Two Months In One

I've been hemming and hawing about this second post for January. Since December I've been in a frantic strategizing bubble and I haven't really come up for air. That said, December was a wonderfully full month of eating and gathering and visiting with people. It was the first time in my life that I gained holiday weight and I can't say I handled it well. I don't eat all that much as it is, and when you mix in the limited options a vegetarian will find at a potluck in the South, you don't imagine there will be much consumption taking place, but right there at the end of the year I woke up with a little paunch... and I looked at it, and it looked at me, and then I carried on with my day. Surely it would be gone in the morning. 

It wasn't. I looked at it again. This strange, uncomfortable protrusion. "What is this?" I asked Brett. He glanced up at me, bugged his eyes and went back to his book, grinning. "What?!" I shrieked. 
"Nothing. It's nothing!"
"It isn't... I'm fat now!" I wailed. "How can this be? I didn't eat that much! It must be a worm? Maybe I have a tumor?"

The paunch stuck around for about three weeks even after I went back to my regularly scheduled programming. It served as a brusk introduction to the confrontational task of aging, and I didn't like it one bit. 

In honor of the Christmas celebrations, which were glossed over here on this blog, today's post will be accompanied with December photos. 

As for the bubble I've been in - I'm in my last semester of school now. Can you believe it's almost been 2 years? This semester is a thesis-y, capstone project of sorts that you have to present to the school before it's all over. About a year ago I began planning for this class with the writing of a collection of "humorous" essays of real life bits and bobs but with the strategic planting of educational seeds woven into the story. I'm really not smart enough to write such things, but I thought I'd give it a try - and I've been working on it here and there since, waiting for this last semester to really dedicate myself to the task. 

Over this last summer, I had my practicum class, which is a course that makes you actually go practice teaching something to people. The majority of the people in my program are school teachers, so it's easy for them to implement this new content into their curriculum. The minority of us students are wayward drifters with good intentions, so suddenly having to teach people something proves to be quite tricky. One girl brilliantly spent the class developing a course and never actually had to teach it. I thought long and hard about it all, and knowing that I hate being in schools and that a person can't just wander into one and begin indoctrination practices, I made a last minute decision to create an educational video series for the "followers" I have on Instagram. Was it embarrassing and out of left field? Oh absolutely. I would publish a video and then shove my phone down in-between the couch cushions so I could pretend none of it had happened. 

Salt Marsh Monday (that was the name of my series) was much beloved by my advisor who found it "endearingly unique." It had its tiny fan-base, and those handful of people that were really excited about it, made me excited to make them. 
Oh but I was so relived when it was over. How embarrassing was that? I dusted off my hands and threw the practicum course over my shoulder. Check! What's next?

As I prepared to hunker down and write the essays, my brain kept working on my next video series. The Food System Series. I wanted to help people understand how our food system feeds into so many other topics and systems with outcomes and effects... and I just find it all fascinating. I thought about videos on what food labels actually mean and why we have antibiotics in food and this and that, but I couldn't figure out how to do it succinctly and without much background information - because Instagram gives you only 90 seconds to make a point. And moreover, how do I make this something people actually want to watch?

My brain chewed on this while I chewed on Christmas cookies and made merriment with my friends. I figured I'd be mulling this over for a year or so while I focused on finishing up school and looking for a job. I'd get around to it eventually, if I wanted to embarrass myself again. 

But then all of a sudden, it clicked into place. I drew up a map of interrelated food system topics, and organized them into sections, and suddenly I could see it all! I emailed my advisor - which I knew I shouldn't do because she's the kind of person who will take your idea, add to it, and have you thinking you're capable of it - if not also the only person who could possibly do it. "You're right Mary Pat, I should run for congress!" You can present her with an idea and be certain to hear her say, "Yes! And ..." so Brett calls her Yes Anderson.  

She tried to play coy about it, but we both knew it would be more effective and exciting than my writing a collection of essays. So I've spent the last five weeks designing a curriculum, building a syllabus, creating "edutainment" content, and writing scripts for my upcoming video series. Who is this person? 

There are only 12 more weeks of school, so I'm in a bit of a rush for the "series premiere." Filming starts next week. I now own three tripods, a teleprompter and a clip-on microphone. 

What am I doing??

I'm hesitant, tickled, and embarrassed. My plans for this go far beyond my schooling into an actual educational website and course offerings and whatnot, but for now I'm starting with another cringeworthy series brought to you by a queasy and unsure Big Lue.