Saturday, November 12, 2011
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Grand Opening - White County PSWRC
The Peer Support Wellness and Respite Center of White County, GA had its Grand Opening on June 21, 2011!
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Monday, July 18, 2011
Saturday, June 04, 2011
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
Open adoption
Karla turned 21 on April 3, 2011, one week after having her third child. This is her first interview as an adult. This was also my fist encounter with Savien. I shed a few tears while editing this video.
Sunday, April 03, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Saturday, January 08, 2011
Saturday, January 01, 2011
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Understanding Voices - Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd
Society's view of voice hearing is influenced by the dominance of a psychiatric hypothesis (guesswork!!) that equates the phenomena of voice hearing with mental illness, i.e. tells you that you are mad! This is a myth that gets perpetrated not only by some workers in the field of mental health, but often the clients themselves, their families, friends and of course the general public. The commonest myth is the equation of voice hearing and dangerousness; the mistaken view that voice hearing is a symptom of "Schizophrenia" whereas in reality there is no real evidence to support this explanation, or indeed, that schizophrenia even exists.
Our view is that voices are not a sign of mental illness but rather a complex messenger that has meaning to the person's life. Often, though not always, voices are a reminder of a traumatic past, hence the message may be to deal with and take ownership over the traumatic life events.
from "Understanding and Making Sense of Voices" (Aslan & Smith) ISBN 978-0-9556461-6-4
Monday, September 13, 2010
Awards presentation to our attorneys who defended the Peer Support and Wellness Center
NIMBY = "Not in My Backyard" = Discrimination. This is our story and recognition of our supporters. The opposing neighbors can speak for themselves... and they do...
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Gabriel is a true angel to Juno.
Juno's parents rejected her and she refused to be handfed. She was dying, and the vet had no answers. She soon discovered seed and could feed herself! So I brought her home with me to be with Gabriel, her brother. That was just a few days ago, and Juno is beginning to thrive!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
Our 1986 version of Bohemian Rhapsody
My sisers and I loved getting our hands on a camcorder. The men had to follow along with whatever we came up with. They were great sports. I have always loved video editing, even when it was done the old fashioned way.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Remembering Sherry Olvey
Sherry Olvey was a pioneer in the consumer/survivor movement in Georgia. This footage is a tribute to her life.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Friday, January 01, 2010
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Friday, December 18, 2009
Sunday, December 06, 2009
Saturday, December 05, 2009
Friday, December 04, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Freddie in his element
Freddie gave all he had to every performance, as if it were his one and only. He had a love affair with each audience. This Wembley performance is the epitome of Freddie.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Sunday, November 08, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Africa The Serengeti
My sister Jody filmed this footage shortly after she got her first video camera. I gave her a few tips about filming, mainly to move the camera slowly, and she practiced for a few days before her trip to Africa. Her husband Pete did the video editing, and this was also his first serious attempt. I am so impressed with both of them. GO PETE AND JODY! YOU ROCK!
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Sunday, October 04, 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Thursday, September 03, 2009
Pfizer Hit With Staggering Drug Settlement
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Serenity Has a Brother!
Skyler was two weeks old when I took this video. Serenity was taking a nap. We just missed her. You may be able to see Beth there as well, but Karla insisted she didn't want to be seen in the video. I was able to extract the interview. I think she was just too exhausted and didn't think she looked her best. I thought she was just as beautiful as ever!
In other news, I just got a call from the Wellness Center announcing that two eggs were seen in Angel and Angela's nest. I had put a nesting box in the cage, which they both ignored. So Angela decided to use one of her food bowls! I threw the food out and replaced it with bedding, so that's what they are using. I hope it's sufficient. It's kinda small. Of course I will be poking my camera in there from time to time. Stay tuned!
Thursday, August 06, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
Taco - Puttin' on the Ritz (Original Uncensored Version)
I couldn't resist posting this video. I remember the released version in the 80s, and it did not have the creepy element -- or the offensive black faces. But this was one of my favorite songs of all time for many years. Don't watch this unless you are ready to be creeped out. It is the original uncut version.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Serenity at 17 Months Old and Skyler at 0
Karla's baby "Skyler" is due today. I haven't heard anything yet. She asked me if I wanted to be in the delivery room again, and of course I said yes. Sooo... Until then, here is a video of Serenity at 17 months, along with Karla at 8 months pregnant, Serenity's father Kenny, and Serenity's half sister, Kayla. Skyler's first baby picture is here, too.
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
Sharon Jenkins Tucker wins Clifford Beers Award!
Sharon Jenkins Tucker received the 2009 Mental Health America Clifford W. Beers Award. When getting up every day was hampered by depression, she slept in the back seat of her car rather than be hospitalized. Since 2004 she has been the executive director of the Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network, using her experience about the process of recovery, and her training as a peer specialist, to create the Peer Support and Wellness Center run by employed certified peer specialists.
"Does recovery work?" some are asking as they discuss how much to invest in health reform. "I'm the evidence," she told a cheering, weeping, and star-studded crowd.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Beth plus 11 white shirts, yes 11
Saturday, June 06, 2009
Mother and daughter reunion - and sisters, too!
I rarely see my mom and my sister Michele. They live down the street from each other in Blue Springs, MO. I hadn't seen them in years when my sister Jody called me and asked if I wanted to meet them in Dallas. I said yes, bought a plane ticket, and the rest is in this video.
Michele is our little sister, and we were not very nice to her growing up. We both thought of her as a brat, and we really couldn't see beyond the brattiness. So now, Michele has a daughter of her own, Katie, who is the reason we decided to meet in Dallas. Katie is a cheerleader, and Dallas was holding its cheerleading championship competition.
Granted, I could care less about cheerleading, but I do care about my little sister and my niece, so this was an opportunity to see them again. My mom was there, too, along with Katie's friend and her mom. The trip turned out to be quite a "mother-daughter" theme. Lots of bickering, especially between Michele and Katie. Apparently Katie is going through a typical "I hate my mother" phase, and Michele, who totally cracks me up, is taking it all in. You can see some of the dynamics in the video, but mostly it is about mothers and daughters in general.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Queen's new frontman?
That is the headline after the Season finale of American Idol. I am a HUGE Queen fan, as you know from my videos, and I am a HUGE Adam Lambert fan. Adam is a brilliant, flamboyant talent who could easily be Queen's new frontman. I always felt that Adam was channeling Freddie Mercury on stage. He has the black nails, the guyliner, the sexuality, and (my favorite) the Freddie Mercury falsetto. I will buy everything Adam releases and listen to it until I'm sick, just like I did Freddie's music. I can't say that about another American Idol winner. Oh yeah, Adam didn't win. Freddie would not have won either!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Angel and Angela
I took a sick day today, then I got bored and decided to edit some video I took on Memorial Day. I'm sure you remember Angel, but no one has "met" Angela on this blog. So let me introduce our new addition. She is a year old, and she's been with us a few weeks. Angel loves her, but mostly he loves having company instead of being alone all the time. I was heartbroken by how lonely Angel was getting. Now he's back to his old, playful self!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Beth and I a year later. Silliness lives on.
Beth moved to Kansas about the same time I moved into the Peer Support and Wellness Center. We both moved into 444 street addresses! So then a year later, I moved out of the Center and she came to visit me from Kansas for the first time. I had just moved into my new apartment 10 days before, and she helped me with decorating. This is how far behind I've gotten with editing videos! This video is me and Beth attempting to decorate my apartment, but mostly we're goofing off.
I also have footage of me and Beth in DC last April and Beth's visit last week. So stay tuned for more Beth Filson!
Friday, May 22, 2009
Lots of things happening. Life, love, doves.
Okay, with all the excuses out of the way - how are you all doing? I miss my blogger friends. I hope everyone is doing great! I keep up with some of your blogs, so I know what a lot of you have been up to. I'm just glad you're still blogging!
My life is moving incredibly fast. My work is the most important thing in my life, and it has been quite a challenge. The Peer Support and Wellness Center definitely has its challenges. Last time I wrote anything significant, we were still in the infant stage. Since then, we have been through the terrible twos, and now we are at a more reasonable childhood stage. It has felt like raising a child - all consuming, challenging, and rewarding. Yes, rewarding. When we reach a milestone (masked as a challenge) and work though it, coming out ahead, it is like a growth spurt. We have had many of those.
One of the challenges has been Personal Care Home managers. Personal Care homes are, in my opinion, a tragic extention of institutions. They are hospitals without walls, and they serve to keep people oppressed and dependent. There's very little self direction. But the individuals who come to the Center from Personal Care Homes are experiencing self direction at least while they are at the Wellness Center. It is frustrating because I feel that Personal Care Homes have an ideal setup for people to become self directed, if only the managers understood the concept. If only! It just breaks my heart to see so many people who have so much talent and insight to live in another institution. It feels criminal.
So it's very difficult to communicate with Personal Care home managers. We don't speak the same language, and their objectives are opposite of ours. They want to keep people "safe" and "compliant." They don't understand the fact that we do not keep files on our peers, not do we discuss our peers with anyone except our peers. Duh! Case workers and parents often have the same expectation of us. Medicaid van drivers too! So when our peers come to the Center from those environments, many are hearing about self direction for the first time. And practicing it is a challenge as well because once they return home, they have to be compliant again. I understand this, too, because when your living siruation is at stake, you will do whatever it takes to have a roof over your head.
I see the Center as such a reprieve for so many of our peers. Many people who don't have a home will come to the Center for a nice home environment, at least for the day. We work with people on housing issues, and many have found the home of their choosing through networking and resources while at the Center. Others are still struggling with homelessness, and I wish there were more housing resources in this area.
The Center is directed by four core values - making connections, sharing worldviews, creating mutuality, and moving toward (life). When someone comes through those doors and simply wants to sit on the couch and hang her head, another peer will approach that person and attempt to make a connection. I have seen eyes light up and personalities emerge from that simple act. It happens a lot, and tears are falling now from thinking about it. OMG! That's the reason we are here! Nothing is more rewardng than that!
My personal life has been moving fast as well. Yes, I do have a personal life! I moved out of the Center last December 27, exactly one year to the day that I had moved in. I didn't plan it that way! But I have a very nice apartment about a half mile away. It's the most beautiful apartment I've ever lived in, and it's secure and peaceful. I needed to move. The daily participants at the Center have grown in numbers to the point that it was becoming difficult to find a space for myself. And I need my space!
I saved up all I could during the year I lived at the Center and left all my belongings when I moved out. I needed to start fresh and new. I went to Havertys and furnished my new apartment. WOW was that a blast! So when I moved out, everything got delivered to me rather than dealing with all those boxes. It was a VERY pleasant and effortless move!
I left my dove Angel at the Center. I'm there most of the time anyway, and I think he is happy there. He did miss me when I first moved out, though, so I found him a companion dove. Her name is Angela, and she adjusted to her new home immediately. She and Angel are best friends, and soon to be mates. It's just a matter of time. I see them kissing a lot :o)
I still edit videos, but I sure do have a lot of footage that I haven't even touched yet. Beth was here for a visit, and I'm sure you all remember her. She moved to Kansas about the same time I moved into the Center. She's been here to visit twice, and both times we got some good videos. Maybe I'll work on those first.
OH - and the beginning of May, I was invited to DC to a "Innovations in Recovery" seminar put on by SAMHSA, which is the federal division of mental health, so to speak. The feds, I call them. Anyway, the seminar covered several topics, and I was asked to do a presentation on "Crisis/Respite Alternatives." I showed the DVD of the Peer Support and Wellness Center, and people told me they loved it and wanted to come to Georgia and see it for themselves! This event was such an honor for me to attend. I had never traveled to an unknown city by myself before, and now I am no longer scared to do so. I was terrified before the trip, and I even considered declining, but that's not the way to grow, right? I gotta face my fears, and in the end, there was nothing to be afraid of.
Well, those are the highlights of my life since I last wrote. OH yeah - I also went to Dallas with my sister Jody. We met my mom, sister Michele, and niece Katie there to watch Katie compete in the national cheerleading championship. I have footage of that, too, which I will get to one day soon. Oh where do I start with all these videos?
OH yeah! And Karla is due to have another baby in July! A boy!
Okay, I am signing off before I remember something else. I'll be back soon. Thanks for reading my ramble.
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Taxpayers foot the bill for ECT torture in MN
OMG! This could have been me not too long ago. Thank god I got away from psychiatry. They come to Ray's front door and forcibly take him away to shock his brain every other week, and it's being paid for by taxpayers! Nothing is more outrageous! It kills me to just think about it, and Ray is living it.
Hey, this could be you if you seek help for depression, nothing works, and you land in a hospital. ECT is for "treatment resistant" depression. I was certainly at risk. Nothing helped my depression. Hospitals made them worse. The oppression of the mental health system made them worse. My inability to cope with stress made them worse. Nothing helped, and just the thought of ECT gave me the creeps. I remember one of my last hospitalizations, in 2000, I was rooming with a young woman who said she had Dissociative Identity Disorder (which used to be called Multiple Personality Disorder, and which was a label I was given for many years). Every morning she would be taken away for ECT, and every afternoon, she would be soooo out of it. I remember asking her if she wanted ECT, and she said absolutely not. She was scared of saying no to her doctor, though, and she continued to go along with his orders. She was very compliant, just like the doctors wanted.
I think back on that... I was an involuntary patient. She and I had the same doctor. He could have forced ECT on me. How many others are getting ECT as I write this? How may choose it? How many are coerced or too afraid to stand up to their doctors? How many are blatantly forced, like Ray? How often does this go on???
I guarentee you this -- one day ECT will be looked upon as barbaric and unthinkable by everyone, like lobotomies are now. Sometimes it's just the era you are born into. Timing is huge. I am so sorry, Ray. I am so sorry. You are incredibly brave, and what you are going through is going to help bring these asshole doctors to their senses one day. OK - not to their senses (duh!) - but it will eventually change the law so these assholes cannot abuse human beings anymore with their "treatments".
If I had the opportunity, I would go to Ray's doctor's front door one morning and drag him to his own clinic and strap that ECT machine to his little pea brain. Before putting him under, I would ask him if he wanted ECT. When he said no, I would tell him that it was for his mental health, then I would zap his brain. Oooh that felt good to just write.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
k.d. hallelujah lang
This song is one of my all-time favorites, and thanks to Gianna, who posted this version to her blog, I am now able to experience it by one of my all-time favorite performers: k.d.lang. I could write a book about k.d.lang and the effect she has had on my life, especially when I lived in a teeny tiny town called Avoca, Arkansas. I wonder if that town can be found on Google Streetview. Her music is...well...I can't express it in words unless I write a book, and even then, it's questionable whether it can be expressed at all.
Friday, March 06, 2009
Saturday, February 07, 2009
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Our First Christmas - (to Stephany's daughter)
This is dedicated to Stephany's daughter. You do have the strength, and if you forget it for a moment, let us gently remind you. We will hold the hope for you, and the love, and the power. This video is for you, darling. Merry Christmas.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Christmas Eve 2008 at the Peer Support and Wellness Center
I still can't believe I am getting into the holidays this year, but this is simply magical. I wish you could be here in person and feel the amazing energies surrounding this entire house. I feel so much love for each individual who walks through the door. It's incredible, just incredible. I wouldn't trade my life for anything.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Christmas Party at the Network
I've gone to the Georgia Mental Health Consumeer Network's Christmas Party every year since I became their web designer in 2004. This one was extra special because all the staff from the Peer Support and Wellness Center were invited. It was the first time I brought my video camera, too! Nobody was camera shy, which is heaven for me, and the food was incredible. I ate too much, then my sister and I went to the movies and had popcorn, then we went out to diunner. I have been fasting today because I woke up this morning still full. I hate when that happens. Ahhhh the holidays .. then the diet. I'm sure you can guess what my New Years Resolution is for 2009. I totally blew it in 2008.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Google Search Trends
bush shoe
pete carroll night j...
david clowney
man throws shoe at b...
odot
oregon department of...
nick.com/biggreenhel...
honolulu marathon
bush in iraq
just friends
Anyway, it's Sunday, and I have spare time to do something utterly meaningless. Oh, and here's a video to boot. I called this art, but really only two pieces are considered art - the one titled "Abandoned" and the one titled "Rejection" which was my first sale years ago. The rest are just experiments with Photoshop filters. Well, I guess the sunset is original, too. As a side note the one titled "Abandoned" is actually Karla at age three. It took me three weeks to draw that in Photoshop. I don't know if any of you are into Photoshop, but there's a free program called Gimp that is just like it. Try it out! You will be surprised at what you can create.
Oh and I almost forgot! The Peer Support and Wellness Center now has a video blog! It's at http://peersupportandwellness.blogspot.com/ . Now all our videos are in one place. Things are going great, btw. I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season. I am actuially getting into it this year.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Attempting the Andy Griffith Tune
Jake tried to whistle this tune, but he kept getting stuck. He's swinging on my raised knees, in case you were wondering.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Run for Wellness and Recovery
This video was so much fun to make. It was a great event, too! It poured down rain the night before, and we were worried it would be canceled. But it turned out to be a beautiful day, just perfect. I hope you enjoy the video as much as I enjoyed making it.
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Jake
Jake was my constant companion for two years. Here is some footage I found from 2002. I just had to include Jake on this blog.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Faces of Recovery 2008
The first night of the Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network conference, attendees told their recovery stories on camera. The four people in this video are Sherry Olvey, who participates at the Peer Support and Wellness Center, Steve Morgan who is an excellent writer and advocate, Maureen Mayer, a full-time employee at the Wellness Center, and Pricilla, who we met that evening.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Serenity at 7 Months
I first met Karla when she was 2 years old, but I had seen many baby pictures of her. Serenity is identical to those pictures. It's uncanny. It will be amazing to watch Serenity grow up.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
Kaufman House
Part Two
The woman interviewed in this story is Nancy Jensen, a friend and colleague of Beth Filson's. You may remember Beth from some of the videos I have posted here. Here is one and another one.
Kansas is the state where I spent a year in their state hospital. It could easily have been me in this story if I had stayed in Kansas after being discharged. I'm so sorry it happened to Nancy. I'm so sorry it happened at all.
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Catching up
I have been so busy. I can't believe how much I can get done in a day. I used to get the same amount done in two weeks. Life is a whirlwind, and every day is different. There is no time for ruts or comfort zones.
The Center is full most of the time. During the day, we have 15-25 people, and during the night we have three respite guests. I love the respite guests. It is fascinating to have three new roommates every single week. It's always a new house dynamic. Sometimes we have respite guests who become lifelong friends after the week is over, and other times we have guests who really don't like the other guests and keep to themselves. Other times we have lively debates and other times we have sheer silence. I swear, some of the best chefs come through here, and I am the lucky recipient of their cooking.
During the day we have so many people and activities going on, I can't keep up. The dynamics during the day are different every day too. We always have new people coming, and soon we will be turning people away. We were warned about this in the beginning when we only had a small handful come every day. We wanted more people! So we did presentations and handed out packets and invited everyone over for tours. We got what we wanted.
The best part about this Center are the miracles and transformations I get to witness every day. The stories are endless, and we are writing a book titled "Crisis as Opportunity: Stories of Personal Transformation at the Peer Support and Wellness Center." As I wrote in an earlier post, I am making a DVD about the Center. We'll be using it as a general introduction to the Center. I wanted to catch the spirit of this place, and after watching the first draft the other day, the people who were watching were in tears. They said I captured the spirit.
I have been experiencing much transformation in my own life. I never knew I could supervise, schedule, and delegate to 8 staff 24 hours a day. I never knew I could handle so much responsibility. I have always been the epitome of irresponsibility. I've always basked in my comfort zone and required enormous amounts of time alone. Now I am rarely alone, except at 5:00 in the morning.
I don't even recognize myself.
I can't really make any promises, but I think it would be wonderful to start writing here more often. I will try. Really. I want to keep a journal of my life now. There's too much going on to just let pass by without writing about it. Too much has already happened. I think it will be worth the effort. It's really just a matter of finding the time, and even then, the energy. My heart and soul is in my work now. Everything I do is all about this Center. It is my baby.
I never knew I could work like this, so consistently and enthusiastically. I never knew something so challenging could be so worthwhile.
I hope I still have readers! I hope everyone is thriving!
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Low Dose Naltrexone
But I found a great site that I want to share with all the seekers of Naltrexone. It's called River Pharmacy, and it's based out of Canada. The shipping is very quick -- maybe two weeks, and the price is so low I still can't believe it. I have about two years worth of pills. Of course, I take one 50MG pill, disolve it in 50ML distilled water, and take 4ML every night, so one pill lasts nearly two weeks.
Naltrexone goes under the names Revia, Nodict, Depade, Vivitrol, and Naltrexone. The direct page to order it is at https://www.riverpharmacy.com/drugInformation.php?ActiveIngredient=638
So there it is. I hope I just saved someone two days worth of searching!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
El Camino del Rey
Originally built in 1901, this walkway now serves as an aproach to makinodromo, the famous climbing sector of El Chorro.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Friday, May 16, 2008
Walking in Recovery
This fundraiser cost quite a bit of money just to attend, but the Peer Support and Wellness Center participants were able to attend as guests. The food was unbelievable and the atmosphere was relaxed. We were the loudest ones there! Here's a short video of us hanging out with each other at the fundraiser.
Friday, May 02, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
Monday, April 14, 2008
Cooking at the Peer Support and Wellness Center
I'll be presenting at my first workshop at the Georgia Mental Health Consumer conference this August. It will be about the Peer Support and Wellness Center and what we're all about. I decided to make a video showing what we do rather than just talking about it and passing out literature. We'll do that, too, of course, but I think a video will give people a much better idea. I will be showing segments on this blog as I finish them. I'll also be making a DVD and passing it out with our literature as we promote the Wellness Center in the community.
This video is the segment on our cooking class. We cook every Friday evening, and it has become a warm, inviting event more than a class. Becca, a peer staff at the Center, is the main facilitator, and it was her project from the beginning. We also have a chef, Donna, also a peer, come in to instruct the class.
Needless to say, it is one of our most popular activities!
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Thursday, April 03, 2008
American Asylums of the 19th Century
Breathtaking photography by Jeremy Harris. Very provocative.