Part 2: VINDICATED!

Ok. This is Part 3 and Part 1 and Part 2 came out months ago. I am a lame blogger. There. I’ve said it. Now let’s move on, shall we?

Starting somewhat where I left off, I want to do a little thought experiment with you. Einstein did it and you can too. All he did is think about things a little more deeply than most of us tend to do what with life and television and all.

So I’m asking you to step back in time and imagine that you’re one of the first beings that we now call humans. You’re living your life. The men are hunting and the women are gathering and taking care of the kids — probably cleaning the cave and washing the furs too. Anyway, the men probably started trying to kill animals with their bare hands and teeth. Then they figured out they could use a rock and then spear. The women made baby carriers out of skins and baskets for gathering berries and nuts out of reeds. Us humans started making and using tools because it made doing the regular work of staying alive easier and more efficient. And here’s where the real thinking comes in.

Why did we want to do that? Why did we want to save time and energy? Why did we want MORE time and energy? Was it so we could gather and hunt way more food than we could ever eat so that it spoiled and needlessly depleted available resources? Was it so we could have way more animal skins and caves than we needed to live in that we would then have to spend more time and effort to protect and maintain?

Being somewhat of a human myself, I think we freed up time for much better reasons. We wanted more time and energy for exploring our world, painting on the cave walls, telling stories, playing with the kids, and generally hanging with the tribe, having fun, relaxing and having a lot more sex.

Think about it. How many people out there are working for the weekend? Yeah, you may care about your job but do you really CARE about your job? If you had the chance to do what you really love to do with plenty of time to have fun and spend with friends and family, how many minutes would it take you to write that resignation letter?

We are now in an economic collapse where many people who were working ridiculously long hours in the past are now out of work with few good prospects. We need a new economy based on making people’s lives better. We need companies based on the fact that when people feel excited about their work, feel valued as human beings and feel supported to find fulfillment in their lives, there’s nothing that can stop the creative ideas and the productivity. And because I know that big business and the politicians will never go as far as I’d like them to go (and usually in the wrong direction!) Ian and I have started the revolution with our own business.

foolish tree is a company that believes money is not the only measure of value. The experiences we have working with our clients is actually more important. Although we do need cash to pay our rent and bills, we also need many goods and services. And there is no reason to have money stand in the way of good people collaborating for their mutual benefit. So I am proclaiming right now that if you need any type of film about your business or organization or to promote yourself in a video calling card or video resume, consider offering us your services in partial exchange for the star treatment. This could cut down the cost of everything from your TV commercial to your Wedding film. Call or email to discuss options or fill out our online Estimate Form and mention that you want to discuss collaboration options.

Our underlying purpose as a company is simple and sweet: To Create the Freedom to Create

So when you hire foolish tree, you will not only have an easy, fun, relaxed experience and end up with a high quality film for a very reasonable price. You will also be supporting our own creative projects as well as our future dream of a foolish tree foundation — an instrument for helping future generations have the freedom to create.

Thanks for reading my overdue blog. And let us know what YOU would like to have the freedom to create!

Part 1: Outgrowing Plan B

My last installment was an introduction to my rebellious nature and how now, with the economic collapse, I am feeling vindicated about many of the unconventional choices I’ve made. So what else exactly do I feel vindicated about? Here are just a few examples of conventional societal advice and how not taking it has panned out for me:

1 – You need to work hard, earn at least a Master’s degree and plan your career goals carefully to be successful and “get ahead.”

I never planned my career or ever really picked one thing to be.

Well, I did want to be an Elevator Operator at one point. Pushing the buttons and going up and down all day looks like the best job in the world to a 4-year-old. Then there was the Movie Star phase…

In school I was shuttled into doing things I was good at but not necessarily interested in. And like so many girls, I was looking for love and approval and trying to please everyone. But as I grew I never really wanted to be the kind of person I saw “getting ahead” so I never set my sights there. Then the 60’s happened and the Feminist Movement. I spent some years in the counter culture which eventually led to healing codependency issues and leaving a bad marriage. In my late 30’s I shifted my trajectory toward feeling fulfilled, finding what makes me happy and being in a good relationship. And now I am in the same or better financial shape as many people who have spent their entire adult lives faithfully climbing the ladder that just broke. Only I have a large degree of inner peace and happiness and the best marriage I can imagine. I can’t say that for all of my go-getter friends and acquaintances.

Vindicated.

2) The real measure of success and the way to plan for your financial future is to own your own home.

I didn’t buy a house like someone of my age is “supposed” to have done by now. I never had to deal with replacing the roof or the plumbing or any of a multitude of head-aches that ownership presents. Plus, I have had excellent landlords who have pretty much allowed me to do what I wanted with my dwellings over the years. I’m now in a reasonably priced apartment, living IN San Francisco (which has rent control) in a quiet building with 3 other units of lovely people who all have cats… and no underwater mortgage to stress over.

Vindicated.

3) If you’re not blonde, tall, thin and have disproportionately large breasts, you will never “get” a man or have a rockin’ sex life.

Now that may seem a little extreme to some. But we women and girls who will NEVER look like this are the vast majority since the average American woman is a size 14 and 162.9 lbs! And we know that this is the unreal stereotype to which we all fall short no matter how many affirmations we say.  The message is so ingrained that even those who do meet these criteria seldom believe that they do.

I am a short, fat, older woman with a bad back who hates wearing a bra. I have a fantastic husband with whom I am about to celebrate our 13^th Annual Honeymoon. And the sex? Let me say this:

Vindicated!

I’m sure there are many other ways in which I feel better and better about the choices I have made that were in opposition to “normal”. I’ll share them when they occur to me. How about you? Do you feel vindicated about any of your rebellious behavior? Please share!

Next time: Jo’s Theory of How the Human Race Forgot its Priorities Which Led to This Mess

Eventually, I found myself in that situation where my “boss” was my son’s age and I was just as likely to ignore organizational rules and regulations as follow them. I started being inappropriately vocal in meetings where I was just supposed to be taking minutes. Hmmm. And the economy was tanking.

Finally time to go back to Plan A, I thought.

So I am now CEO and co-owner with my filmmaker/husband/best friend of our own media company. Our bottom line purpose is “to create the freedom to create.” We do stuff we LOVE to do on our own terms. Sure – we’re not what anyone would call “solvent”. But we are treading water nicely. And frankly, I float like a cork. We finally both decided that enough is enough and we will pursue our dreams no matter what. Economy is in the eye of the beholder.

I’ve been thinking about the economy a lot lately. Not in a fearful way. More in a vindicated way. I feel vindicated about so many things that I was “supposed” to do that have never made any sense. I have never believed that the American economy works for many Americans. And now there is real evidence that it Just Doesn’t Work. Period.  Vindicated!

Next time: VINDICATED!

Infamous Nieman Marcus Cookie Recipe

I was given this recipe as a copy of a copy of a copy that an old friend’s mom supposedly got clandestinely from a sales person at Nieman Marcus. I later heard that it was an old urban myth that someone unknowlingly paid $250 (they thought it was $2.50!) for the recipe and then decided to pass it on out of spite. I finally got around to making the recipe last year and now have no doubt that these are some of the best cookies you will ever eat, myth or not. You can halve the recipe but why? Save some dough in the freezer for last minute bake sales.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
4 cups flour
5 cups blended oatmeal – measure then blend in a blender until it becomes powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
24 oz chocolate chips
18 oz chocolate bar grated

• Cream butter and sugars.
• Add eggs and vanilla.
• Mix flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder and baking soda in separate bowl.
• Mix wet and dry ingredients just until combined.
• Gently add chocolate chips and grated chocolate.
• Roll into about 1.5” balls and place on cookie sheet 2 inches apart. They will spread out!
• Bake for 10 minutes at 375°. Makes about 9 dozen cookies! Freeze some of the dough for later with excellent results.

One of the main reasons that foolish tree films became a reality is my desire for many years now to make “The Hornman” documentary. I spent Monday and Tuesday with him cataloging and organizing his stories for a book and that time with him fomented in me an even stronger resolve to make this movie a reality ASAP. I didn’t realize that until just now, when a number of ideas flooded in as I started to write this blog about a totally different topic. Ah, well… the nature of the beast called my brain.

We presently have no funding for the project except our own sweat equity. But my first task will be to create a facebook fan page for The Hornman. We have a million video clips, photos, letters from audiences of all ages, audio files and of course, his written material. Maybe I could even get him to blog … Dad? Are you reading this? At any rate, duh, a FAN PAGE. I will for sure let you know when it’s posted.

Meanwhile, here’s a little video I took when I was at his place earlier in the week. (Shot in HD on an inexpensive camera made by Aiptek)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWB6ueLqfx4