It's the little things that count...

I am a Catholic which means I do the whole Lent thing and I don't eat meat on (any) Fridays and I give things up and do extra things. It's all in good fun and usually good for my spirit, too. This year, being giantly pregnant I thought not giving in to grumpiness and reading some John Senior would be enough. Apparently not. So, the last two nights have been up hourly with croupy toddlers. It turns out I am giving up sleep for Lent. Hello, dark circles. We've met before.

Which leads me to say that I have a guardian angel out there. Besides sitting on the toilet seat holding a crying/barking kiddo whilst the hot, steamy shower runs, I have been singing the praises of Chestal Homeopathic Cough Syrup. It has no artificially anything and is made with a honey base so it tastes great and kids will drink it and most importantly works like magic because it is. No, nobody is paying me for this. It works. I love it so much that the next time I am sitting on the Nobel Prize committee (yeah) I will say to myself and then out loud to others who might be listening, "Wait a minute! Who is that flippin' genius who invented that Chestal stuff? Because nobody deserves this prize if that guy doesn't get it first!" You can get a $1 off coupon from their website HERE.

Now, because nobody reads this blog hoping to hear me complain about things, I thought I would tell you cool screenings for American Meat. This is a new documentary film about the problems in the modern food system and proffers real answers. This pro-farmer film features everybody's favorite radical farmer, Joel Salatin, and while the trailer suggests that the film is providing new answers to old problems, I think the truth is that it provides old answers to new problems. The film is fundamentally about getting away from the modern, industrial complex method of farming and shopping and getting back to the way people used to live. Salatin recommends that we, "Know your farmer and totally opt out of the system." It's pretty exciting.

You can see the trailer to the film above and you can find out more about the film on its website HERE. The film is being shown at a series of screenings called "The Young Farmer" series which are taking place at colleges and universities across the country. Here in the Colorado front range there are several screenings and some feature catering. The February 27th screening in Denver features Denver WAPF chapter co-leader Dianne Koehler. Look for me there. I will be the gianormous pregnant woman with the dark circles. If you are not local to the Denver area, check the American Meat website HERE for screenings near you.

Feb 20th, Colorado State University

Fort Collins, CO

• 6pm: Dinner provided by Chipotle Mexican Grill
• 6:30pm: Screening in Behavioral Sciences 131
• 8pm: Discussion with Scott Wiley, owner of Mesa Valley Farms, co-founder of Applegate Chris Ely, and Graham Meriwether, director of American Meat. Moderated by Kris Browning-Blas, food editor of the Denver Post.

Feb 21st, University of Colorado

Boulder in Boulder, CO

• 6pm: Dinner provided by Chipotle
• 6:30pm: Screening in Humanities room 1B50
• 8pm: Discussion with Ann Cooper, Chris Ely co-founder of Applegate, Mel Coleman of Niman Ranch, and Graham Meriwether director of American Meat. CU Boulder nutrition professor Mary Beth Lynch will be moderating the discussion.

Feb 22nd, Regis University

Denver, CO

• 5pm: Meet and greet
• 5:30pm: Screening in Claver Hall Amphitheater
• 7pm: Discussion with sociology professor and Green Leaf board member Damien Thompson, literature professor and social justice activist Eleanor Swanson, co-founder of Applegate, S.K. Piper, Midwest Fellow for Bon Appétit Management Company Foundation, the non-profit arm of Bon Appétit, and Graham Meriwether, director ofAmerican Meat. Food and beverages served at this time provided by Chipotle Mexican Grill and Bon Appétit Management Company

Feb 25th, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs

Colorado Springs, CO

• 5:15pm: Screening in University Center Room 302
• 6:35pm: Discussion with Lena Macias founder of Black Forest Farmstead, Mike Callicrate founder and president of Ranch Foods direct, Susan Gordon co-manager of Venetucci Farm and Graham Meriwether, director of American Meat.

Feb 26th, Colorado College

Colorado Springs, CO

• 6pm: Dinner provided by Bon Appétit Management Company
• 6:30pm: Screening in Edith Kinney Gaylord Cornerstone Arts Center
• 7:55pm: Discussion with Doug and Kim Wiley from Larga Vista Ranch, Mike Callicrate from Ranch Foods Direct and Callicrate Beef and Patrick Hamilton from Venetucci Farm, and director of American Meat Graham Meriwether. S.K. Piper, Midwest Fellow for Bon Appétit Management Company Foundation, the non-profit arm of Bon Appétit will be moderating the discussion.

Feb 27th, University of Denver

Denver, CO

6:30pm: Screeining in Sturm 281 followed by discussion with Dianne Koehler, a nutritionist and chapter leader of Denver's Weston A Price Foundation; John Long of Long Family Farms, a sustainable pig farmer who supplies many local, organic restaurants in the Denver metro area and Graham Meriwether, the film's director. Panel discussion will be moderated by Patricia Calhoun, editor of Westword, an alternative weekly magazine in Denver.