I am *so* digging this!

Give the Gift of Life

On any given day, more than 6,000 men, women and children are searching the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) Registry for a life-saving donor like you. These patients have leukemia, lymphoma and other life-threatening diseases that can be treated by a bone marrow or cord blood transplant. For many of these patients, a transplant may be the best and only hope of a cure.

You are giving someone hope when you join the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) Registry.

Help the NMDP reach their goal of recruiting 46,000 members to the Registry during the Thanks Mom marrow donor drive. During Thanks Mom, May 5 - 19, you can join online for free, while funding remains.

Until the NMDP reaches its goal during Thanks Mom (May 5 to May 19, 2008), generous partners and contributors are covering the costs to add members to the Registry.

It's easy to join:

Step 1. -- Confirm you meet basic donor guidelines.
Step 2. -- Complete the online registration form and order your tissue-typing kit. This step will take about 30 minutes. Please remember funding is limited. To join for free, you must complete the online registration step before May 20 or while funding remains.
Step 3. -- Use the kit to give a swab of cheek cells to test for your tissue type.

I signed up tonight. If this is something you'd like to do, click here.

I Always Feel Like, Somebody's Watching Me...

This picture was on the on-line Chicago Tribune today, and, for some reason, it was creepin' me out.

Bad.



Maybe because it firs put me in mind of looking in your reaerview mirror and seeing a person where there shouldn't be one. (Oh, crap. Now I'm freaking myself out more...)

Clicking on the photo reveals that it is a crop of a larger photo, one that depicts, "An August 1, 1951, photo shows a slotted peephole in the steel door of gambling room in Melrose Park that was raided by Cook County sheriff's police. (Tribune archive photo)"

Still creepy, though.

FREE is my favorite price!

Thursday, May 15 is Free Iced Coffee Day from 10am to 10pm at Dunkin Donuts:

“Stop by your local Dunkin' Donuts on Thursday May 15, 2008 from 10am
until 10pm and receive a FREE small (16 oz.) sized Iced Coffee*.

You will have the option of trying one of our 9 flavors (French Vanilla,
Toasted Almond, Raspberry, Hazelnut, Coconut, Chocolate, Cinnamon, Caramel, and Blueberry) or create your own flavor by combining 2-3 flavors.

*At participating Dunkin' Donuts shops only. Thursday, May 15, 2008 from 10am-10pm. Cannot be combined with any other offer. One free small 16 oz. Iced Coffee per person, per visit.”

Thursday is also the day McDonald’s is giving out free samples of their new chicken breakfast and lunch sandwiches (but you have to buy a drink to score that one...).

I'mma skip on the McDonald's (Science Boy and I are taking Gram out for dinner tonight, so trying to have a low-cal day), but think I'm just about ready to go get a blueberry iced coffee.

Crockpotting

Science Boy and I have been using the crockpot more often in the past few months. (Or, rather, I have been using the crockpot and he has been happily eating the results!) Gram even gave us hers when she found out I use it since she says she hasn't used it in 20 years. Still works great!

I love the way the house smells delicious when I get home from work and how lovely it is to have dinner ready to go.

While doing a random search, I came across the fantabulous Crockpot Lady's blog. She has resolved to use her crockpot Every. Single. Day. Wow. Looks like she has lots of great ideas and recipes. I think I {heart} her!

Look at Meez!

If you haven't created your cartoon avatar at Meez.com, you should try it out sometime. It's fun!

HELP!! Walk NOW for Autism!

Hi, friends!

Walk NOW for Autism!

Well, not *right* now. And you don't actually have to walk anywhere. I will do it for you.

May 18 is the Walk Now for Autism 5K walk in Chicago. My colleagues and I have spent a lot of time this past year discussing autism and how we can best serve those families with a member on the autism spectrum. I decided that one thing I, personally, can do is to help raise awareness and money for research by participating in the event.

I will be walking and I would like to ask every one of you to contribute in any way you can. Seriously. If you can only give $1, I will take it and thank you with sincere appreciation.

A few facts (I am, after all, a Librarian):

* 1 in 150 children is diagnosed with autism
* 1 in 94 boys is on the autism spectrum
* 67 children are diagnosed per day
* A new case is diagnosed almost every 20 minutes
* More children will be diagnosed with autism this year than with AIDS, diabetes & cancer combined
* Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the U.S.
* Autism costs the nation over $90 billion per year, a figure expected to double in the next decade
* Autism receives less than 5% of the research funding of many less prevalent childhood diseases * Boys are four times more likely than girls to have autism
* There is no medical detection or cure for autism

You can contribute directly online by going to our Baby Got Book team page. If you are not comfortable using your credit card (or want to give less than the $20 minimum the site requires from credit card donations -- and we would appreciate ANY amount!), you can click on "make offline donation" and a form will pop up. Fill out the form, print it, and you can mail it with a check made out to "Autism Speaks" to the address they provide (or, if you'll see me soon, just give it to me and I can take it along to the walk).

Proceeds from sales of the Baby Got Book shirts at http://www.cafepress.com/book_kitten/1909160 will also be donated to Autism Speaks.

Please feel free to pass this on to others who might be interested in contributing, too.

THANK YOU!

wishing peace, love, and healthy children to all,
Katharine

Hey! Where'd those blogs come from?!

I added a few posts I had put up at my myspace blog. I really do plan to start blogging here again soon - I *like* this site! - but until then, I pasted a few from the other blog.

Sticks and Stones... But Mostly Stones

On Saturday, Science Boy, The Boy and I went to the Art Institute of Chicago to see the Edward Hopper / Winslow Homer exhibit. It was lovely and exhausting. We had a great day -- the two of them always enjoy ganging up on me to tease...

We rode the train home and then just had a short walk. There were three boys playing in a field on our way. I would have guessed them to be between 10-13 years old. I noticed them and then didn't pay any more attention.

Suddenly, one of the boys shouted something. I glanced over and saw them watching us. He yelled again, his words clearer.

"White Bitch!"

And then, the little darling threw a rock at me.

He missed.

SB saw a rock land but had missed the yelling. He asked, "Did someone throw a rock at us."

"Yeah, those kids," I nodded that way. We kept going and the same kid called out, loud and clear, "White Bitch!" again. Another rock. (Thankfully, another miss.)

This time, SB heard and froze. He turned to look at the kids. The same one who seemed to be doing all the yelling and rock throwing called out that ugly name one more time and then yelled, "We'll beat all your asses!"

Then, he and his friends, turned and ran away.

Our mood was somewhat subdued after that. I felt so wounded. "They don't even know me," I said. "I am a bitch sometimes, but I don't think it's because I'm White."

This might be the time to mention that SB and I live in a relatively poor, predominantly African-American community on Chicago's West Side. We've only lived here since August, but I like it. People are pretty friendly and our apartment is beautiful. I like our neighbors. When an electrical fire broke out on our back porch a few weeks ago, neighbors saw, called the fire department, and alerted SB. People say hi when they pass you on the sidewalk.

SB is African-American; I am Caucasian. It's never been an issue.

This is the second time I have been called a White Bitch since we moved. The first time, Two teen girls were walking past my house as I was bringing mail in in the evening. I said, "Hello."
One replied, "White Bitch."

That time hurt, too.

I just don't understand what would move someone to call another person, one they don't even know, an ugly name based on nothing more than race. I try to be pleasant to the people I encounter. These children, both of them who have called me this name, are very likely neighbors.

And do I have to worry that might run into these boys again one day while I am walking home, heaving their nasty words and solid rocks?

I've been lucky that their aim with the rocks was not good this past Saturday. Their words, however, hit their mark.

Lighten Up!

Oak Lawn, IL put up auxiliary stop signs a little while back, hoping they would get attention and gently encourage drivers to actually heed the "stop" on the top sign.

IDOT, however, is not amused and has insisted the signs come down.

How sad. The Mayor complied, but said, "I think government needs to take itself less seriously... We have to take the work seriously, but it's OK to smile and to be creative in enforcing a serious message."

Very true.

And, NOT from Oak Lawn (actually, I am not sure *where* I got this), my all-time favorite STOP sign: