.eighty-nine.

Papa turned 89 today...and my family definitely knows how to grind (aka I feel fat and puffy). He is such a gentle, smiley man...and apparently was the baseball "stud" back in his day. I am quite blessed to still have him around. :)

.farmer's market.

(A happy family of orchids, sitting under the tent at KCC this past Saturday.)

As a poor, anxiety-ridden college student at UCLA, I often spent my Thursday afternoons detoxing at the Westwood Farmer's Market. Aside from the many free samples (which I happily indulged in), I enjoyed talking with local farmers, purchasing organic products, and supporting community businesses.

The juice from blood orange and strawberry samples would stick to my fingers as I picked out plump raisins out of huge bins.

I would cradle aromatic tuberose stalks in my overly stuffed LeSportsac school bag.

New moms in jogging attire would attack my ankles with their strollers as they learned to navigate crowds.

I remember purchasing organic red leaf lettuce ($1 each!) every week from a young man named Joe.

Something about the entire picture was safe, cozy, and relaxing. As such, I have learned to replicate that experience at the weekly Saturday market at Kapiolani Community College. Though the market runs until 11am, I've found that the most peaceful time is at the 7:30am bell-ringing opening. All of the stands are fully stocked and the cool morning tradewinds are just enough to waft kettle korn and fried green tomato scents beneath my nose.

I often arrive, sleepy eyed, with my Blue Avocado shopping bag and head straight for the Koko Crater coffee stand, filling my cup with a smooth Kona blend. Since I am currently mooching off my parents (aka I have moved home for a period), I contribute by filling our refrigerator with yummy produce: oak and butter lettuce from Maunawili greens, beets from Ma'o Organics, sweet Kahuku corn, Ewa fingerling potatoes, Japanese cucumbers, North Shore Farms' yellow tomatoes, apple bananas from Ska tropicals, and other deeelish foods ad infinitum. I am happy to wander the stands alone (did I mention I am an only child?), however I also love bringing friends who I know will find the "space" to be happy and calming. They humor my dweeby grins as we gorge ourselves on Bale bread samples and Land of Organica sorbets. There is also something cool about knowing that the hands that pass me the produce, are the same ones that till the soil for the foods to grow.

I've frequently toyed with the possibility of becoming a locavore (someone who eats food grown or produced locally or within a certain radius such as 50, 100, or 150 miles), inspired by my adoration for "Lipstick Jungle" and my inner-hippie. However, I am pretty sure that I would fail miserably: 1) because we live in Hawaii and 2) because I just don't have that kind of time. I have also considered becoming a full vegetarian (or vegan), but after a few small attempts, I discovered that I will have to be content with my four-legged animal ban. Going to the Farmer's Market is probably the closest that I will come to either of those things for now. It's definitely my happy place.

.idea infancy.

yesterday, michele and i met with folks from the groundUP movement to discuss the art/music/education/awareness thing that we feel called to put on, in our all-out assault on human trafficking. it was cool to wax philosophical with steven and discover that our visions are quite aligned with regard to the event.

as of now, we hope to:
a) shut down bethel and merchant (aka st. patty's day hq)
b) get a bunch of artists to create a mural
c) sell the jewelry we bought
d) have artists create t-shirts
e) get some boooooze (but also ensure that the event is minor friendly)
f) get sponsorship and try to involve various local designers
g) have sick musicians
h) loop images/a movie (potentially projected onto a building)

hopefully, this will all occur during the last friday or saturday in june and will stir things up a little bit for pimps, johns, and prostituted persons.

got a website started, but it is SUPER lame, so i would not suggest visiting it as of yet. we are looking for vibrant, bubbly, artsy, passionate volunteers (and even if you don't fit this bill, don't rule yourself out). contact us asap!

.HELP.

Please sign this petition to aid the release of two women being held in North Korea for their honest investigations of human trafficking:
http://www.traffickjamming.org/petition.html

.leadership.

I have just finished skimming through my readings for a Systems of Care seminar that I am taking this semester. Tomorrow, Dr. Stanton Michels will be sharing about leadership and his experiences as the Chief of the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Division for the State of Hawaii Department of Health (the organization I work for...a position that I personally do not envy).

My wise graduate school advisor once said that often, good policies for the collective come at the price at the individual (and vice versa). I envision Dr. Michels driving into work, spinning through the concerns of countless families and taxpayers and wondering how the hell to pay for it all. Not everyone can "win." Perspective can be a real pain in the ass, but I suppose that in these economic times, transformational leadership is necessary for change (and even for maintenance).

One of the articles I reflected on was written by Jim Collins ("Good to Great"). He recounted the successes of Level 5 (aka the best) leaders, such as Clarke (founder of Kimberly-Clarke...think Pampers) and suggested that they all possess 1) humility and 2) tireless will. This seems quite paradoxical; aren't the two concepts contradictory? Perhaps not. Take Jesus for example. Or Mother Teresa. Or Gandhi. All tucked massive humility into their pocket (so no one could see it), but rocked reality with their certain resolve. I don't know if you can train yourself to become a good leader: to sacrifice the individual for the good of the greater, to quiet your ego, to have creative vision. But, I sure hope that the leaders with my well-being in their care are reflecting on these qualities daily.

.because i am ocd.

...I erased about 10 posts from this blog since its inception in October. Basically, I am super obsessive-compulsive, and a major perfectionist...and was relatively embarassed by the overall lameness of everything I had written before. I did however, save one of my favorite mini-convos between Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Brad Pitt (from that cool Vanity Fair series).

Also because I am OCD and a major perfectionist, I realized that my relationship with Facebook truly borders on codependent. In order to infuse my time with a bit more productivity and sabbath, Facebook and I are going on a weeklong separation. At the end of this time, we will jointly reevaluate our reliance on one another, and hopefully come to a happy medium.

Finally, my favorite op-ed writer, Nicholas D. Kristof (also my Facebook friend...from the NY Times) wrote an interesting/contraversial piece about the importance of family planning in fighting poverty.

.ray lamontagne & damien rice.

Loves it.