Jackson's Actions

All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsion, habit, reason, passion, and desire. --Aristotle (384 BC - 322 BC) <

And might not care to know either! ha! But it occurred to me that I might not finish the novel, I might not ever get a word in edgewise, I might not live long enough for all my new wonderful friends to ever hear the high points of a life they have touched. When you get to a certain age, you begin to 'catalogue' experience and try to synthesize the memories, lessons, and appreciation for what a life represents. It's not something you do when you're young, unless you're bored.

1. 1940's - early 50's
I was a military brat and moved every 2 or 3 years. From the age of 5 to 17, I lived in Las Vegas, Nevada; Trinidad, British West Indies; San Diego, CA; French Morocco, North Africa; Lincoln, Nebraska (where I graduated high school). It shaped my life for moving, moving. I also met my most enduring friend (Diana) in Port Lyautey, N. Africa, where we attended school in quonset huts and survived teen age without proms or live teachers.

2. 1950's
In my sophmore year of college (University of Miami, Fla. Diana was there too!), I spent the summer in Madrid and one night (with a lot of sangria), I fought a practice bull in the Plaza de Toros practice ring. A young bull, with undeveloped horns, knocked me on my keester over and over again until I threw in the cape and gave up.

3. 1963
I was briefly married to a brilliant actor who did the Off-Broadway production of "Franny & Zoe" (the only time Salinger gave permission, to my knowledge). His name was Tom Hammond and he became a social worker. Acting is a tough business.

4. 1964
I became a NYC stage actress for three years, studied with John Lehne and Uta Hagen. After a few unsuccessful non-equity, no-pay productions, I finished my career as a PAID dancer on TV in a Wayne & Schuster (Canadian comedy team) skit on The Ed Sullivan Show.

5. 1966
I briefly dated Dustin Hoffman (who was in my acting class) before he was famous, but after he was well trained. We did a few auditions together, and it became abundantly clear that we were in two different leagues! He was a lovely young man, dedicated to his craft at an early age. I passed him on a NYC street after "The Graduate" and he didn't recognize me. No surprise there!

6. 1967
During my second marriage, I taught needlepoint, crewel embroidery and macrame, and ran a retail yarn shop in my N.J. basement. My business was called "Sheepish Arts." My talented artist husband created my logo of a blushing sheep.

7. 1970's
I was an est hole and worked on staff for Werner Erhard as the accounting manager (and staff accountant) for three years. It was bizarre and transforming. YES, I got value.

8. 1980's
My boyfriend and I beat George Plimpton in the Doubles Backgammon Tournament in Las Vegas, but then lost the next round to the pro champ, Kit Woolsey and his lady.

9. 1980's
I worked for Talia Shire (Francis Ford Coppola's sister; think: "wife of "Rocky"")and her wonderful husband (now gone) Jack Schwartzman, as their controller for the making of three movies (in Canada). I went on to work for a film distribution company in L.A., First Look.

10. 1985
I survived breast cancer and managed to keep 'the girls.'

11. 1990's
For ten years I ran my own computer consulting firm, "The Software Sitter," in L.A. supporting accounting software for large and medium sized corporations. It gave me more courage than I ever knew existed.

12. 2000
Due to back problems, I left L.A. and moved to a small logging town, Blue Lake, in Humboldt County where I lived for three years. Part of my recovery was tending three enormous raised bed vegetable gardens. I wrote an online gardening column and contributed to the local newspaper with social commentary.

13. 2000
I founded an independent press, Lit Pot Press, Inc., which published out-of-the-mainstream literary novels and poetry collections, as well as a print literary journal "Ink Pot" and an online website. We lost funding after six years and had to close our doors.

14. 2006
Moved to Asheville and found paradise. Began painting again (after many years) and now have canvases for sale at a local frame shop.

15.2007
This fall I will be teaching a poetry workshopat the College for Seniors at Univ. of No. Carolina Asheville. To say I'm excited is not even talking!


Obviously this is superficial and not very indicative of the "true" and "deep" experiences of my life, but it does provide some highlights which some people may not know. Take it for entertainment value, if there's any value at all. I'm just procrastinating. I have real work waiting.

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