Eliud and Richard: Bee-men

Eliud and Richard are two men who live in western Kenya. They both are seeking Kiva loans for starting up honey businesses.

Sustainable, edible, versatile and look at their happy faces!

I'm sold! If you are too, you can lend them money through Kiva micro-loans here and here. And if they're fully funded by the time you get to their pages, I encourage you to find someone who touches you heart. Maybe in Kenya. After all, Kenyans have had one shitty week. 

If you are new to Kiva and sign up with my URL, then we get more money to lend out to more people! How cool!

MY URL: http://www.kiva.org/invitedby/jenny7229

I'm not compensated for this blubbering adoration. I just like Kiva. 

Swearing in Front of Mother Teresa and Pants-ing the Pope

What a RICH weekend. It was so full of wonderful things!

I've told you before that I grew up in a small town in Indiana and lost someone special to me as a teenager. My parents moved from my childhood home to Southern Indiana when I graduated college. My younger brother went with them. I had rarely returned to my hometown, but now my brother is back living there. This past weekend we returned just in time for a real, Midwestern fall.

My brother invited the Mr. and me to come to an outdoor party/concert/camp-out. We are choc-full-a activities from here until November, but this was the first invitation my brother extended so we didn't want to miss the opportunity. We first had lunch with my Grammy a few towns over, laughed at the stupidest things and then headed to Small Town, Indiana.

Does anyone else ever return to their hometown and it almost feels dreamlike? I feel that way. I recognize things and it seems real, but it's all totally different. Like I'm trying to remember my childhood after a head trauma.

My amnesia faded in and out as we drove through the heart of town. "The post office hasn't changed." "There used to be a coffee shop there." I'd remembered turns right as we were upon them. Thankfully, the Mr. had a good reaction time and was patient with my sporadic, "turn left NOW" commands.

We turned into my brother's drive knowing that the house he lives in was once inhabited by my high school boyfriend's parents. After the accident. My boyfriend never lived there, but I did stay the night there once to house sit and watch their dogs. It was surreal to walk back into the house with different furniture, different dogs.

My brother then took us to the shop where he works as a landscaper. I'd never seen where he works and the building was pretty new. It was so well put together and clean - especially for a group of guys who get dirty for a living! I'm so proud of him!

As we were leaving I noticed two crosses in the ditch and sputtered out half of a question before stopping myself. I hadn't recognized the intersection because the landscaping office was new to the corner. I also hadn't been back to the site of the accident in probably 8 years. One cross was original and the other was new and decorated with a pen and ever increasing signatures, but both to the same end.

We talked about the striking coincidence of it all without lumps in our throats. My brother is living and working where tough memories were stale and visceral, like fish fry garbage. He said he had unsettling dreams about it, but that they have stopped now. I hope he's been able to rewrite those areas with his own happy life. That the wood and paint in both places are just architecture.

The Mr. and I had so much fun this past weekend. It was our first time camping together in a tent. We listened to music by a high school friend. We had pulled pork around a campfire, breakfast links in a bay window, and pizza in a pub (Maddy, it was my first time at the Barbie hotel!). We hugged our host and hostess, thanking them for the 10th time. We hugged my brother a little tighter and longer than our welcome hug.

A while ago, the Mr. and I helped a coworker of my brother's who was given a raw deal. That coworker is doing a lot better now. We got to meet his whole family at this camp-out - in-laws, children, the works! They were all so kind and appreciative. Everyone was. Most of them are self-proclaimed red-necks who would swear in front of Mother Teresa and pants the Pope, but my brother has a good group of people around him and I'm thankful he's got "family" close.

Comments = Vaccines

This blogger I love is joining a campaign to help children around the world get life saving vaccinations.

Join her! All it takes is a comment!

Not to mention she has an AMAZING story and great blog!

And this is Amanda Peet, the campaign's spokesperson:

I never ask you to give to anything I don't also give to. Here's where you can give.

Remember This Thing?

I "gave up" my 26th birthday last year for charity:water. They've pooled (haha!, get it... pool?) our money to help build a well and educate a village on public health in Nepal! 

A big thanks to those who helped us reach our goal. THANK YOU :)

Now, who wants to go visit our well?

Math, Math, Math ... Elvira!

I belong to flash sale sites like Fab.com, Ideeli, Rue La La, Jetsetter, Groupon, Joss and Main, etc.

And have logins to other favorite online stores like ASOS, ShopRuche, Everlane, etc.

I occasionally click on the email promptings or log on to see how I can spend my money.

I need a lot of things:

reliable winter tights
a rug for our living room
a trip somewhere tropical in February
a chandelier for our dinning room
scented candles for housewarming gifts
sweaters that pair well with button downs
comfortable flats for the office

Did I say need? I mean, first-world-need/want.

Thankfully I get overwhelmed when I have two things in my cart and end up closing the browser window in a panic.

Was I really about to spend $100 on 2 sweaters?

I know that this is a lot of money to some and not so much money to others. For sweaters anyway.

The past few clothing purchases I've made have been hit-or-miss in satisfaction. I even find that the more I weed my closet of the unwearables, the easier it is to get dressed.

You have one pair of black pants and 4 sweaters that look good with those pants and 2 pairs of shoes that hit the hemline just-so, so you only have ... math, math, math ... 8 options for an outfit. Easy!

But you know what I have no problem spending money on? Others who really need it.

I love to love people with my credit card. And I can't tell if that statement is endearing or sad.

So when I got an email prompting from Kiva this morning, I click-clicked through to find Elvira's story and click-clicked to help her buy charcoal to sell.

from Kiva.org

She lives in the Philippines where the average annual salary is $1175. She needs a $400 loan to continue her business (... math, math, math, that's 8 fancy sweaters).

So if you feel like going on a shopping spree to help people all over the world with a lil' micro-lending, check out Kiva. And when you get paid back (and I usually do), you can relend the money for even MORE giving and shopping!


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I am in no way compensated for this post. I just really love Kiva and believe in their mission. 

One More Gift Guide

Gifts for the person who has everything. All with high charity ratings.

Kiva - Loans that change lives.

Polaris Project - A world without slavery.

Heifer International - If you give a village a cow...

Samaritan's Purse - The one with the Christmas shoe boxes.

PAWS - The unkennel shelter. Right now there is a dachshund puppy named Randy and a beagle named Greg... I think it's a sign I need another one!

The NY Times thinks it's cool to give.

Beverage pairing? Whatever washes down humble pie.

charity:water Update!

Email not displaying correctly? See it here »   Hi J.Mill projects are underway in Ethiopia and Nepal. Earlier this year, you fundraised to help bring clean and safe water to people in need. We'd like to update you on the following:   CAMPAIGN NAME AMOUNT RAISED J.Mill's 26th Birthday $535.50   Your project timeline.  Building water and sanitation projects is a time-consuming business. We allow 18 months because we don't consider a project complete until we know that all of its components are in place and working for the best of the community. Here's a timeline of what happens during the 18 months.   0-3 MONTHS We send your money to the field. 3-6 MONTHS Our partners get permits, supplies, pick sites & begin the work. 6-9 MONTHS Our partners collect midterm reports & send us the information. 9-12 MONTHS Our partners finish the work & train the communities to manage their water point. 12-15 MONTHS Our partners collect final photos, GPS & community information. 15-18 MONTHS We receive completion reports, verify the data, assign your dollars to projects & send you your report.    Learn more about the work in Ethiopia and Nepal.     Of the nearly 31 million people living in Nepal, 11% lack access to clean drinking water and 69% lack access to sanitation. Thanks to you, our local partner, Nepal Water for Health (NEWAH), is busy helping communities build 40 large-scale gravity fed water systems and 62 rehabilitated hand-dug wells in the Sinduhili and Chitwan districts.  More than 86 million people live in Ethiopia, and 56% lack access to clean drinking water. Our local partner, A Glimmer of Hope (AGOH), is busy helping communities build 60 new and rehabilitated hand-dug wells, 79 new and rehabilitated drilled wells, and 11 new and rehabilitated spring protections.   Which country got your funds?   Since construction in developing countries means dealing with many variables -- supply price fluctuation, altered plans due to wells that come up dry and other unpredictable challenges -- we don't assign your dollars to a specific project right away. This allows us to remain flexible and efficient during the implementation process, so we can use your funds where they're really needed.   Rest assured, 100% of the money you raised will help fund water project costs in the field.   As soon as the work is complete our partners will send us a report with details on each project, including GPS coordinates, photos and the final costs. Our team will verify all of this data, and then we'll assign the money you raised to actual project costs so you can see the real impact you made.  See an example of the report you'll receive when your project is ready here »   Stay tuned!   We can't wait to report back and show you the impact your fundraising campaign made for those in need. Thanks so much for your patience and support. If you have any questions at all, don't hesitate to email us here.  -- the charity: water team   Blog   |    charitywater.org

200 Varick Street, Suite 201, New York, NY 10014

Advice: With a name like Dick Johnson...

My office ran the Chase Corporate Challenge. I ran with the Chicago office and was checking to see if the results from the Boston run had been posted yet. Perusing the Boston page of the CCC site, I saw this comment section. Have a gander and judge for yourself what the takeaway should be here:

That was literally the whole comment section. Dicky boy derailed the whole thing with his rant. 

Not a single bit of useful information was shared.

I love the internet.

Mobs, Cattle, People in Groups

Penn State came up in my morning conversation with my boss (we were talking PR moves) and the morning headlines on MSNBC. I got to thinking about how the students handled the news of the scandal months ago. How so many students could stand faithfully alongside figureheads they revered who, eventually, would be shamed.

Then I also thought about my conversation with my uncle about the stock market. How one can predict a bull market from a bear market just by reading the pulse on rock music or skirt length at the time. Are perceptions prescriptive or symptomatic? The chicken or the egg? And if a perceived bear market causes cyclical panic and withdrawal, doesn't that mean that our emotions/opinions dictate the economy as much (or more so? shudder!) than the actual numbers?

Bottom line: Individuals can be brilliant. Groups of them are stupid.


If you are blessed enough to be a brilliant person, don't be swayed by the masses. Look hard into the face of fact and question it, poke it around, sniff out it's origin. Even if you are unpopular for doing it, you might regret less.

I've been victim of the mob-mentality. I'm a sucker for crusade. Wanna see all of the mobs I've been sucked into only to regret my loud-mouth, ignorant, one-sided opinion later? (Embarrassment time)

- Kony 2012
- No-exception Republicanism
- Religious Righteousness
- Bullying (from roughly age 12 to ... current? I can be very judge-y)

Nothing is black and white. If you think it is, chances are you are only seeing the black or the white. Life it complicated. A well-thought opinion shouldn't fit on a banner or into a nice slogan. But, you should be able to explain it simply, in fewer than 100 words.

Put down the pitchforks and torches. Keep learning about people around you. Read more. Be open to adaptation. It's ok to be a part of a group, to find like-minded individuals. Just make sure that you would stake your life on what you, as an individual, believe.

Take risks you can afford. Google the opposition. Seek empirical evidence. Ask someone what they think, listen to the answer, and then consider not telling your opinion until you've slept on someone else's. Be comfortable saying, "I don't know."

Have you ever jumped on the bandwagon to realize you were wrong? Have you ever regretted stating an opinion?

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To thank you for reading/skimming the ramblings above, I'll let you decide what to do with the artwork in my office:

This is where the art hangs now. It's on the wall in front of me and slightly to the left.

This is where I used to keep The Bean poster:

And this is where I had kept The Bunnies print:

Both locations are now taken up by the former wall-art. They are nicely framed, but they're also boring, old marketing sheets with retro stock photography.

Nothing looks right like this. I could get rid of the old marketing art by putting it in a vacant office, but then the spots near the tea set and on my desk extension would look bare.

Thoughts?

Bringing back the Wish List (although my birthday and Christmas are way far off!).

Mr. S and I just both got sucked in to the fundraising at our local NPR, WBEZ. We can never agree on music in the car (he asked me recently if I could find his Hinder CD... I politely refused), so NPR is a nice happy medium for the both of us and often keeps us out of long-distance-driving-car-fights.

So I do, I really do heart NPR.

I was sad when we became members though that mugs were not an option as a membership gift. I saw all of my friend Chelsey's annual mugs and was experiencing some hipster mug envy.

Then I saw this puppy on the NPR swag site (not the WBEZ swag site):

Can I use the rest of our charity budget to buy like 5 of these? Well, heck, I might as well make it a set at 6!

Other awesome gifts from NPR:

What really bugs you?

Makes me melt.

Good for a road trip. (Are we the only ones who get in car-fights? Something about confined spaces!)

Do you think it'll be Knee-High-By-The-4th-of-July er, Christmas?

My brother and I would be good at this game. Sometimes growing up I swear we were telepathic and we can both carry a tune!

I think my friend Chelsey would be amused by this one.

Flip-It Friday: A or B

Let's take this Friday really easy. I'll do my part by only making you choose between two choices: A or B.

A. Pink

B. Purple

I did a hot pink on my toenails and a lavender on my fingernails.

A. Tea and Downton

B. Red Bull and Hunger Games

I chose A. I don't like energy drinks (did you know a girl died from them!!) and am not into pop-lit or its subsequent films.

A. Tea and Red Velvet Cheesecake

B. Coffee and Red Velvet Cupcake.

I chose A. The tea is green and the cheesecake is red. I couldn't even eat it all!

A. Choose not to post a photo where your eyes appear glazed and droopy (allergies?).

B. Post that photo, despite how you look, cause it's your birthday and this is just how you LOOK.

I chose B. Unfounded confidence. Hey mom! Notice the birthday scarf? To keep my neck warm!?

A. Don't tell anyone it's your birthday and expect everyone to leave you alone.

B. Tell everyone it's your birthday and expect them to hand you the world on a string.

C. Don't tell anyone it's your birthday and expect them to hand you the world on a string anyway.

D. Don't tell anyone it's your birthday. Hope few good things happen. Try not to expect the world on a string. Be pleasantly surprised with surprises. Practice "Happy Birthday Week" instead of just one day.

D.

Thanks to my friends who knew and congratulated, sent SomeEcards, text and emailed. Thanks to my husband who enlisted the neighbors to make it special while he was away and told me to TreatYoSelf! after he got a Chase Bank alert that I spent some major dollars online shopping at ASOS.com. Thanks for the cake, the sidewalk chalk message and for depositing the flowers, Josie. Thanks to my family for the phone calls, texts, picture texts and giggles. Thanks to my dad and Maddy for helping me to reach my charity:water goal in the nick of time!

Tonight, hopefully, I round out the treat myself week with some awesomeness at Good Friday church service. I've had some very touching experiences the past few years on Easter weekend. Its not that it's a "treat" per say, but it does conclude my 6 weeks of being alcohol-free. It's a treat to know that I've sort of cleansed from that, hit a mini-milestone, and can have a glass of wine on Sunday if I want!

So, what are your A,B,C, or D choices? What are you doing for Easter? Did you give up anything for Lent?

10 Days Left to Give

My charity:water fund is open for 10 more days.

That is either a frowny face or an awesome mustache. My reusable cup's happiness depends on YOU!

Flip It Friday: What's Your Charity of Choice?

Tell me what charity you stand behind. Why do you love it? How are you involved?

Also: My friend Rachel just emailed me this link to a flash sale for Kiva! You have to sign up for the flash sale site (think GILT Group, Rue La La, Ideeli, etc.) but then you get a $25 Kiva giftcard for only $10! I've signed up for this and other flash sale sites and they are safe in my opinion and you can opt out of them if you want to.

The sale only lasts 24 hours, so hop to it!

Leave a comment if you participated in this - or other charities - this week.

Happy St. Patricks Day [tomorrow]!

via

Kony: The Plot Thickens

Yesterday I was one of millions participating in the blog-n-reblog-n-microblog of the Kony 2012 video.

It got the world on fire for this topic. Kudos to social media!

It also got some backlash and skepticism stirred up.

To keep the conversation going and to try and keep us informed, (which, if you ever give money to an organization, you should be INFORMED about it's practices - whether that organization is Forever 21 or World Vision) I wanted to share some links and counterpoints with you.

The Washington Post attempts to hear both sides of the story.

This Tumblr's whole angle is that Invisible Children is not seeing the big picture - that they are doing more harm than good and their well-intentioned battle cries are awakening beasts they aren't prepared to battle. The author  of this blog and some articles here, here and here all raise some good questions:

- What about IC's score as a charity on Charity Navigator and their transparency as a NPO?
- What do we do after we take down Kony?
- Uganda is not a democracy. How will our tactics affect the people there?
- Kony isn't in Uganda... are we barking up the wrong tree?
- Ugandan children have disease, prostitution and poverty as their number one worries now... what about those threats?

 via

Leap For Loaves: Put Your Leap Day To Good Use

Use this app to fight hunger in the Midwest.

Leap For Loaves! uses a smart phone app to calculate how high you jump. It then takes the total jumps of all users and donates money to Second Harvest Heartland.


So go on and JUMP!