Emperor

Bumper Sticker Design by rcw

Cleaning up around the house, I ran across some of my old graphics files.  This is one I made for the medical cannabis movement.

A lot of people don't realize that cannabis (a/k/a marijuana) was considered legal medicine for a very, very, very long time.  The American Medical Association was the last hold-out on denying it's medicinal value.
I recommend the book "The Emperor Wears No Clothes" by Jack Herrer, bless his soul.

THE book....a must read!

Jack spent the greater part of his life trying to educate the world and wrote what I believe is the definitive history of cannabis. By the time I met him, the book had been published already for several years and was in the midst of yet another revision to include new information...which at the time included all the Prop 215 information.

Any one interested in finding out more about him, just click this link:
http://www.jackherer.com

I've worked in the movement since the mid '90s.  Jack and so many others have been at it all their lives, so I'm a relative "newbie."  These other guys have been through the ringer.

They were on the front lines when a person could really get a life sentence for a joint, let alone a cannabis seed!  Can you imagine, not too many years ago....in this very country...people were incarcerated for such a thing.

Well...a lot of people are still in prison from those charges of that long ago and should be released.  Personally I believe that a majority of the marijuana offenders should be released....the old laws were a form of legalized brutality. We've come a long way since then..and still have a long way to go! 

I am amazed that we've politicized cannabis as much as we have in our society, and hope that enough people read Jack's book so they can help right the wrongs and restore the lives the bad laws helped destroy.

For today, Fifty Five Is The New Emperor....Jack Herrer....friend, warrior, activist.

Thirty-three

Thirty-three was a middle of the road...a weird year that only got more weird as the year went on.
 
Diane and I were still living at Venice Beach, running the Press Club....Diane and I traveled a lot, partied a bit, and worked on conventions. We made a lot of friends from all around the world and just lived life as it came to us.

It was also the year my brother Bob took his life. He'd been suffering the throes of extreme alcoholism combined with depression. We'd talked a few times and he seemed to be rallying, saying he was doing better and making plans to remodel the house.  He had a wife and two young children.

But on December 11, 1988 he was alone in his house.  He didn't call anyone. 

Sometimes I wonder what would have been had he not killed himself.  But there's only so far you can take that before becoming morose.  For better or worse, everything is as it is and all we can do is go on.
It is easy to chain oneself the chair of depression, believe me I'm an expert.  I used to look for excuses to get depressed so I could drink...talk about being sick. Bob's life and death taught me a few big lessons.

Mainly, I think he taught me to hang on....don't let negative events and feelings act like a load stone 'round the neck, use them to an advantage, turn them around or at least talk to someone!

So for today, Fifty Five is the new Thirty-Three....and in memory of my brother, a year of learning how to live.

Meaning of a Milestone

Sky Drum  by rcw

About fifty-five, according to the online dictionary:

     Adjective. Means being five more than fifty, being or denoting a numerical quantity but not order; "cardinal numbers"    Gee...real helpful, that.

To me, it means a bit more than just a "numerical quantity," it's a milestone.  For one thing, it means I managed to somehow survive in spite of my own stupidity.

They say the Maker watches out for fools and drunks, and having been both, I can fully attest to this fact.  Some kind of Cosmic or Divine Intervention took place, that's for sure!  Afterall, I'm still here.

Couldn't all have been dumb luck!  But with all that guidance and overseeing comes something else.
You know that other old expression, "Those given great things, great things are expected..."  Well, it applies to being held "close to the wing" as well.  Like in the movie "Pay It Forward," I believe we're supposed to help one another....and especially if we've been helped. 

'These thoughts didn't just make their way magically into my head when I reached fifty-five; they've taken on deeper meaning as maturity set in. It's like I knew it, but it's finally making a bit of sense.

Maybe that's what being fifty-five is all about....the age where a person has experienced enough of life,  they can look back and make sense out of some of it. Not all of it!  Not by a long stretch!

So, for today Fifty Five Is The New Meaning of a Milestone....maybe wisdom doesn't come with age, but it sure helps!

Pondering

St. Peter & Paul   rcw

Still recovering from all the holiday things...baking, gift making, cleaning and decorating, visiting....

This time of year makes me think of where we've been and where we're going, as a people, as a nation and as an individual.  The latter is the only one I seem to have any real control over and of course even that is to some degree dependent on the things around me.

I wonder what the world will be like a year from now....hard to say.  Hard enough to say what it's going to be like tomorrow!
Who knows?

A comet could come crashing down and send us in a death spiral, or an earthquake or a tidal wave....any number of things!
Then again, we could just wake up tomorrow with everything peaceful...the birdies chirping and the sun shining bright.

Who's to say? 

For today, Fifty Five Is The New Pondering, same as the old pondering....since the beginning of time.

One Hundred And Counting

Right now Fifty Five is the new 100. Yep. No way around it, I'm tired!
It's been a good season though, better than last year-which I won't go on about right now.
Suffice to say, 2008's holidays were an exercise in faith and hope for all of us....and I am grateful for all improvements.
So this "100" I'm feeling is more about exhaustion than griping! I'll save that for another time, and a larger number!

1979 = Cadillac

Randi and Jack in our Cadillac

Here we are, that dynamic duo Boo Boo's Bargain Basement Band in our 1979 Cadillac Seville, talking about our Cadillac Campsite Tour.

We plan on going on the road around Spring 2011, bringing our message and music to an unsuspecting public. This should be fun!

Ultimate destination - Nashville. We'll stop by and visit with family and friends on the way, of course. We'll camp along the way, make music along the way and see the world through our windshield.

We'll be keeping blogs, videos and such on the road, naturally. It'll be a full blown artistic endeavor...I may even learn to drive!

So for now, Fifty Five Is The New 1979 as in our Cadillac Seville...gonna drive us all the way across the country.

Numbers

Numbers, numbers....we're all numbers!  From our date of birth through our Social Security data, we are processed and packaged, branded and boxed into categories that are designed to make us predictable and easy to count....easy to govern.

I'm not one of those conspiracy theorists, but there's a lot going on in the area of herding people and making their lives fit into certain molds. I know some of it is because there are so many of us...but I wonder if it's been taken just a tad too far. 

My hope is that we don't some day wake up to Number-Names rather than the interesting monikers we humans give ourselves.

So for today, Fifty Five is the New Numbers...the one that allows for individuality.  Long live the fingerprint!