New Title--Old Look

No, you're not experiencing deja vue!  This was "Second Nature": A New Kind of TV Show.  That was then; this is now.  Turns out, due to a bit of early dementia, I had forgotten that a friend here locally had a business called Second Nature and my TV show by the same name would have been utterly confusing. 


So, it was back to the drawing board for the team.  We agonized for weeks (as you can tell by the lack of progress since March 9) but today we finally decided on, (drum roll!) "Local Roots"!  And that's all.  And that's that! Kyle and I have toasted to the new name, I have purchased the new website and we are moving on!


Why "Local Roots"?  Well, again, we like the play on words and the reference to what is right here in our "own backyard."  Last night I attended a Green Drinks event on the Eastside (east of Seattle) and was chatting with a gal who is co-developing a green community at a local ski area.  We talked about how they will get the bedding for their small inn at a local grower of sheep and their toiletries from a local manufacturer.  I remarked how lucky we are that we have so much available to us right here in our own little "neck of the woods" and how much folks really are unaware of what's here that they don't have to purchase from across country...or the world.  And "local" means local wherever you are.  For us it's the Pacific Northwest, with an amazing bounty provided by an amazing local workforce.  And that's what we want to celebrate.  As far as the word "Roots," well...that can mean literal roots, as in plants that we eat or roots as in our heritage.  We hope that our little show will address both and bring folks in touch with--and hopefully show them the value of--their Local Roots.

Leaving the Campsite Better

Do you know how hard it is to come up with a title for something that you want to have the broadest appeal across a wide spectrum of personalities?  It's tough!  But we were up to the challenge!  We brainstormed most of a day, tossing out phrases and words as we thought about the goals of the show.  We sorted, rearranged, conjugated, and redefined many options.  We were looking for something that would be catchy and intriguing without being obscure or heady.  We wanted something that perhaps was a play-on-words or a double-entendre--i.e. had a double meaning, as Cindy and I enjoy a good pun. We wanted to convey ideas such as this being a journey of sorts for us both, one in which we would invite the audience to join us; that we are not experts and are learning together;avoiding the dreaded "green" word or other words/phrases that had either lost meaning from overuse or meant nothing to folks "outside the green movement;" avoiding sounding too lofty or exclusive.  We wanted a phrase that was not so broad in definition as to leave one wondering what the actual topic could be but not so narrow in definition that our creativity would be too constrained. We wanted the "average" American to scroll through the program options and pause and query, "what the heck is that show about?" and then choose it and be entertained while being edified.

In the end...it is still hard to choose the perfect title.  But we think we've hit upon a potential hit!  "Second Nature," of course by dictionary definition means to learn something so well that it becomes a part of one's habitual self.  But it also spoke to us about period in history in which we find ourselves reexamining our relationship to the world around us--taking a "second look" if you will.  Perhaps with renewed interest we could indeed create a "second" nature--one that is well-cared for and that can care for us. Who knows, we might end up "leaving the campsite in better shape than when we found it!"

Nous Sommes le Vaches Folles

Was watching one of my new favorite movies last night--"Julie & Julia"--which is loaded with comic one-liners, the kind you want to memorize because they come in handy for dropping into casual conversation and making, at least you, smile secretly.  Anyway, there is a scene where Julia and her friend, Simone Beck, are on their way to meet with their third partner, Louisette Bertholle to let her know that they are cutting her out of the most of the royalties from any book publishing. Knowing that this meeting will likely not go well, and no doubt dreading it, Simone quips, "we are le vaches folles"--"we are mad cows"!  Somehow I could relate!  Perhaps "nous sommes le vaches folles," we are mad cows!

Here are Cindy and I--middle-aged, she--retired, me--self-employed, as another favorite character of mine, "Shirley Valentine," observes of herself: "startin' to sag a bit." What are we thinking?  A TV show??  Well, yes.  Actually, truth be told, Cindy is probably not "le vache folle."  It is actually me!  She's just a good enough friend to go along with my hair-brained ideas.

It's not that I am so enamored with TV.  Actually, maybe that's where Cindy's real contribution lies:  she is, being now on her own time, more of a consumer/connoisseur of television.  My real passion lies in inspiring others: "awareness, education, action."  And even though I'm not big on TV I know that many people are and if I really want to reach them it might just be through this medium.

And so, we embark on this adventure, two "mad cows" and a patient, doting, talented son/producer/cinematographer/editor.  Who knows where it might lead us!  It's an adventure!