Miscelaney, Ranting, Giveawaying and Awards

First of all, it's Delurking day, so Delurk already! Seriously, I want my comments to equal my stats for today, or I'll be mad. Or something. Oh, hey, I know... A giveaway! So, y'alls know I'm broke and stuff, but how about a giveaway of a fabulous scarf, color chosen by winner, hand crocheted by blog mistress and delivered before it gets this cold again. Even if you live in the Southern hemisphere! How about that? Good? Good. To enter just comment. About any of my rantings, here. Enter by, oh, I don't know... Sunday. Does Sunday sound good? Sure, Sunday. Enter by Sunday and I'll use one of those nifty online random number generators. It'll be fun. I promise.
_____________________

Second of all, my mommy blogging compatriot, Cindy at Consider the Lilies gave me an award. I have summarily ignored it. Not because I don't appreciate it, because I really, really do. You know, I am always amazed that people read this drivel. It's really just me prattling on, most days. You could just move in with me. Of course, then you'd have to eat my cooking and you couldn't ever turn it off... Anyway, upshot, I am super-thrilled to have an award. But I've ignored it because I don't really know who to tag.

So, anyway, here it is: The Official Rules...

1) List 10 things that make you happy, and try to do at least one of them today.
2) Tag 10 bloggers that brighten your day.
3) If you are one of those 10 lucky (happy) bloggers who get the award, link back to my blog and create your happy list!

1. Things that Make me Happy
1. Coke, 2. Chocolate, 3. My kids laughing, 4. Rain, 5. New shoes, 6. My computer working, 7. My kids sleeping, 8. Supernatural on TV and a crochet project in my hand, 9. Bookclub, 10. Reading with no interruptions.

2. Bloggers Who Brighten My Day
1. Stinkbumps the Wonder Boy, 2. Madtown Mamma, 3. Sweetwater Journal, 4. Bourbon in my Bottle, 5. Life Begins, 6. Sleepless in KL, 7. Glory Be, 8. Where Your Treasure Is, 9. Confessions of a Sassaholic, 10. The Blog to Nowhere. Consider yourselves tagged. And Stuff. And don't feel bad if you feel the need to ignore this for a while. Or even ever. Believe me, I'll understand.
____________________

Thirdly, I have this issue with my blog. You see, I try to keep it thematic. I don't go off all that often on my politics or my faith or the books I read or whatever, because I'm trying to make this sort of fit a niche. I don't know what that niche is, but I like it to fill this hole I've dug for it in my head. So, sometimes, things strike me and I want to write about them because I care about them, but I don't because I care about the thing that I'm doing here.

I consider it self-editing. I don't normally feel all that bad about ignoring something because it doesn't fit what I do. But sometimes I have to open my mouth and let stuff come out. Or fingers. Which, when you think about it, is kinda gross. Anyway, here goes.

I have been devastated by what's going on in Haiti. I don't know why. I can't describe why this disaster has hit me so much more emotionally than any other terrible earthquake, tsunami, hurricane, random natural disaster. Possibly because I have an inexplicable and irrational fear about earthquakes (irrational because I live in Kentucky, not because they shouldn't be feared). Perhaps because it seems so close. Perhaps because I can't imagine the fear and horror that most of those people are experiencing, but I can try and trying may drive me to insanity.

I firmly believe that when things like this strike, you have to do what you can. Anything you can and then move on. You can't spend hours, days or weeks being consumed by what you can't do. And what I can do right now is not much. I don't have a lot of cash to donate, although I'll drop my pennies in the proverbial bucket. I don't have a lot of power or influence. I can't go to Haiti and even if I could, I don't know what I would do when I got there. I don't really know what to do, except pray and hope.

I don't really have a platform. I mean, this is it. This space where I ramble and prattle about nothing serious and everything silly. Where I talk about Doctor Who and my grandmotherly instincts. But, I have to do with my little platform what I can. Here are a few places you can drop whatever pennies you have to help those in Haiti: Doctors without Borders, The Red Cross, and World Vision. I am sure there are many others and I am sure that wherever you choose to drop your pennies, they will make a difference.

That said, I have to further devolve into the land of Things Of Which I Don't Speak to say: Shame, shame on Pat Robertson. I am constantly amazed at how people of faith with power are so capable of forgetting the primary tenants of our faith. Help others, don't judge, treat others as you would be treated. If I were a better person, I would hope that Mr. Robertson never finds himself needing help and hearing such horrible, discriminatory, hateful remarks. I am not a better person. In fact, I am a worse person and have this to say: "Judging by the ridiculously substandard "news" presented on the 700 Club, I am sure that they have made a deal with the devil to keep it on air. I do hope that it doesn't result in the earth caving in beneath their feet."
____________________________

Now, I should have given you plenty of fodder with that last little tidbit, so comment, delurk and be merry. For tomorrow you may be doing it in a fabulous new scarf.