Crouched around a campfire with a growling belly was no fine place to find yourself in the pioneer days of America. But, though the fare might be lean and bordering on bland, a well-supplied traveler on a long trek would probably have eaten corn dodgers along the way. Likely he would have some in his satchel, already cooked and waiting for him to crumble them into his bacon grease for breakfast. But even if they weren’t pre-made, he would have scooped some corn meal from a sack in his satchel and formed up some simple corn cakes to fry, called at various times and in various locations corn pones, jonny cakes, journey cakes, ash-cakes, corn dodgers and hoecakes.

He fires his kindling on the wide-open plains just after sunup to get his campfire started. Sets his coffee water to boil and a skillet on to fry up what little bacon he had left over from the last store he saw, five days earlier. With the bacon fried, he’d crumble a few corn dodgers into the bacon grease and eat what might be his last good meal for a few days or weeks, unless he got lucky hunting. But fortunately he had the foresight to cook up a sackful of pones before he left on this trail, so though he may not be eating well, he at least will be eating.

How to make a batch of corn dodgers
Ingredients:

• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 1/3 cup boiling water
• lard, oil or grease

Preparation:
Pour boiling water over the cornmeal and stir. Leave the mixture to sit for a few minutes, letting it thicken (if it gets too thick add another splash of water or two). Form the mixture into small, round patty cakes, then place each cake into a hot, greased skillet and fry for a few minutes on each side.

The Tao of Hardtack
Only slightly worse-off were the Jack tars of the Age of Sail, plying their heaps of timber and canvas and rope from one bleak ocean panorama to the next. Their ship’s biscuits may have been harder than an aged pone, but only by a thin margin. Fortunately for the sailor, he also had his daily ration of grog in which to soak his biscuit, or some salt pork or dried peas for accompaniment (in general). Ship’s biscuit would last for years and years so long as it never got wet, and it was inexpensive to mass produce, making it ideal for long voyages away from food sources. On land, ship’s biscuit was known as hardtack. Some hardtack has been known to last 30 and 40 years and remain as edible as it was the day it came out of the oven. And probably just as tasty, too. Note: hardtack was sometimes called “tooth dullers” and “sheet iron.”

Hardtack and corn pone have in ages past been a staple of the diet of adventurers on the land and on the sea, from Livingstone and Stanley to Lewis and Clark. Today, they aren’t good for much of anything but nostalgia. But then, around here we love us some nostalgia, so maybe we’ll make a batch or two.The recipes can be improved upon a great deal by adding a little sugar, a little salt, and an egg, but if it’s authenticity you’re after, leave it as is.

How to whip up some hardtack
Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup water

Preparation:

1. Combine the flour and water.
2. Knead into dough.
3. Sprinkle some flour on your rolling surface and roll the dough flat to a thickness between 1/8″ and 1/2″.
4. Cut into squares. Size varies, try for 3 1/2″ by 2 3/4″ or even 3″x3″ square.
5. Poke some holes in your squares. Use whatever you’ve got on hand: bamboo skewer, ice pick, nail.
6. Bake on an un-greased cookie sheet at 375°F (190°C) for 30 minutes until slightly brown.
7. Flip. Bake again at 375°F (190°C) for 30 minutes more.

The Zen moment ingredients:

1. One sunrise campfire.
2. Some oil or bacon to fry in a pan.
3. A little coffee or tea with the grounds still in the cup.
4. Crumble either hardtack or corn dodger into bacon grease.
5. Maybe pour a tiny bit of coffee in with it (coffee and bacon grease is what’s known as “red-eye gravy”).
6. Enjoy! Your arteries may be hardening even as you’re reading this, but from an authenticity standpoint you’re on the cutting edge.

Corn Dodgers photo by Ted_Major Hardtack photo by Kate & Ryan

The air conditioner went out on it after I’d had it for a couple years, and I didn’t have the money to fix it. But growing up I’d worked numerous jobs out of trucks that didn’t have AC, so I figured I could handle it. I’d just roll the windows down and wouldn’t worry about it. And then I spent a very hot July choking on fumes, deafened by blaring trucks blowing my doors off on the interstate and sweltering in what I was sure was my death crate, which doubled as a blast furnace.

The aerodynamics of autos in general today are such that, though you can roll down the windows and air will circulate through the cab, you can’t really experience that cooling rush of wind that you need right in your face. It was a cooling rush of wind that I needed, in my opinion at the time, just to survive. I suppose you could emulate a dog and stick your head out the window, but that doesn’t seem very safe.

Before I finally broke down and spent my life savings (what amounted to about a hundred and eleven dollars at the time) on AC repairs, I attempted various experiments to try and improve the air flow–that is, to get air blowing into the cab rather than around it.  And of everything that I tried, the thing that worked best was to simply hold my hand out the window and angle it like a fin so as to direct the wind into the cab. That was the summer I realized how important those little triangular vent windows were that they used to put in cars and trucks.

Granted, the vent window isn’t perfect, but unless you’re stopped, you’re going to stay relatively cool, no matter what time of year it is. Especially if you train yourself to use it. But, fast forward to today, and where did the vent window go? Now that we have AC standard in every car or truck that rolls off the line, the vent window is nothing but a forgotten relic of yesteryear. Like the windows of our homes, we open them less and less each passing year. Except at the drive through lane, of course.

Today, if your AC quits on you in the middle of summer, especially here in the sultry South, you don’t really have the option of waiting a few days until it becomes convenient for you to get the AC serviced. Today, you go as quickly as you can and you pay whatever it takes to get it working again. Couple that fact with the amount of gas you could save if you had a more efficient non-AC cooling system and it might be worth it for us to raise a little noise and see if we can get the automakers to at least make the vent window optional, or to supply a kit we could install ourselves.

Image by ChongoisDanegerous

Generally speaking, this is the best time of year to turn off the heat pump or air conditioner for a few weeks and get some fresh air flowing through your home.

Research has shown that the quality of indoor air can be worse than outdoor air. That’s saying something, in this age of smog and pollution, that our living room with its radon, dander, moisture, insects, dust, industrial glues that are holding our furniture and carpet together, formaldehyde, aerosols, and etc., is more of a health hazard than inhaling the toxic cocktail that is the air of your local metropolis. And more and more, people are leaving their homes sealed up tight, letting the convenience of the heat pump’s thermostat control the indoor comfort level. When actually, the best way to fight poor indoor air quality, is to simply open up your windows and let the breeze blow through.

Cross-ventilate using a box fan
Some people have attic fans installed which draw air through the entire home and out through the attic. That’s one of the best ways to get the job done, but even without an attic fan, getting some fresh air into the home isn’t so hard.

You can ventilate your home by opening a window (or door) on opposite sides/ends of the home and placing the fan in one of the openings. Direct the fan to blow air OUT of the opening, which will pull air through the home from the other opening.

Switch it up so you pull air through different areas at different times, alternating to keep the flow steady and regular.

Improve qi
Practitioners of Feng Shui will appreciate the effects of airing out their home immediately. Opening up your home’s windows can improve the flow of positive energy dramatically. And if you’re skeptical about the concept of positive energy flow, here’s an article that might explain things a little more clearly as to what you can expect, realistically, from Feng Shui design.

Invite the sounds of nature
One of the greatest benefits of opening up the windows, even in a city, is to invite in the sounds of the outside world. Sometimes those sounds can be a nuisance, but just as often it’s a great reminder that your world is bigger than this small room or collection of rooms. It keeps us connected with the environment.

For my part, I live in a rural area, and when I open my windows at night I hear the songs of night insects and frogs and whippoorwills in the spring, and those are things I appreciate very deeply.

It’s easier for us temperate folk
If you live in a non-temperate area, you might hesitate opening your windows, especially when it’s particularly cold. But fresh air in a stuffy, stagnant space can be an energizing balm for the spirit as well as improve the health of your immediate environment.

Got bug problems?
If you don’t have screens and don’t have the wad of cash to plunk down for them right now, consider a temporary alternative. Many hardware stores carry an adjustable screen which can be inserted into an open window and spread to fit the width. These temporary screens are generally less than $9 apiece (I bought mine for $6.49 at Lowe’s).

Breathe Freely
One thing we all must do is breathe. Better to breathe the freshest air we can than a formaldehyde soup, eh?

Further reading:

• CSU Extension Office

Photo by Padawan *(xava du)

A good knot is always easy to untie and keeps the line taut.

What knots should you learn? Well, I’d start off with the bowline (pronounced “boh-lin”) and go from there.  The bowline is one of the most useful knots and exists in one form or another in every sailing culture in the world. After that, it really depends on what your needs are. Animated Knots is a fantastic website with step-by-step instructions for many knots, and the knots are separated into classifications (sailing, climbing, fishing, etc.).

The knots I personally feel are the most valuable, the ones that I know and practice regularly even if I haven’t used them in a while are (in order of importance):

• Bowline
• Half hitch
• Clove hitch
• Sheet bend
• Improved clinch
• Half-Windsor

One omission from the list above that you may notice is the reef (square) knot. The reason for that is simple: You shouldn’t use it. The reef knot is prone to slip and capsize and it is not a very safe knot. It has its uses, and is sometimes good for tying a small load with tension on it, but should never be used to tie two ropes together, as it is most commonly used today. Use a sheet bend or double fisherman’s to tie two ropes together and leave the reef knot in your pocket. Otherwise, leave the reef knot where it belongs: on your shoestrings.

Also you might notice a fisherman’s knot up there (the improved clinch). That’s another knot that everyone should know. Just like we should all know how to bait our own hook, right?

And the final knot in the list is the finest knot for tie tying there is. The half-Windsor is symmetrical, unlike the most common tie knot being used these days, the four-in-hand, which looks lopsided and too small when tightened. I might not have included the half-Windsor in this list, since it is generally a men-only knot. But I know many ladies who are married to many tools who do not know how to properly tie a tie. If your husband is a tool, but you still want him to be well-dressed on occasion, it might be a good idea to break down and learn the knot for yourself. But then even if he does know how to tie his own tie, he will love that you do, too.

In the video below you’ll see me demonstrating my method for tying a bowline. Note that I use the Dutch technique, with the bitter end outside rather than inside the loop. I prefer the Dutch bowline, although mainly for aesthetic purposes. I just don’t like the bitter end floating around in the middle of my loop.

• Getting married
• Having a child
• A child leaving home
• A death in the family
• Moving to a new place
• Getting a new job

Sometimes when we’re in the midst of one of these life changing events, we do something unexpected by those who know us. Our behavior might change a little, we might sell our house or build an addition or plant a new garden. To me, ReEvolving is one of those kinds of things. When I’ve figured out that my path is a damaging one, for myself or others, for the planet I live on or the community I live in, that’s when it becomes time to, as I call it, ReEvolve. And for me ReEvolution is a life-changing event. For me it was gradual, for you, should you decide to do so yourself, hopefully you can pinpoint the day that you made the decision, and then make your life adjustments (where you feel you need them) accordingly. For me it really began with clutter, and in my (still-ongoing) process of decluttering, I learned a few things that I hope will help you feel more comfortable within your own walls.

Get rid of all the superfluous stuff
A purge is sometimes tough to do. I’m a pack-rat by nature, so getting rid of something that I might need one day can almost be agonizing. But if we let our stuff own us rather than the other way around, we may quickly be swamped in our own homes by stuff. So, to purge our belongings we need to classify everything we own by one of four qualifiers:

1. Is it useful?
   I’m a notorious shopper of tools and gadgets. And as a result of my over-shopping, I’ve got some buyer’s remorse over a few things that I bought that are no longer worth anything like the money I paid for them. And worse, I don’t even use them any more. Seemed like a good idea at the time, of course, but how was I supposed to know the Palm Pilot was going to be obsolete with the advent of the smartphone? So, those things that were once useful and might one day be put to some use that as of right this moment is unimaginable, or those oddball things that you just had to have but have never used, those things do not count. Useful is a skillet that you use daily. A screwdriver. Your cell phone. Your lawnmower.
2. Is it beautiful?
   If it is truly beautiful then it’s probably something you’d want to show to your friends. It’s something you take pride in owning. The wall hanging you bought at Wal Mart doesn’t really qualify there, does it? I mean, it’s nice and all, but do you show it off or does it simply cover a spot on the wall so it doesn’t look bare? If it’s beautiful you’re likely going to put it someplace where you can look at it often, it’s not just going to serve as filler.
3. Is it an heirloom or emotionally valuable?
   Your grandfather’s watch. A box of old photographs. Things that would cause you emotional pain to let go of. Be careful, though, because some of us might claim a certain collectible would cause emotional distress to get rid of, like the ticket stub for the Van Halen concert we went to back in ‘83. But if it’s really that valuable to you it should be in a scrapbook, not lying in the bottom of a box in the attic. Those things are “keepsakes,” they’re not heirlooms. Keepsakes go in a scrapbook. If it’s a big thing, a graduate cap or something, take a picture of it and put the picture in the scrapbook and then get rid of the item itself. Keep all your keepsake pictures on a thumbdrive if you want to, or in a scrapbook, but as for the items themselves they are only there to remind you of certain times or places, so why keep the actual item when you can keep a digital copy of ten thousand such items on a thumb drive in your pocket? Get rid of it.
4. Everything else, AKA the Superfluous Stuff.
   Your things do not want to reside under this fourth qualifier, because those that do belong here are the things which you should discard. Those things that belong in this qualifier are not overly useful, intrinsically beautiful or emotionally valuable, and yet they still have a powerful hold over us. I had a jacket in high school that I was very proud of. But as an adult it was out-of-style and wouldn’t fit me even if it was, and yet I was into my thirties before I finally decided to get rid of it. Why had I kept it around for so long? Because I perceived it to have some emotional value. What I came to realize was that my old jacket, and a thousand other things just like it, had a hold on me. I was a slave to it. I took a picture of it and let it go. You can do it. It will be hard, but you can do it.

How much of your stuff would fall into the 4th qualifier? Realistically, and knowing how people in this modern world operate and make purchases (including myself), probably 80% of everything that occupies our everyday space would fall into this category. I’m not suggesting you get rid of 80% of your stuff, mind you, but I am suggesting you overhaul your belongings, get rid of the superfluous stuff that you can bear to get rid of, and analyze where you want to be (in terms of material possessions) in the future. Five, ten, twenty years down the road, do you see yourself still taking care of that digital watch you bought when you were twenty and hasn’t had a working battery in X number of years?

Purify one drawer
Start simple. Pick a drawer in your house. We all have junk drawers, don’t we? Pick one out and purify it. Classify everything in it using the four qualifiers above and then act accordingly. Once you’re done you might be surprised at how light the drawer is. Do one, and then do another. And once you’ve finished your drawers, do a closet. And then do another one. And so forth and so on until you’ve purified your garage, attic and shed, too, and your home is free, open, illuminated and beautiful, and you’ve gained space and health and happiness.

See also:

• Organize your closet like a pro
• A really good guide for streamlining your clothes

Image by Cl@ire Bear

Healthy eating is a topic that gets a lot of attention on [re]evolver. A healthy, sustainable diet is at the core of what it means to [re]evolve in the first place. Bear in mind that there are multiple definitions of the word diet, and when I use the term here I’m referring not to any sort meal plan for reducing calories, but rather, “food habitually eaten.”

With that in mind, here are a few tips on simplifying your diet for the long haul:

1. Drink water.
   This is at the top of the list for a reason. It is the number one best method for attaining balance within your system. It’s as natural as can be, has no calories, no sweeteners, no fat. Attain balance: drink water.
2. Nix the sweeteners.
   Whether it’s sugar, stevia, Equal, Splenda or even honey, sweeteners are something we could all use less of. We’ve developed our “sweet tooth” habits by the sheer availability of sweeteners over the years, to the point that they are now added to virtually everything. And if it isn’t already, we aren’t gun-shy, we’ll put some in there. It’s not something that you have to completely forswear, but cut back on as drastically as you possibly can.
3. Eat religiously.
   Many people don’t really understand what it means to be kosher or to be kosher “observant.” Basically it is a strict way of eating that forbids many unhealthy foods from your diet. I ate a (non-religious) kosher diet for five years and found it to be very fulfilling. The hardest part was eating in restaurants: it’s impossible to be kosher at your average restaurant because it seems there’s pork fat in everything! Regardless, due to the strict rules that go into kosher food preparation, it is some of the healthiest food you can eat.
4. Clean out the junk.
   There are certain snacks that, if kept on hand, equal just too much of a temptation for us to resist. We must. Have. The ice cream. Or chips and dip or chocolate or whatever your brand of devilish delight is. Problem is, sometimes we make the wise decision to refrain from buying those guilty pleasures, only to find ourselves snacking on some replacement junk. The only real cure is to clean out the junk food. Toss it all. And when you’ve done that:
5. Stock up on healthy snacks.
   Fruits of any kind, berries of all kinds. Olives. Nuts (preferably raw). Peanut butter (I like to make “ants on a log” by filling a two or three inch piece of celery with peanut butter and putting a few raisins on top for a very good, healthy snack). Celery. Raisins and other dried fruits. Popcorn. Single-serving tuna. Sometimes I’ll just grab a few cold cuts and eat them rolled into a tube. Whatever you do for snacks, just be sure you leave the honey buns, cookies, fried pies and ice cream on the shelf, you didn’t really hear that stuff calling your name.
6. Stop drinking juice.
   Fruit juice (of all kinds) is something easily misunderstood, because it would seem that if we buy only whole fruit juice that it would be healthy, right? Well, it isn’t, really. Because drinking a tall glass of OJ is just like eating five or six (or more) oranges. So rather than drink the juice of an orange, eat an orange. Or if you must have juice, squeeze it yourself so you can see exactly how much you’re consuming. And remember, even though it is fruit it is also sugar and higher quantities are still not good for you.
7. Avoid Obesogens.
   These endocrine-blocking, fat-building elements could be a large part of the reason we have an obesity crisis in the world today. Start saving jelly and olive jars for containers, or shop around at some yard sales and flea markets for glass containers with lids for food storage and get rid of all your plastic containers, plates, glasses, etc.
8. Use olive products.
   Olives make great snacks packed with healthy fats, and olive oil is one of the best cooking oils around.
9. Refined carbs are bad. Whole grains are good.
   When they did the original food pyramid, bread was a feature item. But was that before or after refined flour got involved? Today, stay away from white or wheat bread, if it ain’t whole grain, it’s not good for you.
10. Eat a few vegetarian meals each week.
    Maybe even try for a big meal on the weekend. Prepare a few vegetable courses and see if you can surprise yourself into becoming a vegetarian. Even if you don’t, though, you can still pick a day a week and eat no meat at all, or a few meals scattered throughout the week. Dan Buettner, author of The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who’ve Lived the Longest, recently stated in an interview with National Geographic:

“It’s very clear that the more meat you eat, the earlier you die. Cut out as much meat as you can. Don’t cut it out completely. That’s boring. Maybe go down to twice a week. That will have a huge effect (on your quality and quantity of life).”

Image by Jurvetson

Obesogens are endocrine disruptors that disrupt the way the body uses fat. They reprogram your metabolism to build and store fat. Sure, you only get trace elements with each exposure, but the effects are cumulative, so the more exposure you have the worse the situation becomes.

The three primary sources of obesogens are:

• Bisphenol-a (BPA) – found in many plastics.
• Organotins - come from biocides and pesticides.
• Phthalates - found in cosmetics and plastics.

Consider for a moment how many things you buy which are packaged in plastic. This could be scary when you first think about it. I don’t think I’d be very far off if I guessed 80% of everything you buy in a grocery store is packaged in plastic. Even when we buy produce these days most of us bag our items in individual plastic bags.

Here are a 10 things you can do to take stock of your situation and evaluate your risk, while minimizing your family’s exposure to obesogens.

How to avoid obesogens:

1. Stop using plastic food containers for your leftovers.
   For food storage use glass containers, aluminum foil and wax paper.
2. Don’t use items made with phthalates.
   Shower curtains, cosmetics bags, fishing worms, raincoats, backpacks, rubber hoses…there are potentially thousands of products in the average home that are made with PVC.
3. Ask the butcher to wrap your meat, poultry and seafood in paper.
   Not plastic.
4. Buy strictly organic food.
   It’s good if it’s labeled organic, but you can go one step further and find a CSA farmer in your area and purchase all your fruits and vegetables from them. That way you’re not exposed to any obesogens at all, they’ll just hand you a weekly bushel of goodness. And don’t forget about the farmer’s market.
5. Get rid of your plastic cups, even the dishwasher safe ones that you use every day.
   Use glass or aluminum to drink from, or consider buying a [re]evolver Sigg bottle (all clans available). Aluminum and BPA free, baby!
6. Avoid HFCS.
   The corn-growers association claims high-fructose corn syrup is as harmless as sugar despite the educated opinions of doctors worldwide.  Fact to remember: HFCS is found in 70% of all prepackaged food!
7. Avoid Meat that was raised on hormones.
   If that cow wasn’t grass fed, you might be consuming obesogens.  Same goes with chickens and pigs, too. Go with free range, grass fed and preferably local.
8. Avoid Styrofoam.
   Styrofoam is one of those things that leak obesogens like crazy, so you might consider taking your own cup, canteen or mug (or Sigg) along with you when you travel. If offered a Styrofoam cup, just present your own cup and ask if they can fill it instead.
9. Grow your own.
   Meat, poultry, vegetables, fruit…Even if you live on as little as one sixth of an acre in an urban area you can support a family by growing your own food (and still have some left over!).
10. Ban disposable plastic!
    When considering the incredible feat that the invention of plastic was, it’s important to consider that we invented something that will last practically forever, and then we turned it into a disposable resource. Now we’ve got billions upon billions of tons of plastics that won’t rot, forming a continent-sized pool of sludge in the center of the Pacific Ocean. And now that we know about obesogens, those plastics are proving to be dangerous to humans as well as to the environment. Will that be enough to finally stop the growth in the use of plastic?

It is plain to see that the trend of obesity in America has increased in lockstep with pesticides and plasticizers, but in the end its our individual health that’s at risk, so as usual this is all a matter of personal choice. How much convenience are you willing to surrender and go back to old-fashioned, simpler methods?

Two more things to consider, these added 4-5-10:

1. Canned food liners.
   Buying canned food may not be the great health option I thought it would be. Turns out the liners in those cans are made with BPAs.
2. Avoid buying things made with “Fragrance.”
   Cleaning products, cosmetics and other personal care products having “Fragrance” in their ingredients list is a key that the product is made with phthalates and other toxic chemicals. The term Fragrance is a trade term for synthetic scents. Look for products with fragrance only derived from essential oils and organics.

More info:

• Newsweek
• Scientific American

Image credit (vegetables): meganpru

But there are options for us. Not all of them are exactly savory, but for me it’s sometimes enough to know that I have the power to do something about the situation.

First, obviously, and just to get this out of the way: I can quit. I can pack up my belongings and hit the road. I’ve quit jobs before. I’ve felt the unbridled exultation of escaping the clutches of a particularly demonic manager. I’ve breathed in the air of freedom. So don’t get too cozy thinking you’ve got me wrapped around your finger, okay? I’ve lived in squalor before and, though I’d rather not, I can do it again. The material world is only material, anyway.

Sure, it becomes more difficult the longer you’re with a company. You’re invested in many ways, and you depend on its success. But–and this is particularly true of larger companies and corporations–every now and then a “reorg” comes around and next thing you know that boss you loved working for has been shipped off to some other dark corner of the dungeon because management decided she was “too easy-going,” and now you’re stuck with Count Olaf, who hates every suggestion you’ve ever made, looks at you with a combination of disgust and barely-hidden rage, and whose greatest joy in life is to see you wallow in abject hopelessness. It may sound like a segue to a cheap dime-store novel storyline, but many people are living that dime horror every working day of their lives.

In those situations, sometimes it’s better to just cut your losses and seek greener pastures. Especially if it’s gotten to the point that you’re miserable. If they’ve succeeded in bringing you down that low, so that you cannot bear the thought of going to work one more day, then don’t. And don’t be apologetic about it, and if they’ve been that horrible to you and you’re pretty certain you’ll never be going back there again, slam the door on your way out and don’t give them the satisfaction of a two-week notice. I don’t like burning bridges, but sometimes you just have to make a point. If you’re quitting a company with a workable HR dept., don’t skip the exit interview, in which you can make all your complaints known.

If you’re job isn’t that bad, if you’re not intolerably miserable, there are things you can do which might improve your work experience.

Give me some of that, whatchamacallit–”Job Fulfillment”
First, understand that there are three classifications of jobs:

• Jobs occupy our time but don’t stir our passion. They don’t engage our creativity. They are things we do to get money so we can do stuff. That’s all it is, a paycheck.
• Careers are accompanied by an advancement ladder that a person can climb. There are perks to the career that you won’t get with a simple job, just be wary of the day you reach the top of your ladder. Your career may digress back into a job.
• Callings are different. With a calling you get fulfillment, you approach the associated tasks with vim and vigor and passion. You love what you do. You’re motivated to continue doing it no matter what. In a calling, the paycheck is secondary, the true benefit is the calling itself.

Believe it or not, jobs and careers can be made into callings. You just have to find the intrinsic meaning or value of what you do there. Even if it’s nothing more than making and fetching coffee, make it your personal calling to craft the finest possible cup o’ Joe in the office and suddenly you might find your services in demand. If you approach it like a job, however, and continue to serve up the same vitriolic wastewater that everyone else gets, there won’t be any reward at the end of the day. And there shouldn’t be.

Ways to improve your work environment.

• Make a list of ways your boss could improve your work environment.
  Pick one (that won’t be offensive to her/him) and make it a suggestion. Such as: Can we telecommute one (two, three, four, FIVE?) day a week? Make sure to list the advantages to the company of having this new benefit and don’t bother mentioning how much better it could make your life. Your happiness will be secondary in their decision, if it even registers at all. Their job is to ensure production, and you being happy is only a minor consideration toward that end.
• Find your own niche.
  You may have twenty coworkers who do the same job as you. When the manager looks out across the people she’s hired to do those twenty jobs, she sees each of you for the value you bring to the company. To make yourself stand out, find a niche. Become the go-to guy (or gal) for a certain something that helps the machine run more smoothly. Start a blog for your department, begin combining how-to documents and writing new ones with the intent of forming a knowledgebase, investigate how social media can make the team more efficient, work with IT to develop a WAP tool which might improve everyone’s production as well as reducing their stress. These suggestions work. I know because they are some of the things I’ve done in my department to make myself stand out.
• Make your job more fun.
  The easiest way to do that is to choose to allow your job to be fun. Smiles are infectious. Sometimes this is impossible, true, but until you try to have fun you’ll never know. I know a waitress who confided in me recently that she made much better tips when she was smiling and energetic, as opposed to the days when she wasn’t in a good mood and let it show. Makes sense, doesn’t it? The same rule can apply for your own workplace. People will be happier to be around you and work with you if you have a welcoming attitude. Think about this: Have you ever heard a morning radio show where the hosts weren’t rambunctiously excited and giddy? Do you think DJs are that incessantly happy, or do you think they realize no one would listen to a boring show full of dullards who don’t laugh or joke or even try to be happy and entertaining?

Just remember: you have the power to leave. It may not be the most desired option, but it’s certainly there if you need it.

Image source: magical-world

News on the chicken front

I did finally receive my copy of Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens which, if the internet is to be believed, is the greatest book on raising chickens in the history of ever and ever. So. I guess I’m awesome.

Grist Mill
I visited a local grist mill on Tuesday and bought some fresh, beautiful grits, corn meal and polenta. This is an actual stone-burr grist mill, an old-fashioned kind, but made modern by using a motor to turn it. Unfortunately I should have looked closer at the Eating Alabama Farm Map, because although they are an all-organic business and there are no additives or preservatives in their meal, they do import their organic corn from Illinois and Montana. Had I looked closer at the EA Farm Map I would have noticed that. Why they import their corn, I have no idea. There are tons of organic corn farms within a few miles of their location, much less the state. Much less the entire SE USA. Nothing against Illinois or Montana corn, it tastes great, I just don’t see why this local small business wouldn’t support local agriculture too.

Tractor
I’ll be visiting SE Auction this Saturday in hopes of buying a relatively inexpensive tractor with a loader bucket and bush hog. And possibly a tiller. I know, a tractor is a huge piece of machinery that is carbon negative, but I am only one man and have 6 acres to contend with. I would like to provide better for my family, and the best way I can do that is to get a tractor. Especially considering I have about ten tons of Chinese privet hedge that MUST be eradicated on my property before it takes over completely. It’s an invasive, alien species that’s been allowed free reign too long. But no more! I fix my nemesis with a steely eye and swear vengeance… Oh, am I not in a Lord of the Rings movie? Sorry.

That’s it on the update front this week. It’s been kinda slow, but spring is two days away and we will soon be full tilt.

BTW These are not my chickens…these were photographed by the amazing Jety

Alternatives to Fast Food
When you find yourself in a rush and you don’t have anything on-hand to eat, that’s when you’re at your most vulnerable to fast food. You can practically hear the colonel ordering you into his drive through lane. It’s just too easy, too convenient, to pull in and grab a sackful of cheap food and never even have to get out of the car.

Though there’s always been fast food, fast food wasn’t always like it is now. If you really want to see how fast food SHOULD be done, start by looking at countries that don’t begin with “The United States of.” Like China, for instance. Or India. Really just about any country in the world other than the USA. Korea, Mexico, Viet Nam…every corner of this globe we live on has fast food in one form or another, and a lot of the time you still don’t have to get out of the car to get it. And don’t worry, it’s not always sold by a clown or a king (or an Emperor).

Street vendors
On the streets of Cartagena, Columbia, for instance. You can walk down the street assaulted from every direction with the aroma of cooking meats and sauces and locally-grown produce. You see a person near the curb with a large pot simmering over coals, a small counter full of delectable treats, and a group of people gathered around busily chomping wrapped, meaty goodness. You don’t even have to speak the language. Generally street vendors only have a few items to choose from, if they even have more than one. You hold up one finger and after a few seconds someone hands you a wrapper with steam rising off of it. You pay, and voila! A fast food transaction that would make the Colonel ashamed of his lackluster performance.

If you ever visit a country with street vendors you’ll hear the standard warnings to stay away from them. They’re dangerous, someone will tell you, you’d best only go into the places with walls around them–a sit down restaurant. Well, don’t believe the hype, folks. The only time I ever got sick in my life from food poisoning was at a McDonalds in Jacksonville, Florida. I’ve been around the world, in numerous 3rd-world countries, and almost always ate my meals right there on the street with the locals.

The FDA feeds you doodoo
The fact is, the FDA allows a certain percentage of feces in food. It’s unavoidable when your food comes from a mechanical food  processing plant. It’s why I got sick that day in 1992: because McDonalds fed me doodoo. That’s why you have to cook ground beef to 160F today, to kill the doodoo bacteria. I hope you don’t think I’m making this up.

So how did America go so wrong? We got to enamored with the packaging, for one. And profit margins, we must always maximize our profit margins. When you see a street vendor in Abu  Dhabi it’s a pretty safe bet he doesn’t have corporate backing. The best way to pick the best street vendor is the same way you pick a decent restaurant in the States: you check and see how many other people are eating there at lunchtime. If you see a parking lot that’s empty at one place and full at another, it’s probably a good idea to avoid the empty lot place. Same with street vendors.

Sure, there are some street vendors still plugging away in the USA. They mostly sell hot dogs or pretzels or ice cream dots. Still nothing to write home about. Nothing like a hand-crafted souvlaki you could buy in Athens, Greece, and eat standing up, on your way out (or in) for the night. And often there’s a string of stands, each one with food just as good as the last. Are you worried about cleanliness? Read: THE FDA allows FECES in your FOOD. Besides, some people think it’s a good idea to eat a little dirt every now and then.

Fast food in America isn’t really food any more
Some might say that America has cleaned up her streets and gotten rid of these eyesores (the street vendors), but the reply to that one is too, too easy. Because now that our fast food has gotten so bad for us, our streets look worse than ever. Take a look around the next time you’re strolling 1st Ave or University Blvd in your city. Do you think people looked like that when there were street vendors? The streets may have less crime on them, but that doesn’t mean that crime isn’t being perpetrated every single day on every person who thinks the chicken nugget they’re buying has any chicken in it at all. The clown didn’t just super-size his menu, in the process he super-sized our butts. The Empire is mighty, my friends, join the Rebellion before it’s too late!

Just ask Anthony Bourdain, chef, writer and world traveler extraordinaire. In his book The Nasty Bits: Collected Varietal Cuts, Usable Trim, Scraps, and Bones, he discusses just this phenomenon (see the story entitled “The Evildoers”). Anthony has eaten more questionable food from more street vendors than maybe any other person on the planet, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

So there you have it. Fast food can be healthy, you just can’t buy it in the USA any more. The FDA shut that industry down when the Empire’s lobbyists started complaining that street food could have feces in it, as a result of having found out that their own food had feces in it. You think the clown cares? Of course not, the clown would give away French fries because the clown knows that a fat America is a profitable America.

But have hope, fellow Rebels! There are still alternatives to the king, the clown and the colonel, even right here in the good ol’ US of A.

Here’s a list of alternatives to fast food:

• Cook bigger meals at home.
  I often do the cooking for my family, and one of my mainstay dishes is chili. Sometimes I’ll change it up a bit and make Matt’s Mediterranean Mash (which is basically chili with a few different ingredients). But whatever I cook, from stir-fry to soup or stew, I try to cook enough so that I can get a few lunches out of it. In the morning, I warm up a portion and carry it in my soup thermos and I’m set till dinner.
• Eat appetizers as meals.
  For lunch I don’t require a big meal. But I caught myself eating big meals all the time. So I began ordering smaller items. Then I began ordering from the appetizer menu for lunch. I have even ordered a simple side salad for lunch, knowing it wouldn’t last very long, but also knowing I had some almonds and an orange in the truck which got me through the rest of the workday easily. Which brings me to…
• Always pack snack food.
  I carry healthy snacks with me everywhere I go. Including a thermos of ice water (because I REFUSE to buy bottled water). Nuts, fruits, hard boiled eggs, pickles…there are plenty of healthy options when it comes to snacks. And if you feel yourself getting hungry, eat a snack instead of a lunch and you might find you can wait another hour or two before eating lunch. By that time, you can call in an order before you get hungry. Which brings me to…
• Before you get hungry, call in an order.
  Keep a few menus on hand for a few different restaurants. Decide on something ten or fifteen minutes ahead of time and call in an order–the magic of cell phones put to good use! This option also makes it easier to pick something healthy and stick with it. More often than not, fifteen minutes before I get hungry I’ll think of something good and healthy I can get at a restaurant. By the time I’m actually at the table, though, I’m hungry, and the small, healthy portion I had in mind flies right out of it and in pops something heinous that will drive another nail in my coffin.
  Also: A lot of restaurants have parking spaces designated for pick-ups, making this alternative potentially even faster than a drive-through lane.
• Learn the art of the Bento!
  Brown-bagging your lunch can be a boring endeavor. But not if you do it with style! As the Japanese do with most anything, they’ve turned the brown-bag lunch into a combination competition and art form. Buy yourself a bento box here, and find some recipes here. Or you can just upgrade your brown bag to a stainless, stackable tiffin carrier. (I carry an old-timey food thermos.)
• The great secret weapon: grocery stores.
  If there’s a fast-food joint in the parking lot of a grocery store, you can bet I’m going to take my dollar to the grocer and drive right by the fast-food joint. Because grocery stores have food in them. And some of the food they have isn’t outright poisonous and doesn’t have to be prepared to eat it. There are a few Publix’s local to me that have sushi itamae on staff who will gladly whip a simple sushi dish in about three minutes flat. Also: try buying a pound of shrimp from the butcher and ask her/him to steam it for you. It usually takes a couple minutes but is worth the wait. It still won’t take any longer than it would to buy from the clown.
  In your average grocer, there are tons of ideas for healthy, wholesome lunches that would welcome any active rebellion operative.

Image source: Polietileno