Nourish

I just can't seem to get the pictures from our visit this weekend transferred onto the computer and put together into a blog, so that's still to come. Although I don't know when.

Yesterday I noticed that the date was May 28th. And that I'm supposed to have 24 hours of CPE (Continuing Professional Education) completed by June 1st for maintaining my CPA license, which I would like to sport for a few more years since I worked so ridiculously hard to earn it, not to mention all the $$ spent on the stupid test... Unfortunately, by yesterday I only had 12 hours completed. I also got an invitation to attend a premiere of a movie called "Nourish" over in Berkeley. I had tried to RVSP to the event about a month ago, but was informed that it was all sold out. Yesterday, I got a notice that a few people had cancelled and that I could bring myself and a guest, if I wanted to. There was to be a wine and cheese reception before-hand, the movie and then a dessert and wine reception after the movie. So, I was torn. Should I be a good, respectable CPA and work hard to finish my CPE? Or should I play hookie from the CPE for another day (I've already procrastinated for an entire year, after all) and go play in Berkeley?

I compromised. I rushed through one of my self-study courses at lunchtime, skimmed all 91 pages of the text, and then rushed through the test, which was open-book. So, I aced it. :) 95%. And I argue that the 5% missed is due to the fact that I was just trying to get through the test and not checking my answers. (I only needed a 70% to pass, for goodness sake) So, with 8 more credits under my belt, I allowed myself to put the other self-study course (10 credits) off until tomorrow, and go play.

My friend Linnea and I BART-ed over to Berkeley, missed our stop, and BART-ed back in the other direction. We had a lovely dinner of burritos and tostadas at "Cancun", and then headed to the wine and cheese reception at the Brower Center. I asked the bartend which wine she recommended and she asked what I was looking for. Fruity, of course... She poured me a Merlot (which I don't usually like) and it was FANTASTIC!! I guess that's what you get when you spend more than $3 on a bottle of wine. Then we sampled the hoers d-ouvres (Also very yummy) and perused the displays. One of the displays was for an organization called Heifer International, which gives animals to people in need. Sounds a little strange, but wait for it - so you buy a sheep for a family, and that sheep produces the wool that the family can then sell for income. Cows = milk and ploughing power, Goats = milk, bunny rabits = Angora bunny rabbit fur and Llamas = ? Wait, let me check the brochure. Llamas = wool and packing capabilities. So you can either "buy" the animal outright, or buy a "share" of an animal. For $5,000, you can buy an "ark", which is two of every animal. And, AND, they send all the animals pregnant and, as a condition of the gift, the recipient must give the baby to one of their neighbors when it is born. Kind of a cool idea, right?

So then we watched the movie. The organization WorldLink is starting a new initiative, called Nourish, to "open a broad public conversation about our food system that encourages citizen engagement, particularly among young people and families." This includes many different types of media - website, TV, educational curriculum, etc. One of the ways that they are trying to reach the public is through a 30-minute DVD. This is the movie that we were there to watch.

Here is a link to the trailer for the movie: http://www.nourishlife.org/videos.html

And, on the Nourish website, there are also 4-5 other short films made for the initiative as well. All in all, most of the movie was stuff that I had heard already, but it's always good to be reminded. It's so easy to get comfortable, complacent, when so many parts of our society are dragging you down into the fast-food complex. There's not that much out there bombarding you to eat leafy greens, vegetables, and cut down on sugar. So, any time you can stop and re-focus, it's good.

The real treat was the panel discussion afterwards, which featured Nigel Walker, the owner/farmer of Eatwell Farms, Nadine Burke, a pediatrician and Bryant Terry, a chef and food activist. A lively and informative discussion was underway right off the bat, with people asking really challenging questions about how the whole local/sustainable/organic movement will manifest itself. The panel members really thought about their answers and answered very honestly and passionately. When one audience member asked about the lack of people going into the farming profession these days and if there will be enough farmer's to sustain the movement, Nigel Walker agreed that this was a challenge and mentioned that it's not really a lucrative or appealing profession - he is only 50 yrs. old, but is considered a young farmer. And, at the age of 50, he already has half a million dollars in debt. It will probably only grow. And he is considered one of the "successful" organic farmers.

We didn't stick around for the dessert afterwards, as I was supposed to be getting home to my accounting texts (that didn't happen), although the wine was calling pretty loudly. But the evening was thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining and informational. I'm glad that I decided to play.