'Tis the season

Well, this schedule thing is going to be fun. Typically, I blog when I have something to share, and some days I don't. I don't want to force anything or make up by posting pictures of cats in Santa hats or something, but I do want to keep at this somewhat regularly. So, what may end up happening is that I'll blog 3 times a week or so (maybe), but probably not the same 3 days each week. Keeps you guys on your toes that way ;)

Obligatory linkage:

Contest to win $50 B&N gift card here. Thanks to some very thoughtful (and blogger-adept) friends, I'm now up to 10 entrants. So get your name in the hat (proverbial one, although maybe I'll just write the names and throw them in a hat, so then it'll be a literal one; must think on this). You still have until MONDAY!

Jodi Henry's blogfest here.

My entry for above-mentioned blogfest here. Admittedly the feedback I've gotten from this has been fantastic. So thank you to everyone who stopped by to critique!

OK, moving on.

I've added another little gadget to my sidebar. I think I'm starting to develop an unhealthy addiction to these little things, but I think this will be the last one. Until the next one. Anyway, this gadget is for a site called SocialVibe, which is a free way to contribute to a LOT of different causes (so many I had trouble picking one to start with). The current cause is Stand Up 2 Cancer and contributing minutes to cancer research. The process is pretty simple. You'll be asked to do six activities. By completing these activities, which only take a few minutes apiece, and then sharing them to Facebook or Twitter, you can contribute to cancer research. For free. It only takes a little time to help save someone's life. Plus, it's even easier than blood donation, and you can do it more often than every three months ;)

In case you haven't noticed, I'm kinda big on doing things to help other people. I don't have much money *yet*, so I try to find alternative ways to contribute to things besides monetarily. Blood donation is one of the best, and let me tell you, there's nothing better than getting a phone call telling you that your blood saved someone's life. It's probably the most humbling, amazing phone call you'll ever get. And sadly, only a handful of people who are eligible donors actually donate. Only 6% of the population has my blood type, and there are rarer blood types than mine. If you're one of those, I especially urge you to donate. It's for a fantabulous cause, AND you get cookies and juice afterward. Or, at my place, cookies and Mt. Dew. Fabulous.

But for those who are squeamish around blood or needles, something like SocialVibe is down your alley. I'm thinking about alternating causes, maybe every three months I'll switch to a new cause. Like I said, there were quite a few to choose from including other cancer groups, the Trevor Project, and World Wildlife Fund. So yeah. Just a few mins of your time. And if you don't want to go through all of them at once, that's just fine. I did two (until I got to some flipping Covergirl thing) and earned 4 minutes. Only took me about 5 to do.

Now, I'm not going to find you and hunt you down to do this. Some of you may think this is a dumb waste of time, and that's fine. I'm sure you'll find other ways to help. But if you have a few minutes to kill and don't want to hover on Facebook or Twitter for the next 5-10 minutes, give it a try and earn some research time. I'm pretty sure that everyone knows someone with cancer. I've lost a lot of family members to it. I have close friends who are enduring chemo. This is a horrid disease, and the havoc it can wreak on a person's body and life is overwhelming. So...I guess here ends my ramble. Thanks.