And the winners are...

Corey Seward, Will "SciFantasy" Frank and Jo Van!!

Good job, y'all! I'll be making your truffles by hand on Sunday, and will be sending them out on Monday. Congratulations, and thank you again!

And the answers...

On my own, I'll dream my life away - Monaco - Bert's Theme

We can make a party last all night - Madonna - Where's the Party

Some might say that sunshine follows thunder - Oasis - Some Might Say

I realize that nothing’s as it seems - Sting - Desert Rose

You like tomato and I like tomahto - Louis Armstrong (or George and Ira Gerswin!) - - Let's Call The Whole Thing Off

I’ll start a revolution from my bed, ’cuz you said the brains I had went to my head - Oasis - Don't Look Back In Anger

It’s such a gorgeous sight, to see you eat in the middle of the night - The Cure - Friday I'm in Love

Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup! - The Mock Turtle's Song - Lewis Carroll

And they throw away money on spectacular shows - Bruce Cockburn - Dancing in Paradise.

You live in a world where you didn't listen - Anastacia - Sick and Tired

When the horizons darkens most me all need to believe there is hope - Lunar: Silver Star Story - Original Soundtrack - Winds Nocturne (The Boat Song)

Lay down your money and you play your part - Bruce Springsteen - Hungry Heart

Only poor boys take a chance on the garden's song and dance. - Guns N Roses - The Garden

You're my sunshine and I want you to know my feelings are true - Queen - You're My Best Friend

You became the light on the dark side of me. - Seal - Kiss From A Rose

I came to get a case of factory outlet beer - Modest Mouse - Mice Eat Cheese

When you're chewing life's gristle, don't grumble, give a whistle! - Monty Python - Always Look On The Bright Side of Life

Now's the time that we need to share, so find yourself, we're on our way back home - Supertramp - Give A Little Bit

Everybody here is out of sight, they don't bark and they don't bite - Dancing in the Moonlight

I think tonight we can take what was wrong and make it right. - Mr. Mister - Broken Wings

I saw Peter, Paul and Moses playing Ring Around the Roses, and I'll whup the guy who says it isn't so. - Woody Guthrie - Just the Facts, Ma'am

Love you, such a sweet thing, good enough to eat thing - Ohio Express - Yummy Yummy Yummy

Keep holding my hand, it's so we don't get separated. - No Doubt - Running

Hips start shakin' and movin' all around - The Black Eyed Peas - Dirty Dancing

Treat him well, he is your brother - Abba - He Is Your Brother

Who can say when the day sleeps if the night keeps all your heart? - Enya - Only Time

Into the darkness - Nobuo Uematsu - FFVII Original Soundtrack

Sing to me the song of the stars. - Mandy Moore/Switchfoot - Only Hope

I got no car and it's breaking my heart, but I've found a driver and that's a start - The Beatles - Drive My Car

Yeah the band's so hot they won't play nothin' slow - Chely Wright - Sea of Cowboy Hats

And everyone would have a friend, and right would always win, and love would never end... - Carly Simon (or Amy Grant) - Grown Up Christmas List

Your love is better than chocolate, better than anything else that I've tried - Sarah MacLachlan - Ice Cream

Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair - Scott McKenzie - San Francisco

Standing on the corner, I didn't mean no harm - Jerry Garcia - Blue Yodel #9 (Standing on the Corner)

And I will see you when the sun comes out again - Sophie B. Hawkins - As I Lay Me Down

You’re a heart attack, just the kind I like - New Radicals - Mother, We Just Can't Get Enough

In the middle of the night, I go walking in my sleep - Billy Joel - River of Dreams

I was looking through the window I was lost, I am found - U2 - I Will Follow

I'll do anything you ever dreamed to be complete - The Goo Goo Dolls - Slide

Let me see that I.V. Here we go - time to operate - Weird Al - Like A Surgeon

Oh, slip me a slug from the wonderful mug - The Inkspots (or Manhattan Transfer) - Java Jive

Who holds the stars up in the sky? - Jonathan Freeman/Mandy Moore (or The New Radicals) - Someday We'll Know

It's just that I think my heart and soul are kind of famished - Nick Cave - Thirsty Dog

Too much information running through my brain - The Police - Too Much Information

Out of the stillness, soft spoken words - Donna Lewis - I Love You, Always Forever

What a lot of fun, you guys have been real swell! - Sweet's Departure - Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Once More With Feeling (For bonus trivia, Sweet was played by Tony award-winner Hinton Battle.)

Dreams could never fool me, not that easily

Cause a thousand words
Call out through the ages
They´ll fly to you
Even though we can´t see
I know they are reaching you, suspended on silver wings - Sweetbox - 1000 Words (FFX-2 Original Soundtrack)

Whatever lies beyong this morning is a little later on.

Regardless of warnings, the future doesn't scare me at all. Nothing's like before. - Utada Hikaru - Simple and Clean (Kingdom Hearts Original Soundtrack)

...and for bonus points, the song snippets throughout the 4:00AM entry:

And every night, I think of you
You're everything to me
And every day, I think about
The way it used to be

- Monaco - The End of The World

...which had led to the LiveJournal entry written through tears, which led to my participating in Blogathon this year.

With deepest gratitude to all of my sponsors,

--Missy

Whatever lies beyond this morning is a little later on.

Dearest Sunshine,

It's done.

One post, every 30 minutes, for 24 hours.

Forty-nine posts.

Fifty-one song references.

Facts about kidney disease and transplants that I don't think either one of us knew. Some slightly squicky videos.

A lot of tea. A lot of chocolate. A great whoppin' bit of silly.

But mostly, a lot of love.

Stay tough, dear one, but don't forget that you have people who truly care about you, to lean on when things get hairy. And some of us...well, you're kinda stuck with.

Love you.


-- Missy, who is quite exhausted, thank you, but thinks you're worth it.



Regardless of warnings, the future doesn't scare me at all. Nothing's like before.

Dreams could never fool me, not that easily

I owe so many of you a debt of gratitude - for your contributions to the NKF, for your commentary here, for your encouraging e-mails, for your extra links and for the time you've spent reading along on this adventure.

When I first determined a year ago that I would participate in a blogging event for the NKF, come Hell or high water, I wasn't sure what I ws going to write about. I knew that I would talk about David, since I was going to write in his honor, but I didn't really want to tell the whole world everything. Yes, I'm terribly selfish - he's MY best friend, dammit, and I'm not so sure I want to share all of the things that make him that with a whole bunch of other people. Y'all might get ideas and try to run off with him, after all.

As it happened, the writing came easier than I thought. I caught a groove and just went with it...and now here we are, very nearly finished.

One post to go. That one is reserved for David, for whom all of this has been all along.

To all of you - my sponsors and readers and everyone who sent a kind note along the way - my deepest thanks, from the bottom of my incredibly exhausted heart.

I couldn't have come this far without you.



Cause a thousand words call out through the ages. They´ll fly to you even though we can´t see. I know they are reaching you, suspended on silver wings.

What a lot of fun, you guys have been real swell!

Good morning!

Just a reminder: All of my sponsors are eligible to participate in a game.

All of my titles have been song references - either lyric snippets or song titles.

The rules are simple - identify the reference. If it's a lyric snippet, please identify the song and the artist. If it's a song title, please identify the artist and the album or soundtrack.

The three sponsors who identify the most song references will receive a one pound box of my (almost) famous truffles, made with only fine chocolate, fresh, heavy cream, and real butter.

Answers MUST be submitted NO LATER THAN MIDNIGHT EDT on TUESDAY, AUGUST 9th, since Blogathon is accepting pledges until sometime on the 9th. I will post the answers and the winners' names sometime on Wednesday. Send them to: maggie.brazeau@gmail.com

Good luck, and thank you for your generous support of the National Kidney Foundation!

Out of the stillness, soft spoken words

So...David has been undergoing evaluation for a kidney transplant at Stanford University Medical Center.

Stanford, it seems, leads all other US transplant centers in one year patient survival rates. Again! They've also been using stem cell research to help reduce patient reliance on anti-rejection drugs. Yup, stem cells. An FDA study is pending. Wouldn't it be wonderful if researchers were able to develop a stem cell treatment that would bypass transplantation altogether?

Too much information running through my brain

Mdevnich writes:

You go girl! BTW, are you doing all this research on the fly, or are these links that you already had?

I had intended to have a whole bunch of links on hand, just in case things got too crazy. As it happens, things got plenty crazy well before Blogathon, so I had just two links - that of the NKF and that of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

So, yes, I've been doing the research on the fly - along with playing with my dog and breaking my coffeepot. This has been helpful in keeping me awake (though, the busted coffeepot, not so much).

Corey has some links for us:

Here's links for the Kidney Foundation of Canada and the Irish Kidney Association, too.

Thanks Corey! Now "But I live in Ireland!" is not a valid excuse for not getting involved.

Almost done.

It's just that I think my heart and soul are kind of famished

Look who's keeping me company! Everyone say Hi to Murphy!

These days I seem to think a lot...

Do you want to be cool, like Zeynep? Or, cool factor aside, do you want to do some good for a great charity and get a little exercise in the process?

Sign up for the Kidney Walk in your area! There are a whole bunch scheduled between now and December - see which one is closest to you, then get out there and put some booty into it! For extra bonus points, I hear it's quite popular for sponsors to demand photos of walkers in something clingy or short...

Who holds the stars up in the sky?

Last December marked the 50th anniversary of the first successful kidney transplant - and indeed, the first successful organ transplant ever! - which was performed by Dr. Joseph E. Murray. (Yup, that photo is from that historic operation.)

In 1990, Dr. Murray earned the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his accomplishment.

A video interview with Dr. Murray is also available.

Oh, slip me a slug from the wonderful mug

Ohhhhh...this week is going to suck...

I just broke my coffee carafe, and replacements aren't carried in area stores. I have to order one...shipping takes five days.

Sunday is going to be No Fun.

Let me see that I.V. Here we go - time to operate

I'm still wandering around, looking at kidney resources, and I just found the coolest thing for anyone considering living donation: a webcast of a hand assisted laparoscopic donor nephrectomy!

OK, it's a little gross at this hour, but still! It's terribly fascinating, and the video does not feel like it's an hour long. Very educational!

I'll do anything you ever dreamed to be complete

Last summer...last summer sucked. It sucked hardcore. I hated last summer.

I spent last summer crying nearly every day because life just plain old sucked and I was fighting with my best friend. It was horrible and hurtful and I can't remember ever feeling as awful as I did during the months where we were barely speaking to each other, so strained and stressed. I felt like my heart had been torn out.

And yet...in the middle of it all...in the midst of the strain and the hurt...I wrote...

(Reproduced from my personal journal, July 15th, 2004)

And every night I think of you.

On September 23rd, 1998, I got a sweet e-mail from someone with whom I had been bantering at RASFWRJ about music. He had been talking about a song that I had never heard, explaining how a line in the song just stole his breath away and brought tears to his eyes, and I expressed a desire to hear the song. Lo, there he was in my in-box, offering me this song and telling me how he was still misty-eyed over this song, even though he'd been playing hell out of it. (The song was Slide, by the Goo Goo Dolls.)

Later that day, our schedules synced enough to connect to ICQ at the same time so he could transfer the song. While the song transferred, we talked. The next thing we knew, it was 6AM in Toledo, 3AM in Berkeley, the song had finished 5 hours previously, and we had spent the entire night talking about books and music, laughing at each other, and slowly discovering that we had way more in common that we had expected, given our difference in age.

That was the night I "met" David for the first time.

Since then, with very few exceptions, we've talked to each other in some fashion every single day. A brief flurry of e-mail, an ICQ conversation, a few minutes on the telephone...just a few minutes to check in and say "Hi, I'm thinking about you. How's your day?"

He went away for three days once, and had no internet access and wasn't comfortable with a long distance call from where he was staying. When he came back, we pounced on each other over ICQ. "Oh my god, I missed talking to you so much! Let's not do that again, OK?"

We're a little better about that now, having spent so much time talking that we can speak in half sentences and know what the other means...a couple days of not getting to talk though, while not as traumatic as they used to seem, still seem strange and incomplete and vaguely wrong.

Most nights, still, six years later, we talk. Sometimes we talk until the sun has already crept up and asked me what the hell I think I'm still doing at my desk. When we're lucky enough to be in the same place for a couple days, we'll go off to sit together and talk...sometimes until oh-holy-fuck o'clock...realize we've been up all night...and keep talking anyway.

Night time is still my favorite time to talk to him. It just seems so much calmer then.

Every night, I think of him.

You're everything to me.

He called me one night, when I was going through some Really Bad Shit. We had already spoken on the phone several times by then, had teased each other about the way we sounded...he said I sounded short, I told him he sounded like a total brain...but really, his voice was soothing and sweet and made me feel calm.

After trying to console me online about the Really Bad Shit, he told me he was going to call me. When I picked up, he gently asked me if there was anything he could do to help...

In the dark, I whispered my pain and frustration through tears of sadness and rage. In the dark, he whispered back to me...softly repeating my name and telling me it would be OK, telling me that he would always be there to listen when I needed him, slowly soothing my aching heart and calming my raw nerves with his gentle care and soft voice. Across the miles between us, he made me feel safe and comforted, and I knew then that I could trust him with anything. When I've been certain that there was nowhere for me to turn, he's always been there to tell me that it will all work out. He's always listened and never judged.

I've done the same for him since then, listened to his fears and frustrations, been there to prop him up when he felt like he was falling down, been there to catch him when he's stumbled, given him my ear when he's needed it.

Last November, though, I was ill prepared for the propping up he needed and very nearly collapsed myself. He was diagnosed with a degenerative illness - Alport's Syndrome.

It was all I could do to hold myself together and talk to him and try to reassure him that his doctors would know what to do. When he went to bed for the night, I crept out to a quiet place and cried my heart out. I must have cried for hours, I felt so helpless and so angry that someone I cared for so much was getting kicked in the head by Life.

His illness has been progressing of late. He's back on ProCrit shots to stave off anemia, and learned today to administer them himself. He learned a few weeks ago that his creatinine levels are higher than expected - an indication of increasingly impaired kidney function. The nephrologist's appointment is yet to be made.

He's been reluctant to talk about his illness, not wanting to frighten me and not wanting to scare the hell out of himself. But he cracked a little this week, talking about the impending need for dialysis and eventually a transplant.

"I just hope I have some time."

Sunshine...if it comes to that...and we match...you can have one of mine.

I would rather endure the pain and the risk of surgery than live this miserable life knowing that he is suffering...or has gone to the Sunless Lands.

All this in the midst of one of the worst periods of tension we've ever had between us.

He's everything to me.

And every day I think about the way it used to be

Every day, I watch the health news, waiting for the breakthrough that will save David from this disease. Every day, I read every scrap I can find, looking for hope that something will be developed in time for him.

Every day, I wish he didn't have to deal with this. Every day, I wish the clock could turn back, to give him more time, to give the researchers frantically searching for a cure more time.

Every day, I wish for the days when he didn't have this hanging over him, when he was healthy and cheerful and ready to grab Life by the ass and make it his bitch.

Every day, I think about the way it used to be.

Wishing for the past isn't helping the researchers find a cure, though. Wishing for the past isn't going to keep David out from under the knife, either.

From what I've read recently, there may be hope, and maybe even sooner rather than later. Researchers at the University of Utah have isolated three mutations of the gene responsible for Alport's. If they can figure out a way to shut that damned thing off, it could open the door for gene therapy and a direct treatment. It might even happen in time to help David. They need time. They need information.

They need money.

I worked a lot of hours last week. Today, I got paid. There are things I need, and some things that I want...but nothing that I need or want more than for my best friend to be rid of this illness that could steal him away from me.

I gave half of my paycheck today to the National Kidney Foundation.

There are thousands of Alport's patients all over the world, but selfish me, there's only one I give a damn about. If they don't find the treatment in time, or he can't get a transplant in time...it might as well be the end of the world.

I found out about Blog-A-Thon too late to blog for The National Kidney Foundation this year, so instead, I'll offer this: make a donation to the NKF in David's honor, then ask me to write about something. Ask me to tell you a story. Ask me for recipes. Ask me to tell your future. Ask me to sing you a song of stars or paint you a picture of sun-kissed tears.

Just...before you ask...help try to hold off the end of the world. Even if it's only for one day.

That's why I'm here this year. That entry is the real beginning of this wild ride that has been Blogathon 2005, that steamy summer day when my life was crashing down around my head and I was on the outs with the one person I knew could help me feel better.

Some things...they're just worth digging in, hanging on, and fighting for. A friend who won't laugh at your jammies and will stick by you even after you've both screamed your guts out at each other? Hell yeah.

I was looking through the window, I was lost, I am found.

I think it's worth noting that Blogathon has exceeded its fundraising goal of $50,000:

219 Participants · 1740 Sponsors · $54156.97 Total Pledged

For my fellow 'thoners and all of our sponsors: WHOOHOO!!!

How impressive is that?

In the middle of the night, I go walking in my sleep...

Three AM. Three-quarters there. Six hours to go.

I'm on my second pot of Dragon and Phoenix tea from the British Pantry, the box of chocolates from the Chocolate Vault has come out, the wrist brace is on and I'm in dire need of a shoulder rub.

And a nap. But no sleep until that last post goes up at 9AM!

You’re a heart attack, just the kind I like!

I've been learning things during this adventure across 24 hours of blogging. Earlier, I learned that I myself am at risk for kidney disease because I'm hypertensive. That was news.

About five minutes ago, I learned that hypertension is the SECOND leading cause of kidney failure, right behind diabetes, and that hypertensives shoud have their kidney function tested annually as well as keep their blood pressure under control.

I'm kind of surprised that I got the heart attack lecture from my doctor, but he never mentioned the possibility of diminished kidney function. It would appear that the next time I see him, I need to poke him about some things:

-- Blood serum creatinine testing and glomerular filtration rate
-- urine protein

If any of my readers are hypertensive or diabetic, you might think about visiting the National Kidney Disease Education Program and having a look at what they have to say. You might learn something new and important today, just like I did.

And I will see you when the sun comes out again.

In August of 1992, my friend and co-worker died in a boating accident on the Maumee River. Eric Light, affectionately known to all of us on the Dominic's crew as Beige, stood up on the boat he was riding on and was thrown off by a wave.

Beige was about 3 1/2 sheets to the wind, alas. Unable to control his muscle function enough to struggle, he drowned. It was a shock to all of us to lose Beige - he was just 24 years old, handsome, energetic and lively. His loss struck us hard.

At his funeral, Beige's mom handed us all green satin ribbons. "We donated Eric's organs," she told us. "His kidneys went to two little kids and his heart is going to young woman at the University. He'd want you all to know."

Leave it to Beige to give his big, generous heart away. He couldn't say no to anyone.

We knew anyway. Beige used to ask random people - staff and customers alike - if they were organ donors. If they answered "No", he would ask them if they recycled. Invariably, someone would get indignant and snap "Of course I do!" Beige, with his impish grin, would ask "Then why won't you recycle yourself?"

When I came across this site tonight, I immediately thought of Beige, and I laughed and laughed. He would have been first in line to buy one of those t-shirts.

I still miss his laugh and his after-hours goofiness and his willingness to dance at 3AM after a rough 14-hour shift. I miss his corny jokes and his mischievous smile and the kind way he would help our more elderly patrons to their favorite tables.

I miss the glint he would get in his eyes when some poor, unsuspecting soul asked him "Why do they call you Beige?" Someone always assumed that it was because he was a very light-skinned African American fella - which, in truth, it was - but Eric liked to tell people "When I'm making love to my girl, she always says 'Beige. I think I'll paint the ceiling beige."

It was always great fun to watch those folks splutter and stammer and eventually crack up in the face of Beige's gorgeous, bright smile.

I still have the green ribbon from Beige's funeral. I think, though, that I'd rather have one of those shirts, and I imagine that I can hear Beige laughing and telling me that he thought of the phrase first.

Standing on the corner, I didn't mean no harm...

...except, he wasn't quite on the corner.

Another picture from the Las Vegas Social in 1999. The sign? It tells us that no person under the age of 21 shall be permitted to loiter in casinos.

Where were we? Caesar's Palace. How old was David? Nineteen. Bad me, I incited him to break the law and loiter in a casino, all in the name of silly pictures.

Silliness seems to be a running theme with us, and I don't mind that in the slightest.

No music on this one - it's late and I have to pee

Sponsor Shout Out!

Two of my sponsors are business-folks and friends. They've kindly stepped up to pledge for the NKF (and Spookz, what the hell are you doing up so late?!), so mosey on over and give them a bit of custom:

The Boulevard Market - Tecumseh, MI. Erika doesn't have online ordering - yet! - but if you give her a call, she will ship to you! She's currently got me hooked on an incredible Goat Gouda and a Portugese yummy called Bica, a delightful, semi-soft cheese rubbed with paprika. Cheese is my drug, and Erika is my pusher.

Shiny Shirts - Abilene, TX. Spooky's got it going on with the raging Serenity fandom. Not only are her shirts just plain COOL, they're high quality and comfy as well. David sent me the Jayne - Big Damn Hero shirt a while back, and it's so soft and snuggly! You need one of these shirts. No, really, you NEED one of these.

Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair

When I die...if you don't donate my organs, I swear by the All-Father that I will come back to haunt you.

This is what I told the Monsters recently, during a dinner table discussion about Blogathon, The National Kidney Foundation, and the importance of being an organ donor.

Aside from filling out an organ donor card, the single most important thing you can do if you intend to donate your organs is to talk to your family about it. Firmly, clearly, and often!

Eighteen year-old Julian Byrd, of Philadelphia, had done exactly that. The memories of those conversations helped his grieving mother come to a decision and consent to donate Julian's organs.

Julian was able to help six people - strangers all - lead healthier, longer lives. His gift of his kidneys helped two fathers - one of three children, one of four. He may be gone, but his mother knows that he still lives on through the people whose lives he helped extend through his gift of organ donation.

Susan Deaton raised a hell of a generous young man, and that's something to be proud of.

Your love is better than chocolate, better than anything else that I've tried...

I'm hungry again. What, it wasn't obvious from the picture of me, three boys and a gigantic ice cream sundae?

David and I make a point of going to Ghirardelli's together whenever possible. We've visited the Factory together, as well as the locations in Chicago and Las Vegas - which is where the picture at the right was taken in the summer of 1999. Clockwise you'll find me, David and our friends Steve Ginter and Dennis Higbee.

If memory serves, it was about 106 degrees in the shade that day, and we were out wandering around together, generally up to no good. I had just stopped on the sidewalk to take off my shoes when I spotted Ghirardelli's across the street.

ICE CREAM! I pointed, squeaked and took off, pretty much leaving the boys to follow or melt in the heat. I didn't have to ask them to follow - they were at my heels, laughing and remarking that the pull of chocolate would always have hold of me.

The looks on the faces of the other patrons as we tumbled up to the counter, ordered an Earthquake, and polished it off amidst laughter, tying cherry stems with tongues, Steve singing The Drunken Scotsman and telling the Sub Sandwich story, and Dennis telling the joke about the Scotsman with a fly in his soup. ("Spi' i' oot, ye wee bastard!")! They surely must have thought they'd been invaded.

David and I have made many trips to Ghirardelli's, but this one has always stood out in my mind as one of the most hilarious. There's nothing like summer days, good friends, and ice cream.

And everyone would have a friend, and right would always win, and love would never end...

iKidney has a list I've never seen before - the top ten things you need to know for a successful kidney transplant!

Written by two-time transplant recipient Heather Powell, the list includes getting to know each person on your transplant team individually, knowing the signs of rejection, and joining a support group to share your experiences and learn from others.

Yeah the band's so hot, they won't play nothin' slow

We weren't even drunk! Seriously!

This was taken Millennium Eve in Indianapolis, just before heading out for Mark Loy's Millennial Marathon Social - a New Year's party given by one of the most beloved posters of rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan. Yup, Usenet. I met my best friend on Usenet. In a book discussion group, no less.

Gods, but we're geeks.

Anyway, silly hats have appeared at nearly every Social I've attended - usually because I bring them - and the Millennium was no exception. I think David makes a great Bunny!

I got no car and it's breaking my heart, but I've found a driver and that's a start

How cool is this? That old jalopy that Uncle Bud stashed out back when he bought his shiny new 'vette? If it's in decent condition, you can probably donate it to the National Kidney Foundation through its Kidney Cars program.

You can take a tax deduction of the current Blue Book value of the car, minus the cost of repairs to get it running (if it doesn't run), and the NKF can re-sell the vehicle at a dealers only auction to raise funds for kidney patient education and support and kidney disease research.

The NKF gets back more than 67% of the proceeds of these auctions to fund their programs.

Sing to me the song of the stars.

As we push into the night, a reminder: All of my sponsors are eligible to participate in a game.

All of my titles have been song references - either lyric snippets or song titles. I expect there will be a few entries where there will also be another song reference in small text at the bottom.

The rules are simple - identify the reference. If it's a lyric snippet, please identify the song and the artist. If it's a song title, please identify the artist and the album or soundtrack.

The three sponsors who identify the most song references will receive a one pound box of my (almost) famous truffles, made with only fine chocolate, fresh, heavy cream, and real butter.

Answers MUST be submitted NO LATER THAN MIDNIGHT EDT on TUESDAY, AUGUST 9th, since Blogathon is accepting pledges until sometime on the 9th. I will post the answers and the winners' names sometime on Wednesday.

Good luck, and thank you for your generous support of the National Kidney Foundation!

Into the darkness

According to the Renal Support Network, there is currently legislation before both the House and the Senate intended to improve access to Medicare benefits provided for patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), provide public awareness and education programs, and help ESRD patients manage their illness while undergoing dialysis or waiting for a transplant.

Don't you think it would be a great idea to locate your Congresscritters and tell them to get on the stick and pass this?

Of course it is! So what are you waiting for?

Who can say when the day sleeps if the night keeps all your heart?

Twelve hours.

I'm halfway there.

Treat him well, he is your brother, you might need his help some day.

Did you know that 35% of people waiting for a donor kidney in the US are African American? And that African Americans are three times more likely to suffer end-stage renal failure than white Americans?

Organ and tissue donations work best when the donor and recipient are of similar racial and ethnic backgrounds - there is a smaller chance of rejection and there are fewer complications. Unfortunately, many African Americans have never thought about becoming organ and tissue donors, in spite of there being what the Coalition on Donation calls a "critical shortage" of minority donors.

Get the word out - sign an organ donor card, tell your family and make your wishes clear, and give a member of your community the chance for life.

Hips start shakin' and movin' all around

Another request for belly dancing pictures? Heavens. Whodathunk anyone would be interested in seeing a fat chick in a hip scarf?

An interesting thing about belly dancing is that it's NOT "all in the hips". It's actually in the butt, in the abs...and in the arms.

An elegant - and very tiring - figure with the arms is called "Snake arms". Though typically done with the arms extended palm down to either side, there are several variants, including the overhead one pictured here.

Keep holding my hand, it's so we don't get separated.

I promised, back when I first set this blog up, that I'd tell you a story about the pretty girl who's got David all snuggled up on her lap. Aside from being one of the most gentle, loving and serene people I know, one of my dearest friends, and someone I treasure as much as I treasure David, Zeynep is a generous and determined soul who did an amazing thing for the National Kidney Foundation last year.

Zeynep, along with David and four others, is one of my Warders - close friends and protectors after the fashion of the Warders of Robert Jordan's (now way over-long and in need of finishing) Wheel of Time series. They look out for me (and I for them) and for each other, stepping up to lend a shoulder to cry on, a hand to hold, arms to comfort, an ear to whisper in...and sometimes legs to run on.

I missed the renegade Blogathon last year, hearing about it far too late to set up a blog and get sponsors in time, so instead, I wrote about David. I wrote about how dear to my heart he is, how frightened I am for him (no matter how much he tells me not to worry), how frustrating it is to me that his cure seems so close, yet so far at the same time, how irritating it was to only be able to throw money at the NKF and not much more. So I offered to write anything my readers wanted, if they only sent a donation to the NKF in David's honor.

Zeynep did, and as a donor, wound up on the NKF's mailing list. And they sent her something - a brochure, advertising the DC area's 5K Kidney Walk/Run.

Zeynep, in a show of love for and solidarity with her "Elder Brother", didn't hesitate. She signed up. And then she started training and writing about the training and asking for people to sponsor her. The donations began to come in, word began to spread.

On September 18th, 2004, Zeynep ran, bearing a tag proclaiming "Walking in Honor of Super Warder - David Scotton" (which tag she later gave to me - it lives on my office wall in a frame, but I really do keep meaning to send it to David). When all was said and done, Zeynep had raised $1234 for the NKF.

And then it got better.

A DC area transplant survivor matched all donations, dollar for dollar, and Zeynep's effort resulted in the National Kidney Foundation being presented with $2468 in David's name.

Sometimes, you do things because you feel a need. Sometimes, that need intersects with love for a friend. Those intersections are the most compelling, and serve to remind us that the love of a friend is a powerful force, not one to be lightly toyed with.

These are the people I cherish. For them, I write.

Love you, such a sweet thing, good-enough-to-eat-thing

I'm hungry again, dammit. My wrist is sore, my tummy is growling, and I'm ready to eat my desk again. It's time for more Food Talk (TM)!

I spend a lot of time at the Boulevard Market and Pentamere Winery, buying yummies to keep my Inner Gourmand (or glutton, if you prefer) happy and satisfied. This recipe is the result of discovering that Erika sells single truffles in jars for under $6 each, getting some awesome advice about stretching your truffle dollar as far as you can from friend and colleague Fred, and figuring that Pentamere's Celebration White is great to cook with:

Truffled Risotto

Start this dish three or four days in advance.Pour about 4 - 5 cups arborrio rice into a sealable container. Tuck in a whole truffle (or two), put the lid on, give it a shake, and store it in a cool, dark, dry place for at least 3 days.

You'll also need Caciotta al Tartufo, a Tuscan truffled cheese

Then:

-- 4 cups truffle infused arborrio
-- 1/2 pound butter
-- generous pinch saffron
-- bottle of mild white wine (Pentamere's Celebration White is all I use for this dish now)
-- chicken stock, kept warm on the stove (8 cups or so, I dunno, I just thawed one of my frozen blocks of stock out)
-- 3/4 cup shredded Caciotta al Tartufo ( a little more if you like your risotto extra cheesy)
-- 2/3 truffle, grated finely (though I like to use a whole one)

Melt the butter over low heat, add arborrio, stir until well coated. Add just enough wine to cover the rice (around 1/2 a bottle or so), add saffron, stir continuously until wine is absorbed.

Repeat this with the warmed chicken stock (add only enough to cover!) until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, stir in shredded truffled cheese. Transfer the risotto to a large serving bowl, sprinkle the grated truffle over the top.

This is so awesome with some good, crusty bread, a lightly dressed salad and - surprise! - a mild white wine.

Mmmm...wine...but I dare not post drunk...I'll fall asleep!

I saw Peter, Paul and Moses playing Ring Around the Roses, and I'll whup the guy who says it isn't so.

Have you filled out your organ donor card yet? You haven't? What? Someone told you it would cost your family money for you to be a donor?

Someone has been feeding you some misinformation. Let's straighten that out with some Myths and Facts:

Myth: If emergency room doctors know you’re an organ donor, they won’t work as hard to save you.

Fact: If you are sick or injured and admitted to the hospital, the number one priority is to save your life. Organ donation can only be considered if you die and after your family has been consulted.

Myth: When you’re waiting for a transplant, your financial status or celebrity status is as important as your medical status.

Fact: When you are on the transplant waiting list for a donor organ, what really counts is the severity of your illness, time spent waiting, blood type and other important medical information.

Myth: Having "organ donor" noted on your driver's license or carrying a donor card is all you have to do to become a donor.

Fact: While a signed donor card and a driver's license with an "organ donor" designation are legal documents, organ and tissue donation is always discussed with family members prior to the donation. To ensure that your family understands your wishes, it is important that you share your decision to donate LIFE.

Myth: I am 60 years old. I am too old to be a donor.

Fact: People of all ages and medical histories should consider themselves potential donors. Your medical condition at the time of death will determine what organs and tissue can be donated.

Myth: My family will be charged for donating my organs.

Fact: There is no cost to the donor's family or estate for organ and tissue donation. Funeral costs remain the responsibility of the family.

I think tonight we can take what was wrong and make it right

One of the more hair-raising aspects of chronic kidney disease is the eventual need for dialysis - mechanical filtering of the blood to rid the body of harmful wastes. There are two kinds of dialysis treatments currently available - peritoneal dialysis, which allows the patient greater flexibility and mobility and hemodialysis, which is generally done at a center three times a week, for three to five hours per session.

Davita offers a free 30 minute video explaining what to expect on your first day of dialysis.

Davita is kind of stinky in that they want personal information out of you so they can spam you to hell and gone in exchange for giving you this information, but I'm taking the hit and providing a log-in:

Log in: blogathon@darkfriends.net
Password: songfordavid

Kidney patients currently undergoing dialysis may also find the Dialysis Online message boards helpful.

Everybody here is out of sight, they don't bark and they don't bite

Cat (the founder of Blogathon) has asked, over at Blogathon, for more bellydancing pics.

You know, y'all, I'm just learning. It feels odd to share pictures before I have more than just an inkling about how to do it right and do it well.

But, for Cat and a good cause, here's another. (And yes, Cat, the jingly things are half the fun of it!)

Now's the time that we need to share, so find yourself, we're on our way back home

Oh. Wow. I just learned something interesting while researching for another post.

Did you know that if you have high blood pressure, you're at risk for chronic kidney disease? This comes as a surprise to me, though thinking on it, it probably shouldn't. I have hereditary hypertension, which, left uncontrolled, could cause me more problems than just the heart attack my doctor lectured me about!

Let's go back for a minute to how your kidneys work.

All of your blood circulates through your kidneys - in from an artery, through millions of teeny little filters, and out again through the veins. If your blood pressure is too high, though, your kidneys can become damaged from the excess pressure. (And, if your kidneys are damaged, they can't help regulate your blood pressure, which is one of their important functions. Yikes!) The higher your blood pressure, the harder your kidneys have to work, and vice versa.

So what can you do if you're hypertensive to keep your kidneys from becoming damaged?

-- Reduce your salt intake! You don't have to get rid of it entirely, but cut way, way back.
-- Exercise and drop a couple pounds.
-- Lay off the junk food.
-- Don't smoke
-- Get that blood pressure under control - see your doctor about a medication that's right for you.

You're not just protecting your heart when you get your blood pressure down, you're protecting your kidneys, too.

When you're chewing life's gristle, don't grumble, give a whistle!

Did you know that more than 80% of donor organs come from the same geographic location as the recipient? Though we are often given the impression by the media that organs fly all over the country, in the majority of cases, that's simply not true.

The US is divided into eleven regions, each handled by an Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) designated by the federal government. Except in the case of a perfectly matched kidney or the most urgent of liver cases, a non-directed cadaver donor organ is first offered to patients in the immediate OPO area. If no match is found, it is then offered to nearby OPOs, then, if there is still no match, it is offered to patients on a national level. Matching is handled by the UNOS Organ Center call center in Richmond, Virgina, which takes about 350 calls a day from all fifty states and Puerto Rico. (That's the call center in the picture.)

Although people tend to think that the sickest people should get first dibs on a donor organ regardless of location, the system as it stands makes better sense in terms of organ viability - the less it has to travel, the better shape it will be in when it arrives at the recipient's bedside, and the more likely it is that the transplant will be successful.

For transplant survival rates, broken down by hospital and by OPO, have a look at the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients.

I came to get a case of factory outlet beer

It's recipe time again!

I know, all I want to talk about is food. I can't help it. Writing makes me hungry.

At the A^2 Social last month, I did a Tapas menu. One of the things I made (and it went over pretty well!) was this:

Cheese Puffs with Fiery Tomato Salsa (from Tapas, published by Parragon in 2004)

-- 1/2 cup flour
-- 1/4 cup Spanish olive oil (I like Zoe)
-- 2/3 cup water
-- 2 eggs, beaten
-- 1/4 pound grated Manchego (or substitute Zamorano or, if you absolutely must, Parmesan)
-- 1/2 tsp paprika
-- salt and pepper to taste

Corn oil for deep frying

For the salsa:

-- 2 tbsp. Spanish olive oil
-- 1 small onion, finely chopped
-- 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped (I used 2 large cloves, we like garlic)
-- splash dry white wine
-- 14 ounce can diced tomatoes
-- 1 tbsp tomato paste
-- 1/2 tsp red chili pepper flakes (more or less to taste)
-- dash Tabasco (I used Cholula, which I like better anyway)
-- pinch sugar
-- salt and pepper to taste

First, prepare the salsa. Heat olive oil in a pan, then add onion and cook until soft but not brown. Add garlic, cook for about half a minute, then add wine and all remaining ingredients. Simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes, or until desired thickness. Pour into a bowl and set aside.

For the cheese puffs:

Sift flour onto a sheet of waxed paper. Place oil and water in a ban and bring to a boil over medium heat. As soon as the water boils, turn off the heat and quickly dump the flour into the pan. Beat well with a wooden spoon until thoroughly blended.

Let cool slightly, 1 - 2 minutes, then add eggs, beating hard after each addition to keep the mixture stiff. Add cheese, paprika, salt and pepper, and mix well.

Pour about 2 inches of corn oil into a heavy pan or use a deep fryer - heat the oil to 375 degrees. Drop the cheese mixture into the hot oil by rounded teaspoonsful and cook for 2 - 3 minutes, or until golden and crispy. Drain well on paper towels and serve with the salsa.

You became the light on the dark side of me.

Corey asked:

Did you also know that the actual transplant is harder on the donor than on the donee? My mom donated one of her kidneys to an older brother (whose had failed). He was up and about the next day, it took her a week to recover, because they needed to remove a couple of ribs, as well as push her stomach around. That was 9 years ago now, and he's still doing amazingly well.

Well, Corey, here's something that's truly amazing: Living donors are up and around these days much faster than ever before, with fewer complications and less pain.

Hurray for laparoscopic kidney removal surgery! Two to four teeny incisions in the abdomen for surgical tools and a camera, and POP! - out comes the donor kidney through another incision that's only three inches long.

Howard Greif - who donated a kidney to his father - explains the laparascopic removal process on his website, complete with pictures. It's absolutely fascinating, but I don't recommend looking at the pictures if you have a delicate stomach.

Kiss your Mom for me, Corey. Living donors ought to be designated as saints.

You're my sunshine and I want you to know my feelings are true...

You really have to be out of your mind to sign up to stay awake all day and all night to blog every half an hour.

Either that, or you're doing it for someone you care about.

I'm not so sure that it isn't a little of both for me. I mean, obviously, I'm here because of someone I care about, but I must be a little nuts to attempt this, right?

Well, yeah. But if you can't be a little nuts for your best friend, who the hell can you be a little nuts for?

It isn't often that you find a friend who can drag you out of your darkest moods just by being there, or one who can make you smile just by whispering your nickname. I got lucky in this regard - maybe more lucky than I deserve sometimes.

This picture is from one of my favorite days ever. We went out sightseeing with Paul and Mike, wandering about Twin Peaks to take pictures, meandering back by the Palace of the Legion of Honor, strolling Ocean Beach - me running into the surf with my pants hitched up, the boys hanging on the beach to build a sand castle - and, something I'd wanted to do my whole life long, strolling on the Golden Gate Bridge. We didn't go all the way across, just out to the first tower because we had other things planned and a limited amount of time, but that was just fine with me. I was out in the warm San Franciso sunshine, smelling the salty air of the Bay, looking out at Alcatraz, arm in arm with my best friend.

Maybe I'm not so nuts after all. Participating in Blogathon lets me help the NKF work to make sure I can have more sunny, happy days, wandering about with my dearest friend, giggling together and poking and teasing each other, and forgetting for just a little while the things that make life not so much fun.

Remembering these days - and looking forward to future days - never fails to make me smile.

Only poor boys take a chance on the garden's song and dance.

Mmmmm....lunchie. Remember those tomatoes I took a picture of earlier? I had one of those for lunch. With some other stuff, of course.

Salate di Caprese

-- 1 large, ripe tomato (I used a Brandywine, fresh from the garden)
-- 1 lump (about 5 ounces) fresh mozzarella
-- 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
-- salt and pepper to taste
-- fresh basil leaves, chiffonaded
-- olive oil (I used Zoe today)
-- balsamic glaze (boil 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar for 5 minutes with 1/8 cup sugar, then cool. I keep some on hand all the time for this dish.)

Thinly slice both the tomato and the mozzarella lump. You can either simply lay a slice of cheese on a slice of tomato, or alternate them in a fan or circle shape as in the picture.

Sprinkle with salt and fresh ground pepper, the sprinkle the chopped red onion and the chiffonade of basil evenly over all. Drizzle with balsamic glaze, then with olive oil, to your taste.

I had this with iced tea, though I'd much rather have had a glass of wine!

Lay down your money and you play your part

It's past lunchtime and I'm FAMISHED! That tells me it's probably time to talk about food again before I go do something about the gnawing in the pit of my stomach.

How about some figs? See, I picked up some roasted, glazed figs and chorizo from my friends at The Boulevard Market in Tecumseh, Michigan yesterday. Together, these make a lovely Tapas dish! (Alas, that picture is only roasted figs.)

Chorizo and Figs in Red Wine

You have to start this dish the night before you plan to make it. Begin with 1/2 a pound of your favorite chorizo and about a cup of your favorite red Spanish wine (I like Sangre de Toro for this dish).

Prick your chorizo in 3 or 4 places with a fork, put it in a pan, and cover it with the wine. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove from heat, allow to cool, then transfer into a bowl, cover, and leave to marinate overnight.

The next day, remove the chorizo from the wine and reserve the wine for later. Remove the outer casing of the chorizo and cut the sausage into slices about 1/4 inch thick. Put these into a cast iron skillet and add 1/2 a pound of roasted, glazed figs, cut in halves.

Drizzle with about 3 tablespoons of brandy, then light it up! (Stand back and don't set your hair on fire!)

Gently shake the pan down until the flames die down, then pour the reserved wine over. Cook over high heat until the wine has evaporated, leaving a lovely glaze.

Serve with crusty bread and Sangria!

I won't get to have this for lunch today, I expect I'll have a different recipe to share after lunch. It's time to go quiet my tummy!

When the horizon darkens most, we all need to believe there is hope...

Did you know you could find videos on the 'net that explain how your kidneys work?

Me either.

It's amazing to me, the number of resources available to people battling kidney disease or just looking for information about kidney disease. You can find information about surgery for living donors, transplant diagrams and top notch transplant facilities just poking around online.

Or, if you're so inclined, by poking around here.

You live in a world where you didn't listen

Kidneys are really kind of gross, if you think about it. What's their job? Essentially, it's waste disposal, kind of like a fishtank filter. Ew. They look pretty yucky, too.

And yet...if you think a little more, you'll find that kidneys are pretty fascinating, too. Your kidneys don't just get rid of waste products, they create the hormones responsible for your growth, help regulate your blood pressure and help control the production of red blood cells.

Now imagine trying to live with kidneys that don't do their job.

Anemia, high blood pressure, painful kidney stones, illness from buildup of waste in the bloodstream...and a host of other nasty afflictions.

These are the things the NKF is trying to fight. If you haven't done so already, please flip them a couple bucks so they can continue to provide support to transplant candidates, survivors, kidney patients, and the scientists working to get rid of kidney diseases. I won't be the only one who appreciates it.

And they throw away money on spectacular shows

Colleague and friend Jo Van tells me she's not signing her name on the dotted Pledge line 'til I give her satisfaction - a full length shot of me executing a hip and shoulder roll.

Well, there it is. My photographer isn't all that skilled, but maybe we can ask Mark to take a couple when he comes home from work - he has a steadier hand.

I like the bending picture Alex took better, perhaps I'll post that one later.

Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup!

I would have thought that after years of having this soup at nearly every Social I host, my friends (and family!) would be weary of it. But strangely, I get asked almost every time if I'm going to make Garlic Soup, and if I'm not planning to, could I please change the menu a little and make it?

So I do. But I like making French Onion and White Cheddar Guinness soups too!

For my Foodie Friends, may I present the soup y'all beg for, and the one that sends the vampires in three states running for cover:

Creamy Garlic Soup (adapted from a recipe found on Epicurious some years ago)

26 garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 tablespoons olive oil - I really like Kalamata (and lately Zoe or Serendipity when I can get it) oil for this, but use what suits you best.

2 tablespoons butter
2 1/4 cups onions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
18 cloves garlic, peeled
3 1/2 cups chicken stock (Note: you can substitute vegetable stock and it still tastes great!)
1/2 - 3/4 cup heavy cream (to your taste)

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan (I've also found that Piave Vecchio works nicely, as does very well aged Fleur du Maquis.)

4 lemon wedges

Preheat oven to 350. In a glass dish, combine the 26 unpeeled garlic cloves with the olive oil and a bit of salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Cover tightly and bake til garlic is golden and tender, about 45 minutes. Cool until you can comfortably squeeze the cloves out of their skins. Set aside.

In a large, heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add onions and thyme, cook until onions are translucent. Add roasted garlic, peeled raw garlic and chicken stock, simmer until raw garlic is very tender. (20 minutes or thereabouts).

Working in batches, puree soup in blender until very smooth. Return to pan, bring to simmer, add cream, a bit more thyme, some salt and pepper to taste, and once again bring to simmer. Allow to simmer for 10 - 15 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

To serve, divide grated cheese among 4 bowls, ladle soup over, and squeeze one lemon wedge over each bowl. Garnish with a sprig of fresh thyme or a sprinkle of shredded Parmesan. This is an awesome first course, or a nice light lunch with some crusty bread and a crisp white wine.

It’s such a gorgeous sight, to see you eat in the middle of the night

One of my favorite things to do when David and I get together is go out for sushi.

I used to be so squeamish about the idea, and he would tease me relentlessly about it. "It's good! You should try it! Don't be so afraid of it!". He made me promise that I would try it, and additionally made me promise that my first time out for sushi had to be with him.

The year I turned 30, David sent me a plane ticket to come visit him in Berkeley for a few days. We went sightseeing in San Francisco, wandered around Berkeley's gorgeous campus...and he and Paul and Kenshin took me out for sushi.

Kirala, a small establishment not far from where David was living then, already had a line halfway around the building by the time we arrived. I was astonished to see that so many people would line up to wait for a table. It had to be good, right?

It was better than good. It was AWESOME!

I had no idea what to expect, and had David order for me. When they brought out the huge, gorgeously arranged platter, I almost didn't want to eat it. Everything was so beautiful! I started pointing at things - What's this? What's in that? - and was met with grins all around. "Don't ask questions," Kenshin told me. "Just eat." So I did.

And I was hooked.

These days, my favorite thing to eat come midnight munchie time is leftover sushi. It's all David's fault, and I still haven't figured out if I should thank him for that, or raise hell with him for the dent the stuff always puts in my wallet.

Maybe both.

I’ll start a revolution from my bed, 'cause you said the brains I had went to my head...

Did you know that there are 62,675 Americans on the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) list, waiting for a kidney transplant?

Of those, 18 people die every day while waiting for a donor.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if that number went to ZERO?

It can, and you can help it. Be an organ donor. It costs you nothing, it costs your family nothing, and you get the chance to help someone else - or even several someone elses! - live a better, healthier life. You can even specify which organs you want to donate - should you find yourself in the unfortunate position of being unexpectedly deceased - and which you'd rather hang on to.

Give a loving, selfless gift to someone who desperately needs it. Fill out an organ donor card, make sure your family is aware of your decision, and let yourself live on a little in the gift of life to someone else. You never know whose life you're going to save.

You like tomato and I like tomahto.

Look at those tomatoes. Aren't they gorgeous? Those are the ones pulled from my garden just this morning! (I got up at 8AM so I could get myself moving before I sat down to write for the day.)

Two full baskets of tomatoes makes ten quarts of spaghetti sauce...and I did promise recipes! This is totally scalable, so no quantities are going to be listed. Just eyeball it to your taste, appetite and storage space.

Pan-roasted Tomato Sauce

Start with a large pan - I use a big roasting pan because I cook this stuff in large quantities. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees (F) and get to work with:

-- Tomatoes
-- Salt
-- Pepper
-- Olive oil
-- Fresh garlic

Optional things:

-- Chopped onions
-- Chopped peppers
-- Chopped mushrooms

Herbs:

-- Fresh basil
-- Fresh oregano
-- Fresh fennel

Cut your tomatoes into quarters and lay them out in the bottom of your pan. Toss in several cloves of fresh garlic, sprinkle with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil. Pop the pan into the oven to roast for about an hour. The idea is to get some of the moisture out of the tomatoes before cooking them down for sauce.

While the tomatoes are roasting, heat some olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Toss in chopped onions, cook til slightly soft. Add chopped peppers, cook til slightly soft, then add your 'shrooms. Or skip any or all of these, if all you want is tomatoey goodness.

Turn everything off. Pull the tomatoes and let them cool for about ten minutes, then puree them and pour them into your favorite sauce pot. Bring to slow simmer, then add the chopped veggies you've chosen for the sauce. Continue simmering until slightly thickened, then add chopped fresh herbs of your choice.

Continue simmering until the sauce has reached desired thickness - I like mine medium thick - remove from heat and either serve over pasta or chicken, or can it.

Have fun, and save me some!

I realize that nothing’s as it seems

LiveJournal's Reynardo had a request - she'd kick her pledge up from $24 (a dollar an hour) to a flat $30 if I included a picture of myself in running shorts.

Now, let me ask you, what self-respecting fat girl is going to even OWN running shorts, much less wear them where someone might see and fall blind?

Not this one.

But we compromised, and Reynardo agreed to a shot of me in my dance clothes. So here I am in my purple, full circle skirt, black "Google Woman" t-shirt, wearing my violet stretch velvet hip scarf with gold coins. In my lap, three more hip scarves - I'm amassing quite a collection!

It's not the best shot, but then, the only photographer at home at the moment is Alex, and he's not the steadiest shot!

(Try not to run away screaming, 'k?)

Some might say that sunshine follows thunder...

Since about the first week that David I started talking to each other, I've always called him Sunshine.

It started out as pretty much a throwaway nickname - he was online earlier than usual one day and it happened to be morning here. Good morning, Sunshine!, I sent across the bitstream.

"Sunshine is wet! It's raining here and I forgot my umbrella!"

He's been Sunshine ever since.

Not that the nickname doesn't fit him, mind. He's generally cheerful and sunny, with a ready smile and a rich, infectious laugh. When he throws his head back and laughs, you just can't help but join in and laugh with him.

For seven years, he's made me laugh and smile with him, even when what I've really wanted to do is lay down on the floor and cry. Though he's done his fair share of bringing the storm clouds to me - and what friend won't, from time to time? - he's also done more than his share of chasing the rain away. Sunshine follows Thunder, tells it to get lost, and mops up the puddles the rain has left behind.

He's better than any umbrella ever could be.

We can make a party last all night

Good morning, and welcome to the eventual chaos that is Blogathon 2005!

Before we begin, my heartfelt thanks go out to my sponsors. There aren't words enough to tell you what your support means, but if you know me, I think you can probably figure it out. You guys are aces.

If you haven't pledged but still want to, mosey on over to that link on the left, where it says "Pledge a donation to the NKF through Blogathon 2005". You'll need to register and log in, but then you can go back to the campaign page to make a pledge. Donations are to be sent directly to the National Kidney Foundation at the conclusion of the event. Pledges are being accepted until sometime on Tuesday, though!

Of course, if you pledge, you're eligible to participate in my Sponsors Game!

Scattered throughout the blog will be song references. I will try to keep them just to the entry titles, but I make no promises - you may find some in small text at the bottoms of some entries. Here's the deal: if it's a snippet of lyrics (and most of them will be), identify the song title and the artist. If it's a song title, the artist and the album the song appeared on.

The top three sponsors who identify the most song references will each receive one pound of my almost-famous handmade truffles. I only use good chocolate - Callebaut, Vahlrona, Ghirardelli - fresh cream and real butter. They're rich and yummy and just as much fun to make as they are to eat! To give y'all the time to go back and look at entries, please submit your lists no later than MIDNIGHT EDT on TUESDAY, AUGUST 9th. I'll post the winners' names on Wednesday afternoon, so watch this space after Blogathon is concluded.

Ready to get this party started? Yeah? Crank up the stereo and let's do this thing!