2 Grants and a Conference later...

Whew!

So doing this on a weekly basis got shot. So did my ambition to deprive myself of the Pacific Ocean until I could bike there. Took a holiday with my Dad (who happened to be in California and decided to visit) and in his rented Honda we explored Highway 1, with the Pacific Ocean to our left.

I finished two grant applications, one to a bank and another to a semi-public organization.

The grant for the bank took some patience. I had to accumulate some data from previous reports that either did not exist or were very unclear. Numbered data was written by letter here and there, which should be punishable by death. Numbers of attendees to our workshops on finance and property law were recorded in certain percentages, along with the number of professional sessions offered, but often not including the total number of actual people. One thing is very certain in non-profit organizations. What could normally take 30 minutes could take all afternoon if there is not an efficient foundation to work from.

When numbered data is written in words, when paper files are disintegrating, or when electronic files are dated with abbreviations, slashes or decimals, work cannot get done on time. I am now working on a universal system for organizing our data. I am also hoping to rewire the office and set plans in motion for a complete reboot of the workplace.

Universal bases are not as appreciated in America as they are in other countries. There is something too utilitarian about universal infrastructure. What limited sense of our culture we have dismisses universal solutions as too utilitarian and mechanical. Something mechanical threatens individuality and liberty. To reduce our defense of liberty to something as banal as a disorganized office suggests that we have a lot of self evaluation to do.

But enough moody shit. I also accompanied my boss to a Small Farmers Conference out of town for several days. It was very good to finally meet some farmers. Small farms are diverse in their owners. White; Hispanic; Thai; they were all there. Along with farmers I met people from the USDA, conservation groups, people from the University of California Cooperative Extension (a service that provides outreach education on agricultural and environmental subjects) and other non profit people who do more than a 40 hour work week will allow.

I helped my boss give his presentation about how to access land and credit. After which I attended several presentations of my own choosing on conservation issues and risk management.

It has been a full month and I am now getting off on office supplies and conservation easements. I promised myself I would not get obsessed.