What's that smell?

Hey, long time no blog.


This morning when I stepped out of my car into the Cal Shakes parking lot, I smelt something most foul. I couldn't really figure out what it was, but it was something. I walked into the bullpen and simply said "Why does it smell like poop outside?" Of course, at ten in the morning this made for some GREAT conversation. But yes, the Cal Shakes office has been smelling chicken manuer all day due to some updated landcape. Good for the flowers, bad for the appetite.

Enough of the doodie, let's get to last weekend which is when I went on a road trip to Salinas* with Jessica and Tara from New Works/New Communitites! We were going so we could do some field research about John Steinbeck, migrant farm workers, agricultural history and The Pastures of Heaven. It was great fun and we met some incredible people with lots to say and share with us.


We did a lot, so rather than writing about all of it, I'm going to give you some highlights:
1.) The Steinbeck House: where John Steinbeck grew up in his childhood but has now been turned into a lunch restaurant. The restaurant has been designed, decorated, and kept up by all donated services. The only service that is being paid for is the Chef’s work and the book keeper’s services. I found this to be really incredible because it's a community working together, giving up their free time and energy to restore something so important. The house is ran by volunteers of the Valley Guild who will invite you to take a look around and tell you all about the house’s history and answer any questions you might have. The food was delicious and served by such nice ladies. I must admit that I felt a little out of place because the atmosphere is very Ladies Who Lunch.**
2.) The Farm offices with Chris Bunn: The Farm is an agricultural education center and produce business located just outside of Salinas. Chris is the owner of The Farm with the assistance of his son Christopher. He showed us a book of compiled photos from The Farm taken in the 1930’s and 1940’s which revealed so many interesting aspects of historical agriculture. He's a great contact for this project and has been a great resource for the information that we need.
3.) HULLABALOO!: Hullabaloo was a restaraunt that we went to for dinner in downtown Salinas. The menu was a little decieving because it looked like an all american food place with just regular food which was offsetting for it's fancy ambience. Anyways, it ended up being fantastic food with great, original flavors.
4.) The Steinbeck Center: We toured through the exhibits and became much more aware about John Steinbeck’s life and how he lived it. It was an incredible fusion of the way his life reflected his writing and gave us a great look into his passion for writing. Another main exhibit at The Steinbeck Center was the Agricultural life museum which gave a great look into the history of “Ag” in the Monterey Bay County.
5.) Corral De Tierra: This had to be my favorite part of the trip. We just drove through the hills and had to stop a few times because it was absolutely breath taking. I've always loved California and have always had a huge obsession with it's beauty, but the Corral really rejuvinated my love for our Golden State. "Where ocean meets land."
Here are some pictures from the trip:


The Steinbeck House and Tara. Hi Tara!


















Road on Corral De Tierra.




Castle Rock.... soooo pretty.


Now it's time for.....

VIDEOoftheWEEK
go there, people.
Highlights:
1.) The music
2.) The Costume
3.) The artistic piano pantomime.
4.) The transition from pantomime to dance.
5.) Is this video taken in an office building?

ProjectRunwayPrediction:
(I know, I ditched WordoftheWeek, but this is WAY more important and interesting.)
Ramine will get into the final three and Christian will win the overall price. Why? Cause he's fierce.

That's all for this week!

Peace and Love,
Derek


*Fun fact about Salinas: Salinas produces 80 % of the nation's lettuce! WOW!
**Who saw The 2006 Broadway revival of Company on PBS Wedensday night? SO GOOD. Why didn't Raul Esparza win the Tony for that?