On a more personal note

Since my blog has taken a turn towards focusing on sustainability... I've decided to interrupt my flow with a more personal blog entry. The following post is a glimpse into my mind from earlier this week.

Tuesday, September 11th:
I went for a walk today and I wonder if the adventure it became symbolizes my state of mind. This week has been harder on me than all the rest. I feel as thought I've been in a funk and I can't pinpoint why. Things from the move have finally settled down. I've grown used to the mismatched cabinets and the doors that won't shut all the way. I don't mind the dresser in the living room or the huge piece of cardboard that covers the window. And so now, new challenges rise to the top of this cup of life.

I went for a walk today. We live maybe a mile out from the waters edge and I was desperate for its peace to wash over me. However, as I walked along in the middle of the afternoon, I soon realized I could not get to the edge. A chain link fence, a freeway, a train, and random factories all laid in my way. I'd turn to the right and see a seemingly endless walk along the freeway with no overpass in sight. To the left, some building or factory blocked off any hope of cutting through. But I was determined, so I walked.

One mile, two miles, three miles, four... still no pathway to the waters edge. When my pace began to lag as my legs grew weary, I took the way I knew would lead me home - away from the water. It teases me so close, yet so far away.

"So I find myself at the brink" just kidding - that was a quote I keep hearing in my head from Leonardo DiCaprio. So I find myself in a new dilemma. Mosaic is charging ahead with more help soon on the way. As for me, well, what lies ahead remains unclear. No job openings yet... although I've found plenty for childcare and tutors. If only I was passionate about other people's kids!

So close but so far away. Something keeps redirecting my path. Something is blocking the way, as if to say, "It's just not time yet".

I sit on the front porch as the sun sets, trying to create more job options for myself, but nothing new comes to mind, at least for now. So I will wait, and see what tomorrow holds. I guess I better enjoy my view of the freeway while it lasts.

Ray Anderson on Sustainability

I had the privaledge of hearing Ray speak while I we were living in Los Angeles. I love his perspective on things... b/c his focus is not on global warming, but on giving life. This ten minute video is very inspiring. It talks about the power of business and what impact it makes on life. Well worth watching if you are interested in the movement of sustainability at all!

The Yes Men... Is this really legal?

Since things are starting to "settle down" a little more... I've spent more time working on finding a new job. I've sent out a few resumes and portfolios, but so far, no openings or interest shown yet. I am looking for work in the East Bay so that I don't have to commute. I am not sure what I will find. This is taking longer than I expected but I guess I'm not too upset about the time off (yet). We'll see how long we can financially handle this "break". I've actually been working full time since the moment we got here... just for free. :) For Mosaic.

This weekend we have our first "branding" event (aka. getting our name out so people become familiar with Mosaic). We will have a booth set up at something called Solano Stroll. Solano is a popular street less than a block from our house. It has numerous restaurants and shops along it. Solano Stroll happens once a year and attracts up to a quarter of a million people. Can you believe that? It sounds unreal to me, so we'll see what happens. Anyways, we are setting up a booth and handing out free $5 BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) cards with the Mosaic logo and website on them. We just want the community to know we exist and that we care by giving them a free gift (no strings or expectations attached.) The theme for Solano Stroll is "Going Green - It's Easy" so along with our BART gift, I've made a handout of my top ten green tips. I hope it is well received and that if anything, people know we are here, that we care about humanity, and them. I'll let you know how it goes.

On another note, I was reading the Corporate Watchdog Radio blog as I was job searching today and came across a post about The Yes Men. They are men who impersonate corporations at conferences, TV shows, interviews, etc. in order to embarrass corporations. So basically they "pretend" to be representatives of large companies like McDonald's or Exxon Mobile and go to conferences and tell people outrageous things to make the companies look bad. They made a movie about it in 2003, called The Yes Men. I can't believe how successful they've been. Crazy!

Chocolate and slave trade?

Just found this blog, Ethur, through Relevant magazine. Pretty sweet blog... one of the Ehur projects is the Junky Car Club... which Kevin and I could totally belong to right now! It's a car club devoted to living with less so that we can give more. Our membership would be unintentional due to our changing circumstances... so we might as well make it official and for a good cause. The blog also had a post about slavery and chocolate... some documentary that explains the issue. Not too good for any Nestle product!

Tony Chocolonely

This guy prosecuted himself for supporting slave trade through his consumer choices. I can't believe it. See the trailer to hear what the Supreme Court thought.