Friday, March 25, 2011

Reactions

Me in Mid-Blab

Above is a picture of what I look like while I'm talking in all my arm-waving, tongue-showing, cardigan-wearing, hair-parting glory.

It's also the view people must have of me while I'm telling them that I'm about to move to a farm on Vancouver Island to learn the ins and outs of growing food. For the most part, people have been pretty encouraging and receptive, but occasionally people just don't get it. Here's a list of some of my favourite responses I've had from co-workers, supervisors, friends, and acquaintances here in Oakland, California:

1) "Oh." (Concerned look) "How old are you?"

2) "Is it a buffalo farm? I heard you've got a lot of buffalo farms up there."

3) "Someone told me you're moving to a farm. That's not right, is it?"

4) "Farming's really hard, you know."

5) "A farmer? That's funny." (Laughter) "Wait - are you serious?" (Nervous laughter) "I can't tell if you're serious." (Pause) "Why would you want to be a farmer?"

6) "Does this mean you'll be doing a lot of physical labour? Now that you've finally gained some weight, I'm worried that you'll get really skinny again." (Thanks, Mom!)

7) "When I was a teenager, I used to listen to a lot of Rush." (Pause) "They're Canadian, right?"

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

New Roommate

RV

Part of the glamour of my new farming gig is that I get to live in an RV with a stranger.

Seeing as I'm about a week or so from moving in, I decided to send my stranger roommate an email. His name is Tim Robinson and I believe he's from Victoria, BC. My email to him was filled with bland niceties - looking forward to meeting you, is there storage space in the RV, I'm bringing some pots and pans, etc.

This is the response I got from Tim:


Dearest Michael,

We are also excitedly anticipating your arrival. There are already so many projects on the way, and the smells and sounds of spring invigorate our souls. There is so much about our Mother Gaia that I still need to learn.

Everything has gone well for me so far. I feel like my spiritual being has become much more balanced in just over a week. We have decided to name the RV "Earth Flower." It isn't very large, so I would pack lightly. We are raw food vegans, so there is really no use for pots and pans. I have been sleeping above the driver seats, which has been really great for the energy in the RV space. I'm slightly concerned about the imbalance that could be caused when setting up the new bed. We'll have to try a couple of different arrangements to ensure a proper spiritual symmetry in our place of rest.

I can't wait for you to try the pickles. They are so delicious.

Tim.


Can't wait to try those pickles!

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

I'm moving to a farm in 3 weeks

In preparation, I bought a brand spanking new pair of overalls. Check 'em out:

Holding Beets

Looking sharp, right? So sharp, in fact, that I couldn't resist jumping for joy!

Jump 01

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Jump 04

Jump 02