Welcome & Introduction
Our November blog features the lessons we can take from a movie set, S4SB is thankful, and a recap of the Arcata Chamber's virtual mixer. As always, included is local DEI opportunities and truth behind Thanksgiving.
What’s going on with S4SB?
The lessons we can take from a movie set
I spend a lot of time thinking about worst-case scenarios and how to protect myself and my clients from them. I probably start to sound a bit boring when I’m going on about safety protocols. But hearing about what happened on the set of Rust in the past couple of weeks, I’ve thought a lot about the value of them. When I first heard about this tragic event, I thought it had to be an intentional, murderous act. The safety standards for guns on a movie set were so rigorous, that had to be what happened, right? But it’s looking like this awful event was caused by protocols not being followed, and the result was deadly. People were being overworked and stretched to their limits. Employees were disgruntled. The focus was on cutting corners and moving fast.
While a breach of confidential financial information would not be as shocking or newsworthy as the sad story of Halyna Hutchins, it could be devastating to the victims. This event shows us that, while they can seem a waste of time and a pain in the butt, safety protocols do make a difference. When we’re following them, it doesn’t seem like they’re doing much - because nothing happens! But that, of course, is the goal.
S4SB is thankful
It’s no accident that Thanksgiving comes in November. Fall is a natural time to reflect on what we’re grateful for - before winter hits hard and we’re all cold and miserable! (kidding). Here are thoughts from some of us:
Charlie’s comments:
I have so much to be grateful for. I feel so lucky to be able to have simple things - like food, water, shelter, etc. But I also feel thankful for my petite family of three (Hunter, Fish, and I). We managed to make it to Colorado back in May and I feel like we are finally settling in and exploring at the same time. This wouldn’t be possible without the help of my friends and the ability to work three incredible jobs that allow flexibility. So, thank you!
Katherine:
At the risk of sounding trite, I am so grateful for my staff! I never actually intended to have a staff, I scoffed at my husband when he used to talk about “when you hire your first employee.” Now 6 other people make this machine run smoothly, and not only are they a tremendous help, but they are also all people that I am honored to know and spend time with. That’s a special miracle.
But my life is not 100% this business (almost, but not quite). My husband and I are also really grateful to see our son off to college and have him doing so well. I’m not quite sure how it happened, but he was so well prepared to be on his own and living his life. He loves his school (Amherst College, in Massachusetts), has been making friends, and is invigorated by his classes and professors. The only fly in the ointment? We miss him like crazy!!
Georgia:
I’m super grateful for a recent fun vacation to New Mexico where I was inspired by local art and high desert nature. The golden leaves of the cottonwood and aspen trees were a sight to see! Spending time with my mom and sisters was the best part!
Kate:
I’m grateful for the daily joys of raising my sweet pups, and that I have the opportunity to hang out with them while I work!
Recap of the Arcata Chamber’s virtual mixer
Solutions for Small Businesses hosted the Arcata Chamber of Commerce’s October virtual mixer. When we signed up for the job, it was going to be in person, but that was during the hour and a half when we thought the pandemic was over. Since Katherine is a member of the Pan Dulce Steel Orchestra, and Kate is the band leader, we decided to play a couple of songs for the mixer. The band members were pretty happy to have a gig after such a long hiatus, and we thought it would be a fun twist for the mixer. When it was decided that we had to go back to virtual, we thought, “we can still do this.” One of the band members has a friend that makes videos, and he VERY generously donated his time to record two songs that we played for the mixer. Three cheers for Mike Dronkers! You can view the videos here:
We also did a couple of New York Times mini-crosswords as well as the usual Chamber business and socializing. It was a lot of fun and we hope to host another mixer sometime.
DEI Discussions & Community Opportunities
The Truth Behind Thanksgiving
In school, thanksgiving is taught very differently than how it actually happened. While some components were true, the discussions of this event are focused around settlers, but Native Americans had been on the land for centuries before, and the story from their perspective far predates this feat. we encourage you to discover the truth by reading this article: https://www.delish.com/holiday-recipes/a33984895/native-american-thanksgiving-holiday/
One thing that we can be grateful for this Thanksgiving is that we are all becoming more aware of the truth of our history and coming to terms with it, as well as learning to honor the experiences of all people.
Local Opportunities for November
For a full list of thanksgiving volunteer and meal service programs, read here: https://211humboldt.org/available-services/holiday-resource-list/ find a location to help serve your community and help those in need!
Eat Offbeat
Speaking of delicious food, we recently heard about a catering company called Eat Offbeat, which launched in New York City in 2013. The company’s three goals were to provide New Yorkers with a unique food experience that is “off-the-beaten-path”, create jobs for home cooks with refugee status, and demonstrate the value that refugees bring to America. The staff at Eat Offbeat has created a cookbook with all those same goals in mind. Click here to read the full article and find a link to get the book!
Katherine heard about this company on Here and Now and was inspired by the way the company reinvented itself during covid. As the employees are all refugees, they were uniquely placed to survive the sudden upheaval of a pandemic - after leaving their home countries to start life in a new one, they all had experience with upheaval!
Thank you for reading our blog and supporting S4SB. Make sure to enter your Full Name and Email to subscribe and receive a monthly email to notify you when our blogs come out on the 1st of each month. If you’d like to submit something to add to our blog, please email crm101@humboldt.edu. Feel free to reach out with questions, concerns, or other ways to support our community.