Hustling Roses

The Time I Worked at the Golf Magazine Dream Home

2011-10-05T12:23:00.000-07:00

Golf Magazine Dream Home 2006

From the press release: "July 10, 2006 – Construction is underway on the 2006 GOLF MAGAZINE® Dream House, the ultimate golf home, located at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove in Asheville, N.C. The planned 5,150 total-square-foot home is rising fast alongside the first hole of Walnut Cove’s breathtaking Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course and is scheduled to be completed and open for public tours in October. Additionally, the GOLF MAGAZINEDream House will be available for purchase through The Cliffs Communities for the golfer who is lucky enough to afford the luxury price tag of $4,695,000, which includes over $300,000 worth of furnishings."

The summer of 2006 I got a job working for a home developer based out of Greenville, South Carolina called Community Concepts. They built custom homes for wealthy people at golf course resorts in the Carolinas. I worked at their Arden (just south of Asheville), North Carolina location, as a mediator between the construction company, the development company, and the homeowners. My official title was "model home representative." Originally I got paid $9/hr to fluff pillows and make sure that brochures were fully stocked in the model homes. There were two model homes, one of which is pictured below.

I did not own my own digital camera until December 2007 (thanks auntie Sue!) but used the work camera quite frequently. It felt luxurious to have "a work camera" and "a work laptop" and well...that my office was a $2.5 million dollar home on a golf course. That summer I didn't do a whole lot except look pretty and smile at potential homebuyers (and this was back when I was a size 4!). But as we all know through hindsight about the housing market, trouble was afoot.

The homes were pre-purchased and built according to custom designs chosen by the owners. The contracts were signed and the homes were promised to be built within a certain agreed-upon time period. During the housing boom, Community Concepts (CC) promised buyers that they could purchase a custom home and turn around and sell it right back to someone else and come away with a pretty profit. Problems arose when CC sold homes quicker than they could be reasonably constructed. Also, CC had moved from Vail, Colorado where they were used to a certain standard of workmanship. In classist North Carolina, blue-collar workers often do not take the same kind of pride in their work as western red state citizens (this is based on anecdotal evidence only).

The homes were quickly and poorly built. Homeowners were displeased. It became my job to create "punch-lists" for each newly "finished" home, compiling a list of all the problems that needed to be fixed in each home. Some of the lists had over 300 items! They included things like "paint chip 3 inches left of light switch in bedroom 1" and "baseboard missing in water closet in bathroom 2" and "living room high window framing not symmetric" and "hall bathroom faucet should be chrome, not nickel." Sometimes the items were kindofabigdeal like water damage or mold!

Entering 2007 the homes were not reselling as promised. Homes that were purchased as investments not having intended to be lived in were sitting vacant, awaiting the myriad of "punch-list" repairs. Heads rolled at CC, new sales talent was brought on. My job was becoming increasingly more stressful but I was still working for the same $9/hr I had earned when I watched the film "City of God" on the company laptop on the patio that previous summer (if it had ever been allowed to openly play movies at the model home, this one would NOT have been it).

CC hired Will, recruited from the Land Rover dealership. "How did you get this job?" he was once asked. "Oh, I sold all the sales reps their Land Rovers," was his answer. "But now Will, you drive a Toyota, don't you?" Chuckling Will responded: "I'm not stupid!" Will would drive up from South Carolina to meet with me and plead for answers as to what seemed to be going horribly, horribly wrong at CC. Little did he know that the big housing crash was just around the corner. On December 30, 2008, the Case-Shiller home price index reported its largest price drop in its history. But I was ahead of the game and quit CC in April of 2007 and moved back to California to finish my degree at UC Berkeley, where I had dropped out in 2004. It seemed like a good time to get out of the workforce.

Community Concepts, by the way, no longer exists.

On Swimming at Hearst Castle in a Time of Economic Protest

2011-10-05T08:11:00.000-07:00

This past summer I got a seasonal part-time job working for California State Parks as an interpreter. What language have I been interpreting? The language of "nature." I work at Pismo State Beach and my co-interpreters and I talk to people about nature, teach "Junior Rangers" and campfire programs at the campgrounds, and lead school tours. I have learned a lot about biology, geology, botany, etc!

One of the perks of working for State Parks is Hearst Castle parks employee swim day. On September 26th we got to swim in the Hearst Castle outdoor pool and lounge pool-side for 2 hours at sunset. Usually San Simeon is foggy and cold but we lucked out this year and had perfect warm, sunny weather.

It is interesting to visit Hearst Castle in the midst of the Wall Street protests that are happening in New York City and in other major cities throughout the US. Hearst Castle is now a State Historical Monument but it was originally the private residence of William Randolph Hearst, newspaper tycoon who lived from 1863-1951. During the Roaring 20s he was known to throw lavish parties at his hilltop mansion and fly in movie stars on his private plane. A great movie about his lifestyle is The Cat's Meow featuring Kirsten Dunst as Marion Davies and a personal favorite actor/comedian of mine, Eddie Izzard as Charlie Chaplin.

During the guided tours of Hearst Castle, guests can see the lavish furnishings and extreme decadence of the estate. Hearst spared no expense. If Hearst wanted carved wooden ceilings from Italy, he got it. Persian rugs? Check. Dutch art? Sure, send it over! The castle is disgustingly decorated with items from every conceivable country and historic time period, robbing ancient cities of their artifacts. As you will see from the photos below, the swimming pool is a recreation of roman baths with towering structures and statues. It is visually stunning. We felt like royalty swimming in it.

Right now people are protesting on Wall Street in New York City and financial districts in cities throughout the US to protest the top 1% of our populous controlling most of the country's wealth. The preposterous and imposing riches conspicuously displayed at Hearst Castle remind patrons of another era of gluttonous American behavior: the era before the stock market crash of 1929 that led to the Great Depression. Mr. Hearst could not have been a happy man. I have learned that more money does not always lead to more happiness in my life (although it often creates stability and peace of mind at base levels). At what point does gaining ever-increasing wealth become an obsession?

Jon Ronson seeks to explore the premise that many political leaders and corporate executives are psychopaths in his latest book The Pyschopath Test. Their lack of ability to empathize with other human beings gives them the tools to succeed in ruthless business interacts and their power-hungry ego is what fuels their desire and ability to rise to the top.

Was Hearst a psychopath? What about current Wall Street tycoons? Is it okay to build a remote fortress on a hill while there is so much poverty in the world? Do we forgive Hearst now that we enjoy the spectacle of his creation? Will there be a time when we look back on the cocaine and prostitute-fueled Wall Street heyday with awe and curiosity a hundred years from now?

Hearst's obsession is now a beautiful Californian landmark. He left a legacy that is shared with thousands of visitors each year. We ooh and ah about the life he must have lived and fantasize about what it would be like to attend one of his famous parties. I got to live that dream for 2 shining hours with my co-workers and friends. Let me tell you it was fantastic! If only it'd been like Woody Allen's latest beautiful fantasy film, Midnight in Paris, in which Owen Wilson steps back in time to party with F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway.

Me pictured in the middle with my guests Orion (L) and Allen (R) who were visiting me from Cape Coast, Ghana where they run a branch of the non-profit Global Water Brigades

Recipe: Homemade Applesauce

2011-09-29T13:17:00.000-07:00

It's my favorite time of year: fall! It's the season of orange and yellow leaves, pumpkins, and apples. Luckily for me, I live in an apple-growing region. Gopher Glen in See Canyon (between Avila and San Luis Obispo) is an apple farm with a farm-stand that sells many varieties of locally grown apples. This is the time of year that my mom and I head over to the farm stand about once a week to stock up on as many apples as we can fit into a paper bag.

While living in Belgium as an au-pair, I learned from my host-mother, Marjolein, how to make applesauce from scratch. It's very easy!

Homemade Applesauce
If you're just cooking for yourself try 1-2 apples. If you cooking for your family or for the whole week, use more.

I never peel my apples! The peel holds most of the nutrients and I like the texture of the peel in my applesauce. Plus peeling is a lot of work!

If you have an apple-slicer like the one pictured, this makes it even easier. Or just an apple-corer is a nice tool to have around.

Cut the apple slices into chunks and put into a saucepan. Fill saucepan with just enough water to almost but not quite cover the apple chunks. Place on low heat and simmer for about 30-40mins until apples are soft and mushy. Stir to get desired consistency. Add cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and/or nutmeg if desired. No sweeteners needed--the apple is sweet enough!

Applesauce is great with morning oatmeal, rice porridge, or yogurt. In Belgium we often ate plain yogurt with applesauce for dessert after dinner (pictured below).

Alchemical Baking for the Soul & Substitutes for Flour, Sugar, Butter, Eggs, & Milk

2011-06-26T12:57:00.000-07:00

Baking is a spiritual experience. Thomas Moore often describes in Care of the Soul : A Guide for Cultivating Depth and Sacredness in Everyday Life and his other works how alchemy, the ancient practice and precursor to chemistry of changing metals and creating elixirs, is an important metaphor for life. Practicing everyday alchemy provides mystery and excitement to otherwise mundane tasks such as baking bread. Baking is literal alchemy: combining dissimilar ingredients together to create a magical outcome--something far more delicious and beautiful than the mere sum of its parts.

I have long been an experimental baker since the year I was a vegan following my graduation from high school. This included finding substitutes for milk, butter, and eggs. Since then I have given up on being a vegan but still prefer the taste and texture of dairy-free baked goods.

I have now become more conscious of the adverse health effects of refined sugar cane. I have experimented with substitutes for white sugar in my baking. Also, gluten-free has become very hip due to an increase in coeliac disease and I love experimenting with alternatives to good old-fashioned flour. Most are not particular successful or tasty. Gluten-full flour is still king! But it's fun to try to things and discover new flavors.

The following is a list of substitutes I enjoy:

Substitute for sugar:

Agave Syrup- very easy to find at more stores these days. The flavor is light and subtle unlike the rich flavors of honey and maple syrup.

Honey- doesn't undergo much processing to arrive in the bear-shaped-bottle from the hive. There is concern our undying thirst for the honey bee's creation and whether we are negatively impacting populations of bees. The lovely flavor of honey makes it great for baking.

Date Syrup- dates are the most amazing fruit! It is astounding to me just how sweet they are--nature's candy! Dates have the highest glycemic index of any fruit. This rich, dark syrup is a delicious sugar substitute if you're not into cane sugar but is very, very sweet.

Rice Syrup- great if you don't want the intense flavor of other syrups or honey.

Maple Syrup- my one true love! But it's gotten so expensive that I rarely buy it anymore and certainly wouldn't think of using it as a substitute in baking since often recipes call for a whole cup and that would some expensive cookies!

Substitute for butter:

Earth Balance natural buttery spread- these now come in soy-free! Soy is a food allergen for many people and eating too much for anyone can be bad for our health. Earth balance now offers several choices for their non-hydrogenated margarine: regular (soy), olive oil, and an oil blend that consists of palm, canola, safflower, and olive. I love using Earth Balance in my baking as it makes things light and fluffy.

Substitute for milk:

Almond milk- my personal favorite for its rich creamy texture and delicious sweet taste. If I want to splurge I buy hazelnut milk which has a wonderful flavor and similar texture to almond milk.

Coconut milk- less sugar than other substitute milks.

Rice milk- lighter in consistency and taste.

Substitute for eggs:

Applesauce- I like to make my own applesauce if I know I'm going to be baking. Cut apples into chunks and simmer in just enough water to cover apples. Simmer until apples turn to mush then mix into an applesauce consistency. Helps make vegan baked goods soft and moist.

Potato Starch- this is sold as "Egg Replacer" in a box that you've probably seen at health food stores. Mix a little with warm water and add in as eggs to the recipe. Definitely changes the flavor and texture of baked goods...not my favorite for everything but for some recipes it works.

Flax seeds- this is my favorite egg replacer. Grind flax seeds in a coffee grinder and put them in a blender with water. The end product is a goop with a consistency of eggs that is great for helping baked goods stick together. Flax seeds are also very healthy, providing omega-3's. See egg replacer recipe here.

Substitute for flour:

Coconut flour- my brother is very fond of baking with coconut flour but it is an acquired taste to be sure.

Almond flour- adds a sweet almond flavor to baked goods.

Amaranth

Amaranth flour- adds a rich, nutty flavor to baked goods and makes them more dense. Amaranth (picture at right on this page) is a beautiful crop to grow. The flour is made from its seeds. Amaranth originated around 4000 BC in South and Central Americas and has been a staple of Peruvian cuisine, much like quinoa. Its a nutritious substitute for flour! See recipe below!

Spelt flour- this is not gluten free but does contain less gluten that regular wheat flour. Spelt is easier to grow than wheat making it an environmentally sustainable choice since less pesticides are required. It's good to eat a variety of grains and this one is promoting biodiversity with its growing popularity in conventional kitchens.

Recipe: Carrot, White Chocolate Chip, Ginger, Amaranth Vegan Scones

Dry ingredients:
1 C whole-wheat pastry flour
1 C amaranth flour
4 t baking powder
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t ginger
1/4 t nutmeg
1/4 t salt

Mix these ingredients together then cut in 1/3 C Earth Balance non-hydrogenated margarine with a pastry cutter until mixture is crumbly.

Wet ingredients:
1 flaxseed goop egg
1/4 C almond milk
3 T honey

Fold the wet ingredients in with the crumbly flour mixture. Add a good handful of shredded carrots and white chocolate chips and fold those in. Plop the dough onto a piece of wax paper and shape into a 1-inch think circle. Cut the circle with a knife to form wedges as pictured above. Place wedges on a baking sheet or stone and bake at 375 degrees F for 15 mins or until they start to brown on top.

Due to the amaranth flour, scones will be more crumbly than usual scones. Keep an open mind about new textures and flavors and you will find these to be simply scrumptious! Even my former roommate and picky eater, Justin, like them! "Ali, I'm not going to lie to you," he said, "some of your vegan stuff was awful! But these are actually pretty good."

<--- I used this food processor to make the flaxseed goop egg replacer and to shred the carrots.

Guest Blog: Manatees in Florida

2011-06-11T20:14:00.000-07:00

In keeping with the marine conservation theme from my last post, I am reposting a blog entitled "Extreme Manatee Encounters," written by Briana and Kyle from RollGlobal. Check out their amazing blog, RollGlobal.org where they discuss travel, cycling, and climbing. They have been traveling around the world since February 2010.

"Ah the manatee! Nature’s care bear. Passive, adorable, endearingly endangered. Many of you probably know that I have had a bit of a thing for manatees for years. I am happy to say that I have finally met the little guys in person in the warm spring-fed waters of Crystal River, Florida.

The manatees need warm water to survive. While seemingly plump it turns out they are mostly full of air and can’t survive in water below 63 degrees. This is why they winter in the Gulf Coast rivers of Florida where natural springs keep the water at 70 degrees year round.

Like salmon they migrate annually to the same rivers and Crystal River is home to hundreds of manatees every winter. As the spring warms the Gulf they make their way back out to sea in search of food.

We paid our balloon-like buddies a visit in late April, pretty late in the year for a good sighting. While companies lead tours year round you will have much better luck when the weather is cold.

Instead of hundreds in the river in April there are only a few dozen. Luckily we were able to spot a small group and shared a nice swim together.

We booked a tour with Captain Mike’s Sunshine River Tours in Crystal River. The tour included a little orientation, snorkel gear, a wetsuit and three hours in the water playing with manatees and exploring the river.

We had an excellent captain, Donna who was very experienced in all things manatee. I am a bit jealous of her career as a manatee captain. The tour was $50 each and comparable to the price of all the other tours in the area.

Being endangered the manatees are protected by Federal law. I was a bit nervous about whether this kind of a trip may be potentially exploitative of the poor little guys, but I left the experience confident that no manatees were harmed in the making of the tour. Divers are instructed on appropriate ways to touch the manatees and all interaction needs to be initiated by the manatee.

Fun fact for those of you familiar with the endangered species act: One hand open palm touching is ok, two hands is illegal.

Perhaps the most astonishing thing is that the manatees actually want to play with you. The adolescents are the most friendly and though timid, will swim right up to you to check you out. If you stay still and avoid splashing they will often run right into you looking for a pat.

This becomes even more amazing because manatees are one-way only and they don’t have brakes. The result is that an adorable baby manatee will run right into your face with its face. Then it looks for a petting.

If you aren’t affectionate enough the manatee will swim over to someone who gives it the attention it deserves. If the manatee likes you it will roll over like a puppy and ask you to rub its belly.

Here’s a video Kyle shot with our GoPro HERO helmet cam (we have a discontinued non-HD version, I imagine the HD version they sell would be better quality). It shows a manatee run into my face with its face. Probably one of the most exciting moments of my life.

Other highlights of the tour include: manatee chewing on Kyle’s foot, sightings of a 12-foot long mother manatee, and a moment in which I got surrounded by three baby manatees and the mother and actually had more manatees to pet than I had hands. If only the videos and pictures had captured my uncontrollable giggling.

I am sure that even the casual manatee fan would find the tour worthwhile. Our group had manatee fans ages 8-60 and everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Next time you’re in Florida stop in and see some ‘tee."

All photos, video, and copy by Briana and Kyle of RollGlobal.org

The Otter Project Marine Protected Areas Watch Program

2011-06-07T10:17:00.000-07:00

In addition to my work as a substitute teacher, I have a part-time gig with the Otter Project. The Otter Project is a non-profit based out Monterey, CA that focuses on issues of marine conservation, preserving otter habitat. I am the volunteer coordinator for San Luis Obispo County. I recruit and manage volunteers to do our Marine Protected Areas Watch program. Marine Protected Areas were established off the coast of SLO County in 2007. They are like underwater National Parks. There is a "no-take" policy in MPA's, meaning the public and private companies cannot take anything out such as fish or other sea life. Our volunteers, including myself, go out to certain sections of the coast in Cambria and Montana de Oro State Park to monitor the coast to monitor human use. Are people fishing when they're not supposed to? We won't police them, we'll just write it down on a clipboard and keep track of the data over a 6-month period. The point is to see if the Marine Life Protection Act is having a positive effect on coastal habitat preservation. Is it an effective policy and if not, how can we make it so?

I LOVE hiking once a week at Montana de Oro. It is so beautiful! I am lucky to have this amazing opportunity that forces me out into nature regularly. I also love all the volunteers I've recruited. Their enthusiasm to work on environmental issues is inspiring to me!

Some photos from one of our Montana de Oro data collection sites:

My "official" stance

Cool pod plant

Vulture + dead fox

Gull nest on top of rock

Me and the volunteers at training in Cambria

More Leafy Greens!

2011-06-04T12:12:00.000-07:00

I've recently been evaluating my diet in terms of the nutrients that I'm getting. Check out the website "Nutrition Data" to analyze the foods you're eating. About.com also offers nutrition data through their "Calorie Count" site. I'm realizing that I need more minerals in my diet like potassium, magnesium, calcium, and iron. One of the best place to get these minerals is from leafy green vegetables.

Eating a wide variety of salad greens will give you plenty of the antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, phytonutrients, fiber, folate, and omega-3 fatty acids that your body needs. Sometimes when we're hungry it's because our body is craving the nutrients it's not getting. Many of us overeat junk-foods, not feeling satiated. Help your body feel full and satisfied by giving it what it wants: nutrient dense foods. Vegetables with dark, rich colors are often the most nutrient dense.

Some of my favorite greens? Kale, chard, beet greens, romaine lettuce, and spinach.

This morning for breakfast I sauteed finely chopped beet greens with a finely chopped white onion, olive oil, garlic, salt and cayenne pepper. I sprinkled sunflower seeds on top. If you're into eggs you could put this inside of an omelet.

Natural Home & Garden has an article in this month's issue about switching up your leafy greens so you don't get bored eating romaine or god-forbid, iceberg*. Check out the article, "A Field Guide to Salad Greens", by clicking here.

*My brother and I want one of these "Iceberg Lettuce Sucks" t-shirts:

What are School Children Eating in Public Schools?

2011-06-02T15:12:00.000-07:00

I have been working as a substitute school teacher since February in the Lucia Mar Unified School District. This week I subbed a classroom that was grades 1-2. At recess the children informed me that it was snack time. "So get your snack then," was my natural response. "No, you give us those!" they informed me. They were pointing to a big bag of animal shaped cookies, pictured here. The ingredients include bleached flour and high fructose corn syrup. I was distraught at having to give the kids a handful but was really left with no other choice.

My friend Vanessa teaches Kindergarten at a charter school in San Jose and she says the school uses snack time as an opportunity to teach kids about healthy eating choices. The parents rotate to bring in a snack each day, which must be healthy fruits, veggies, or whole grains.

It would be wonderful to have this kind of food education and parent involvement at all public schools, but unfortunately it's just not the case. Teachers are left to provide snacks that they can buy in bulk, cheaply.

I was on the radio with Dave Congalton on 920 KVEC last week with my friend Sophia (school garden coordinator in San Luis Obispo) to discuss school gardens and food served in schools. We got lost of enthusiastic parents calling in to discuss with us! I was glad to present this topic to our community but fear we were preaching to the choir. If you missed me on the radio live, click here to listen to the podcast. We come in at 1:32. We address a variety of issues such as food subsidies undermining school children's health, making food together at home as a family, school gardens, and the negative side effects on children who eat too much sugar and refined "foods." It's a really interested podcast if I do say so myself and you can put it on and listen to it while you're cooking, facebook stalking, or doing some boring job or the other at work. ;)

My final year at UC Berkeley I had an undergraduate research apprenticeship with the Berkeley Center for Weight and Health to evaluate Alice Water's School Lunch Initiative in which school gardens have been put in every Berkeley public school along with a cooking and gardening curriculum. Does this program positively impact the way students eat and view nutrition? The answer we found is YES! Check out the full report by clicking here or going to the Berkeley Center for Weight and Health's website-reports page.

Recipe: Goat Cheese Tart with Fresh Seasonal Vegetables

2011-05-20T18:29:00.000-07:00

Preparing artichokes is hard work! We keep getting them from our CSA, Rutiz Farms, and we always end up throwing them out rather than using them. [Gasp!] A few weeks ago our fridge was bare save two weeks worth of artichokes so I took an afternoon to make a goat cheese quiche with them. I made the recipe up as I went along but this was basically it:

6 smallish Artichokes

1 Onion

a few New Potatoes

4 eggs

4 oz Goat Cheese

1/4 pint Heavy Whipping Cream

Olive Oil

1 bunch Parsley

Salt & Pepper

1 Tomato for decoration

-First I peeled off the outer layers of the artichoke to get to the soft heart. I removed any fuzzy parts from inside the flower. (Did you know that the artichoke with eat is the flower part of the plant?) I chopped the hearts into quarter pieces.

-I chopped the onion and sauteed the onion and artichoke hearts in olive oil until tender.

-In a bowl I combined the eggs, goat cheese, cream, salt & pepper, and chopped fresh parsley and mixed. This could also be done in a food processor.

-Meanwhile I chopped the potatoes into small pieces and steam cooked them.

-In a greased baking pan I poured the artichokes, onions, and potatoes. Then I poured the liquid egg mixture over the top. It should just cover the ingredients. Depending on the amount of artichokes and potatoes and the size of the pan, you may have to add eggs or cream to the desired amount.

-I sliced a tomato and arranged the slices on top for a nice visual effect and sprinkled fresh parsley.

-I baked it for 1 hour at 350 degrees F. Baking time may vary--wait until eggs set and the top starts to brown a little.

This extremely rich recipe is one that I enjoy making with a variety of vegetables--usually when I have something in the fridge that I need to use up but am not sure what to do with. Usually I make a tart crust and bake it in a tart pan like this one pictured, which is a leek+goat cheese tart. They're nice for dinner parties!

April 2009: Kyle, Alison, Justin at our Berkeley apartment. One of our weekly CSA dinner parties.

Here's one I made for my host family in Holland while I was an au-pair. I always take pictures because they're so pretty! This one was made with Arugula as the main ingredient.

Here's one I made with fresh peas from the garden while living at the Franciscan Project in Holland:

You can also see pictured some of my favorite "Goddess Dressing"

ENFJ: My Myers-Briggs Personality Type

2011-04-21T12:43:00.000-07:00

According to wikipedia:

"The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) refer to one of sixteen personality types.^[1] The MBTI assessment was developed from the work of prominent psychiatrist Carl G. Jung in his bookPsychological Types. Jung proposed a psychological typology based on the theories of cognitive functions that he developed through his clinical observations.

From Jung's work, others developed psychological typologies. Jungian personality assessmentsinclude the MBTI assessment, developed by Isabel Briggs Myers and Katharine Cook Briggs, and theKeirsey Temperament Sorter, developed by David Keirsey. Keirsey referred to ENFJs as Teachers, one of the four types belonging to the temperament he called the Idealists.^[2] ENFJs account for about 2–5% of the population.^[3]^[4]"

I took the Jung Short test on http://similarminds.com/personality_tests.html and got the result of ENFJ or

E – Extraversion preferred to introversion: ENFJs often feel motivated by their interaction with people. They tend to enjoy a wide circle of acquaintances, and they gain energy in social situations (whereas introverts expend energy).^[7]

N – Intuition preferred to sensing: ENFJs tend to be more abstract than concrete. They focus their attention on the big picture rather than the details, and on future possibilities rather than immediate realities.^[8]

F – Feeling preferred to thinking: ENFJs tend to value personal considerations above objective criteria. When making decisions, they often give more weight to social implications than to logic.^[9]

J – Judgment preferred to perception: ENFJs tend to plan their activities and make decisions early. They derive a sense of control through predictability.[10]

This type is referred to as "the teacher" or "the mentor". More from Wikipedia:

"Extraverted feeling types seek continuity through harmonious relationships and collective values. They excel at picking up on the tone of a situation and acting accordingly, adding warmth to a cool setting or turning sour into sweet. They naturally seek to know what people do well, what they enjoy, and where and how they work. They seem to have an infinite number of acquaintances from all walks of life and are always on the lookout for people in need and those who can help out. ENFJs weave and strengthen the collective fabric of social conventions and interactions. Inclusiveness is important and they are particularly sensitive to those who are excluded.

ENFJs focus on others, feeling a glow when those around them are happy, and troubled when something is amiss. They are natural cheerleaders, often expressing support, gratitude, and encouragement, and heaping praise onto those they appreciate. They take note of what is being done and what needs doing, offering their assistance wherever necessary.

ENFJs enjoy organizing group activities and tend to take their commitments seriously. In general, they are reliable and do not like to disappoint others. As team players and project leaders, they have a gift for rallying their players, focusing on what is being done right and each member's strengths. They are loyal and they expect loyalty. They carry conversations well, finding common ground with their speaker. They tend to find the correct and gracious way to respond in any given situation, no matter how tense or uncomfortable it is.

Types with dominant extraverted feeling may uphold a wide range of values, simply because shared values are what create harmony. Some will profess the importance of tough-minded logic, justice and scholarly debate because their environments have these shared values. They tend to adopt the collective values of those in their social group."

http://similarminds.com/personality_tests.html Take the test and tell me what you get!

Food Processor Recipe: Pesto

2011-04-20T13:42:00.000-07:00

Today my brother, Brant, and I bought fresh basil at the Arroyo Grande farmer's market. It smelled so good we wanted to eat it immediately, so I made pesto using my food processor.

Recipe:
-3 cups fresh basil (or parsley)
-4 cloves garlic, chopped or pressed
-3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
-1/2 cup olive oil
-1/4 cup pine nuts (or walnuts)
-Salt & black pepper to taste

Put it all in the food processor and blend until smooth.

One Fall I worked in a lab at Berkeley that was trying out alternate pest control methods. It was my job to crack open walnuts with a hammer for up to 4 hours at a time. If I found a little worm inside I would study it under the microscope and note which kind of larvae it was. I got to take home the shelled walnuts each day. I had bags and bags of flavorful walnuts. I stored them in the freezer and when I wanted to used them I would put a layer of them on a baking sheet and bake them in the oven at a low temperature for about an hour (depending on the variety). I made a LOT of walnut pesto that year. I actually prefer it to the pine nut pesto.

Today, we've been eating it with salami. It's surprising also good with dried unsulfered apricots. We tried with strawberries and it's not my preference. We dared my cousin Ben of CrossFit Grover Beach to try it with a raw potato and he said it's even good on a raw potato. (gross!) Add pesto to anything to make it delicious!

Food Processor Recipe: Homemade Vegan Goddess Dressing

2011-04-18T18:18:00.000-07:00

My favorite thing to put on just about anything, from salads to sweet potato fries, is goddess dressing. It has a ranch dressing taste but is completely dairy free. It's easy to make if you have a food processor! I store it in a mason jar and keep it in the fridge. Here's the recipe:

-1/2 cup tahini

-1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

-1/4 cup soy sauce

-1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

-1/2 tsp salt

-3 cloves garlic, chopped

-1/2 cup water

-2 tbsp parsley(fresh or dried), chopped

-1 tbsp honey or agave syrup

-1/2 cup of oil

Put it all in the food processor until blended. Enjoy!

The Ferris Life Philosophy

2011-03-17T09:19:00.000-07:00

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

Ferris Bueller's Day Off was my favorite movie when I was a teen. I suppose because it features a high school kid who is smarter than the system, but also cool. Ferris was friendly and warm and fit in with all the different social groups. The school secretary, Grace, says about him: "Oh, he's very popular Ed. The sportos, the motorheads, geeks, sluts, bloods, wastoids, dweebies, dickheads - they all adore him. They think he's a righteous dude."

He also encapsulates the spirit of ordinary adventure that I try to live my life by. Jean-Paul Sartre best explains what I mean in his novel Nausea when he writes, "All sorts [of adventures], Monsieur. Getting on the wrong train. Stopping in an unknown city. Losing your briefcase, being arrested by mistake, spending the night in prison. Monsieur, I believe the word adventure could be defined: an event out of the ordinary without being necessarily extraordinary." In the film Ferris and his friends have these sort of ordinary adventures. They stay within their city and find adventure in going to a museum, a restaurant, and street parade. Granted not all of us have access to vintage sports cars but we all have the ability to create an exciting day from what we already have in front of us.

I have been pretty good at creating this type of life for myself. I try to play "the yes game": if an opportunity presents itself, I say yes, even if that means pushing my boundaries. Through living my life this way I feel fulfilled, joyful, and connected to other people.

In the film Ferris doesn't have much respect for authority. I've often wondered what the rest of his life would have looked like had he not been a fictional character. What sort of work do you see Ferris doing professionally? It would have to be something dynamic--not just sitting at a desk. I could see Ferris going into sales/marketing.

I too have trouble sitting for long periods of time. I don't understand nor approve of the 40hr workweek office job. I recently started working as a substitute teacher in the school district in which I attended growing up. I love it! I enjoy hanging out with the kids, grades K-12. They keep me up to date on lingo, technology, and music. I love seeing my former teachers and interacting with them as a now adult. This week I subbed for the choir class I was in for 4 years in high school. It was so cool to go back to that classroom, this time as the teacher, and see what I may have looked like 10 years ago. Substitute teaching means I have a new class and new lesson plans everyday. Would I also enjoy teaching the same class everyday, year after year? I'm trying to decide.

My theme for 2011 is: "New Year. New Rules." I have always pushed myself to do and try new things and life life to the fullest possible but this is a reminder to continue to do so and that I need not conform to my old set of rules. I can change and grow every day as a person and change my rules as I grow. The tag line for Ferris Bueller's Day Off was "Leisure Rules." The definition of leisure is "freedom to choose a pastime or enjoyable activity." Some of my New Year's goals included: more beach, more hiking, more art. So I suppose leisure is one of my rules this year.

Homemade Nutella Recipe

2011-01-23T10:16:00.000-08:00

I've been waxing nostalgic for all things European after viewing this graph:

The Europeans just seem to be a little ahead of us. And they eat chocolate for breakfast!

So in the spirit of chocolate for breakfast (completely un-detox, btw) I made homemade Nutella this morning. Although I didn't put it on toast. I just ate it with a spoon. Enjoy the recipe:

1 Avocado

1/4 cup cocoa power

1/4 cup agave syrup

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 pinch salt

1/4 cup water

1/8-1/4 cup hazelnut butter (depending on your preference)

Put in a food processor and blend until smooth. SO GOOD. Add sprinkles if you're feeling Dutch. Eat with baguette if you're feeling French. Eat with your fingers if you miss au-pairing 2 year olds.

Detoxing In Season

2011-01-13T10:57:00.000-08:00

It's important to me to eat local, in-season produce and I take this into account when planning my detox meals. Check out my earlier post about eating in-season. It being winter, in many parts of the Northern hemisphere this can be limiting. I admit that I'm quite spoiled living in California, where we can grow many things all year round. For example at farmer's market last week I purchased locally grown tomatoes and blueberries: summer fruits. These were grown in non artificially lit greenhouses here on the Central Coast.

I always look forward to winter because it's citrus season!! The best citrus fruits for detoxing are lemons and grapefruits. I just purchased a Breville JE900 Juice Fountain Professional Juice Extractor on craigslist at a bargain deal. I have been using it to make fresh lemon and grapefruit juices each morning.

Taken from one of my favorite websites, Eat the Seasons, these are some seasonal veggies right now in the US:

Vegetables: broccoli, brussels sprouts, butternut squash, celery root, collards, fennel, kale, leeks, mache, potatoes, rutabaga, sweet potatoes, sunchoke, turnips

Fruit: grapefruit, kiwi, oranges, tamarillo, tangerines, ugli fruit

We are lucky here on the Central Coast to have a local kiwi grower in Nipomo!

One of my favorite winter squash recipes is butternut squash coconut soup. Follow this recipe but instead of using canned pumpkin, use 1 whole cooked, peeled butternut squash and double the rest of the recipe. It is SO good! It's vegan and paleo.

Detox Tip: Use a Neti Pot Twice Daily

2011-01-12T14:48:00.000-08:00

I would like to now direct you to an earlier post about neti pots. They clean out your nasal passages: a detox must have!

Detox Week 1 Report

2011-01-10T15:39:00.000-08:00

This is day 7 of my 5 week detox. You may be wondering how it's going so far. It has been hard but not as hard as you might think.

Days 1 and 2 I felt flu-like symptoms: headaches, sore muscles, achy body, nausea, etc. I had trouble sleeping. This is because my body was craving all the bad food foods to which it had become accustomed: sugar, coffee, wheat, and corn to name a few. The yeast in my body had been feeding on these things and was now quite angry to be so starved of its food. I used a sauna the evening of Day 2 and this really brought out the toxins in my body, making me feel ill. I had been drinking alcohol nearly everyday and consuming sugar every day during the holidays and so there were lots of toxins built up in my body coming out in the sweat.

Day 3 I had a really nice Bikram yoga session in which I felt energetic, strong, hydrated and flexible. I have been drinking a lot of liquids for my detox and this makes for good Bikram yoga.

Day 4 I was feeling super tired and irritable. It was a Friday and I had plans for going out in the evening but instead I came home, drank some tea and went to bed. It's better to rest during a detox than to go out.

Day 5 I was really craving some protein so I ate chicken for dinner at Big Sky Cafe with my mother and it felt so great! Saw the funniest movie: I Love You Phillip Morris at Palm Theatre and laughed my pants off. Laughter is great therapy! Great for detoxing! :)

Day 6, yesterday, I was feeling lazy and decided to expend very little energy. I listened to a book on my ipod, The Big Short (so good!) most of the day. It was really tough to stick to my food detox commitment yesterday because my Dad and brother ordered pizza and the whole house smelled like cheesy bready goodness but I just left the house and headed to the beach. It was tempting! I went to the beach for a run and was feeling sluggish. Luckily I ran into my cousin Stephanie and we went on a walk together instead. Connecting with family for leisurely walks on the beach: great for detoxing! :) I finally got down to business and meditated last night. It felt great!

Day 7: This morning I meditated again for 30mins. I am happy to get back into a routine of daily meditation--it really clears my anxiety. I will make a future post about meditation so stay tuned. I am feeling a little tired and sluggish today so I need to make a point to eat protein tonight.

Why I'm Not Eating Fish

2011-01-07T07:33:00.000-08:00

Consuming fish is great for human health due to the omega 3-fatty acids and it's a good source of protein while being low in saturated fat. It's really too bad that these benefits now come with a cost: consumption of mercury or other toxins. Most fish, due to bioaccumulation, now contain some level of mercury, PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), dioxins, and/or other environmental contaminants. Mercury is a neurotoxin that is very dangerous to human health. Most people now have some level of mercury already in their blood. In Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s book Crimes Against Nature, he gets tested for mercury and finds significant levels in his blood, much to his surprise. I read this book about 5 years ago and reading that had quite an impression on me. I now limit my fish consumption considerably. Especially because I may want to have children some day. Mercury levels in the blood are more dangerous to a fetus to whom the toxins are more concentrated. Mercury has been linked to autism, and while some studies refute this, I believe said "studies" are a cover up of a real health risk in order to refute the claim that mercury in vaccines has been harming children.

I eat fish every once in awhile, especially tuna (yum!), but during my detox, it's important to avoid it. I can't "detox" if I'm directly consuming mercury!

The following was found on heart.org:

Top 10 Fish and Shellfish in the United States Based on Consumption – Omega-3 and Mercury Levels:

	Omega-3 fatty acids (grams per 3-oz. serving)	Mean mercury level in parts per million (ppm)
Canned tuna (light)	0.17–0.24	0.12
Shrimp	0.29	ND*
Pollock	0.45	0.06
Salmon (fresh, frozen)	1.1–1.9	0.01
Cod	0.15–0.24	0.11
Catfish	0.22–0.3	0.05
Clams	0.25	ND*
Flounder or sole	0.48	0.05
Crabs	0.27–0.40	0.06
Scallops	0.18–0.34	0.05

* ND – mercury concentration below the Level of Detection (LOD=0.01ppm)

Fish with the Highest Levels of Mercury (about 1 ppm):

	Omega-3 fatty acids (grams per 3-oz. serving)	Mean mercury level in parts per million (ppm)
Tilefish (golden bass or golden snapper)	0.90	1.45
Shark	0.83	0.99
Swordfish	0.97	0.97
King mackerel	0.36	0.73

Five of the most commonly eaten fish or shellfish that are low in mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish. Avoid eating shark, swordfish, king Mackerel, or tilefish because they contain high levels of mercury.

My Detox Breakfast

2011-01-06T08:41:00.000-08:00

What am I having for breakfast this week?

-I start with a master cleanse drink: 1 squeezed lemon, 1 spoonful of maple syrup, and 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper with 8oz of water, stirred together. Starting the day off with lemon + water is a good way to cleanse the liver: important for detoxifying the body.

-2-4 non-sulfured dried apricots. Dried apricots are a an alkaline food. It's good to eat foods rich in calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, and iron during a detox. Normal modes of consumption are often heavy on the acids such as alcohol, coffee, meat and poultry, eggs, dairy, bread/wheat/pasta and other grains, tofu, etc. Eating too many acidic foods produces mucous build-up in the body. During a detox, the point is to flush unwanted toxins out so it's important to eat alkaline rich foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables, dried fruits, fresh herbs, herbal tea, seeds, olive oil and flax seed oil, among other things.

The Most Important Part of Detoxing: Water!

2011-01-05T20:27:00.000-08:00

I did not mention this in my post yesterday but the most important part of a detox is drinking enough water to flush the toxins out. One should drink plenty of water anyway on a normal day but this detox is a big reminder for me to stay hydrated. The downside is having to pee every half hour! I've been drinking water, green tea, and very bland blended vegetable soup (kale, broccoli, cauliflower, onions). We've all heard that we're supposed to drink 8 cups of water a day. This has been debated but it's a good number to work with. I say, drink 2 Nalgene bottles of water a day, 3 or 4 if you're detoxing or doing Bikram Yoga.

New Year Detox

2011-01-04T16:33:00.000-08:00

Those of you who are avid readers of my blog can probably recall me writing about detoxes in past entries. I like to do a cleanse a couple of times a year--whenever I feel that eating habits need reseting. The holidays always bring with them a long slew of alcoholic beverages, chocolate and other sweets, and grand smorgasbords of foods I would not normally consume were they not free and sitting right in front of me. It's time to reset.

How will I detox? Starting today I am focusing on eating whole, fresh foods. Specifically I prefer to eat local and in-season as well, which isn't so hard in California. I will not be consuming alcohol, coffee or black tea, refined sugar, wheat, corn, legumes including peanuts and soy beans, or dairy. These are foods that I know cause negative reactions from my body including bloating, craving, and general discomfort. I WILL eat veggies, fruits, nuts, poultry, some whole grains like rice and quinoa.

How long will I detox? My plan was 4-weeks. However, my cousin Ben Green, is starting a Paleo-diet pledge for one month starting January 10th that I've signed up for, extending my detox by a week. The Paleo Diet is fairly similar to a detox diet in that it promotes the consumption of whole, real foods: meat, veggies, nuts.

Other parts of the detox besides diet: My detox will include regular exercise like Cross Fit workouts at Ben's gym and Bikram Yoga. I have a goal to meditate more--this is mental detoxing. I found a meditation group in SLO called Bodhi Path. I would like to join them regularly as well as meditate at home. I have a goal to get into nature more and do more hiking and camping. Weather permitting I would like to do one hike per week. Part of my detox includes more time for resting and reading: quiet, low-energy activities. I'm exhausted from doing musical theatre which ruled my life for 2.5 months, followed by the holidays. I need to take more time for myself to just sit and be. I need to regenerate so I can go back to being my usual social self.

What resources am I using?

I have gained wisdom from these books and from Dr. Elson Haas' website. He has some great detox tips on his website!

Tulip Planting

2010-12-30T16:26:00.000-08:00

Today I spent part of the afternoon planting tulips.

Given that it doesn't get very cold here in Grover Beach, CA, it is best to put tulip bulbs in the refrigerator in a brown paper bag for 6 weeks before planting. Grover Beach is USDA Hardiness Zone 8B, meaning the temperature doesn't vary as much as say, Zone 1 but varies more than Zone 12. It doesn't get too cold here in the winter and it doesn't get too hot here in the summer, so plants don't need to be too hardy to grow in this soil. It would have been best to plant the bulbs in November but I didn't do it so bummer. Hence the bulbs were on sale at the hardware store! Bonus but so much potential for failure!

Bulbs should be planted pointy-side-up about 8 inches deep.

It's a crapshoot--will these pretty flowers come up this spring?

It's good to add fertilizer to less-than-great soil which ours certainly is. I'm pretty cheap so I was stoked to find this bag of blood meal buried in a box of gardening supplies in the garage. I swear I've never seen it before. I'm sure it's been there for a loooong time. Blood meal is a good non-synthetic source of nitrogen, a plant fertilizer. It is a cattle slaughterhouse by-product which is a little unnerving to think about, so I'm going to try not to.

I dug a hole, sprinkled some blood meal, then plopped the little bulb in.

Then I decided just to dig a whole trench, spacing the bulbs 5 inches apart.

My cat Hufflepuff was curious about all of this new development.

He wanted to help but I'd already finished.

I'm pretty set on tulips after living in Holland for 7 months. For those of you who don't know the tumultuous history of tulips in Holland, it's quite fascinating. Tulips are originally from Turkey and were introduced to Holland (the Netherlands) some time in the 1500s. This led to "Tulip Mania" in which one of the first stock markets was created and tulip bulb prices soared only to come crashing down. The height of the boom is recorded as having been in 1637. Read more about "Tulip Mania" on the ever-convenient wikipedia page.

Last Spring I went to visit the Keukenhof, an astonishingly large garden of tulips in Holland. Check out my pictures here.

Montana Family Road Trip August 2010

2010-12-08T12:15:00.000-08:00

I flew back home in July from a year of living abroad in Belgium and Holland, and just days later, my dad, brother, and I embarked on a great US road trip: up I-5 to Sacramento, then in to Oregon, Washington, and Montana. We came down through Idaho and Nevada, stopping off at Lake Tahoe on the way. We visited friends and family along the way. It was great to come home and get to see so much of my family after being away for a year. Please enjoy the video collage!

Montana Family Road Trip August 2010 from Alison Cebulla on Vimeo.

Christmas Time is Nunsense Time: Nuncrackers the Musical

2010-12-07T14:41:00.000-08:00

Me as Sister Robert Anne

Back in September I auditioned for a part in a musical at the San Luis Obispo Little Theatre, and much to my astonishment, I was cast as one of four nuns in Nuncrackers, a whacky Christmas musical that is a part of the Nunsense musical theatre series. I play Sister Robert Anne, a tough nun from Brooklyn, NY. I sing and dance, all in a full habit!

Want to come see the show? It runs until December 19th. Click here for online tickets. It plays at the SLO Little Theatre on 888 Morro St, San Luis Obispo. Performances are Thursday 8pm, Friday 8pm, Saturday 2pm & 8pm, and Sunday 2pm. We have 10 shows left.

A history of me and theatre: The last time I was on stage in a musical theatre production was in 2003 also at SLOLT in Camelot. This was over 7 years ago! I thought I would try out the stage again upon moving back to my hometown this summer. I was introduced to the stage through Camp Melodrama in Oceano when I was about 10 years old. (This was a summer camp I could walk to so my parents let me do it.) This was about the same time that I had taken up the violin so musical theater seemed like a natural progression. I signed up for drama class at Judkins Middle School and also was a part of Odyssey of the Mind, a creative problem-solving competition. I took kids drama classes at SLOLT and was in The Velveteen Rabbit and All Year Santa. During High School I took choir rather than drama but was in the premier show at the new Clark Center with AGHS drama, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. I was then also in the second show featured at the Clark Center, Chameleon Production's Oklahoma. And my senior year in HS I was in the aforementioned Camelot at SLOLT. In college at UC Berkeley I was the vocal coach for the singers in Barestage's A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. I enjoyed working behind the scenes and helping the singers and show improve. It brought me a lot of joy.

Sister Mary Hubert and Sister Robert Anne

What have I discovered about myself as a result of being on stage in theatre again?
-I expected that I would just love it as I always used to as a kid and teenager. But that love has been not so forthcoming. Has my personality really changed so much in 7 years? I've discovered: yes. I used to have this sense of really wanting to be on the stage whereas in this show, I found myself continuously nervous about it. As a kid and teenager I was very outspoken and never cared what anyone thought of me. These were qualities that I liked about myself but the years of growing into an adult have made me slightly more reserved and self-conscious. I'd like to work on getting my youthful spirit back to be honest!
-Being in a musical is a LOT of work! I haven't had time to see my friends or family or pursue other hobbies. This is difficult for me because my friends, family, and hobbies are really important to me. It is hard to work a full-time job and then head straight to rehearsal every night, all night. I'm looking forward to having some free time when the show has finished.

Our rendition of the Nutcracker (me in the middle behind the feathers!)

What have I gained from being a part of Nuncrackers?
-I have made wonderful new friends!
-Bragging rights. I usually get a lot of "wows!" when I tell people I'm singing on stage in a show.
-I think there is something intrinsically rewarding about challenging oneself to do something difficult. It is always nerve-wracking stepping on to the stage but I have committed myself and I have to do it. I'm building character every time I do, and building comfort.
-I am donating my time to the community. This is all volunteer performing. The audience members are mostly sexagenarians and older. They love coming to see community theatre and I am happy to present them with entertainment, especially at Christmas.

Nuns shopping? (Me on the far right)

-Ever improving communication and inter-personal skills. During the run of this show and rehearsals I have laughed, broken down crying, felt frustrated, felt joy: the whole gamut of emotions! Not to mention all out exhaustion! It can be challenging to continue to communicate with cast-mates, directors, and stage -managers in a professional, adult manner. Sometimes I don't always succeed but it is important that I treat everyone with respect, despite my own mental state. Theater challenges me to do this, each and every day. And how to not take it personally when another exhausted cohort lashes out.

Conclusion: I think I would rather work behind the scenes next time, or just enjoy as an audience member. But this has been a growing experience for me and I do love getting into the Christmas spirit each and every show. I plan to join the Cuesta Master Chorale next semester and I think that will be more my thing. I do love to sing!

As requested: Live Footage! This is from a dress rehearsal. I have since hammed-up my smiling musical nun face. :)

Farmer's Market Silver City, New Mexico

2010-10-30T09:05:00.000-07:00

I recently visited my grandmother in Silver City, New Mexico. First of all: what a great town! There seemed to be a lot of hippie types living there--lots of art galleries, yoga, organic food, and spiritual workshops/gatherings.

Of course I immediately gravitated to the Saturday morning farmer's market. I just love the idea of people coming together to sell/buy/celebrate local food and other products. Here are some images from the market:

I found a great brochure called "Locally Grown Ingredients, Eater's Guide to a Fresh & Healthy New Mexico." It is a guide to all of the farmer's markets in New Mexico and a pages detailing the various available vegetables: what they are and how to cook them.

Check out the guide online here: http://www.farmersmarketsnm.org

Another great thing I found at the market was Community Grown, a vendor selling grass fed beef, lamb, goat and specialty sausage. Here in SLO we are always looking for grass fed meat. I have recently started eating meat again as a result of attending my cousin's Cross Fit gym and being converted to Paleo-diet ideology. BUT I try to eat only grass-fed beef and free-range chicken. We are currently looking for a local chicken source. I will probably come back to this issue in a future post to discuss the various ins and outs and what-have-yous (to quote the dude) about meat eating and sustainability.