Archive for December 17th, 2008
| Hey, Butterflyfish, look what I got!
Those of you who know me are laughing right now because this is soooo me (except I worry out loud a lot, too).
Random thoughts:
1) Comment on my posts this week, people! I am trying to be charitable and my many, many readers coming, reading, and NOT commenting is not helping these poor people. 
Seriously, comment. And give me some ideas for charities to feature on Friday’s “vote for a charity” feature. And for those of you who love to comment, don’t forget that this was Pseudostoops’ idea and you should go check out the awesome charities she has featured. Go, tell your friends, Tweet at people, post it on your blog, but get people to come comment on any day of my posts or Pseudostoops’. Lots of charities hurting out there right now so get to it! 
2) Sleeping on the couch at the office during my litigation days in shifts with other people seemed fun. Crashing on the hard floor at my office after a long night working on my paper was sooooo not fun. Everything hurts, I’m exhausted, and I cannot stop!
3) Had a weird conversation with my masseuse on Monday (stop reading, Blue Eyes, or at least go get a pillow to hit if this bugs you). So he finishes my feet and then walks up to the head of the table and says, “Um.. uh… did you want a breast massage? Because, um, your consent form says you want one and, well, I asked one of the other massage therapists for some tips on how they do that and, um, well, uh, you seem pretty thorough.” What I wanted to do was tease the poor, awkward guy and say, “Is that your way of asking if I want a happy ending?” 
But what I said instead was, “Sure. I don’t remember what I put on my form because I have been coming for three years but the daytime masseuse does those all the time and it’s very relaxing so, sure, go ahead.” So he did and it was a little weird but mostly good because 1) a breast massage doesn’t actually involve much of the breast or the nipples, people, and 2) you hold a LOT of tension in the lymphatic area between your breasts and in on the sides by your armpits.
Anyway, I just thought it was funny that it took him about eight weekly sessions to ask. I found an article that explains what they do. In many states it is illegal for massage therapists to touch the breast itself more than just around the base, which is pretty much what both female and this male therapist did (all at the same clinic). Unlike some of my friends (yep, calling you out, girl!), I have never found a massage to be the least bit sexual (and, dude, this guy gets right up in my hip joints and inner thighs). I am usually way too stressed and like firm, painful pressure way too much to find it anything but super-relaxing. My massage clinic serves ballet dancers and lots of sports medicine referrals so they are very comfortable with the body and with getting right where you are hurting. I love, love, love this weekly form of stress relief and will be so bummed when my Mom decides I have destressed enough for her to stop paying for me to go.
4) I made some new affirmation t-shirts. They are mirror-image shirts with positive sayings, such as “The more grateful I am, the more reasons I find to be grateful.” You can check all of the shirts out here and maybe ONE OF YOU will buy one. I have sold two. Both to myself. 
Boo… As you can see from above, I support other bloggers. Support me! (Well, after Christmas. Right now go support one of the charities I’m focusing on this week. I’d be grateful.) Check out my full range of law student, MILP, WLS, tea lover, child with parent in law school, lawyer, affirmational, single parent, child of a single parent, etc., t-shirts today.
Back to work on my paper. Which my beautiful, wonderful, sweet, most excellent teacher just e-mailed to say we can e-mail to her by 3 p.m. on Friday instead of driving it to school. Yippee!!!
On Monday I told you about this week’s charitable mission to give a little bit of money away each day to a nonprofit that could really use the help. A little goes a long way and I may not have a lot to give but you all can help. Comment on this post with your ideas for other charities to support so that other readers can get ideas. The top five suggestions will go up in a poll Friday for you all to pick who the last $25 goes to. Plus every comment to each day’s post earns the organization another 25 cents in donation (up to a max of $40 for each day’s post – can’t afford more than that guys). And please feel free to go back and comment on posts from past days (I really need more recommendations for Friday’s five picks).
Now here is today’s selection, which I have chosen in honor of my late Nana, an amazing woman who was a dedicated reading teacher and literacy champion in New Zealand her whole life: First Book
First Book is a nonprofit organization with a single mission: to give children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books. We provide an ongoing supply of new books to children participating in community-based mentoring, tutoring, and family literacy programs.
First Book was founded in 1992. The First Book model was developed to leverage the work of local heroes who reach children through existing literacy programs in a variety of settings, such as Head Start centers, libraries, soup kitchens, churches, housing projects, and afterschool initiatives. Working through this vast network of organizations, First Book plays a critical role in transforming the quality of preschool and after-school programs nationwide.
First Book’s model is national in scope and local in impact. In our first year, First Book distributed approximately 12,000 books in three communities. Since that time, First Book has distributed more than 50 million books to children in over 3,000 communities around the country.
The awesome news is that since I will make the donation before December 31 (and if you would care to donate as well), First Book’s partner, Random House, will match every donation, book-for-book, up to a million books.
To read more about First Book’s costs and expenses or to research any potential charity, visit Charity Navigator, a non-profit that reports on charitable organizations so you can make sure that you drive your donations to the organizations that will best utilize those funds.
