Public Allies Mid Year Retreat 2012

Ah, Public Allies. This year's retreat was a welcome repose among days of busywork and self-inflicted pressures.Some choice photos:

Good times.

Against Monsanto

I'm going to put this link right here. Link.

CT NOFA, or the Connecticut Northeast Organic Farming Association, is one of my favorite nonprofits in the state. The link is to their latest blog post regarding Monsanto's stance on GMO testing. There's also a further link provided in their blog that will lead you to studies that have been done on GMO testing.

Largely, my issue with GMOs is that buying GMO-laden foods supports companies like Monsanto who clearly do not have the public health in mind considering their long history as a chemical company, their cyclical abuse of power in their contracts with the farmers who have become dependent on their products, and their patenting of foods which are necessary for human survival. Monsanto is a corporation with only the almighty dollar in mind, and I use my dollar to vote against them by buying mostly organic, often locally produced, and non-GMO foods.

Understandably, not everyone can afford organic, and many people live in "food deserts." As an AmeriCorps volunteer earning a monthly stipend, I can sympathize - most of my money goes to rent and food, and I have little left over for other things. That's the choice I've made. I do, however, have access to multiple grocery stores and farmer's markets, so I take advantage of these things.

Plus, I'll be taking part in a CSA for the first time this year. CSAs, or Community Supported Agriculture, are a great way to support small farms with diversified crops, and to bring healthy, whole foods to your table. Consider finding one in your area, or checking out any farmer's markets.

 Some quick tips on avoiding GMOs:

• Buy organic
• Purchase a CSA share from a farmer who doesn't grow GM produce
• Read labels - anything derived from soybeans or corn is most likely genetically modified
• Avoid processed foods - a large percentage of them contain GM soy or corn
• Read the PLU labels or produce labels - any five digit number starting with "8" is a GM piece of produce
• Grow your own produce - even if it's just a small amount, you can purchase heirloom seeds online
• Purchase grass-fed beef
• Buy wild caught fish

Here's a link that goes further in depth, including listing foods that most likely contain GMOs.

It's with our dollars and with our voices that we can temper the strength of powerhouses like Monsanto.

Happy Foraging!

Friends, Knitting, Pumpkin Soup, Cholent, and Home

How I live for the weekends now. Even if not much exciting is going on, I just like the time to relax, and the time to organize, and the time to socialize. I just like the time to do whatever the hell I please.

We went to a our friends' house for a brunch of whole grain pancakes with blueberries and bananas, and then we spent the day traveling to various places. Having finished Lover's scraf, I started a new one, and a new pattern for me, the Petit Fleur. My good friend Liz and I talked about our upcoming CSA - we are splitting a share from Stone Gardens Farm. We both have our own gardens, but who could resist more fresh veggies, and when you get too much, it's great to share with friends and family.

Liz is a really fabulous person who I see just about every weekend. We're both foodies, we love to garden, and we love to get crafty. In fact, we've decided to start having more crafty times together, and open an Etsy shop should we make too much stuff.

Today was all about the household chores, and then dinner with Lover's parents. They made a Jewish winter dish called cholent - this was my first introduction. Pretty tasty, and easy to throw together. I immediately began looking for vegetarian versions online (they made theirs with a beef layer at the bottom, and I just ate from the top), and I'm thinking it's gonna get made for the next snowstorm.

I also plan on making gingerbread cookies with the cookie cutters I got from Ikea. Yum.

Tasks completed this weekend:

*I sat down to do some creative writing for a while
*I did my taxes. Taxes!
*I made pumpkin soup in the slow cooker using a recipe from the Fix-It and Forget-It Lightly cookbook, with my homemade pumpkin puree.
*I moved all my clothes from the downstairs closet into the upstairs to be in our new bedroom. We put shelving in the closet so now the only things I will hang are dresses and coats - everything else gets folded! I am super thrilled about this. It really is the little things.

Mini-POLs, Work, and Documentaries

Today was a wonderful day. Wonderful. First thing was Mini Presentations of Learning with Public Allies. Us Second Years and the First Years give five minute presentations of lessons learned while in placement. I gave my presentation on the perspective I've gained in an administrative position and how it has affected me personally and professionally. Hans Holbein helped me out.

Check it out. This painting is called "The Ambassadors" and aside from the Lutheran propaganda, the strange, oblong object in the foreground can be seen clearly for what it is from a different angle - or another perspective. Lean forward and to the right of the screen and look at the object from your periphery. You may see that it's a skull. I asked everyone to line up and stand (I had it in a Powerpoint that was projected onto the wall), and take a gander for themselves. Most everyone saw it, but not everyone does. Meanwhile, I discussed perspective and what it means from a philosophical and psychological standpoint. I expounded on how perspective helped me to understand my staff, understand the setting, and make informed decisions without letting emotions come too far into play. Pretty sweet exercise, right?

After, I did some work stuff. Grants, oye!

Then, I mixed the ingredients for blackberry protein mini-cheesecakes, and put them into the oven. I settled into my couch with my kitty Quadrapus, and finished up Lover's scarf while watching Food, Inc., followed by a couple episodes of Discovery's Nature's Deadliest Creatures. The mini-cheesecakes are a tasty source of protein exploding with berry goodness, the knitting was relaxing (not to mention how great it feels to finish a project!), and the documentary was informative and moderately horrifying (nothing really new to me, as a practicing vegetarian for over 9 years) but keeps me hopeful for a changing tide. The Discovery show had an over-the-top narrator, but the biology behind some of the abilities of these deadly animals is fascinating. I LOVE learning, and I love nature, so sit me down for that stuff anytime.

 [blackberry protein mini-cheesecakes]

We ended the night spending it with good friends. Life has its sweetness.

Eating with Mindfulness

One of my intentions for the year 2012 is to consume food, among other consumables such as tv and radio, with a sense of mindfulness. I've started by reading Thich Nhat Hanh's "Savor: Mindful Life, Mindful Eating." (Also written with Lilian Cheung.) Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk and a popular spiritual leader (and by spiritual, I mean of "spirit," or that which is the "animating or vital principle in humans and other animals"). I'm pleased that he has written a book all about food - primarily concerning weight loss - and not only proposes a holistic approach to eating food through a decidedly Buddhist lens, but also asks the reader to consider the impact of their food choices on the planet and our fellows (meaning other humans and other animals).

I have been reading paragraphs at a time for over a week now, and I am trying to remember to be mindful at each meal and snack, but largely I forget! I'm hungry, I'm thinking about other things, and I am not present in the moment, truly enjoying the food before me. I just sucked down a delicious banana-peanut butter smoothie, and it wasn't until at I was nearing the dregs that I realized I had forgotten to truly savor the drink, make it last longer, really appreciate the luxury of having food, and having so many food choices, and knowing that the banana and the rice milk and the PB2 (powdered peanut butter) would never have been possible without the backbreaking work of numerous others. I'm not even sure what it smelled like because I didn't take the moment to pay attention to what I was consuming.

In my fitness journey, and in the journey of my self, I will learn to practice mindfulness. Much like yoga, this is a practice. That takes some of the pressure off, don't you think?

Though the book is geared toward an overweight audience, I am not intending weight loss. I am looking to lose fat and gain definition through healthy eating and circuit training. I find it is still applicable to anyone, that we together as a species are more mindful of our food choices (to help ourselves and the planet) and slowly, savor each bite (to help us make healthy choices about when we are full and listen to what our body actually needs). That in savoring each bite, we know the toil that produced this food, and we know the extent of nourishment that it brings to our bodies and minds.

 Doesn't that sound truly delicious?

This American Life - Mr. Daisey and the Apple Factory

One of my favorite podcasts is This American Life. If you haven't heard it, it's an Emmy-award winning weekly public radio show broadcast that tells stories along a theme. The episode which aired January 6th of this year was captivating, chilling, and still humorous. If you've ever wondered about the people behind our electronic gadgets, or if you're just in the mood for a good story, click on the link. You won't regret it.

Mike Daisey is a storyteller who decides to investigate the lives of the people who, by hand, build our laptops and iPhones and iPads. What he finds, and the following Act wherein NPR does their fact checking of his story, is moving, horrifying, and yet gives a small sense of hope that things will get better. As consumers submerged in capitalist culture, it doesn't hurt us to know where our stuff comes from - and how we can make it better.

Mr. Daisey and the Apple Factory

Guerilla Grafters

As a gardener and semi-activist, I wholeheartedly endorse this small movement.

Etsy Favorites for Winter 2012

Oh, hello there, Mr. Owl. 

He's just a sneak peek of my recent Treasury List on Etsy. 

Check it out, and consider supporting artists/crafters for all your gifting needs.

Success!

 
Do not let ambitions overshadow small success. - Fortune Cookie

I needed to see this fortune last year. Though perhaps I wouldn't have really received its meaning. I get it now.

With a job that has me running every which way just about every day, my own personal ambitions, the relationships with significant people in my life, and my daily duties to my pets and home, I have many busy days. I might watch twenty to forty minutes of Netflix during dinner (my dumb-down time, and time to laugh with my Lover), but then I begin thinking about how the rest of my night will play out - when to spend time on the interwebs reading blogs and articles, when to do some creative work, when to prep for my next day and when to go to bed after having some time for reading. Oh, but I also have to clean the dinner dishes!

So on occasion, I let a ball or two or a few drop in my routine and from my intentions. I am learning to be okay with this. I get a lot of things done. I have my small everyday successes. I forget that when I am zeroed in on the goals of my ambitions.

Today, I e-mailed a finished annual report to my boss while I fielded phone calls, payroll issues, and prepared ten binders of paperwork for the very first Peer Educator training. The Peer Educators program is what I was hired for, though I got handed an after-school program to manage as well. I am really excited about the Peer Educators. This group will complete twenty-five hours of training in the evidence-based human sexuality curriculum our Health Educators deliver to the local high schools. They are teenagers themselves, so the idea is that they will learn this information and pass it on to their peers. They will also plan and implement two entirely youth-led service-learning projects related to issues of teen pregnancy and HIV/STD prevention.

I love working with teenagers. Especially when it has to do with leadership and service-learning. There are very few things so rewarding as investing time in another person's learning and watching them develop into a stronger, more capable human being. Today's orientation went well - I heard one participant as she whispered to her friend "I am so excited about this!"

I know I will make a connection with these teens and build them up as best as I can. It makes me think of the Women Leaders Rising class I used to teach at my old after-school program - a female leadership and service-learning program for high school students. I am in my element.

Success. I also ate really, really healthy all day. No exercise. It's okay. Small successes.

MLK Day of Service - Seed Bomb Style

Of course, I love doing service - I'm an AmeriCorps volunteer for the third time. For AmeriCorps volunteers (among other groups and individuals), MLK Day is all about service. This year, I got to spend the day at the Yale Peabody Museum coordinating the...

Seed Bomb Making Activity!

Seed Bombs are a super easy cheap way to entertain kids. And adults. Despite the mess, they're a cool way to get people thinking about things like beautification and gardening. This activity of the guerilla gardener is hitting mainstream - I saw seed bombs being sold in West Elm of Westport just the other day! But buying seed bombs suck, when it's so easy to make them yourself!

You'll need:

• clay
• compost
• seeds, preferably ones native to your area (we used a CT wildflower mix)

You take a marble size of the clay, flatten it, put in a heap of compost, sprinkle a few seeds on top, close it up like a burrito and roll it between your palms, et voila! You have yourself a seed bomb. Let the little guy dry out, and then throw it where you'd like to see some flowers - an abandoned lot, along a fence, at the bus stop or at a stop sign, your neighbor's perfectly manicured lawn...I kid! Really though, they're so easy. The rain will soften the clay, germinate the seeds, and in time, you have flowers!

We weren't the only organization at the Peabody. ACLU, DEP, and plenty of other (mostly environmentally-friendly) organizations were there, spreading good and healthy messages with plenty of take-homes for the families that came in. There was a poetry slam and some performances by breakdancers, and everyone loved it! I will definitely try to return next year - and the museum admission was free! Gotta love good vibes with good people in a good place.

So that was my MLK Day of Service, how was yours?