Win a $250 Target Giftcard!? For talking about MYSELF!?!?

Over at Barking Mad there is an astounding giveaway contest going on. You could win (or, just maybe, *I* could win) a $250 Target gift card, for talking about my favorite blog posts. Incredible. A prize for bragging on my own stuff!?

But I have several years worth of posts, so this is more work than I'd anticipated... Hmmm...

Do I link to poetry? I dunno, considering how little I write anymore, but I really do like this poem... It's one of my favorites, oddly. Mostly because it was written about Nova before he died.

Do I link to Nova's story? I mean that's a lot of blog posts to sort through, and how many "favorite posts" can come from the experience of having a child with a life threatening heart defect that eventually took him from us? Well... there was the post I made about Christmas that year. I mean, THAT was a great Christmas present, and made for my favorite-ever Christmas card design.

But I'm thinking I should probably talk about more recent events - I mean, both those posts were from 2005/2006. So how about my amazement that I'd made it from Charlotte to LAX -my first plane ride since I was 3- all by myself!? Or, should I link to the post about how I got lost in LAX on my way home?

But then, that skips a lot of time now doesn't it. A 3 year jump, with no explanation of the time in between. Why would I consider that one ofmy favorite posts? Because that's about the time I came back to Blogger, which I missed, a lot :)

Then of course, there's all my FAVORITE charity linky posts - but really do I want to have to choose which of those to link to? Nah. I'll just finish off with my latest poem :)

And then I'll say, again - go read Barking Mad, cuz it's a cool blog, and would be even if she wasn't giving away a $250 Target Gift Card!

On Vulnerability and Handicaps

So the bad news is that in the craziness that my eyes just experienced, my prescription changed by an entire point. They were -4.50, and -4.75. They are now both -5.50. Perfect vision = 20/20. My vision =20/2500.

We went to America's Best, cuz they have their special 2 for 69 special on glasses. I am disqualified from the special because my eyes are too bad to make the lenses strong enough with plastic.

So there we are in Rock Hill - Scott was getting new glasses too, so he got called back, and I ws left -all but blind- by myself. Now when I say "all but" I mean that I can't see the big A at the top of the eye chart. I see a gray smudge. No, not black, because it's too blurred to be black anymore. With large objects, like people and, oh, I dunno, architecture, I see only shapes, basic colors, and movement. Absolutely no detail. I can keep from knocking into walls, and that's about it. I don't think I've ever felt so vulnerable and ... intimidated. It was bad enough at home, where I knew who was around and where all the furniture was. Being in a crowded room full of strangers with no one to guide me was frightening.

I was forced to face the reality that some day, I am going to be perfectly, completely blind. That some day, I will be unable to fend for myself, unable to work or support myself, unable, really, to take care of myself, let alone anyone else. Humbling experience. I can honestly say, I dread getting old. Screw saggy tits, stretch marks and sciatica. I'm going to be handcapped, and it scares the fuck out of me.

The good news is, they had a pair of contacts in my prescription in stock, so now, I have new contacts and can see. All I have to do now is wait for my eyes to adjust to the new scrip. I go back next week - fully sighted, to do my follow up, and I'll order more. Y'all keep your fingers crossed nothing happens to these in the next 2 weeks!

Team Nova 2009

So last year I was fairly pissed off at the way the AHA handled the Charlotte Metro Heart Walk. I'm still a little pissed actually, but the truth is, The AHA is the only organization that donates any real money towards CHD research, and so, the AHA continues to be the organization of choice for me and the fam. It is something we will likely support until I die. As a matter of fact, when I do die, please refrain from sending flowers, just make a donation to the AHA instead, deal? Cool.

Anyway, it's that time again, the new event has opened up, and tonight I set up our Team page as well as my personal page. The fundraising widget will remain in my side bar until November 19th, when we join roughly 10,000 other Charlotte area citizens in the yearly "finale" of the year long fundraiser.

Click Here to DonateI am sincerely hoping that the AHA handles things differently this year, they really hurt my feelings last year, and I let it "get to me" that Team Nova is no longer viewed as an effective marketing tool for their fundraising, as we once were. Silly me, got all offended, because we aren't the center of the AHA universe now that some time has passed. Yes, it is silly. Don't make excuses for me. It was stupid. Anyway... Donations welcome, so are your efforts in forwarding this link to anyone who might donate, and just as welcome are the pats on the back and moral support, particularly on those days when no one has donated in weeks :)

Please forgive me now if I get obnoxious with the posts LOL. And here's a direct link to my personal fundraising page. I'm aiming for $5000.
Erin's Fundraising Page for Team Nova 2009

Ugly ass rainbow

Your rainbow is intensely shaded green, brown, and blue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is says about you: You are an intelligent person. You appreciate friends who get along with one another. You share hobbies with friends and like trying to fit into their routines. You feel closer to people when you understand their imperfections.

Find the colors of your rainbow at spacefem.com.

My rainbow is ugly, downright nasty - like..., like... baby poop or something. And a good bit of my personal summary there is pure bubkus.

What is says about you:
You are an intelligent person. I'd like to think so...

You appreciate friends who get along with one another. True dat

You share hobbies with friends and like trying to fit into their routines. Not so much anymore. I mean, sure I USED to share my hobby of writing poetry, but since I don't really do that anymore, well, not so much. And Hell I don't TRY to fit into anyone's anything. If I do I do, if not, we'll catch up once a month or so...

You feel closer to people when you understand their imperfections. Um... I don't really care one way or another about my friends' imperfections - they don't make me feel closer to them, unless I share the same imperfection..

Found this at Ang's place. Hope you have a prettier rainbow.

from 29Gifts.org

During the months of February and March, we are rallying 29Givers to support the mother of our movement, Mbali Creazzo. As most of you know, the 29-Day Giving Challenge was given to me as a "prescription" by Mbali, who is one of my spiritual mentors and a medicine woman. Mbali is originally from South Africa, and though she lives in the San Francisco Bay Area now, she remains involved in activities that benefit her home country. One of those organizations is the Vukani Mawethu Choir. This choral group is a nonprofit multiracial choir which sings the freedom songs of Southern Africa, and also gospel, spirituals, labor and civil rights songs linking people in the U.S., South Africa, and around the world.


In April 2009, Mbali and the Vukani Mawethu Choir will be traveling to South Africa, where their performances will raise money for various humanitarian projects, such as AIDS clinics and orphanages. For Mbali, as the only member of the choir who is from South Africa, this trip is a return to her homeland, but this is no vacation. She and the choir will be traveling to six cities and three countries in less than four weeks, from South Africa, to Mozambique, and Nambia.

Traveling to Africa is expensive and each member of the choir must raise funds to pay for their trip to ensure that money generated from performances can go to the humanitarian projects the choir supports. Mbali needs to raise $6,300 by March 31, 2009 to make this trip possible. This money will cover her lodging, food, travel expenses, and a percentage will go into the choir's charitable donation fund. I encourage all of you to to show your gratitude and appreciation by helping Mbali make this pilgrimage. Please donate via credit card or Paypal to help facilitate Mbali's trip. Click the Chip In button. This transaction is processed by Paypal and the money will go directly into the Vukani Mawethu account. You will be emailed a receipt so you have it for tax records.

The Vukani Mawethu Choir sings out against racism and injustice whenever and wherever possible -- from homeless shelters or prisons, to performing directly behind Nelson Mandela before 78,000 at the Oakland Coliseum in June 1990, and throughout the cities and townships of South Africa on a dynamic cultural tour in 1997. Vukani Mawethu is proud to have contributed to the international effort to bring about democratic elections for all the people of South Africa, and to have often been called "the spirit of the movement" and "cultural ambassadors of good will.” The choir has won three Emmys for their 1997 documentary.

If you'd like to hear some samples of Vukani Mawethu songs, there are three uploaded in the community music player on our main page. The music player is in the left sidebar.

http://givingchallenge.ning.com/forum/topics/februarymarch-cause-help-mbali

Nature strikes again

I haven't been here much lately huh? heh.

Well, I gotta tell ya, I have no excuse at all, other than just not being motivated. Tonight I'm only motivated because I'm astounded at the weird weather in NC this year. Our last snow, before this winter, was February 04. Seriously, we went nearly 5 years without getting a snowfall worth mentioning. So far this year, we've gotten 2!

Now you northerners don't go yelling at me, I'm fully aware that for other places, 2 1/2 inches isn't actually worth mentioning LOL. But seriously, it's snowing like crazy out there right now, and I'm fairly certain that school will be out again tomorrow (it was cancelled on inauguration day for the aforementioned 2 1/2 inches...)

I have pictures, but I can't find any of the 3 download cords *rolls eyes*

So, let's see, what else is there worth mentioning? Oh... my husband's new site unioncountyweekly.com was in one of the local papers this week. Sadly, their site is screwed up, and I can't link to it - it's just a little blurb anyway, nothing really to write home about.

We finally got all the legal/financial junk straightened out with our car. Long story, but basically, we couldn't drive the car for like, shit, 2 or 3 months? A GOOOOOD friend of ours lent us their spare. All fixed now, we're finally legal again. What a relief.

Ummmm.... It's February - February 14th is congenital heart defect awareness day.
I got a carpet shamppoer. I'm fucking THRILLED with that aquisition. Seriously, no sarcasm, I LOVE my carpet shampooer!

Yeah. I'm sleepy. Night night.