One Girl Revolution

Ok, so if I may say this without coming across as a pretentious wanker or a twitchy LOLkid, this weekend was made of win. I don't know if it was luck or karma what did it, but everything that could go right did, right down to the stuff that a majority of people would find inconsequential but was very, very important to me.

It started with my volunteer stint at Rockin' for the Hungry. I could only stay for an hour or two, and I wasn't sure what I could contribute. I was happy to hand out flyers and somewhat grateful that they didn't immediately assign me to loading detail, only because I wasn't sure about my ability to hoist heavy bags up into a truck¹. They had me doing a little of that for a while, and I had a moderate amount of success; some people took the flyers, and some said "no, thank you," but ALL of them listened and looked at me. This was actually a bit of a shock, as I'm used to living in a place where people see activists as entities to actively ignore, if not verbally harass with a rousing, "Get the fuck out my way." But my real success came a bit later, when I walked over to the info table to get some hot chocolate. There was a box of complementary CDs (provided by the Ann Arbor-based Borders Books and Music) for people who were kind enough to donate to the cause. One poor schmuck was looking through the box and made the always fatal error of looking at me and saying, "So, got anything good in here?"

Five minutes of lengthy discussion, demographic analysis and psychological profiling later, the donor was walking away with a lovingly assigned CD and I had been given a new purpose - music guru. Finally, my music geekery is applicable to charity work, and I no longer feel as guilty for not having ridiculous amounts of money or mad fundraising skills. Eventually I had to go back home, but I was still pleased with myself. It was only going to get better.

Next stop was the nearest Jo-Ann Fabrics to find fleece remnants for to make the Insta-Scarves. I was prepared to pay $12 or $13 for the stuff, as I'd grabbed four remnant bundles of varying sizes and prices. However, there was a 50 percent discount on that fabric in general, with an additional 75 percent off because they were remnants. Final price? $2.65. I'll be able to make about eight scarves with what I got, from what I can tell. I may have to go back there and get more of the stuff, just because I'm grooving on the fact that I can make something really useful without having to know how to sew. This would, of course, mean I'd end up making them over next weekend, so I need someone to talk me out of this right now because I have to Clean My Apartment Like Woah. Otherwise my boyfriend is going to know think that I exist in cluttered, disorganized chaos and that I can't keep a household neat and tidy to save my life, soul or something of equal importance, like my David Bowie records.

So what else happened? Well, the $50 gift certificate from Borders that our company gave us for the holidays, combined with a Borders Rewards card, saved me a crapload on Christmas gifts, I found a bunch of awesome postcards at an antique store that I can use for my project, and I finally found out where Trader Joe's is located here in town, so I now have a brand new money sink to replace the old one I was forced to leave behind when I moved. They'll know me on sight in a month, you mark my words.

God, I fucking love Ann Arbor. I'm starting to think it loves me, too.

¹I'm supposed to avoid the "heavy objects above shoulder height" thing because of my loose and not-so-charmingly spontaneous joints, but I usually just keep my mouth shut and do it anyway because I don't want to come across as a whiny, prissy, spoiled bratlet who's afraid of getting her hands dirty. Dad wouldn't stand for it, for one thing, and I figure that if something were to happen and I was left in screaming, nauseating agony, I could at least make the most of it and try to break my own record of four hours with no fixes or examinations by medical professionals.

I'm all sorts of sleepy, and yet I feel a need to update. Addict much?

First and foremost, I am thrilled to bits to announce that theycallmeboy overcame all sorts of obstacles to complete a short film for the Film Racing Grand Prix. I know that I sound like a broken record, but I need heavier music am extremely proud of him for making this happen, come hell or high water. You can get an exclusive behind-the-scenes play-by-play here, and you can watch (and vote on) his film here. He's so getting fancy dinners and baked goods when he arrives. And I need to do something to thank his friend Mark and Mark's girlfriend, Jess, for helping out with the shoot. I'll need cookies that can survive a flight in a box. It may be time to consult scorceseisgod.

cammila_radio write a review that she's very proud of right over here at the new All Movie blog. I work with cool people.

And me. What about me? Nothing much.

After little less than a week of nearly boundless energy that seemed to defy convention, logic and the need for food or sleep, I finally hit a wall today. I woke up sleepy, went to work sleepy, and answered the siren's call for meat in the form of a McDonald's lunch. I hate when it happens - me, the liberal-do-gooding-wannabe-hippie-carbon-footprint-reducing girl who is actively trying to avoid as much processed food as possible...was in line...in her car...for an extra value meal. It makes me feel vaguely guilty and slimy, even though I know such feelings are basically unwarranted. I've gone there a grand total of twice (including today) since I moved here; I'm hardly clogging my arteries, killing the planet and waddling around like a shambling ball of sentient dough or anything. And yet, the guilt. I mean, what if Michael Moore showed up out of the blue and remembered me? What then? He'd probably make me give my book back or something.¹ That would suck.

In the event that the postcard project ends up not working out (which it probably won't, as I've found, like, three postcards in my possession that pack any sort of emotional punch), I managed to secure what I think is a pretty cool axillary backup gift for my Boy. How cool, you ask? Cool enough that I almost bought it for myself. It's part of a private collection that one of my editors is selling piecemeal; I also picked up some stuff for my dad and teaandbitchery that they will hopefully enjoy. I need to go Christmas shopping; it's kind of scary how fast this is all coming up. Damn.

I've only heard back from isilrandir about participating in the veterans charity drive thing so far. I don't know how much participation (if any) is going on among the employees, so per usual I am feeling the urge to Step In And Take Care Of The Matter. It's a weird personality quick that I've been discussing with Boy lately; basically, I have a streak in me that takes over when it appears that a task is not going to be completed by others. It isn't a blame thing - I don't play the martyr, and I give people the benefit of the doubt - I just roll up my sleeves and take on the task as if it's been handed to me personally to complete. This means there will be much fleece purchased and Insta-scarves made, no doubt. I can pick some up on Saturday after I'm done volunteering for this event. I've wanted to be involved with this organization for a while, and as much as I hate the cold (ironically, with the intensity of a thousand suns), I figure that I shouldn't be a damn baby about standing around in the cold if it means helping people who have to deal with hunger every day of the year. If I can't handle 90 minutes in 30 degree weather to raise money, food donations and community awareness about hunger (or, as our government calls it, "food insecurity") in our area, I shouldn't even consider calling myself a good citizen.

And just like that, "One" comes up on my playlist. ;)

I think it's time for bed.

¹ Click the link and look at the second bullet point. I was there that night, and I remember the debate well. There was lots of cheering when the final name was announced, and we were all excited because we helped make a collective decision about a movie. Later, during the Q&A, I used my amazing "I've been to concerts and I know how this shit goes" skills to convince shadownex that if we wanted our copies of Stupid White Men to get signed, we'd do well to leave the auditorium and get in line immediately out in the lobby. My instincts paid off - she and I were some of the first people, and possibly THE first, to get our books autographed. It was an awesome moment, but has led me to suffer from a certain degree of Mooreophobia, defined as the irrational belief that every time you do something that goes against your generally progressive beliefs, Michael Moore will see you, remember you, take away your Bleeding Heart Liberal card and demand that you relinquish your copy of his book. I still feel a twinge of paranoia when I turn on the one remaining lamp in my house that harbors an incandescent bulb.

ETA: OH MY GOD, I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING TO INFURIATE MY MOTHER AT CHRISTMAS.



(Thanks be to piemancer)

It looks like the winds are finally going to die down tomorrow - currently they're blowing at 20 to 30 mph, which means wind chill. I took off my glove so I could get my mail (big thick gloves don't work well with tiny keys), and by the time I got back to my door, the uncovered hand starting to hurt. I'd say that I was out there for a total of maybe five minutes. Calmer days would be very, very welcome.

I am thrilled to report that isilrandir has volunteered to knit something for the sick/homeless veterans drive our office is hosting. I wasn't expecting such a quick response, so this really made my day. I'm also grateful for this tip from braidedmane, who reminds me that it's not about skills, but creativity:

Suggestion for great scarves: go to a fabric store and browse their remnant bin for pieces of fleece. Fleece comes 60" wide (5 feet), plenty long enough for a scarf, and they usually put pieces less than half a yard in remnants. A quarter yard will make a fantastic, warm scarf--you can fringe the ends with scissors if you want to make them a little fancier. No sewing, fairly cheap, keeps folks warm.

I will have to go to the local Jo-Ann Fabrics and test this theory. Hopefully I can find the remnant pile and get some deals.

Want to know what the hell I'm talking about? Check out this post over at itslittlethings, or better yet, join the community to get breaking news about this and other ways you can make the world a little better and brighter. The instructions are there, but I'd like to remind you that I'll need this stuff on or before December 18, with before being the better option. Send whatever you can from wherever you can - if you're the president of an Australian knitting club, you can still play the Random Acts of Kindness Game.

That's it. Just think of it as one big International Random Acts of Kindness Game. Everyone loves those!

I'm not into needles. They confound me. I don't understand them, and I get the feeling they don't like me. I know this because I've tried using them - sewing needles, crochet needles, but admittedly never knitting needles. I have failed at them all. I turned my attention to soaps and have been very satisfied, but needles? Not my bag, baby.

While I don't get along with steel textile implements, it seems that I get along just fine with those that wield them. I'm always amazed at how many people on my flist knit, crochet, sew or otherwise work with textiles. I'm envious, in a good way. I'm always amazed at how quickly they can turn a ball of yarn into a work of functional art. I'm in awe at their determination. I'm inspired by their community - it seems that to know one knitter is to immediately know a network of hundreds.

That's why I'm coming to you today.

My office's Employee Activities Council (lovingly known as the EAC) is holding a collection for veterans in our area. We're concentrating on two areas - the local VA hospital and homeless vets in our area, of which there are estimated to be 300-400. We were all e-mailed a list of items (I've put the full list under a cut), but three at the end stuck out to me. They were:

Winter hats
Winter scarves
Winter gloves

I felt more than a little guilt gnawing at me as I saw them. Once again, my lack of needle skills stuck me like a thorn in my side. I'm on a budget, so buying bunches of hats was out of the question. I could pick up other items, sure, but now that winter winds are screaming down from Canada, I know that those hats, scarves and gloves will be not only needed, but coveted. I wore all three items on the walk to work today. I can't imagine going without them, and the thought that people in my community are having to do just that is devastating.

Instead of moping, I've decided to do something about it.

I'm posting this here in the hopes that the Crafty Needle Girls and Boys on my flist will be able to donate their time and talent to this cause. If any of you can donate - even if it's just one hat - it would be spectacular. It doesn't have to be a piece of art, either. Say you have a hat that's a little too big, or a scarf intended for Mom that turned out lopsided. They may not work to sell or gift, but as long as it's wearable and won't fall apart, it'll do (which isn't to say you can't make nice things if you want - I'm just trying to emphasize that the need for warmth supercedes that for style). I have permission from the mail room at my office for you to send the items to me that way; if you're interested, please e-mail itslittlethings @ gmail.com. I'll send you the mailing address and instructions.

The EAC will be collecting and donating the items on December 18, so whatever you can spare will have to reach me before then. Please keep this in mind. The full list of items that these veterans need is below, so if the magic of clothing creation eludes you, you can still help out.

Lastly, please note that this post is link free, so please share. If you know a CNBoG, belong to a CN community, or want to pass this along to family and friends, don't hesitate. The more people who know, the better.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at the above address. Thanks in advance.

( The complete list of items )

x-posted to itslittlethings

Though I can't believe I'm even thinking about this with all that's going on in my life right now (I'll be IN IRELAND in three weeks!), I've decided that I want to start a project over in itslittlethings. I'm going to try something a little different this time, too - instead of big announcements and reminders, I'm just going to post some information, set up a way people can keep track of their progress, and then just let it go as it will. I may post about my personal experiences here in this journal, but there won't be any, "C'mon, let's go!" style posts here or there. I'm leaving this one up to...whoever is in charge of things once you let them go. So, here's hoping.

I heard about the NAHA clothing drive through one of their mailers a few weeks back. I didn't think much of it at the time, but for whatever reason, I can't stop thinking about how I would like to help. I don't have much money to spare, but I do know that I have some clothes that I don't need or that don't fit anymore that I could easily send their way. I'm no good with textile crafts, so while I can't make blankets or clothes, I can donate. And I can help get the word out about the cause.

I just checked out the userinfo over at itslittlethings, and we have a staggering 55 members. (Yes, really. I am thrilled. Where did they all come from?) All of them have things they can bring to the table - perhaps they belong to a lot of communities or have lots of flisties, maybe they're part of a knitting/sewing circle, maybe they have a wide social network of civic-minded people. I'd be interested in seeing how far this could go if each of them did something to keep the ball rolling. They could make something, collect something, send something, or just pass the word along. It's whatever would work for them.

I'm going to make an announcement in the community here soon, talking about the charity, the ideas I have behind it, and how people can help out. I'm going to encourage people to have fun - take pictures of their creations or donations, post entries about how they're making the project their own, or whatever they want. I'm also going to make a To Do List over at Chore Wars that will give people ideas of what they can do (and hey, earn some XP while they're at it). I'm trying to decide between naming the CW group The Sorcerers of Light or The Renegades of Funk, but as of now, that's not important.

Finally, I'm thinking of making an itslittlethings community over at Greatest Journal, because it would be nice to give as many people as possible a chance to be involved, should they choose to be so. If this is a stupid idea, please let me know. If I don't hear anything, I may just go ahead and make the comm over there sometime next week. It'll have the same entries from me as the comm here at LJ, only different members. (I'm not leaving, though. No worries about that.)

As always, feedback is much appreciated.

I've tossed around the idea of making an itslittlethings community on MySpace, but it just occurred to me that Greatest Journal might be a better choice. (It'll cut down a bit on the spam friend requests, at least.) I have an idea for a community project, so I thought this might be a good time to cast a slightly wider net and give more people an opportunity to participate and see what we're about. Feedback?

Though I'm sure you're all getting sick of it, I wanted to let you know that I've put up an announcement at my shop. Here's what it says:

Shop Announcement
Pull The Plug On Cancer With Your Moonage Daydream Purchase!

From now until August 20, I will donate 10 percent of my profits to help sponsor my friend's participation in the 2007 Twin Cities Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk! If you would like more information on the walk, or if you would like to donate to her cause, please contact me. Thanks, happy shopping, and don't stop rocking!

Now obviously, I would like to help jumpinjessflash out as much as possible, so I'll need a lot of people to know about my shop. If you want to help out, you can buy something, link to my shop, or just donate to Jess directly. Her page is here, and any donations will be greatly appreciated - size does not matter, people. (You might want to use the dreaded Internet Explorer to view the page. For whatever reason, it has a tendency to crash FireFox, at least for me.)

Speaking of my shop, I need to get some sort of decorative banner up there. (onceupon has one on her shop, if you want to see what I'm talking about.) I'd also like to get some business cards printed up, sort of like I did with Forever Fifteen. The problem, aside from the Photoshop hating me? Well...I'm not really all that sure what to do, design-wise. My shop's theme and basis, "Rock and Roll Apothecary," is kind of hard to convey visually, I think. Obviously, the name of the shop was derived from glam rock, but I have a LOT of musical influences, so it wouldn't be fair to just peg it as glam and stick with that as a visual inspiration and aesthetic.

I dunno. If anyone out there has an idea that they can make work for the banner, the cards, or both, let me know. There'll be some free bath products in it for you.

In other news, there are still...six Apathy buttons left now, I think. You guys know the drill - leave your address over on this post (all comments screened), and you get a button and some cards to hand out in case someone asks where you got it. No need to memorize a sales pitch or act as a spokesperson, just wear the button. Done deal. Feel free to link people to the entry, as I have no problem sending out to people I don't know, no matter where in the world they are. Sales are picking up, according to theycallmeboy, so I'd like to thank everyone who has helped out, either by buying merch or helping us promote it. It means a lot!

And now, videos.

Little known fact about me: I've always harbored a fantasy of being a voice actress. Now, I know I can't act my way out of a paper bag, so I don't think I'd be all that successful. This guy, on the other hand...



And this one is for theycallmeboy, who apparently has never seen it! Classic!




And then there's this. You all knew it was coming:

I've returned from my business trip, which means I missed updating this, my little corner of the Internets.

Lots of stuff (lots and lots) happened while I was away, not the least of which was far too much rich food and far too little physical activity. The immediate consequences of such were still evident this morning - no appetite, the continuation of an unsettled and upset stomach, and the disquieting feeling that I'd gained about 85 pounds over the course of two and a half days. Even this morning's coffee make the tummy a bit twitchy. Fortunately, it seems that things are calming down a bit, and I plan to immediately resume the proper eating/exercise regimen in an attempt to try to offset any damage and get back on schedule. I still want to go down one more size by the trip, if possible. Not going to stress about it, but still going to work toward it. It can't hurt, really.

Various things happened while I was on my trip, some good, some...well, you'll see.

First off - I might (and I emphasize MIGHT) have a lead that could finally get me moving on in my career. Unlike last time, I'm approaching this with a measured and tempered enthusiasm. Hopefully that will dampen the sting of any disappointment, if disappointment there shall be.

It would also appear that I might (again, MIGHT) end up being a docent at the Rock Hall. This means I'll be able to give official tours. Yes, that would be your greatest nightmare come true, as I'll have an even bigger reason to talk about music trivia you could care less about.

The dentist also called. Teeth come out June 25. Unless the aforementioned career thing works in favor. If that's the case, I may wait and see if they offer dental, then postpone. Not having to spend thousands of dollars on my teeth this year would really be a wonderful thing.

And then...( then there's this. )

Before I get back to work, I want to let you all know that teaandbitchery needs some help in her campaign to get LJ to sponsor a charity campaign every month of the year. Those of you who got LJ trees from me to benefit Heifer International will know what I'm talking about. Go check out her post for more details, then hit these two sites to search for likely (and appropriate) cause-sponsored months. Maybe look up some appropriate charities as well. (You can thank zarq for the links.) The more causes/months, the better.

Right - time to look busy.

I'm starting a new project over at itslittlethings that I hope will be a good resource for others. Basically, every time I get a solicitation from a charity, I check its rating over at Charity Navigator to make sure my money is doing its job (instead of just contributing to the charity's operating costs). I'm not endorsing specific charities, just listing the ones who send me stuff and who get Three or Four Star ratings.

You can check out the post here, if you like. It's an ongoing project, so don't fret. I'm sure there's many more where that came from.

Also, my friend jumpinjessflash is participating in the 2007 Twin Cities Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk For The Cure. In order for her to participate, her minimum fund raising goal had to be $2,200. She's raised $472 so far and needs to raise the rest by August. If you can spare anything, please go to her donation page. The lowest button donation setting is $5, but you can donate as little or as much as you like.

To help her out, I've decided that from now until August 22 (two days before the walk begins), I will donate 10% of anything I sell online to her walk. That's Half.com stuff, Etsy stuff, eBay stuff, Gothic Auctions stuff, whatever. I wish it could be more, but right now 10% is the best I can do.

My Half.com shop is here. My Etsy shop is here. I'll make posts if I add something to eBay or GA, as well as to the Half and Etsy shops. If you find something you like, go for it.

And even if you can't buy or donate anything, head on over and give her a thumbs up. She's a really great person who does wonderful things for others. And that, my friends, is why she rocks.

Ok, so quick confession here - I like cows. And sheep. And farm animals in general. However, I also know myself well enough to know that I would never be able to properly care for one, both because I'm not the middle-of-nowhere country type and because it involves a lot of work that I'm not cut out for. Still, I've always wanted one. And thanks to Heifer International, I have the chance to buy an adorable farm animal that then gets sent to someone who needs and wants it.

Problem: Most of the animals are expensive, and I can't afford to purchase one myself.

That's why I need your help! I need you all to go here and vote for Heifer as the charity for the next Sweet Charity auction! Hurry, go! Go quick! It's facing stiff competition and needs help! I WANT TO CONTRIBUTE TOWARD BUYING AN ADORABLE COW, GOD DAMMIT!

Hmm. That probably didn't help. Well, go vote anyway. It's a good cause.

ETA: ONLY VOTE IF YOU'LL BE BIDDING OR PARTICIPATING IN THE AUCTION. I didn't see that first time around, and they don't want the results to be distorted by random people passing by. Fair enough.

I'm all about the compact flourescent light bulbs, but apparently those things do have a downside - mercury is used in their production, and we all know that that's a bad scene. so if you break one, be careful cleaning it up - don't breathe in the dust, and use a broom and damp cloth to tidy up the remains, not a vaccuum. And when the things do burn out, don't toss 'em in the trash, because that mercury could leak into a landfill, get into groundwater, and god knows what else. Instead, visit Earth911 or LampRecycle.org to find a bulb collection program near you. You can also call 1-800-CLEAN-UP. Stay safe, and help everyone (including the planet) stay healthy.

Ok, here's something I'm conflicted about. On one hand, I'm happy for this kid who took it upon himself to lose 106 pounds, going from a high of 310 to a current weight of 204. That's a good scene there. (And hey - he may end up reaping some other benefits as well down the road.) So why the conflict? Well, he slimmed down to join the Marines. And while I'm not anti-military, I do sort of worry that I'm going to be reading this kid's obit in a few months. Do you cheer someone on for chasing and catching their dreams, even if you think that said dream could lead to a negative conclusion? I can only hope for the best, I suppose.

And oddly enough, I find myself posting a link to WebMD's 15 Best Diet Tips Ever after this story because I've been meaning to do it and just now have been able to. Weird and random.

Thanks to a matching donor program of which we were all blissfully unaware, the Sweet Charity auction ended up raising over $22,000 for RAINN! Rock on!

Go give pats on the back to the participants. I'm especially proud of theycallmeboy, who raised $20 for the cause. Whoo!

Interesting. A group called Bottom Gear left a message on itslittlethings today about their project - drive a little car from England to Mongolia for charity. They have a LiveJournal (bottomgear), so I'm all curious. It reminds me that I need to get back to pushing The Towel Day Initiative. I'm starting to worry that I may have been a bit too ambitious about it all - where the hell am I going to get a website, or more importantly, donated Web space? - so now I'm sort of back to Square One. I'll keep pleading until mid-April, since that would give me time to set everything up before Towel Day on May 25. (The hypothetical auction would end on Towel Day.) If things don't get in gear by then, I'll scrap the idea until next year.

Thanks to Medicaid cuts, college students are paying much more for birth control.

What are the most dangerous drugs? The answers may surprise you.

Don't change the eater, change the food. Could the Dutch stop the obesity epidemic by changing food?

Here's one for parents: how a USB Flash drive can help find a lost child.

Finally, someone who gets it.

Speaking of spirituality, I've been feeling stirrings of it again. I've often asked myself why I'm still here, instead of moving on to another city. I've also been puzzled by a random, yet growing interest in this church, which I discovered while researching The Bridge War. Now, it's not at all unusual for me to take an interest in churches as historical landmarks, but my interest has been a bit deeper than that. I've found myself researching their social programs, their philosophies, even their Mass times. I've been curious about even *gasp* going there, which is just weird. (Those who know me know I'm not the church-going type.) There's something tugging me to do something with this church, and I don't know quite what.

But as we all know, times are tough here in NEO. Maybe I'm meant to help out somehow? Though I can't imagine what I'm supposed to do, or when.

Sorry for going so deep, everyone. Here's a little Lewis Black to make up for it.

And pumpkin soup recipes for zarq.

Holy crap! I just checked out the bidding over at Sweet Charity, and theycallmeboy is raking in the cash for charity - $15.58, to be exact. That is excellent news - everyone is doing an incredible job with that auction, and I am honored to be part of such an awesome group of people.

I'm also happy to announce that theycallmeboy is a mere $8 away from getting his first commission from his CafePress shop. I'm so happy for him - the shop is doing pretty well, considering it's only about a month old. He's created a new design which is sure to amuse, especially if you're in on the joke. (And if you're not, I suggest clicking this link and educating yourself about the merits of metal-ized coffee.)

Seriously, why don't they advertise coffee like that? I'd buy, like, way more coffee if I was guaranteed a rockin' good time with each steaming cup.

Most importantly of all, you fine people should be aware that tomorrow, March 20, will see theycallmeboy become a year older, which is good because that means that I have a few months of not feeling like a glasses-wearing, cane-wielding cradle robber. At least until early June, which is when the age clock clicks over for me. I'm not looking forward to it - most people already think that I'm in my 30s, so I can't wait to see what being a year older brings me. They'll probably start asking for my Golden Buckeye card. Yet another reason to work out and eat right - maybe people will stop assuming that I'm a mother if I no longer look like I've had (or am about to have) kids.

But enough about that - if you wish to send birthday greetings to the latest member of our LJ coterie, leave a message at his journal or e-mail me. I'll go ahead and give you his e-mail address, and you can send him an e-card or other suitable birthday greeting. I'm sure he'll appreciate it!

A couple of important items left over from the weekend: first is The Great Towel Day Initiative, as it is known to no one but me, because it sounds cool when I say it in my head. I was amazed (and very touched) by the response that this generated; I really do mean it when I say I have the Best Flist Ever. As you can see from the comments, I have the beginning stages of what could be a successful enterprise - halcyon_shift gave me some advice about payment, taperkat suggested some companies, isilrandir has offered to be a donor, attack_monkey has offered his website development skills (and some possible leads on designers), and copperwise has offered up some icons. I'm sorry I didn't get back to you guys on Friday - oddly enough, I was spending an evening with my dad watching his DVD of The Concert for Bangladesh, which has been a big inspiration to both of us since forever. I do appreciate your offers to help, and I will let you guys know when I need your skills. You will totally ge credited for all your hard work, too!

On the recommendation of quixotickitten, I think I'm going to go with Lush as our donor. They're international, environmentally friendly, and seem like an overall good group of people. If anyone has any further information on them, let me know.

We have a pretty good beginning, but of course none of this will work if I can't find a way to host the site. If anyone out there has some extra room on their server and wouldn't mind donating the space for free (it's a good cause!), then please let me know as soon as possible. The more time I have to put something together, the better the result will be. Feel free to pitch the idea far and wide, too - the bigger net we cast, the more likely we can get this thing off the groud. You've all been wonderful, and I know that somehow, we can pull this crazy thing off.

And don't forget Coupon Day. Not as grand, but still a fun way to save money and meet some pen pals. Presumably.

ETA: OH JEEBUS THIS IS THE BEST ONLINE CALCULATOR EVER. Oh, the fun that will be had! Oh, the experiments I shall undertake in the Name of Journalism! Oh, the places I will go!

That calculator is proof that the Internets gods love me and want me to be happy.

(Or: How I learned to stop worrying and promote my idea)

Right, so this is a little late, but better that than never. I'm hoping that you fine people will read it and help out, so here we go.

What I Need:

-Website and designer
Though I hate to steal ideas, I think that Sweet Charity really nails it when it comes to involvement, ease of use, and overall winningness. Thing is, I know NOTHING about websites, and I don't have a server to host it on. So if anyone can step up, that would be great.

-Money management
How do I handle the donations/bid collections? PayPal? halcyon_shift, do you have any advice here?

-Researchers
I'll be able to find shelters around here, but I'd like to split the proceeds between a shelter here and a shelter in Dundalk, Ireland. I'm hoping that theycallmeboy and trytobegood can help me with that.

-Donors
I'll need people to participate in the auction, selling goods, services, whatever. Check out Sweet Charity to see what I mean.

-Company contacts
I already have a list of companies I could write to in the US, but I'd need some UK/Irish companies as well. I'm trying to stick to environmentally friendly, sustainable products (a hat tip to Douglas Adams, who was an environmentalist in addition to being the inspiration for Towel Day). The need to source more local companies is important because of...

The Plan:

1) Hold a Sweet Charity-style auction. Donate things you make, services, or even nice goods. (Have a manga series that's in good condition but you don't read anymore? Why not donate that to the cause?) While the auction is going on, I would be working on;

2) Contacting two shelters, one local and one international, to explain what we're doing and to get a "shopping list" of toiletries and personal care products that they need. So armed, my helpers and I will proceed to;

3) The process of contacting companies to ask about donations. The plan is to ask about buying the products at a base price and having them ship the products directly to the shelters. That's why I need UK/Irish companies too, because when the auction is over;

4) I'll split the proceeds evenly and go about using the money to buy and ship the products where they need to go. I want to keep the shipping costs to a minimum, since I'd rather see more money go towards goods.

So that's the plan. I still don't know what my goal would be as far as how much money to raise, and I would most definitely need help with the bookkeeping, since I'm not too wonderful with that. I'm also not sure how to handle the date of May 25. Should I make that the day the auction closes? The day the orders are placed with the companies? The day the items get shipped? It's tough to say, considering we have a relatively tight deadline.

Anyway, that's the plan, and that's what I need. Anyone care to help?

Three strings. No frets. More rock than you or your grandmother can handle.

I wish I could find my copy of their first CD. If I can't find it, I'm going to have to buy it again. Yes, it's just that good. This song alone is worth the price of the CD. (Then again, I also love sitar music, so I'm probably a highly biased source.)

I'm pleased to report that business is booming over at Sweet Charity, with over $4,700 being raised for RAINN in about 48 hours! theycallmeboy is currently commanding a higher price than me, which just goes to show that he's the one who brings the brains - and the sexy.

I'm still trying to figure out what I bring. The stir fry, maybe. Maybe some coffee and cookies for dessert.

Speaking of Irish boys with hearts of gold, theycallmeboy saw my post about what I want to do for Towel Day. His encouragement, along with that of hushdawg, goddessfrida, eponabast and gefingerpoken has convinced me that somehow, I have it in me to pull this thing off. I'm going to need help - I'll post an outline of what I want to do and the things I'll need - but I'm just going to go forward knowing that somehow, it's all going to come together. Things have been falling into place quite nicely these days, and I think that somehow, that forward momentum is going to continue.

Watch this space during the 12:00 and 1:00 hours (EST) for more details. And thanks in advance for the help and support.




Forever Fifteen - your source for high class charity Hos since 2007.

I always get these crazy ideas.

They're not bad ideas, by any means. I think they're kind of neat. They're just a little crazy, mainly because they're so big and grandiose. I don't know if I'd ever be able to carry them out, because they would require a lot of time, a lot of work, and a lot of manpower. And I always get them WAY too late in the game to implement them.

Like the idea I've had for the past year or so about Towel Day.

Now, Towel Day isn't an official holiday. It's...kind of a geek holiday. And it's not really meant to be any sort of deep, solemn observance. On May 25, you're just supposed to grab your towel, carry your towel around, and revel in the silliness of doing so. But, because I'm odd, I was struck with an idea of doing something to commemorate Towel Day. Something nice. Something charitable.

Something involving bath necessities.

See, I was collecting food last spring as part of my Lenten vow to do something more to help others, and the woman at the church's food pantry said that in addition to food, many of the people who go there request dish soap, hand soap, and other toiletries and personal care products. And it got me thinking.

Homeless shelters and women's shelters get a lot of donations, most of which are probably food-based. But do they ever run short on things like soap, shampoo, lotion, toothpaste and the like? Do they ever find themselves in short supply of towels? Think about it - there's a lot of money invested in stuff like that - and they are all necessities.

So I got this cool crazy idea: a Towel Day drive. I could hold some sort of fund raiser, buy bath necessities with the proceeds, and donate them to a needy shelter on May 25.

I did a quick Wiki search on Douglas Adams recently and found out that he was dedicated to environmental causes. So I started thinking, and I realized that there are a lot of companies that make eco-friendly bath products: Tom's of Maine, Aubrey Organics, Burt's Bees, Bamboo Ecowear, Out of Africa Shea, and Dr. Bronner's, to name a few. Wouldn't it be cool to contact them and see about purchasing some stuff from them at cost to donate? That would make the gift beneficial all around.

And why stop with just one of my local shelters? Wouldn't it be cool to donate to one here, and one overseas? It would be some sort of "sister shelter" thing - split the fund raising proceeds down the middle, with half going to a U.S. shelter and half going to...another shelter somewhere. That way, more people would be more likely to get involved, meaning that more people could potentially benefit! YAAAAAAAY!

***

Damn. Where do I get this stuff?

Oh, hells yes.

This is pretty neat, too. Harvest for Hunger, a regional food and fund drive serving NEO, has a virtual food pantry. You "buy" items the pantry needs, and it shows you how far your dollars can go. Pretty effective, no?