The New Year

This is going to be a good year.

I don't know why I feel that way. I just do. I've been thinking over the past several New Year's days, and seeing a pattern. I usually feel depressed. The grip of seasonal affective disorder is usually pretty bad this time of year, and often on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day I feel lousy.

This year I don't.

I don't know why.

Sure our family is facing a lot of difficult things. But I feel curiously optimistic.

I hope this feeling last, and my conviction is borne out. It feels like a nice change.

We celebrated the New Year as we always do, gathering at my sister Cindy's house, eating hors d'oeuvres and Chinese food, playing the famous White Elephant game and watching movies. Fiona's boyfriend Mitch joined us as well as the boyfriend of one of my nieces, Leigh, and it was fun to introduce new people to our cherished family customs.

Here is my Decrease Worldsuck report for 2010. My commitment dropped away toward the end of the year. I'll try to be more consistent. Still, I think I did do my bit to make the world better place.

Love going out to my family and friends. May 2011 be a blessing to you and yours.

Love Drop

You may remember the indefatigable Nate St. Pierre, who started the internet projects ItStartsWith.Us and Love Bomb (you may also remember that I called upon the help of the latter project when I was attempting to get help for jemyl...and isn't it time to check back with jemyl's website to buy some of her lovely jewelry?)

Anyway, Nate is starting out the new year with yet a new project: Love Drop. Love Bomb encourages people to send supportive blog messages to someone having a difficult time, but maybe my suggestion of jemyl for the project started Nate thinking along new lines, that some people could really use some practical and financial assistance during a hard time, too.

Each month, Love Drop will promote one individual or family and spend the month trying to find ways to help meet their needs. You can join the network with a very low monthly buy in, as low as $1 a month via Paypal. The network will give the families financial help, but it will also be focused on giving them practical assistance, too, the way that we hooked Ellen up with a local church and found people to help cut her lawn.

( From the FAQ section of the website )

The website also partners with sponsors.

The first month's designated recipient is a single mother who lost her job, then her daughter, and then all of her possessions in a fire:

So if you think you might be interested, check out Love Drop. Again, caveat: it isn't a 501(c)(3) charity, and there are administrative costs, but it is a way you can connect with someone in need and make a difference, for a very small buy in cost. Check out Love Drop at Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Thanks.

( What I did today to make the world a better place )

The Nook, again

Unforeseen advantage: I can read when riding in the car when it's dark, due to backlit screen.

Unforeseen disadvantage: Although I love reading in the bathtub, it's probably not a good idea to read it there. Dropping a book in the water that costs $8 is a bit different than dropping in a color Nook.