Aug 182013
 

Quality of life:

1. I want good health, both mental and physical.
2. I want financial stability and to be debt free.
3. I want meaningful and enjoyable friendships and relationships with friends, family and co-workers alike.

Forms of production:

1. I want to produce profit from meaningful, fulfilling, and worthwhile work.
2. I want to participate in activities that are fulfilling and inspire growth and development.

Future resource base:

Land- I want the land to be healthy and sustainable.
Community- I want to be known for high quality products and services.
People- I want to live in a community where people take care of each other and make decisions with future generations in mind.

Aug 142013
 

It has been almost two weeks since my announcement of my intention to move on from my position here at Athens’ Own. In that time, I have been working very hard to complete many outstanding projects. I am currently feeling very satisfied with the progress I am making, and I also see many more tasks set ahead for the next two weeks. I am enjoying the feeling of crossing old projects off of my to-do list, and feeling a sense of completion and optimism that these things I have created will be extremely helpful to the person who picks up the hat after me. I know that I would have been very grateful to have this help when I first started!

 

A few updates on my progress:

Website info packet/tutorial nearly completed. I underestimated the time it would take me to get it all together and in an easily readable way. It is a lot of information, even including all the write-ups I have been doing along the way.
Finished (1st drafts) AFM handbook and Seaman’s handbook/ tutorial. The folder with Seaman’s info will be added to with more tutorials/info on other places we deliver to. It can be the “delivery driver” info binder.
Miles education: I have been checking in on him and supervising some activities over the last two weeks to make sure he (and I) feel confident that he can do those tasks solo. He is progressing very well, and he made his first solo delivery to Seaman’s yesterday, which went well for the most part. I believe he learned from his mistakes and will be better prepared for the next time.

The website is running much smoother, and some long outstanding issues have been solved, which will make the task of updating and maintaining the site much easier for the next person, although I plan to remain available for help and tech support in the future.

 

As I complete this week, I am turning my attention to the Athens’ Own team and the community, to ask what you think my last two weeks’ time should be spent on? I want to use my time and Constantine’s investment in me to help others as much as possible, and to try in some way to pay him and everyone involved “forward” for the opportunities I have been given. Please feel free to comment on this post with your thoughts, comments, or ideas.

Aug 132013
 

Since I haven’t written and posted any logs recently,  I am writing an update/summary of what has happened since my last log.
I of course don’t remember everything that’s happened but the high-point is the fact that I can package most everything by myself without a hitch. While Alyse and/or Constantine are off doing something else, I can continue and package the coffee, cashews, olives and probably even the cheese. As for today (the 13th) I made my first solo delivery to Seaman’s. Granted I didn’t take all that I could have, just coffee and cashews, but I still did it alone without any major problems. The one small problem was that I didn’t get the calculator from Alyse before leaving so I wasn’t able to double check all my math on the invoice. The inventorying and stock went smoothly though: I went in and inventoried everything, putting their quantities down on the inventory sheet as I went. I then went back out to the car and got out all the products that should be put in the store to bring them up to their usual numbers while also putting them on the invoice. I then went in, counted everything for the guy at the door and then finally put everything on its shelf where it belongs. The only problem in the end was that I had added the total wrong, but it was caught by the man I gave the invoice to in order to get a check.
I think that this can sort of go with my last post about the changing of gears in that since I started at Athens’ Own again and what I was capable of then, I believe I have certainly shifted some gears in my abilities and my speed in existing abilities.

Aug 052013
 

It seems that I have been travelling quite a bit this summer. From teaching at scout camps to family vacations to wilderness treks, I feel like I have been seeing a lot of the world recently.

This past week, I went backpacking to a family cabin in Ontario.The cabin itself is an old logging resort, and it buried deep in the wilderness. So deep that the closest “city” is over 20 miles away, and that city comprises only a gas station and a few houses. The pristine silence that descends on that cabin, broken only by the occasional call of a loon, brings on an incredible sense of not just the raw beauty of nature around me, but a calm meditation on the entire scope of the world and my small place in it. There really is no better place to contemplate life and the path you are on than the wilderness, in my opinion.

At the end of my ponderings, reflections, and journalings during this trip, I came to a hard but necessary conclusion: I believe it is time for me to begin my process of leaving Athens’ Own. I will be resigning my post at the end of August. Over the next day, I will be writing and developing a plan of action for the next two weeks and four weeks, which will explain not only how I came to this conclusion, but also how I will spend my Athens’ Own time over the next month, preparing myself and the rest of the team as best I can for my departure. I also feel I should note that I do not intend to simply leave the team entirely. We are still part of the same community, and the connections I have made with everyone over the past year mean more to me than I can put into words. It is my sincerest hope to remain in close contact with everyone and to continue to help with Athens’ Own’s efforts as much as I can.

 

The plan I am preparing will cover at least these topics (and potentially more as it develops)

 

  • My personal rationale of my decision
  • Detailed thank you letters to the team
  • Continued volunteer work plan
  • Two-week strategy

    – Recruiting

    – Job Descriptions

    – Internship postings

    – Finished tutorials of website

    – Additional blog posts

    – Completion of writings/ stories/ etc

  • Four-week strategy

    – Compilation of documents

    – Detailed plans for replacement

    – Educational models for new recruits

    – Completion of odd jobs on to-do list

    – Additional writings

 

As I mentioned above, this list is just an initial overview, I am sure this does not cover everything I need to do and say before I conclude my employment. I have learned and grown significantly in the past year with Athens’ Own, and I hope, in this plan, to express the depth of this growth and how everyone involved can move forward from it.

Jul 142013
 

On Thursday morning, Constantine and I started by him asking me what it was that I do that “gets me to the next gear”, as if in a car. I think that he asked because it seems that I don’t really “get excited” or even move fast while working with Athens’ Own. Anyway, I said I thought I “changed gears” when I do something like mowing. I didn’t really know why, but I thought maybe it was because I wanted to get it done faster and finish sooner. I wonder if that means that I don’t really want to finish my current activity with Athens’ Own or what. One other thing that I have thought of since that conversation was airsofting. Whenever I get in an airsoft war with my friends, I really get really involved and active in that activity. Now I need to “transfer” those actions (speed) and mindsets (wanting to be involved more) to working with Athens’ Own. One thing that I should transfer is the ability to take any situation and make the most of it. While mowing, I try to do the best job I can, even if the grass is too long or wetish. It gives me the opportunity to see what works best/worst in those situations. The same with airsoft. I can try out different strategies and work toward becoming proficient with the best one or two. Again, I need to get that into my Athens’ Own work.

Later that morning, once Alyse got there, we went into the the kitchen at ACEnet and saw some cinnamon bread that Crumbs had left out. We of course had to ask if they were freebies. They said they were because they had gotten slightly stale and hadn’t sold out front. That didn’t stop us. We took a loaf of that bread and got some butter. We put the butter directly into a skillet and placed the bread slices right in it and let it sizzle. After a flip or two, we had some awesome grilled cinnamon bread. After the Crumbs guys ate a loaf or so of that up, we made some more, only this time we tried it as french bread. Couple of eggs, cinnamon, some sugar and the cinnamon bread. With some cinnamon sugar and maple syrup, it was just as good.

I think that using that stale bread in those ways was the beginning of making the best of opportunities that we may not like at first. The bread was stale and by most standards, was not usable. But we found a way to make the best of it and turned it into a couple awesome things to share for breakfast. I now just need to find ways to do that in all the other things I do with Athens’ Own.

Jul 072013
 

As is mentioned in various places on this website and in logs, one of the first steps we see to help start building resilience is to take a critical look at the situation in front of you. We have a particular document which we reference often, that we call the “current situation analysis”. This document is a long list of things which we see as the issues, problems, and realities that we are currently facing today.

One of these items concerns the quality of education and educational programs. As a company with an internship program which focuses on helping Ohio University students enhance and supplement their formal educations, we are constantly evaluating and monitoring the students who we meet. And we have noticed a problem, or a “situation” item if you will… the education system is falling short in too many places. We see gaps all the time, whether it be a student who has never had to effectively write a rationale for a project, a student who does not know how to thoroughly complete background research before applying to a job, or even just a student who has ilegible handwriting. As a company who is racing and fighting against time to build a stronger and more resilient future, we need those people who want to be a part of our efforts to be able to keep up with our ideas and our speed. We don’t really have the time to explain over and over what our company does because an intern didn’t read the “about us” section of the website before they applied. We don’t have the time to sit down and watch them write out numbers on an invoice, and we don’t have the time to help them learn such a basic skill as writing an essay. These are all things, among many others, that we think should have been learned at some point already. So what happened? Why are so many students graduating from college without some of these skills, which many businesses would consider basic qualifications?

This is our situation: We see a problem in the educational system. We need skillful, proficient, and intelligent students who are eager to learn and improve themselves. This is not to say that none of our past interns have been up to this standard, rather we have had the pleasure of working with many bright young minds. However, when one takes the average student population into account, I don’t think there would be much argument against the claim that the education system could do better.

If step one is to analyze the situation, what do we do next? Our plan is to connect with like-minded people, who share our observations, goals, and concerns, and try to develop a way to work together to do something about this problem. With that in mind, we will be meeting soon with teacher education professionals to discuss some of these issues and see what solutions we might be able to create.

More on this topic to come soon!

Jun 212013
 

Tuesday was a bit different because I had an appointment to go to so I only went an hour and a half to begin with, In that time, we made some new egg salad. Constantine was trying to teach me throughout making it that my obligation is not only to make really good food, but also for the eater’s safety. I’m responsible for creating food that is safe to eat, that won’t make whoever eats it sick. I do that by cleaning everything: sanitizing cutting boards and making sure everything is quite clean for the next time it is needed. I also need to often wipe and clean the cutting board and the table while I’m using it to ensure a clean environment.

On Thursday, we didn’t do much because Constantine decided not to come in to “test” us so Alyse and I did some things on our own. First, we took my list of the menu for field day and got everything ready to order. After we did that, I went and cooked some more onions and sliced turkey for the market and for field day.

On Friday, Alyse and I went to Constantine’s and Kathy’s house for the day. First we talked about the kitchen and how it all connects. We started with just food and the six basic needs.( Food, water, shelter, air, health and education.) We want healthy food. That food should be locally sources, and not just sourced but produced and grown locally too. That food must obviously come from a farm. That farm should be a small/family owned and operated. Family owned should ensure that the skills needed to operate that farm will survive. In order to grow nice healthy food, that farm needs clean air and clean water meaning that the farmers need to be good stewards of their land. Also, they obviously need health to do what they do and education to teach others to continue doing what they are doing. That is somewhat what I am doing right now.

Jun 172013
 

Last week, Alyse was gone on vacation so Constantine and I were on our own again. On Monday, we started by doing the usual coffee packaging, which I did beginning to end by myself. We did other things that  I don’t remember because  I didn’t write this when I should have. Afterwards, we went to Seaman’s and did it mostly by myself with Constantine watching over. We also went online and ordered a bunch of new hotel pans for use at the market. We got a water pan in order to make a steam table to keep many things warm while using only one burner. Tuesday, the main thing we did (that I remember) was we went to Jackie O’s to pick up more grain. We had gone the previous Saturday but there was more to pick up. I hadn’t yet done a grain pickup  so that was new and fun. I liked seeing how it all fits together in that we pick up the grain, the grain gets delivered to either Redbird Ranch or Regional Pride (I don’t remember which, but I’d guess Redbird Ranch), the grain gets fed to the cattle, the we get the meat from the cattle and then Jackie O’s or somebody else gets the aged meat from us. I liked seeing that circle. On Wednesday, the market went well despite the heat and the fact that I gad to leave early. I didn’t come in Thursday so I can’t really write on that. Friday , we delivered more burgers to Jackie O’s and then went down the street to the bank and made a deposit. Lastly, the Saturday market went pretty well even without Alyse. It was a good week over all even if I didn’t write this log when I should have in order to get down everything that we did.

Jun 042013
 

On Monday, we first started by bagging coffee, which I did mostly by myself and I am probably able to do it next time completely by myself. After that I bagged some cashews while Constantine worked on a nice old coffee grinder that he had acquired. After we had finished with those things, Alyse and I loaded up and went to town. We first went to Seaman’s and inventoried and stocked them. I did 99% of everything this time around from marking the inventory to writing the invoice. I do now believe I could, if needed, inventory and stock Seaman’s by myself, which is something that I have been working toward. We also went uptown and while Alyse was inventorying Jackie O’s, I went to Bagel St. deli and gave them a bag of coffee then went up to Salam to check their inventory.
On Tuesday, I started by grating cheese for the market and wrapping/labeling cheese for Seaman’s. We then mixed up more marinade for more tofu and then cooked some up for everybody to try.  Once done with all the of that, we worked on some egg salad, both to eat and to serve at the market on Wednesday and if there’s any left, for Saturday. Again, I did this mostly by myself, and it still turned out pretty good seeing as how I haven’t made any egg salad in probably a year. After that and until I had to leave, I/we conducted a cost analysis for the egg salad to determine what we would need to charge in order for it to be worthwhile for us to sell it at the farmers market. I hadn’t done that before so that was new.

May 312013
 

If I can be very motivated to do something, I should be able to motivate others to do something as well. By figuring out how to motivate myself, I can gain some insight into the best strategies and plans to help Athens’ Own interns get motivated. In fact, the ability to motivate others to take an interest and act is one of the criteria of the Athens’ Own Worker Readiness Certification.

To start, what motivates me? Constantine recently posed me the question: What new skills I would be willing to learn on my own time and apply towards Athens’ Own? I came up with a brief list of things I am most interested in and that I feel I would willingly, almost unconsciously, want to learn in my free time which could be relevant to my work with Athens’ Own. The question was posed this way to help me draw out those types of skills and concepts which would be most motivating to me.

From here, we looked at which of those things best aligns with what Athens’ Own is working on. If both my “to-do” list and Athens’ Own’s “to-do” list have similar items on them, then that is the best place to start. The main idea behind this practice is that progress will be made faster when there is alignment of needs, interests, etc. If I can work on something I enjoy that helps move our team, our systems, and our actions forward, it is going to be more productive and positive than if I am being coerced into doing something I don’t think is relevant. This is also why we ask our interns to write their holisticgoals. We can take notice of where a certain person’s goals line up with ours, and then work together to move both them and us towards those goals.

We are working on further developing our educational strategy by exploring this idea of motivation and trying to meld educational theories with our everyday business practices. We hope to provide an experiential learning environment for all of our interns and volunteers. By discovering what motivates ourselves and our team members, we can work to find the best and most exciting opportunities for “working” and “learning” to become one and the same.