group
presented the conquered crown of the Cherokee nation to the King of England. The king
then made a treaty with these chiefs, and Skyagunsta made a famous speech when
presenting the feathers to the king:
This earlier Skyagunsta returned to America and lived to be very old, dying in 1768, so he
was fresh in the memory of the Cherokee nation when Andrew Pickens came along.
I have doubts, as many do, if things indeed went down as recorded and are either flawed
or hyperbole. I am aware though that my GGrandmother started what would be known as
a "safe house" these days for "displaced" Cherokee women and children. She was often
a target of the British and much of the time feared for her life.
With all this being said, this is one of the reasons why The Cherokee Rainbow House is of
great importance to me.
The other reason being is my more recent Grandmother, Sally, as she was called, was
1/2 Cherokee and died from poverty and substance abuse. She was found almost a week
later in a motel room, naked, and under a fan where she had passed out after drinking.
It is an image that I cannot rid myself of and causes great pain for me.
The Cherokee "Rainbow House" is filled with clothes, dishware, paintings, and other
household items for the poor and needy Cherokee. It is run by an all volunteer staff,
sometimes in temperatures over 100 hundred degrees. The elders are adamant on seeing
that the whole tribe is taken care of. It is a place where no questions are asked, and only
In comes, the wonderful actor, and elder tribal member, Jim Beaver, who has put his
handsome mug on this Tshirt ,which proceeds will go directly to help out the Cherokee
Rainbow House. https://represent.com/jumblejim You can find more on the link here.
I do hope you can find time to look over the videos and links and see where you fit in and
how you can help! Thank you for your time!
More soon!
Chief Bill John Baker
Sunday, September 6, 2015
The miracle of song
Okay, let's just skip over what I said yesterday, shall we?
I am in serious need of a little, "Once Upon A Time" folks ~Ha!"
I was at a pretty low point yesterday,( In case it wasn't obvious), as if everything in me had been depleted and drained. I believe going deaf, that lack of stimulation, that lack of response, is mostly to blame for my sudden onset of the blues. Either that or I need a horse or to go to Italy~ Ha!
A great deal of my life as a child had been about singing. My cousins and I often put on skits for the family reunions and sang our hearts out while everyone else plugged their ears~heh~
So, I sang yesterday. I didn't feel like singing, in fact, it was the last thing I wanted to do. But, it always takes me back to a time in which I felt free and quite bold. By the third song, and then something that resembled singing but it was really me attempting to do Barbara Streisand, I begin to feel myself fill up again.
It was a wonderful feeling and it should be repeated often!
In fact, I am just about to put on, "All My Life" with Karla Bonoff, and I am going to sing over the top of her lovely voice with my awful screeching and feel as free as possible~ The rest of you please feel free to plug your ears! Ha!
Be back soon, I promise!
Friday, August 14, 2015
The mystery of the warm fuzzy connection
Recently, I decided to read up on a person who I assumed had somehow randomly crossed paths with me and made a connection. I was surprised that I quickly came to develop warm fuzzies It turns out the genetics matched up surprisingly nice, with Scottish and English heritage, a name that most likely went French during the Norman Invasion, clear down to us both being 1/16 Cherokee, (I was supposedly a viking before moving down into "French" territory).
We were also both born in August, and have a passion for John Wayne and The Beatles, perhaps much more too, like my interest in flying planes and Star Trek. Our parents were both involved in the church as leaders and we both went to a Christian college.
What does this mean? Well everything and nothing.
Ancient tribes migrated together. I most likely came over with the Germanic tribe, so, it would only be natural that tribe members would settle in the same areas and develop some of the same tastes, and experience some of the same plagues and diseases as they moved together to occupy newer territories.
I, am of course, by no means even an amateur on these issues, they need much further study, but, common sense tells me it would be of little surprise if people of the same heritage developed some of the same traits and interests.
Even common daily connections have always been an interest of mine. I often wondered why I could be on the local light rail train to visit the library and be able to strike up a conversation with ease with one person, and I can't get another person to even crack a crooked smile at my tasteless humor.
I wondered if it was genetics calling the shots.... or perhaps I just really had bad jokes~Ha!
Whether it be for a lifetime or one brief moment, these connections seem to have more in common then we realize, but, because we never investigate further, we never draw the line connecting the dots.
But, in my case, looking for my birth family changed that because suddenly I became interested in a whole history of connections that finally led to me, the birth of a being that carried the genes of a 100 generations!
For the longest time, I would go around asking strangers silly questions, like one of my favorite childhood books, "Are you my mother?".
Now, I find myself asking, " Are you my brother or cousin?" .
It is quite possible when we look across a crowded room and find that one face that seems to give us that warm fuzzy connection, we are looking at a long lost tribal member from a very distant family of travelers, who has finally found one another once again!
Sunday, August 2, 2015
Top ten reason falling in love again in my twilight years would suck.
Reason 1.
Having to reveal to your new love that you have just wet your panties but, you don't know which kind of wet it is.
Reason 2. Needing to choose places to have your first date that do not include, foods that cause flatulence or your teeth to come out, places in which you cannot return to a standing position without the help of a paramedic, and items that would kill the mood if you can't find your reading glasses in time to read and follow the directions.
Reason 3. Knowing the butterflies in your stomach could also be a gallbladder attack.
Reason 4. Barely being able to get through the first line of the love song you wrote without stopping and staring blankly at the ceiling because you forgot the lyrics.....again.
Reason 5. Having to explain why you need to wear a mouth guard at night that makes you look like Bucky The Beaver and could cause bodily harm to your partner's penis.
Reason 6. Needing to carry a purse the size of a suitcase to hold heavy artillery for protection, a box of disposable underwear, six pairs of reading glasses, 2 pairs of support hoses, five bottles of prescription pills, and a smartphone the size of a small island.
Reason 7. Having a hot flash while having dinner with his family and requesting the waiter to bring out a portable fan to set on the table in front of you or moving the party into the walk- in freezer.
Reason 8. While getting ready for a date, mistakenly grab the Scrubbing Bubbles, foaming bleach spray, instead of the High Beams color thickener. Reason 9. Falling asleep while watching the 3D movie you just spent 31 dollars on, then drooling into the 10 dollar popcorn.
Reason 10. Having my screams and moans of Ecstasy mistaken for the cat crying out for it's supper.
Despite all of this, next time I may write the top ten reason why falling in love again and again would be marvelous because the heart needs the fresh air and exercise! Ha!
Friday, July 31, 2015
Why we seem to care about animals more
In the past few days, the arguments going on about Cecil The Lion have been most trying, filled with anguish and anger.
Most people have accused others of not caring, or not caring enough, or not caring about the right things or caring about a certain group of people.
But, I see something entirely different. I see hope.
I see that people do indeed care. They care about it all. They care about black, white, red, green, and fuzzy.
They care deeply and passionately. They care very much about human lives, but, I believe, Cecil made it easier to express these feelings.
It's called transference.
Sometimes it is easier to express emotion toward an animal then another human being because it reflects a more innocent time when we felt we could protect the helpless being left in our care when we were children.
My uncles were big game hunters who went to Africa every year. The house was always filled with lifeless heads and skins. I never cared for it but never spoke of it because I was just a child.
But, those were different times. It was the sixties then and although it was not something I would ever be proud of, it also was not condemned the way it is now.
There are more and more creatures becoming extinct now though and pleasure killing has become abundant, or perhaps looked at with more perspective.
I do not have all the crucial details to judge why my uncles did what they did. They immersed themselves in the culture and communicated with the tribes when they were there, but I have little detail...... and, so, perhaps, they were just jerks.
For whatever reason, perhaps to counterbalance the loss, my uncles, and one aunt, also had a preserve park where I spent many weeks in summer, riding their park train and walking with the mascot, Cecil The Llama, (Yes, another Cecil..). One day Cecil, and many other of the animals in the park, were shot one day by a sniper. Even though he was caught, I never quite forgot the incident.
Now I look at some of these pictures and I am horrified. I don't know if it is because of age, wisdom, or social changes and influence, or, perhaps, a little of both. The world changes and sometimes we change with it. We get lost and clouded, and at times great clarity.
The idea, I suppose then, is to find balance in this world full of loses and gains, but more importantly, love and compassion in every avenue we take and every journey we go on.
RIP Cecil The Lion and Cecil The Llama. You make us realize we are more human then we thought imaginable.
https://www.campaign.ox.ac.uk/wildcru
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
The personal assistant with the older client
When my 70 year old father stopped taking acting assignments, even though he was being considered, it got me thinking, " What if he had a personal assistant? Would this allow for him to work longer and would they know how to help him best?"
Now, that I am over 50 myself, I will soon be considered a "senior citizen" as well~Ha! So, before my menopause memory slips anymore, I thought I would put together the starts of a much needed list, which will be ongoing, of course, and open to suggestions. The idea here is to get more of our precious, older, actors, parts written for them of course, and working longer if desired!
Q. Young PA's, what should be on the supply list for your older Indie clients?
A. Depends...
Knee pads for difficult scenes of simple squatting. (Help, I can't get up!)
Denture supplies/veneer care
Toothpaste and toothbrush
breath mints ( Does my breath stink?) The older we are, the more taste buds we lose and pile on that hot sauce!
Lap blankets ( We get chilled easily)
An assortment of reading glasses ( We always forget ours or lose them)
Dry throat lozenges ( Many older clients are on drying medications, plus hormonal changes for women at mid-life cause "desert mouth")
Moleskin for bunions and blisters.
AssortedThermacare
Ibuprofen
Prune juice
Their favorite perfume or cologne.
Insurance information always on that smart phone!
A second or third pair of shoes, ( They may be attending different events and need to change back into something comfortable for awhile!)
Disposable razor and tweezers.
Portable iron
Stain remover ( for those accidents during a quick lunch)
Hearing aid batteries ( Nothing more embarrassing than going for an interview and have your batteries go dead!)
Pillows
Massage lotion/BenGay
Their favorite drink, teabags, stevia sweetener, bottled water.
Sunscreen!
( Because many clients are using retinoids or have had laser work or injections done recently)
Baby wipes and hand wipes.
Contact lenses and care
Nail clippers
Hairspray
Moustache and beard care products
Diabetic care
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2015/02/designing-digital-technology-for-the-elderly/ Make sure your client can see the blooming thing, for God's sake~Ha!
Antacids
Scarves ( older necks get chilled, plus, age shows on up on fragile neck skin easier. Always have one handy as they have 101 uses!)
Changes of clothes ( Just in case client is in accident, heaven forbid!)
Visine
Hand lotion
Temporary firming lotions
let's see...there is so much more to discuss but time does not permit it at the moment, as I have a beer and music festival to attend in the morning, so, this will be continued throughout the week.
I thank you for stopping by and hope to see all you crazy kids soon!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)