Mountain of Compassion

"Until he extends his circle of compassion to include all living things, man will not himself find peace.” -Albert Schweitzer.

So many of you have helped my dear friend TrekJen and the gratitude ripples throughout the Twitterverse! For those who may not know, Jen's house burned down on February 7th. If you do know Jen, you're aware that she's funny, a little quirky, very insightful, loyal and willing to do anything to make you laugh. She's one of those people that can make your day with just a few words or a funny picture. In an era full of cynics and bad news on every newspaper, Jen is a unique reminder that good people still exist in the world.

After the fire, Jen is now in the process of rebuilding her life. Not just building or adding on, but rebuilding. That's harder than many (including myself) can imagine. Jen's a trooper and has met the challenge head on but she needs help, as we all do at some point in our lives. Take a moment and think of what you would do with $5 or $10 dollars; a cup of coffee or a movie rental? Then think about if you had no DVD player or place to drink the coffee. That same $5 or $10 could help Jen buy a shirt, soap, toothpaste. Basic necessities that we often take for granted, until they're unavailable.

I know we've all made cutbacks in a tough economy and I wouldn't ask for more than you can give but if you are in a position to donate, there's a link below to help with TrekJen's Fire Relief Fund. (A a huge thank you to StarFleetMom for starting this!) If you can't donate, I totally understand but would greatly appreciate your forwarding the information to this and any other TrekJen Fire Relief blog. Post it to your twitter accounts, Facebook, MySpace, personal blogs or wherever you communicate.

One of my "Grimisms" is you don't have to move a mountain to save one. Jen is a mountain very much worth saving.

Thank you for taking the time to read.

We All Fall Down

We all fall down.

A bad circumstance can happen to anyone.  It doesn't matter who you are or where you are; sometimes bad things will find you.  Such was the case of my dear friend Jen. (@TrekJen for the Twitterers)  Jen lives in a rather cool climate and last night was no exception; when the temperature dipped down she also lost power (and heat).  After attempting to find the solution, she did the responsible thing and shut down the main breaker (Admittedly something this writer may not have thought to do) and went to work to sleep.  It was warm there. While at work, tragedy struck and her house burned down.

"And my house burned down" She Tweeted.  (Jen is, as you may have surmised, not much of a complainer) The sad truth is that she lost everything in the fire and escaped only with the clothes she was wearing, a laptop computer, her phone and her dog.  Those of you who are familiar with Jen, know that she's had some hard knocks before and yet remains one of the most outgoing and vivacious of people.  She is kind, she is selfless and if you had the ability to build a friend, Jen would be the prototype.  That's no small thing in this world.  These are in fact precious qualities that must be preserved.

Despite the brave front, Jen's facing a tough road ahead.  While I'm profoundly and will be eternally grateful she escaped unharmed, the time is now for her friends to rally.  No one can mobilize like Trekkies and @Starfleetmom is no exception.  "The Mom" has provided a link to donate to help Jen through this difficult time and has been tireless source of updates.  (The link is at the bottom of the page, it's a safe PayPal contribution) It's not about rebuilding her home, she did have insurance for the structure but this will not replace the contents.  I'm speaking of necessities; clothing, a toothbrush, underwear, soap, the things that we all take for granted are in our closets and medicine cabinets. Have you ever gone without clean underwear? I have.  It's no picnic.  At least not one I would attend.

I know this is a difficult time for many people, but please donate what you can.  Large, small, everything and anything can be a help.  If you can't donate, I urge you to please retweet this and any other "TrekJen Fire Relief" blogs; post them to your own blogs, your Facebook pages or MySpace, wherever you may roam.

We all fall down.... but we can also help each other up.

Thank you for taking the time to read and for whatever help you may offer.

I Like Mornings.

I get up in the morning long before dawn, around 3:45am each day.  Maybe a little earlier if I've not played whack a mole with my alarm clock; I sometimes forget to set it to radio rather than buzzer.  A klaxon blaring is not the most gentle of nudges. I would not do well on the Galactica.

I rise groggily and glance at my phone.  Any new messages? I yawn (and scratch) and plead with my coffee maker to brew faster. I should set the timer to finish earlier but the aroma is best while it's brewing. Clock is ticking. Brew faster! I'll clean you with vinegar tonight, I promise.  I mean it this time, not like last time.  Ugh.  Too slow.  I'll end up stealing a little coffee before Mr. Coffee has fully completed his task.  Why I am wearing only one sock?

I do my morning chores so everything is ready while I'm at work, then I shower, shave and pour another cup of coffee.  The television is relaying bad news in some part of the world.  Where is Bago? Oh yeah, Burma.  I mean Myanmar. I'm still not awake yet.

Then I sit at the computer for a few minutes.  Last chance for my own time before I dedicate the day to my many, many other preparations.  Any new messages? I check Facebook, nothing new.  I check my email and sort thru the reminders I've mailed myself.  Meeting at 10am. I'll need to review that file again.  Maybe I'll find my other sock in the folder.

Now to Twitter; I've saved the best for last.  Who said what? I have new mentions! The strangest thing is the people I talk to the most, I rarely see.   Some I've in fact never seen but I know about their lives, their children, their health. Some I worry about, some I worry for and send best wishes to.  There are those that make me mad, those that make me laugh and those I find more in common with than I have in years. If Twitter had a physical location, I envision it like a roadside cafe.  People come in and out quickly; some are from far away, others are close and some stay awhile to chat.  There's always at least one familiar face nearby and nobody cares how different you are or whether you've shown up in your pajamas.

We all just want to listen and to be heard.

I enjoy my mornings.

Rewriting the Wrong

“You have to know the past to understand the present.” - Dr. Carl Sagan

Evidently Dr. Sagan was incorrect; we don't need to know the past, we can just rewrite it. Again and again to suit our needs.  The classic novel Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is undergoing a retrofit, they're replacing all references to the 'n' word to make it more accessible to the 21st Century.  The publisher is calling it an update; we used to call that "new wine in an old wineskin."

I'm not nor would I ever defend using that word, its offensiveness cannot be properly measured in today's context.  It is a word of hate with an edge meant only to slice away ones humanity. However to revise a work without the author's permission is censorship. I'm not sure how others feel about a revisionist practice but I'm afraid of what's next? Many classrooms already skip the nation's founding fathers because they were slaveholders. It's the ugly truth, but they were.  There are many instances in our nation's history that we wish didn't happen but turning a blind eye won't erase the occurrences.  We have to own our baggage, we can't pick and choose.

I may be off base but when you disregard history because it's embarrassing or uncomfortable, you do a disservice to those who struggled for justice in a time when little was to be found. If we don't remember the pain, how are we to remember those who endured it? If we do not embrace our past failures, how then are we to measure our success?

Thank you for taking the time to read.

I Value... YOU.

I can’t tell you how much I dislike hypocritical and judgmental attitudes.  It really is my paramount pet peeve.

I won’t mention an actual name or location; merely it was at a foodbank which I volunteer at.  The organization serves a vital need and I don’t wish to dissuade anyone from contributing time or donations due to the bigotry of an influential individual.

What I overheard tonight was appalling.  Let’s call her Ms. B.

“Sometimes I wish we were a Christian foodbank.“ Said Ms. B. Unsure if I’d heard correctly I asked what she meant by that.   The reply boiled my temper.

“Well you know” As she flicked her head indicating two women who might have been a couple.  Might have been. I don’t know, it wasn’t my business and so what if they were?

This offended me on so many levels, including the assumption that I would share such a narrow minded view.  At a place meant to provide at least some help for the less fortunate, no less.  My possibly overly loud response was “I think you’re missing the entire point of what we’re doing here.”  At the very least, Ms. B. received my message.  I checked out shortly thereafter; I don’t think my services will be very welcome in the future.

The tragedy of an empty supper table is not lessened by religion.  A person’s worth is not defined by a belief or social status.  No one has the right to judge you, tell you who you may love or impose their own sanctimonious viewpoints upon you.  Life can be hard, as evident of where I was tonight and it can be unbelievably lonely. If you’ve found someone to share your life and affections with, good for you.  May you continue to have good fortune.

No matter if you’re rich or poor, gay or straight, you’re still a person; a fellow human being to be treated with respect and dignity. You have value.

Never let anyone define you.

Thank you for taking the time to read.

Good Business? Dragon Chow!

For those who see no value in social media as a medium for business, today's blog will prove you wrong.  In today's world, the blogger has power.  We can rate, rank or rant about a product based on our individual experience and businesses should take note.  Real people and opinions matter more than the late night infomercial.  Make no mistake, the quill is in the hands of the consumer. This isn't a commercial or a sales pitch.  I just want to blog about a dice bag that I'd ordered a week or so ago. 

No, I don't play dice and I haven't been a "gamer" in decades but allow me to explain this unique product. The seller was someone I'd had intermittently spoken with on Twitter, mostly laughing at one liners but she mentioned dice bags in a tweet.  "I don't need dice bags" I thought and continued to tweet using my brand new phone until I put the device down.

Then it occurred to me.  A dice bag is a protective bag and my phone is just charging on my desk.  Unprotected.

Here's the kicker.  See @GeekyLyndsay specializes in dice bags.  I've made suggestions to some crafters claiming customizations but honestly to most that merely means a color choice.  Lyndsay took the time to hear me out on what I needed; it didn't matter that the product wasn't the intended construction, that of a phone rather than dice storage.  Custom build? She seemed almost excited at the challenge of different fabrics, colors and even a unique size.  I gave her my custom specifications  (far outside her normal designs I might add) and took the time to work with me to see that I'd be happy with a well made product.

OMG she took the time to meet the customer's needs?!

That's the point of this blog today.  Too often a manufacturer or crafter has a set idea and that's that.  The customer chooses from the existing array, if they want something special, too bad.  I cannot tell you how refreshing my design experience with Dragon Chow was and how rewarding to find the extremely well made bag in the mail. And it is quality.  Phone pouch users might indentify with the Golla or other pouches from Amazon and Ebay.  I bought one of those too and it ripped within the first few days.  The Dragon Chow as far as I can see is double stitched, REVERSABLE, handmade and at about half the cost.  

From the pictures you can also see something else.... something that you don't see often when ordering.  A personal "thank you" from the crafter.  Not "Hope this fits your phone" but actually mentioning the model by name.  That's pride in your work, pride in your quality of service and flat out how to treat a customer. This is how all companies should be run, a more intimate and thoughtful experience that leaves both parties feeling happy and willing to do business again.

Remember the Twitter name: @GeekyLyndsay

And take a look at the product page: http://www.dragonchow.com/zencart/

Ok, my rant is done.  But honestly people, I don't rave about a product often, especially one I have no affiliation with other than being a very satisfied customer.

Make that repeat customer.

Thank you for taking the time to read.

Don't Let Us Sick

There's a song by Warren Zevon that really touches me; it's one of those I can listen to repeatedly and never tire of.  For those who only knew of Warren Zevon from "Werewolves of London", you're really missing out.  The song I enjoy so much is "Don't Let Us Get Sick", a wistful tune to be sure about friendships and those closest to us. I've included a link at the bottom of the blog, the singer is Pat Guadagno.

Each year I try very hard to get into the holiday spirit but the stark reality is that the holidays have always depressed me.  There's always someone you know who is out of work and you worry for them. Many of my family are ill or getting on in years so the gatherings are getting more difficult to plan and attend.  The economy makes you wary about spending too much because there's no guarantees in the job market and every year there's another empty chair at the table painfully reminding us of our own mortality.  I'm working on getting that sprit that almost all of us have had at some point in our lives, but it's not easy.

Relationships are particularly tough.  For those that only know me as 'Grim' online, I try to be funny and light.  The truth is in person, I tend to actually be rather grim.  I'm an introvert and a loner, I don't make friends quickly nor easily anymore and tend to cherish a small number of intimate friends rather than a large number of acquaintances.  It's a defensive measure, I suppose and words to live by are "Don't get close, people leave."  They get sick, they get old and then they're gone.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a total humbug; I don't begrudge those who do take extreme joy in the holidays, I'm glad they're able to embrace the spirit of giving.  Goodness know we can use more of it in the world today.  Although I've been more social this year than practically in decades, I just see commercials, couples and children and the warm fuzzy intentions just adds to the feeling of funk.

So dear reader, if you've found this blog either by interest or by accident maybe you've learned a little about me.  I'm not one to usually open up about my personal life.

But I'm working on that, too.

Thank you for taking the time to read.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avcKCZb-HCk