A Work/Life Balance is Bull$@#!

If you don't love your job then quit!  Because if you don't love your job then you are on the losing end of a bad relationship.  In fact if you are constantly upset, worried, bitching and unhappy - you are wasting your time.  I'm not talking clinically here.  I'm talking you're worried about finances, you don't like your job, you don't like the way you look, you're constantly angry, you never have enough time to do X, and the list goes on.

The problem with being upset, worried, bitching, unhappy and a whole slew of other crappy words, is that they give the illusion of doing something about it.  It lulls us into a false sense of "since I feel this way I am doing something about it."  The worst part about that situation is that eventually feeling bad becomes the norm.

I say that is BS! Feeling good is the norm.  Being happy is the norm.  Life is for living.  Sure we'll all have those off days.  Of course we all will have times to worry - we're only human.  But if they become regular then there is a problem that needs to be fixed!

The solution to being happy... is YOU.  Crazy, I know.  But only you can make you happy.  That totally sounds like fortune cookie BS.  So what's the alternative?  To pin your happiness to other people, your job, your clothes, your car, your bank account.  I don't know about you but the only thing I have control over on that list is ME.

How do you find the happiness that is inside of you?  Do something!  Action.  If you are tired of worrying about bills then make a budget and stick to it.   If you are tired of the way you look then go for a 5 minute walk.  Just do something.  That something will lead to more somethings.  Just make it small at first and measurable.  However, don't put it off.  We're only human and delaying gratification isn't one of our strong suits.  

What caused this wild hair up my...?  It's the fact that I feel like I know some great secret and I'm not telling anyone.  It's the fact that I see great people every day who aren't where they want to be.  It's the fact that for a lot of things I may have accomplished, there are still areas of my life were I sit back and bitch and get jealous and unhappy about (talking about writing and publishing a book here.)  And this is the crux of the problem.  We segregate our lives into these lanes - be damned if these lanes happen to cross!  Some overlap for sure but it is more like a highway overpass for the majority of us.  What lanes am I talking about?  All of them.  Every single label you can think to give yourself.  Dr, lawyer, mother, brother, father, son, boyfriend, starving artist, chef, farmer, surfer, employee, writer - can I stop the list?

The point is that when we create these multiple lanes we are trying to multi-task our lives.  We've set up a system that facilitates adult ADD and guarantees us failure.  But failure is not bad.  Failure is good.  Failure is ONLY bad if we don't learn from it and keep doing it over and over and over.  Sounds like most of our days.  Well how mine used to sound. 

Every aspect of our lives should be moving us closer to our dreams.  Is your dream to have an incredibly tight and close family?  Then your job should help you achieve it not something you need to balance against.  Is your dream to cure blindness in Nepal?  Then your monthly gym membership should be getting you ready to be in Nepal.  If it isn't cut it and apply that money to moving to Nepal earlier. 

How you are as a sibling or a parent should be how you are in your business, at the gym, hiking, sailing, whatever.  The underlying principal here is character.  That is who you truly are; not some kind of label.  Don't identify with those labels because if at some point - hopefully not - they go away you'll lose yourself with it.  I know, I've been there and it took me nearly a year to get out of my depression.  I didn't even know I was depressed till I started to feel better again and realized life shouldn't be so damn hard.

There is nothing wrong with singular focus.  In fact, multi-tasking doesn't work anyways.  As long as we try and create a work/life balance we'll be forever stuck trying to balance our life instead of living it.  And that, unfortunately, is good thing for companies.  They need customers and employees.  We can't have everyone gallivanting off to live out their dreams.  I say it one last time the idea of a work/life balance is bull$@#!.  Do Something!

The new Turkeys & Guinea Fowl at the Farm

These little turkeys look like chocolate bananas with their little yellow heads.  The turkeys have also begun postering.  Meaning they will drop their wings and raise what little tail feathers they have to show off. 

Here we have everyone together.  Mostly these are guinea fowl - gray, white, dark brown.  The guineas have stripes on their heads and the turkeys have a little ridge at the meeting of their beaks and foreheads.  The little all yellow turkeys run up, jump into your hands, and fall asleep. 

Capital vs Income: An Economics Argument for No-till and Beyond.

     Economists and businessmen understand the difference between capital and income very well.  However, the predominant actions of business over the last few decades would tend to suggest they don't - like the majority of us.  This is from not having a complete picture of the production cycle or rather the omission of certain parts of the production cycle.  

     Let's draw the distinction of capital from income.  Income is what the majority of us receive for doing work.  Income is an operating cost to the production cycle.  Capital is what is invested into the production cycle to get it started.  Income to a business is synonymous with profit after all operating costs are paid, and capital investments are recouped.  Income has a bit of flexibility to it and so it is able to fluctuate.  Capital is more rigid and is a fixed cost.  Technically, income could go away and the business would still operate (basically a non-profit model) but if capital goes away the business will shut down.

     Wendell Berry, if you don't know of him you need to, is one of the smartest men we have alive.  In his essays, he makes the point that we do not consider Nature as part of our economic equation.  More specifically the process in which Nature uses to create the assets that we use.  So I'm going to borrow a term coined by E.F. Schumacher in his book "Small is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered," called "natural capital" to combine their similar points of view.

     The easiest example of "natural capital" is to talk about fossil fuels.  Schumacher states, "No one, I am sure, will deny that we are treating them as income items although they are undeniably capital items.  If we treated them as capital items, we should be concerned with conservation: we should do everything in our power to try and minimize their current rate of use; we might be saying, for instance, that the money obtained from the realisation of these assets - these irreplaceable assets - must be placed into a special fund to be devoted exclusively to the evolution of production methods and patterns of living which do not depend on fossil fuels at all or depend on them only to a very slight extent."[1]

     Students of permaculture will be familiar with David Holmgren's book, "Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability."  For those not familiar with the idea of permaculture it comes from the joining of several words:  permanent culture and permanent agriculture.  In his book he makes the statement that we have squandered the first half of our fossil fuel supply.  Essentially treating it like income.  When we should have been using it to build solar panels and wind turbines and such.  The idea is that it takes a great deal of fossil fuel to produce the energy to produce these sustainable items.  That's the catch 22.  So waiting till we run out of fossil fuels to start building them is not going to work.

     Using fossil fuels as the example I'd like to look at another "natural capital" that we have overlooked - top soil.   1/32 of the earth is suitable for growing food.  Of that 1/32 only the top 3-4 inches of that land is considered top soil.  Check out this link at the American Farmland Trust. It views the world as an apple as it divides it - very poignant.  Each year we lose billions of tons of topsoil due to erosion from chemical and mechanical cultivation.  Even organic farming practices uses mechanical cultivation to turn the soil for planting and weed management.  This exposing of the soil allows for it to dry out and it then becomes vulnerable to wind and water erosion.  Not to mention it is nearly void of microbiological activity which has been proven to enhance plant growth.

     This happens because soil is seen as an input into the production process and not as part of the capital investment.  Therefore we "spend" our topsoil as if it were income in the process.  Relying on amending the soil with fertilizers and compost, which becomes part of the operating costs, rather than figuring out how to conserve our capital asset.  The fable of the "Goose who lays the Golden Eggs," is very apt here. This process's only rational ability to continue is to continuously increase the amount of compost and fertilizer that is applied to maintain a sense of fertility.  Thereby increasing operating costs which will be translated to the consumer in the price of food.  Not to mention this has minimal effect on the erosion that is occurring because the field will soon be tilled in again and exposed to heat, wind and water.  Take into consideration that it has taken thousands of years and the movements of glaciers to create our current top soil and you can see that, even with the addition of compost, we won't be replacing the lost top soil anytime soon. 

     The first step in solving this crisis is to minimize the erosion and even try and stop it.  This is done in several ways.  First the soil needs to remain covered at all times.  The vegetative growth will act as a protective layer against wind and the harsh rays of the sun.  The vegetative cover will provide a layer that reduces evaporation as well.  The soil being cool, shaded, moist, and protected from the wind will promote microbiological activity in the soil which will translate into healthier soil and therefore healthier plants.  The root structure of the vegetation holds the soil in place from water erosion.  The stalks of the vegetation will also slow down the movement of the water preventing it from gaining the momentum to cause wide-scale damage.  The slowing down of the water also allows the water time to percolate into the surrounding soil.  This not only feeds the vegetation and keeps the soil moist it also recharges the groundwater systems.

     The second step, and much harder to convince in modern agriculture, is the planting of perennials.  I've always had trouble with the words annuals and perennials when it comes to plants.  Think of annuals as having to be planted annually or every year.  Where as perennials are planted once and live for many years.  This allows for a sophisticated and complex system of root structures to develop.  Even perennial plants will have roots that die and when they do they decompose deep into the soil supplying much needed nutrients.  Additionally the deep root systems can transport nutrients to the soil's surface from many feet down. Nutrients that would otherwise be unavailable to shallow rooted annuals.  Lastly, the deep and complex root system creates a natural and complete irrigation system to water the soil and recharge the ground water supply the most effectively.

     So how can modern agriculture produce food and conserve it's topsoil.  Ideally the best way would be to inter crop vegetable and grain crops in between the best perennials of all - trees.  This is called forest farming.  However, forest farming is not compatible with modern harvesting techniques which make it inefficient on a commercial scale.  At least for now.  Another solution is to plant only perennials.  Wes Jackson at the Land Institute is developing a perennial wheat.  You plant it once, harvest it, and it grows back again.  Very similar to mowing your lawn.  But we don't have perennial   everything and with  most of the vegetables we eat the very act of harvesting kills the plant.  Enter no-till.

     No-till, in my opinion, is still at best a transition process.  It is a very good process and one we need to switch to now but it is only a bridge to the ultimate solution of forest farming.  In no-till the crop is planted without tilling and in between the crop is planted a cover crop.  A cover crop acts like a living mulch - choking out weeds and helping to retain moisture in the soil.  A cover crop will also add nutrients to the soil.  Ideally what one plants for harvesting should have a symbiotic relationship with its cover crop.  When it comes time to harvest, the crop is cut and the waste is left in the field.  Then the cover crop is cut and also allowed to decompose in the field.  After a certain amount of time of being left fallow, the field will be planted again without tilling the soil.  The previous crop and cover crop provides a mulch/compost into which the new crop will grow.  This is vaguely simulating how Nature would rebuild soil.  The only problem, and hence why I only consider it a transition process, is the cutting of the cover crop still opens the soil up to some erosion.  Albeit a minimum amount.  However until the agricultural industry can make the mental shift from concentrating on efficiencies to concentrating on effectiveness, this is what needs to happen.

     Once we start treating the top soil like a capital investment and begin conserving this limited resource, we will see considerable savings in operating costs.  No longer will we have to import compost and fertilizer into the fields.  (This brings up another interesting subject of nutrient loss.  When we here in California expend our dwindling water resource and our compost and fertilizer to create nutrient rich food, then ship it to New York where it is consumed and disposed of, we have effectively shipped off our water and nutrients as well.  Requiring us to import more nutrients and water which drives up the costs for everyone.)  The amount of water usage can be, by my estimates and they are only based on experience not empirical data, effectively cut in half.   In areas of good rainfall I believe irrigating fields could be stopped all together and reserved for cases of severe drought.  Interestingly enough if we were to plant more trees we could effectively alter the weather pattern preventing such droughts.

     The ultimate goal is to produce nutrient dense food sustainably that is the most affordable and available to all.  This can only happen when we start taking into account the "natural capital" into our production process.  By conserving our soil we can eliminate most operating costs and thereby increasing profits.  Profits that then should be translated to the customer in the form of cheap, healthy food.  Effectively creating a sustainable solution to the food justice issue. Such an economic model would also make chemically grown food too expensive to produce and usher back traditional organic farming.  Not to mention it would make our world a better place.

[1]  E.F, Schumacher. "Small is Beautiful:  Economics as if People Mattered," 1973.  Harper & Row Publishers, Inc.

The Basics

           Anything under seven feet is a short board and anything over nine feet is a long board.  The two feet in between make up a fun board.  If you want to learn how to surf get a fun board.  Preferably in the eight foot range.  If I had it to do all over again I would have gotten one of those Nerf-like boards.  They don’t hurt as much when they hit you.  

Don’t do like I did and buy a short board thinking you are going to tear up the waves.  I bought a sweet little 6-3 fish.  6-3 means its six feet three inches and fish refers to cut of the back of the board.  My short board has a triangular shape cut out of the back that resembles a fish tail.  This thing is so light and is curled like a pringle.  I affectionately call it the “potato chip.”  The problem with the potato chip is that I’m not light.  It takes a big wave to push that light board with my heavy body on it.  

Foot placement is less forgiving on a short board.  A surfboard planes across the water.  To do this it has to be perfectly parallel to the water.  This allows the board to become a part of the water in the wave.  If it doesn’t the wave will either pass under the board or pass over the board.  If it passes under the board you miss the wave.  If it passes over the board its not fun.

To get your board to become part of the wave takes balance.  You have to find the center of the board.  That point where you and the board can balance one another.  Too far forward and your nose will go under and you’ll pearl - picture pole vaulting.  Too far back and you put on the brakes and go no where.  That’s the perfect analogy.  Perfectly balanced is putting the board in drive.  Moving forward gives it gas and moving back applies brake.  That’s the finesse.

A long board on the other hand is said to be just as hard to learn as a short board.  The bigger the board the smaller the wave you can catch.  But just like a short board, forward is gas and back is the brake.  The only problem now comes from pesky physics.  With a short board too far forward pearls you and too far back stops you.  Its not hard to get frustrated on a short board and not catch a wave.  The reason for this is, because the board is short, any small change in your weight has large consequences.  Unfortunately the same thing is true on a long board.  A long board creates a large movement arm.  Every board has a center of balance.  This balance point can be thought of as the fulcrum of a seesaw.  Try standing over the center of the seesaw and balance it level.  Pretty hard to do.  So even slight movements forward or backward has large consequences when translated over the large movement arm.  I will say that transitioning from a fun board to a long board is easier than fun to short.

Now comes the fun boards.  Their name is very apt.  They are built for buoyancy.  So it is not uncommon to find these boards two to three inches thick.  Their buoyancy compensates for their center of balance.  Effectively making the balance point very large and therefore more forgiving to new surfers trying to learn how to stand up. The same rules apply as far as forward and backwards go but these guys allow you to at least get up once.

And getting up once is all it takes to hook you.  What an incredible feeling to be a part of the ocean.  To feel the wave building behind you.  You paddle and paddle and there’s a slight moment where you feel the wave start to accept you.  If you stand up in one fluid motion, if you have your balance you’ve done it.  You’ve become part of the wave.  The crest behind you is building and your nose begins to drop.  This is the drop in.  You slide down the face of the wave.  Shifting your balance to stay on.  Shifting your balance to steer.  The wave is crashing behind you.  The whitewater of the foam races across the top of your board.  You’re ankle deep and you lean back and your nose rises out of the water.  You lean forward and your board settles out on top of the water again.  You lean a little more forward and you speed up.  You’re out in front of the whitewater now.  You just rode a wave.  Its addicting.

Homemade Banjo Picks

So they aren't exactly a work of art - well maybe they are!  I used scrap pipe banding from a job a did.  I made a rough shape with some cutters.  Then I quickly filed down the edges so they were smooth.  I think 15 minutes in all.

And to think I was going to order some today too!

Here is the beautiful bane of my existence.  The banjo is down right hard!

Good Work

 This is the opening to one of many book ideas that I have.  I don't know if it is my ADHD or just a fear of failure by not being published that makes it that I have half a dozen of these such starts.  None of which are even close to being finished.  There has been a growing trend of farm stories in literature.  Maybe just in the literary circles that I tend to read.  So this was me jumping on that band wagon.  The plan - yes present tense - is to write about how Mel and I created our successful farm.   Since that is essentially what this blog is I figured why not put it here.  I think the title of the book will be called "Good Work" and I want to share the joys of farming, surfing, and finding the one to build a life with. 

When I touch the soil my heart pounds with hope.  When I hold a brand new chick I smile.  When I sit down to a meal that my labor provided I am content.  When I lay my head down at night, after a day of labor and drift quickly to sleep, I am at peace.  All of this is provided by good work.

    It took facing a bad economy without a job and a pile of debt for me to open my eyes.  I was working a job I hated and it was fortunately and unfortunately coming to an end.  Fortunately, because I don’t think I would have survived had it not come to an end.  Unfortunately because it paid good money and it was the only career I had known.  I had no trade.  My job had taken over my life.  I worked long, long hours and it never seemed to make a difference.  My marriage had collapsed and I was going no where fast.  I had over $350k in debt.  This sounds like the story of many Americans.  Sadly it is
.  
    I met Mel in the summer of 2009.  She was a friend of a friend and our meeting was by chance.  You see Mel does not drink and yet I met her in a bar.  I joke with her that when I tell our children how we met the story will start, “I was the designated driver and I was sitting, talking with friends, and I probably would have never noticed your mother if she hadn’t started dancing on the bar...”  Of course that isn’t how it happened.  A buddy had just gotten out of the Navy and was heading off to pursue his dream of going to graduate school.  The rest of us, three more buddies, were still in the Navy.  One of the guys was my roommate on the ship and it was him who was friends with Mel.  We all went out to celebrate a friend who was leaving the Navy.  Something all of us talked about doing but hadn’t gotten around to.

    “Hey guys this is my friend Mel.”  My roommate said.  She had arrived after we had been there for about 45 minutes.  Mel had been up in LA visiting friends.  She was staying with my ship roommate as her home base for her California trip.  A trip that was almost over.  I have to be honest and say it was her beauty that I noticed first.  I was attracted to her right away.  But it wasn’t love at first sight.  

    “What do you do?’ I asked her.

    ‘I’m a dolphin trainer at Miami Seaquarium.” And right then I became enamored with her. 

    That Friday night didn’t last much longer but we made plans to go surfing on Sunday.  She wanted to learn and I wanted to teach her. 

The new goats at the farm

 One is named Thelma and the other is Louise.  Not sure which is which.  But man they are cute.

And this here is Erin.  We all named her because she is the only one of the chickens that actually will come up to you expecting to be pet.