No not Toyota. Meeting someone who makes things happen. Someone who is on the same wavelength — totally. I graciously volunteered to put together a brochure (read: got sucked into putting together a brochure) for one of my nonprofits. Honestly, I agreed because after hearing the other inputs, I feared that we’d have a black and white tri-fold printed on Staples paper with 12 typefaces. My vision for the brochure was clean and modern. Fresh and exciting. Compelling and bold. Not something that I could imagine on prefolded paper. But I digress.

So I’m not a designer. But I’m really good at getting other people to do things. I think it’s what I do best. (Except this morning when I wanted to get Max to pull himself together, eat breakfast and put on his shoes for school.) So there was a young woman who came to an event last spring. I heard she was a designer. So I emailed her. Note that I didn’t call her. I emailed. That might seem improper, but I thought it was lower pressure. It’s much easier to say no to being roped into a new organziation via email, don’t you think?

She said yes. And rather quickly, I might add. So either, she sucked and was dying to have something for her book or she was someone who gets in and does something. I met with her today. And it’s the latter. For sure. She’s amazing. She understood everything I wanted — even before I got into details. We think alike. We talk alike. (Oh no, not the Patty Duke song again.) But I am thrilled to be working with her on this.

Nothing like meeting someone with tremendous energy and talent to make a project exciting! One more thing. I told her we didn’t have the budget for printing, so we’d have to make it work on a laser printer. Instead, she sent me a note 1/2 hour later telling me she got the printing donated.

Now that’s getting it done.

I am not suprised by anything in Behaviors of the Blogsphere.

But there are some very popular blogs that I’ve never seen. Oh great. More to read.

More later.

I bought a book for my dad. He really wants it. 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America (And Al Franken Is #37) Anyway, I’m giving it to him today — but wanted to think of an occasion. So I searched for little known holidays and found out a few things. Starting in 2005, there is no longer a Duran Duran Day or a Clown Day. I’m stunned.

August Monthly Observances
Black Business Month
Children’s Eye Health & Safety Month
Children’s Vision & Learning Month
Happiness Happens Month (it happened for me)
May Your Reading Be A Haven Month
National Immunization Awareness Month
National Inventor’s Month
National Toddler Month
National Win With Civility Month
Spinal Muscular Atrophy Awareness Month

August Weekly Observances
Simplify Your Life Week: 1-7 (I wish I hadn’t missed that one)
Exhibitor Appreciation Week: 1-5
World Breastfeeding Week: 1-7
Psychic Week: 1-5 (but you knew that)
National Fraud Awareness Week: 4-10 (coincidence that it overlaps with the previous holiday week?) Actually this is sponsored by the FCC and has to do with phone & mail fraud.
Knights of Columbus Family Week: 6-14
National Scrabble Week: 7-12 (I love Scrabble. But have you tried Quiddler?)
Don’t Wait! Celebrate! : 8-14
Elvis Week: 8-16
Kool-Aid Days: 12-14 (wasn’t there a book about this?)
National Resurrect Romance Week: 14-20
Thanks For All The Gifts Week: 14-20 (you shouldn’t have!)
Weird Contest Week: 15-21
National Aviation Week: 16-22
Be Kind To Humankind Week: 25-31 (just this week?)

August Daily Observances
Girlfriend’s Day: 1
Respect For Parents: 1
Rounds Resounding Day: 1
National Night Out: 2
National Pretty Is As Pretty Does Day: 2
Coast Guard Day: 4
Braham Pie Day: 5
Left-handers Day 13
National Garage Sale Day: 13
National Underwear Day: 13 (oh, no I forgot!)
International Nagging Day: 14
National Navajo Code Talkers Day: 14
Best Friends Day: 15
National Relaxation Day: 15
World Day of Reiki: 15
Joe Miller’s Joke Day: 16 (This English comic actor died in 1738. He inspired the first book of jokes, Joe Miller’s Jokes)
Material Girl Day: 16
True Love Forever Day: 16 (On this day in 1965, Francesca and Robert, the main characters of “The Bridges of Madison County,” first met)
Meaning of “Is” Day: 17
Sandcastle Day: 17
Bad Poetry Day: 18
National Personal Chef’s Days: 18-20
Aviation Day: 19
Root Beer Float Day: 19
Bamboo Day: 20
Vinegar Day: 20
Poets Day: 21
Southern Hemisphere Hoodie Hoo Day: 21 (I need more info)
Be An Angel Day: 22
National Punctuation Day: 22 (why you ask would that be important)
International Day for the Remembrance of Slave Trade and its Abolition: 23
Kiss and Make-Up Day: 25
Women’s Equality Day: 26 (whew whoo – we get a whole day!)
The Duchess & Who Wasn’t Day: 27
Sing Out Day: 27
Race Your Mouse Around the Icons Day: 28
Crackers Over The Keyboard Day: 28
More Herbs, Less Salt Day: 29
Love Litigating Lawyers Day: 31

The Pew Internet report, Older Americans and the Internet, says 22% of Americans 65 and older use the Internet. The percent of seniors who go online has jumped by 47% between 2000 and 2004. In a February 2004 survey, 22% of Americans age 65 or older reported having access to the Internet, up from 15% in 2000. That translates to about 8 million Americans age 65 or older who use the Internet. By contrast, 58% of Americans age 50-64, 75% of 30-49 year-olds, and 77% of 18-29 year-olds currently go online.

I know this. I follow these trends, as a self proclaimed infogeek.

I took a leadership position for a local chapter of a national nonprofit organization. Because I had so much free time to spare. No really, because this group does some amazing work for women and children in our communities. But here’s the rub. The volunteer base is aging, as it seems to be in many organizations. And it needs an infusion of younger volunteers.

According to U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, Volunteering in the United States, older volunteers devoted the most time to community activities–almost double the national median for all ages. Compared with the U.S. median commitment of 52 volunteer hours annually, those 65 and over contributed 96 hours.

The same report shows, however, that there are younger volunteers. They just don’t, obviously, put in as much time.

So how to get younger people to invest more time? We’re all busy, but…

Just food for thought. I digress…

The real point of this post, or at least my intention on starting it (before I got caught up in statistics), is that the members of the Board of Directors that I now lead are older. Only one is younger than me — and the next older than me is over 10 years older. And some could be 30 years older (though it seems a bit rude to ask, I am curious).

I had been frustrated with the group previously since they sent email attachments all the time and gave out printed budgets and notes at meetings. It seemed to me there was a better way to ease into technology. Since my mom and others I know are quite savvy, I assumed (you know what happens when you assume) that I could post pdf’s and send links to the group. And that I could provide a site for the group where documents are housed to save paper, updates, time, and money. I designed an electronic newsletter to replace the printed version. (That was approved last year – but not easily!)

So now, I get emails every day asking me how to print pdfs. How to access documents. And the pièce de résistance is that at this month’s meeting people were talking about printing out the new newsletter to snail mail to members. And not just those old ladies without email addresses. To anyone who would prefer not to click a link. Without even sending out the first month as a trial. In fact, someone even asked me to send an email to the membership to let them know that the newsletter was coming next week as a link in an email. My question was “wouldn’t the email saying this is a link to the newsletter” serve as a heads up?

The real problem is that I moved too quickly. I’ve had to retrace my steps and send some documents via email. I need to slow down and let these folks catch up. A little at a time.

Patience is not my strong point.

I’ve been very interested in digital payments and retail use of technology for some time. Don’t ask me why. Maybe because I worked on the GE Information Systems account ages ago when the trends were just in infancy. This article from Infoconomy tells of the next thing in payments.

Digital Payment

And it’s about Piggy Wiggy supermarkets. Now, do you think they’re related to Piggly Wiggly? I think that is some coincidence! Only an “L” separating the two chains. Separated at birth…

I found this article from Smart Money very informative.

10 Things Your Veterinarian Won’t Tell You

(That’s our cat, Joe. Bertha, our eldest cat, is camera shy.)

Viagra for children? Maybe if they have pulmonary hypertension. My new favorite magazine, Science News, reports Can Viagra and other lifestyle drugs save lives?

I can think of so many jokes to accompany this, but none seems appropriate somehow.

BTW: I’ll be back to my regular writing schedule soon!

My dad is overweight. Though he was a skinny kid (or so his pictures appear!), he has gone up and down from thinnish to “well-fed” over the years. I remember a time as a teen when he couldn’t bend down to tie his shoelaces. And, I remember a time, when he was ill, when he was unbelievably thin. His closet is like Mens Wearhouse — name a size and it’s there.

All this is background to a disastrous end to tonight’s dinner. My parents came over. I made brisket. And challah. (What else would a good Jewish daughter make on Friday night?) After dinner, my blackberry buckle and 2 bottles of wine, my dad and Andrew sat chatting as I prepared to take Reed to a sleepover. Now I should back up a bit and tell you that my dad has had some serious back issues. He’s tried several non-invasive options. But he’s not right.

Okay, background covered. So my dad says to Andrew, “I think it’s time, I can’t take it anymore.” To which Andrew replies something (I didn’t catch the exact phrasing) about Gastro surgery. I gasped. My mother gasped. My father quickly corrected him. But how long do you think it will take my dad to forget that faux pas?

I don’t think we’ll live long enough.

Yikes.

Hope your weekend is starting out less stressful than mine…..

No, not that. You know how your friend’s friend’s kid is brilliant or talented or the best thing since sliced bread? Always? Well, this time it’s true. This young woman’s mother is Liz’s friend. (And by osmosis, our friend.) I think her work is beautiful and wanted to share it.

Lacey Ann Photography

I love chocolate. Not as much as Harriett, but a lot. I consider myself (maybe wrongly) a connoisseur. My favorite so far is Kirchmayr and, lucky for me, it’s only about 45 minutes to the store. (They ship, though!) Last week, we were in Quebec and took a detour to the Ile d’Orleans, an island 15 miles from Quebec City. It’s a beautiful island, rich in agriculture and it’s only 40 miles in circumference. We picked blueberries and raspberries. Delicious. And we went to the Chocolaterie Ile d’Orleans with its hand-painted sign “J’aime le chocolat.” (I love chocolate). Not bad, I admit.

I like regular packaged process stuff, too. Hersheys, Nestles. Great for those weeks and months in between field trips to specialty chocolate stores.

This morning, I came across an article in Science News, Can Chocolate Fight Diabetes, Too? It says that according to some researchers, in moderation, dark chocolate may lower blood pressure and improve the body’s processing of blood sugar. The article is filled with disclaimers. And it talks about the fact that so many sufferers of diabetes are overweight, so is adding daily chocolate to the diet a good choice? I’m sure the jury is still out, but here it is. And I found it amusing.

According to American Demographics, a little over 9 in 10 Americans say we like chocolate. In fact, we consume 3.1 billion pounds of chocolate each year, or 11.7 pounds per person, according to a report by Mintel.

And if you are fascinated with usage stats (as I am) Mintel’s findings show that milk chocolate is preferred by two-thirds of U.S. respondents. Only 37 percent say the same of dark chocolate. A little over one-quarter (26 percent) say they like white chocolate. (Yuck – what is that stuff anyway? To me, it’s nothing like chocolate! More like soap.) Older people tend to express a preference for dark chocolate. (Mom, if you read this, I’m not saying you’re old.) Ninety-three percent of us eat chocolate bars. 80 percent “portion control pieces” like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Kit Kat and 71 percent eat popable pieces, such as M&Ms.

This news excites me, as I had no idea that Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups were portion control size. I sometimes don’t even finish the bag.