Grateful

This has been a good year and I have a lot for which to be grateful.

For my family. We may not always be the most functional bunch, but we are consistently each others biggest fans. I'm especially grateful this year that my sister, who had to have emergency surgery a few months ago, came out of it largely unscathed.

For my friends. Each of you touch my life in ways seen and unseen. Whether we're near or far, I think of so many of you often and am glad technology allows us all to stay in touch in one way or another. This year, I'm especially thankful to Dr Lala, who called me while I was hiking in Yosemite and asked me if I'd like to come to Europe for a few weeks to work. Given the employment situation in the U.S., I'm very grateful to have a job.

For the opportunity to travel and see some great parts of the United States, including the Football Hall of Fame, the Lincoln Presidential Museum, the Nauvoo Temple, Mount Rushmore, the Cascades, the Biltmore Estates and Gardens, Birmingham, Alabama and New Orleans, Louisiana. I visited the farmstead where my 95-year old grandmother grew up in Texas and visited the graves of my great-grandparents. I saw Carlsbad Caverns, the Acoma Pueblo, the Grand Canyon, Sedona, and Yosemite National Park. I caught up with friends old and made friends new. To Senga and Joni, Virginia and her daughter Melissa, Aunt Edith, Debi, Ivo and Barbara, Heidi and Joe, Gram Kincaid, Don and Scott, and Cele and Ducky.

I'm thankful to be living in Europe. I enjoy visiting Mr and Mrs Swizzies in Basel and seeing the Alsace-Lorraine. I've fallen in love with Paris and relaxed in Provence. Along the way, I've visited Italy and been briefly to Germany. I look forward to seeing Vienna and Prague, Normandy and London, and anywhere else I can fit in.

For love. This year has been both good and bad in the relationship arena. The not-so-happy aside (there's a reason the song says "Breakin' up is hard to do..."), this year, I'm especially grateful for Maya and her love. Every relationship has its challenges and we've got our share, but I love waking up with her in the morning and going to bed with her at night. I love her laughter and seeing her smile. She's incredibly bright and articulate. She's fun in company, when we're out with friends and she's fun at home, when it's just the two of us. I'm grateful we met and I'm especially grateful we get to be together.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

13. Or, Why I Like Where I Work and Live.

Happy Friday the 13th, everyone!

Thirteen Reasons Why I Like My Job and Where I'm Living Right Now

1. Because the alternative is a bad option.
2. Because it puts me in contact with people every day and that's always a good thing.
3. Because I'm working on a topic that is interesting and constantly changing.
4. Because I'm working with really good people from all over the world. It amazes me that such a large group of people, whose first language often isn't English, are able to come together and get stuff done despite the differences in language and culture and ethnicity. It is, frankly, exhilarating.
5. Because going to the farmer's market on a Saturday is just a hop, skip, and a jump from our apartment.
6. Because French butter with large grains of sea salt and Savoyard pain au levain naturel bread is yummiliscious!
7. Because seeing the old world as a citizen of the new world gives me better perspective on the benefits and detractors of both.
8. Because I get to see buffalo every morning on my drive into work!
9. Because I'm living near friends I like (hi Mr. and Ms. Swizzies and Dr. Lala!) and am making new friends (hi JJ, TD, PA, HM, DN, FM, and CA!) and I'm living with someone I love.
10. Because every few weeks I can go shopping at the most fabulous grocery store in all of Europe. (The website doesn't look like much, but trust me when I tell you Hieber's Frischmarkt is HEAVEN!)
11. Because I've had the opportunity to visit the Alsace-Lorraine, fall in love with Paris, spend time relaxing in Provence, go to the Alpage in Annecy, enjoy the beauty of Basel, take in the alpine beauty in Interlaken, wander around Geneva and Lausanne, and finally make it to Italy ('cause the last time I lived in Europe, I lived right across the street from Italy and we weren't allowed to cross the border.) I hope to see more of this great continent in the weeks and months ahead.
12. Because what's not to love about fondue and raclette? Mmmmm. Cheesy goodness.
13. Because I'm living across the street from Switzerland!

And, as it's Friday, here's a photo. Happy (Photo) Friday, too, folks! Bon weekend!

Goatherder : Alpage : Annecy, FR

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 10/09

Thankful. Or, Why I Miss My Grandpa On This Particular Day Every Year.

Today is Armistice Day in France. In the U.S., it's Veteran's Day. For the French, this day commemorates the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918 when hostilities between Germany and France ceased and ended World War I. For Americans, it's a day to honor our men and women in uniform who have served their country with honor and dignity.

Up until three years ago, I would call my grandfather on Veteran's Day and thank him for his service to our country as a solider in Patton's Army during World War II. Now that I'm living in Europe and seeing some of the places he spent time in and then later revisited with my grandmother in the 1970s, I have a renewed appreciation for his service and sacrifice. He, along with those of his band of brothers, fought and died not just for our nation, but for the peoples of Europe.

To all those who have worn the uniform of the United States Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine, past and present, thank you.

And thanks Mugwump. I miss you.

Flash of Brilliance...

...Two Years Later.

I don't know whether I should be gratified by this or just walk away and shake my head in dismay.

Every once in a very, very blue moon, I check out the website of the environmental recycling organization I worked for a couple of years ago. As a few of you may recall, I was their director of fund development. I put together a pretty robust fundraising plan that resulted in some impressive increases in sponsorships for the organization's two largest annual events and could have resulted in some very impressive funding from foundations and corporate donors if the executive director had actually given me and the proposed work the proper time of day.

Instead, she ignored me and wouldn't reply to my emails or requests for meetings. Then, without indication and on the last day of the fiscal year, she told me I was "tedious to work with", giving me a common character trait with butternut squash, and sent me packing.

So, today, I thought, "What the hell. I'll have a look at the latest goings-on at the wretched former employer. Maybe they've finally fired the wretched former boss!" (In the secret and darkest corners of my heart, I hope bad karma for the WFB. You would, too, if you'd had the experience I had. Tragically, she's still there. I guess she's continued to succeed at snowing the board.)

First, turns out they've posted a listing for an opening for a director of fund development.

Ha! Ha ha ha. Good luck with that. Pffft. And to show how serious they are about finding the right person, they've put the admin assistant in charge of fielding resumes. Yeah. That's the person to put in charge when you're looking for the second or third most important slot in your non-profit. (Picture me rolling my eyes here.)

Second, they've added a "Donate Now" button to their website, which was something I proposed TWO YEARS ago when I was there. In the fund development community, it's become the quickest way to raise unsolicited, unattached (meaning, you don't have to give the donor anything. It's practically free money) funding without all the hassle. It's as simple as Jack or Jill Tree-Hugger clicking on a button, entering their Pay Pal information and making a quick contribution to an organization they adore. No fuss, no muss. The "with it" organizations have had them on their sites for several years now. Nice to see the WFE is finally getting with the times. Idiots.

Like I said, I don't know if I should be gratified or just shake my head. They could have been doing this two years ago and making money.

Whatever.

***********

You may have noticed I took down the entry about D.B. Cooper. I did that for Bee, because some of the anonymous comments were getting out of hand. One of the nameless commenters turned out to be her cousins' half-brother, which was fine, but the rest were a pain in the ass.

The fact still remains, though, that Bee's cousins are pretty much certain D.B. Cooper was their dad, Wolfgang "Bill" Gossett.

I'm still tripping out about that!

************

In other news, I'm working on a personal project I hope to announce soon, so stay tuned to these parts.

Who Needs a Tree Hugger When You Can Have a Head Hugger?

You may recall way back in December, I mentioned reading a blog post by Susan Neibuhr (aka: WhyMommy) at Toddler Planet and posting a comment on her blog that inspired me to action. I posted a revised version of my comment on my blog and issued a challenge called the Holiday Party Meme Charity Event. For every blogger who participated in the meme, I said I would donate $5 to the charity of Susan's choice.

At around the same time, I became involved with a site for photographers called 2 Things Challenge. The site is maintained by a lovely woman in Texas named Debi Cates, who is also a fabulous photographer! (Debi is currently on hiatus, but her archives are totally worth visiting.) One of my meme options was to participate in that week's 2 Things Challenge. Debi was so taken with the idea, she stepped up and agreed to throw in $5 for anyone who participated in the challenge that week. In the end, Debi and I raised $200 for charity.

We asked Susan where she'd like us to direct the money we raised and she listed a couple of charities and one-person operations she has supported in her battle with inflammatory breast cancer. One of the organizations she included was a one-woman shop called Head Huggers. Yesterday, I finally made it out to Stevensville, Maryland, near Annapolis to present a check for $200 to Head Huggers' owner, operator, and huge-hearted-heroine extraordinaire, Sue Thompson, M.D.

Right after the terrorist attacks in 2001, Sue wanted to give back to the community in some way. She'd recently retired from her medical practice as a general practitioner and had time on her hands. Sue is a prolific knitter and crocheter and she had a friend who introduced her to a woman who was battling cancer. The friend's friend complained that one of the side effects of chemotherapy--hair loss--resulted in her head always being cold. That gave Sue the idea she was looking for and a channel for her knitting and crocheting passion and she was off!

Since 2001, Sue has enlisted the aid of retirees in assisted living communities and retirement homes, as well as women inmates at the women's prison in Towson, Maryland. The result: Sue and her army of knitters and crocheters have made more than 50,000 hats over the last six years and have mailed just as many to cancer patients and treatment centers all over the United States!

Sue Thompson, Founder and Organizer of Head Huggers--
a network of knitters and crocheters who make chemo caps for cancer patients.
Behind her, just a fraction of the yarn people have donated to her.

Over the years, people have donated boxes and boxes of skeins of yarn. Sue distributes the yarn to her network of knitters and crocheters, who turn the yarn into hats for a variety of climates: warm hats for cool climates, cool hats for warm climates, inbetween hats for inbetween climates. You name it and she has a hat for where you are if you're fighting cancer.

Sue continues to ply her good works, but she's slowing down a little because postage has become expensive and she and her husband live on a fixed income. That said, I'm making a plug for Sue and her wonderful Head Huggers organization. If you have yarn you want to get rid of, Sue will be happy to help you put it to good use. You can send it to her and she and her team of volunteers will continue to knit and crochet hats. If you knit or crochet and you'd like a creative outlet and you're looking for a way to give back to the community, contact Sue and become a part of her Head Huggers network. Most importantly, if you can spare a few dollars, send her a check and designate the donation for postage to help her defray the cost of shipping these wonderful hats to those in need. You can contact Sue via her website.

Sue Thompson doing what she loves and giving back to the community!

In a world full of war and discord, sickness and pain, Sue Thompson and the men and women who knit and crochet for Head Huggers are making a difference. I want to thank all of you who participated in the Holiday Party Meme Charity Event. Your willingness to play along is making a difference in the lives of cancer patients nationwide.

Thank you!

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential