Chicken's Eye View

Chicken's Eye View -- 2

Poly-Face Farm

The weekend after we got back from Jamaica, we drove down to the Shenandoah Valley in Viriginia with Mark's parents and stayed in a bed n' breakfast there.

On Friday we saw Shakespeare's "Henry V" in a cool replica of The Black Friar (which was one of the two original theatre's Shakespeare wrote his plays for). I didn't get any pictures, but it was very cool. Actors played many different characters. The audience may as well have been sitting on stage (and some were!) because the actors wandered out into the seats whenever they felt like it during big speeches. King Harry himself jumped of the stage and stepped along on the empty seats during a speech. It was VERY fun. Armor costumes were made out of catchers gear. :)

Then on Saturday we went to THE famous Poly-Face farm from Michael Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma. The farm was everything I expected times ten. It was absolutely the most beautiful pastures of lush grass and dandelions. We got to talk to Joel Saladin's wife as well (Theresa, I think it was...she was pretty cool) :)

Jamaica

Mark and I have been quite the busy bodies this month.
Earlier this month we went to Jamaica--we won a free pass to a resort at a nightclub!

The weather was absolutely perfect. High 70's, not too humid, not too dry, no bugs. Perfect!
Unfortunately, in our vacation mode, we got a little lazy about toting Mark's big fancy camera around, and we missed all the best shots of the sunsets and the beach.

Here are some pictures we did get. Ya mon. (No problem)


























































If you look real close you can see a portrait of Bob Marley on the back of this shuttle.

Reading, Reading, Reading

I am having a dandy old time with my head buried in a bunch of books.
Currently, I am reading or listening to:

The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of the Learning Organization, by Peter M. Senge
In Defense of Food, by Michael Pollan (author of the Omnivore's Dilemma)
Fierce Conversations, by Susan Scott
The Audacity of Hope, by Barack Obama
The World is Flat, by Thomas Friedman

I've been reading Fifth Discipline for months, Audacity of Hope for weeks, Fierce Conversations for a week or two, and In Defense of Food for a few days. I've been listening to the World is flat for a few weeks also.

I am very excited that I am on the verge of finishing one of these books. Wooohoo!
I've got less than 40 pages left of Obama's book. I've really enjoyed it--especially the current chapter, "The World Beyond Our Borders." If you haven't read this book yet, you should think about it. It's very interesting. I particularly appreciate the acknowledgment of the role we play in the system of global relationships:

"...nobody benefits more than we do from the observance of international 'rules of the road.' We can't win converts to those rules if we act as if they apply to everyone but us. When the world's sole superpower willingly restrains its power and abides by internationally agreed-upon standards of conduct, it sends a message that these are rules worth following..."
"In military parlance, legitimacy is a 'force multiplier.'"

Why I support Obama

I wrote this on another website a few weeks ago. I'd like to post it here as well.

My ideal leader is one who leads change in the system itself, rather than poking at the symptoms. My ideal leader can identify gaps in thinking and unused resources to go at a problem in a fundamentally different way. My ideal leader doesn't need to live his or her life just the way I would...he or she does need to hold the same fundamental values I do :
--empowering and motivating people (leading rather than managing)
--uniting people (leading with a shared vision)
--listening to people (feedback is critical!)
--constantly learning ("if you do what you always did, you're gonna get what you always got")
--attention to detail, or an ability to see gray (nuance must not be overlooked; "authority without wisdom is like an axe without a blade...fitter to bruise than to sharpen")
--pride through accountability (there is no pride in being babied, coddled, or let off the hook...we will need to work and sacrifice for what we want, and it will be so much sweeter when we get there)
--respect (for other's values, other's decisions, other's work, other's priorities...my way is just that--"my" way; other's see things differently...that's okay, and even GOOD)
--understanding motivation (being able to look past an action or a stereotype and relate to others through common threads of motivation)
--willingness and even dedication to identifying one's own flaws, or one's own contribution to an existing problem (this is how we move forward...we must look at ourselves first)

I believe Obama encompasses these fundamental values.

Sprigfield Farm

I'm still planning to go to Poly-face Farm in April, but I thought I'd get myself ready by visiting a farm nearer us.

We bought a Prius!!!

Mark and I bought a 2008 Prius (hybrid) last Saturday.
I looooooooooooooooove it! Our camera is currently out of commission so I snagged a picture off the internet. This looks exactly like ours except they have suped-up rims and green grass. :)















Why I love our Prius:
1) no more stick shift for 2, 3, 4, 5, and sometimes 6 hour driving days
2) Smart-Key--I don't have to take my key out of my purse to do anything (not to open the car, start the car, or lock it)...this is wonderful, since I am usually a mess of bags on my way to and from work.
3) Navigation system!!!
4) Hands-free bluetooth phone
5) Voice command activation for navigation and phone
6) 4-doors with enough room to actually comfortably seat 4
7) Steering-wheel buttons--everything I need to adjust (phone, air, audio) is right there at my finger tips
8) Audio jack, so I can plug my iPod right into the audio system (instead of dealing with the static of an FM transmitter)
9) JBL speaker system
10) 45 miles to the gallon!!!!!!

AND...I'm also feeling pretty cool because I totally negotiated the price I wanted and better. Mark said he was pretty impressed with me :)