The Hyperbolic Pants Explosion

Blogger Problems

2005-09-20T21:16:00.000-05:00

Trying to update, but Blogger seems to be experiencing some problems. Don't even know if I'll be able to post this, actually.

Heart Melting

2005-09-18T22:36:00.000-05:00

Maybe it's just because I have cats and I can not imagine what I would do if I had to leave them, but this picture just melts me.

Better yet, you choose.

2005-09-18T14:45:00.000-05:00

Instead of making an executive decision to refunnel all donations to another organization, I'm just going to throw it open to each of you. Those who would like to see their donation go to the Red Cross will have their wishes honored, and those who would like to see it go to another worthy organization will also have their wishes honored.

Here is how this will work: You choose your organization from the list below, and I send your $10 to that organization. You will also choose a second and third choice as backups.

Why are backups necessary? My employer's matching funds only kick in with a minimum $25 donation. That means 3 people will have to earmark their donations ($30) to any one organization for the matching funds to mean anything. If you list three organizations, chances are one of them will get enough "votes."

If you've already ordered, you can communicate your wishes via e-mail (I'll be sending out an e-mail to all of you with details). If you haven't yet ordered, you can specify your wishes in the additional comments field that Paypal offers on the payment page or you can also just e-mail me. If an order comes in unspecified, I'll contact that person for their wishes.

Keep in mind that only non-religious, non-political, registered 501(c)(3) non-profit charities are eligible for matching funds, so there are some very worthy organizations who have to be left off this list.

You can click on any of these organizations to find out more about them.

American Red Cross
.

America's Second Harvest
.

Best Friends Hurricane Relief Fund
(Animal Rescue)
.

CitiHope International
.

Direct Relief
.

Feed the Children
(They describe themselves as a Christian organization, so I will have to check to see if they're matching fund eligible.)
.

Foundations for Recovery
(a collaboration of The Baton Rouge Area Foundation and The Greater New Orleans Foundation)
.

Global Lifeguards Hurricane Katrina Emergency Workers Relief Fund
(Cares for emergency relief workers and volunteers and their families.)
.

Habitat for Humanity
(Also a Christian ecumenical organization. I'll check on eligibility.)
.

Humane Society of the United States
(Animal Rescue)
.

Institute for Marine Mammal Studies
(Based in Gulfport, MS. Completely destroyed and must rebuild.)
.

International Medical Corps
.

The International Rescue Committee
.

K.I.D.S (Kids in Distressed Situations)
.

Louisiana SPCA
(Animal Rescue)
.

Mercy Corps
.

NAACP Disaster Relief Fund
.

Next of Kin Registry
(Helps dispersed victims find each other.)
.

Noah's Wish
(Animal Rescue)
.

Pan American Health and Education Foundation Hurricane Katrina Disaster Fund
.

Preservation Hall New Orleans Musicians Hurricane Relief Fund
.

Save the Children USA
.

United Way
.

America's Second Harvest

2005-09-18T12:05:00.000-05:00

Update:
I've had third thoughts after my second thoughts. You can now just choose which charity you want your money to go to from a list of charities doing hurricane relief. Details here.

Original post:

I have been struggling with all the stories I've been hearing about problems getting help from the Red Cross in the hardest hit areas of the Gulf. Disaster recovery is excruciatingly difficult work, and organizing and executing it is the proverbial herculean task. I'm inclined to give organizations the benefit of the doubt until they demonstrate some evidence of real negligence (FEMA, anyone?).

But this thread is sort of a last straw for me with the Red Cross, and not because it's any particular degree worse than any of the other stories that have been drifting around, but because enough is enough. I want to give where the dollars seem most effective.

Money is pouring into the Red Cross in great waterfalls of green right now. They're not going to miss our $1260 (or whatever the final tally is going to be). The Red Cross is well-supported. But, because the push to donate to the Red Cross is so ubiquitous, I'd be willing to bet that other worthy organizations are not seeing nearly the same percentage increase in their donations. Why not give where the giving matters more?

Therefore, unless the overwhelming majority of you who have already "donated" through the purchase of Casey and Orleans bracelets wish otherwise, my intent is to redirect the donations to

America's Second Harvest

Here is their general mission statement:

The mission of America's Second Harvest is to create a hunger-free America. We distribute food and grocery products through a nationwide network of certified affiliates, increase public awareness of domestic hunger, and advocate for policies that benefit America's hungry.

Our network includes more than 200 food banks and food-rescue organizations, serving every county in the U.S. The effectiveness and operating efficiency of this network depends on the cooperation of food banks, food-rescue organizations, service agencies, donors, and national programs.

Food banks serve people in need by securing and storing surplus food and distributing it through their own network of local service agencies. Food-rescue organizations often operate within a shorter time-frame, picking up and delivering perishable foods on a single run. A number of America's Second Harvest affiliates secure and distribute food in their local community through both of these methods.

In particular, their home page documents their Katrina efforts, and you can find a bit more Katrina relief details here.

I will be e-mailing those who have already made donations through the purchase of bracelets to see if anyone has any major objections to the switch, but I suspect there won't be many. If necessary, I will split the donations that have already come in.

Update! $1260 raised for hurricane relief!

2005-09-14T21:51:00.000-05:00

So, the orders page is finally updated!

63 bracelets were ordered between 8/29 and 9/14 (today). That's $630 plus the $630 kicked in by my employer's matching funds program.

$1260! Woot!

How high can we kick that total?

PS
New supplies have arrived, so the few from this past week that haven't been shipped yet, will soon be on their way.

Actually almost caught up!

2005-09-12T21:23:00.000-05:00

For real!

Anything ordered before 9/7 has either already been shipped or will be shipped tomorrow. The last few stragglers in the inbox will be out by Saturday probably, depending on when my new shipment of supplies comes in.

Everything would be shipped by tomorrow but for the fact that the place I order supplies from sent me a bag of <2mm round sterling silver beads mislabeled as 2.5 mm sterling silver beads.

Honey, Pants knows the difference between 2mm balls and 2.5mm balls. <snap>

La Belle Ville Orleans

2005-09-02T20:36:00.000-05:00

La Belle Ville Orleans: Sterling Silver and Glass
All proceeds go to the Red Cross
$15
(click to see larger view)

The Beautiful City, Orleans.

The colors of Mardi Gras. The colors of hope.

The money from this bracelet will forever go to the effort to rebuild New Orleans and care for its people. For now: The Red Cross.

Because my employer does matching donations, the $15 you spend on this bracelet will actually mean $20 goes to the Red Cross. $15 = 1 bracelet + $20 donation to the Red Cross. Hard to beat that.

New domain, caseybracelet.com has been registered, but is not live yet. The new site will allow me to more easily maintain the recordkeeping and information part of this. I'll let you know when it is ready.

Big Casey bracelet shipment goes out Tuesday.

Thoughts and prayers are with everyone hurting right now.

Meet Operation Truth and the Red Cross

2005-08-29T22:54:00.000-05:00

Now that we've reached the end of Cindy's time in Crawford, ongoing donations will be split between Gold Star Families for Peace (as before) and Operation Truth.

Operation Truth is the largest Iraq war veterans organization, and it is dedicated to telling the truth about the war from the veterans' perspective.

[Many thanks, of course, go to the Crawford Peace House for all the hard work they put in supporting Cindy's Crawford protest. Please bookmark them and remember to send them a few dollars every once in awhile. They've earned it.]

However...
In the wake of the awful devastation left in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, I would like to propose that the switch to Operation Truth be delayed for a month in favor of making donations to the Red Cross. If anybody has strong objections to sending September's donations to the Red Cross, please let me know.

Men's Casey Bracelet is Here!

2005-08-29T22:30:00.000-05:00

The Men's Casey Bracelet is here and ready to order.

They're $5 more than the original bracelets because material and shipping costs will be greater. This price should still allow us to approach the $10/per bracelet donation to the charities.

I have six Size 8.5 bracelets~~, and one Size 9.5 bracelet~~ made and ready to ship. After that, the turnaround time will be a little slower on the men's, as they take twice as long to make

Click the images below to order the size you want. (There are no extra small sizes because this design doesn't lend itself well to children's sizes.)

Casey "Men's" Size: 7"

Casey "Men's" Size: 7-1/2" (fits most women)

Casey "Men's" Size: 8"

Casey "Men's" Size: 8-1/2" (fits most men)

Casey "Men's" Size: 9"

Casey "Men's" Size: 9-1/2"

Casey Original Size: 7-3/8"
This is a very thin design with a generous fit. Fits like a comfortable 7-1/2".

Making some adjustments

2005-08-29T22:12:00.000-05:00

Stay tuned.

New Orleans

2005-08-28T12:57:00.000-05:00

I'm really worried about the potential disaster facing New Orleans. If the absolute worst happens, would anyone mind very much if I diverted part of the donations for September's orders to relief efforts?

Sneak Peak: Men's Casey Bracelet

2005-08-27T21:03:00.000-05:00

Due to popular request, I've been working up a "men's" version of the Casey bracelet, though anyone could wear it, of course. It's just a little weightier and less sparkly.

Click for a larger view.

It's goldstone, sodalite, and sterling silver, with a black leather band.

It's not ready for ordering yet. I still need to figure out how much the materials are going to cost, so I can know how to price it. I suspect it will have to be more than the original.

What do you think?

Another week, another set of orders

2005-08-26T20:05:00.000-05:00

Another work week down. My good boss left today, leaving behind only the bad boss. So sad!

A number of new Casey orders came in over the course of this week. I'll be putting those together this weekend.

I'm also working on a men's version.

Also also, I still have to gather all the receipts and expenses from the first run and get a "final" accounting together.

Busy weekend!

And then there was today.

2005-08-23T22:28:00.000-05:00

Pardon the interruption.

I had to kick my roommate out today for not paying his rent. Not literally. I mean, not even the figurative literal meaning. What I mean is, I informed him in fairly blunt words that he needed to spend this week looking for another apartment because he won't be living in mine come September.

And then I spent the day at work worrying about whether he might be trashing my place or kicking my cats or whatever. And then I came home (cats and place OK) and spent the evening making up flyers to post for a new roommate.

I hate having to be the bad guy. Even though I'm really not the bad guy at all here.

As terrified as I am about how I'm going to pay the rent in September, though, I feel immensely relieved at finally having made the decision to get him out of my home. Who needs to live with that stress?

I think I'm going to sleep pretty well tonight.

PS:
Finally got around to adding a permanent link to the Orders page over on the menu to the right. It's updated as of tonight.

Yes, you can still order bracelets

2005-08-23T18:01:00.000-05:00

People have been asking if it's still OK to order bracelets, even though we've completed (mostly) the original run of 100.

The answer is "Definitely!"

I'm going to be a little more low-key about it. Not so much publicity. I probably won't devote any more diaries to it at Daily Kos, for example. The pace of the last couple of weeks has been intense. But, I don't mind making more of them at all! If you want one, please go ahead and order one! I will continue to post updates and keep public track of everything as best I can right here.

Also, a quick update:
The entire first run has shipped, including the shipment to Crawford, which I mailed from deep in the heart of Red America today. Did you know the post office does not deliver overnight to Crawford? It really must be in the middle of nowhere!

Cindy's Package is Ready to Go

2005-08-22T23:56:00.000-05:00

So, all of the sponsored bracelets and, of course, Cindy's special bracelet (with an extra sterling silver star hanging from the clasp), are packaged up and will be traveling overnight to Crawford.

Along with the bracelets, I have also included the printouts of the Paypal payment pages from the donations that have gone to Gold Star Families for Peace and The Crawford Peace House.

Which brings me to this... more donations!

Tonight I sent another $200 via Paypal to CPH. Gold Star Families for Peace will also get another $200, but they're no longer using Paypal for their donations, so I'll have to get the $200 from my Paypal account before I can then give it to GSFP.

Donation pictures and budget stuff tomorrow, kids. I spent all evening wrestling with my printer. After a year (yes, a year) I finally got the damn HP Deskjet 5850 wireless printer to communicate with Macintosh OSX. Seriously. Google it. Widespread horror stories.

Anyway, I gotta sleep!

All Ready to Go

2005-08-21T22:48:00.000-05:00

All of the remaining bracelets have now been packaged and will be mailed out tomorrow!

Now that I have all that taken care of, I can get back to the business of accounting. I have a number of receipts to document (more supplies, all the shipping, etc.), and add to the total material costs. Once I've done that, I can figure out how much the second set of donations to GSFP and CPH will be and then make the transfer through Paypal (which I will, of course, post here).

This has been a lot of work, but I wouldn't have missed it for anything.

Postal Service Snafu

2005-08-20T20:17:00.000-05:00

Argh!

So, while I was mailing some more packages, I noticed the postal service employee behind the desk was ringing up a price that was significantly different than it was when I mailed the first batch using their automated postal station (basically a kiosk with a scale that weighs your package and spits out a postage sticker).

I asked the clerk about it and she said that the padded envelopes weren't machine readable, so there's an additional fee on them. Of course, it doesn't indicate this anywhere on or in the automated kiosk, nor is there anywhere in the software to allow you to indicate what shape your package is.

The clerk seemed to think that all those packages I mailed using the automated kiosk (the first 20 or so) will either be returned to me, or will arrive COD.

If yours arrives COD, I truly apologize. I put the postage on it that the kiosk said it needed. It shouldn't be more than about 10 cents.

If it gets returned to me, I'll e-mail you and get it back in the mail the next day.

I'll e-mail everyone whose packages went out that day a heads up tomorrow.

Shipping Status Now on Order List

2005-08-20T03:53:00.000-05:00

I've added a column to the Order List so you can see which packages have shipped, and which are packaged and ready to go.

Still have to photograph the USPS receipts. When I do, I'll link them to the Shipped column.

Shipping Update

2005-08-18T21:57:00.000-05:00

Shipped a whole bunch of packages today, and have some more going out tomorrow.

Will post the receipts with the zip codes tomorrow after work.

Boulder, Colorado

2005-08-18T03:56:00.000-05:00

Sheehan Vigil #5
Originally uploaded by spincycle.

DSC_2688
Originally uploaded by scottyallen.

Another Mother and Son

2005-08-18T00:57:00.000-05:00

mom and son
Originally uploaded by zepplin.

At the vigil in Thousand Oaks.

Cindy Sheehan Vigils

2005-08-17T21:54:00.000-05:00

America Stands with Cindy
Originally uploaded by Randal Dean.

Vigils all around the country tonight. I'm sorry I wasn't able to be at the one in Evanston, but I hear it was wonderful. Got good local news coverage, too.

Orders Updated

2005-08-17T21:46:00.000-05:00

Orders from Monday night and Tuesday have been added to the list.

We're at 97!

Order list will be updated later today

2005-08-17T02:50:00.000-05:00

Ugh, peeps. I got some sort of stomach ickiness (I'm betting on a really mild case of food poisoning, which I seem to get if a microbe even looks at me funny). I've e-mailed in sick to work, so I'll be around on Wednesday. I'll be putting together packages, making more bracelets, and updating the orders list with all the orders that came in Monday night and Tuesday. And, of course, consuming lots of fluids (and maybe not much else).

First Donations Made!

2005-08-15T20:48:00.000-05:00

It finally dawned on me tonight that I didn't have to wait for a Paypal transfer to my bank, so that I could write checks and mail them to the Crawford Peace House and Gold Star Families for Peace. Since they both have Paypal donation accounts, I could just do a direct transfer!

So the first set of donations have been made! (Click to see the full-size images.)

$250.00 to the Crawford Peace House:

And $250.00 to Gold Star Families for Peace:

Monday

2005-08-14T23:30:00.000-05:00

Back to the workday grind. Won't be around during the day. I'll be around in the evening, though.

As always, you can check to see that your order has been noted here (allowing for some time for me to post it, of course).

Now that we have over 50 orders, I think I may go ahead and write checks to Gold Star Families for Peace and the Crawford Peace House, rather than waiting for all 100 to sell. It'll take a few days to get the money from paypal to my account, but hopefully I can get a check on its way by the end of the week. I'll post a pic of the checks (minus the account info, obviously!). Stay tuned.

America Stands With Cindy Sheehan

2005-08-14T21:27:00.000-05:00

Stand_WCindy.pdf

The above is a PDF poster for printing and displaying. It was created by NewCon06 over at Daily Kos.

If the above links stops working, you can also download it at these mirrors:

Stand_WCindy.pdf
stand_w_cindy.pdf
Stand_WCindy.pdf
Stand_WCindy.pdf
Stand_WCindy.pdf

Cindy Sheehan built it and they came

2005-08-13T18:54:00.000-05:00

What a beautiful sight.

Order Updates

2005-08-13T12:24:00.000-05:00

Just a quick reminder: the orders continue to be updated here (by date, quantity ordered, and zip code of shipping address).

If you want to check to make sure your order has been received (allow a couple of days for it to be posted, since it's not automated), or if you just want to check to see how things are going, head on over.

Casey: Anticipated Cost Breakdown

2005-08-13T00:03:00.000-05:00

OK, so now that the bead issue is settled, here's the anticipated cost breakdown.

Imported Bali Sterling Silver Charm: $0.65 from Aylas (receipt | catalog)
Sterling Silver Lobster Clasp: $0.53 from Fire Mountain (receipt | catalog)
2 Sterling Silver 5 mm Soldered Jumprings: $ 0.31 from Fire Mountain (receipt | catalog)
2 Sterling Silver 2x2 mm Crimp Tubes: $ 0.05 from Fire Mountain (receipt)
2 Sterling Silver 3 mm Round Beads: $ 0.22 from Fire Mountain (catalog)
36 Sky Blue Silver-Lined Delica Beads: $ 0.15 from Aylas (price tag)
36 Iridescent Cobalt Delica Beads: $ 0.14 from Aylas (price tag)
12 Iridescent Clear Delica Beads: $ 0.05 from Aylas (price tag)
8 Iris Bronze Dyna-Mite Bugle Beads: $ 0.03 from Fire Mountain (catalog)
12" Accuflex Silver Quality Wire: $0.25 from Fire Mountain (catalog)
Small Poly Ziploc Bag: (I get these @ work, so not allowed to disclose price)
Small Square of Bubble Wrap: ??? (not more than pennies, I'm sure)
Padded Mailer: approx. $ 0.40 (they're actually .52/ea, but won't need one for every bracelet) (receipt)
Postage to Mail Out: ??? (I anticipate something in the $1.29 area.)
Share of Postage for Supplies: ??? (Still need to figure this out.)

So, for as much as I've figured out so far, we're looking at $2.38 per bracelet cost (not bad!) plus to-be-determined costs associated with shipping, which will probably be about as much... basically about what I'd expected.

(I'll add in links to Fire Mountain, Aylas, and pictures of receipts and stuff later.)

Update: I was adding in links and Fire Mountain's site crashed, so I'll finish up tomorrow.

Update II: OK, other stuff added in now, including the padded mailers I picked up at OfficeMax today.

Casey: Production Begins!

2005-08-12T23:33:00.000-05:00

So I located some better beads today. The color is ever so slightly different, but the quality of the beads is much, much higher. They are also more expensive (and smaller, so I have to use more of them), but the cost per bracelet is still less fifty cents. I also picked up another 20 charms (imported sterling silver leaves from Bali). And some more sturdy jumprings and clasps are on their way. ... and we're off!

Morning

2005-08-12T06:24:00.000-05:00

Morning, all. I'm going to try to get in a quick trip to a bead supplier today to see if I can't get my hands on some better beads for not much more money. I also anticipate that my good wire will arrive in the mail today, so I can begin working this evening. I also hope to get the list of material costs and links to online sources up tonight.

Long Day

2005-08-11T22:16:00.000-05:00

It's been a long day and I need to sleep.

If you're just joining us from a Daily Kos link (or anywhere else, for that matter), you may want to check out this explanation of what's going on around here.

'Night all!

Sponsoring a Bracelet

2005-08-11T06:55:00.000-05:00

Got an order this morning that sponsors a bracelet to send down to the Crawford Peace House (where they can "sell" it for donations, or give it to someone, etc.).

Excellent idea!

There is a comments box on the Paypal payment page. If you'd like to sponsor a bracelet's trip to Crawford, just note it in the comments.

I'll package 'em all up and send them together.

OK, I'm off.

May not be around Thursday

2005-08-11T00:12:00.000-05:00

I'll be at an all-day seminar for my job on Thursday and won't be home until 8:30 pm or so.

Hotel may have wi-fi though, so I'll drag my laptop with me just in case.

Orders

2005-08-10T23:14:00.000-05:00

Let the documentation begin! Below is a list of orders by date and zip code. This list will be maintained in this post (so the URL will stay stable). If you don't see what looks like your order within a couple of days of placing it, feel free to give me a prod in e-mail to make sure I haven't overlooked it. Update: Well, shoot... It looks like Blogger kind of chokes on tables. Sorry for all the unnecessary scroll. I'll have to come up with some other way of formatting this thing. Tomorrow. I have to sleep now! Update: Argh. Fixed the table problem and broke every other line break on the page! Sorry, folks. I'll get it fixed as soon as I get a chance.

Date	Qty.	Zip
8/10/05	1	08540	Shipped
8/10/05	1	13045	Shipped
8/10/05	1	78704	Shipped
8/10/05	1	32563	Shipped
8/10/05	1	56360	Shipped
8/10/05	1	98201	Shipped
8/10/05	1	98665	Shipped
8/10/05	1	94022	Shipped
8/10/05	1	59403	Shipped
8/10/05	1	02332	Shipped
8/10/05	1	92054	Shipped
8/10/05	1	04252	Shipped
8/10/05	1	60031	Shipped

8/11/05	2	20769	Shipped

8/12/05	2	01701	Shipped

8/13/05	1	43235	Shipped
8/13/05	6	92064	Shipped
8/13/05	2	21666	Shipped
8/13/05	1	49068	Shipped
8/13/05	2	91505	Shipped
8/13/05	1	10014	Shipped
8/13/05	5	11201	Shipped
8/13/05	2	60559	Shipped
8/13/05	2	48192 (78552)	Shipped
8/13/05	2	01880	Shipped
8/13/05	2	01844	Shipped
8/13/05	1	97321	Shipped
8/13/05	1	78759	Shipped
8/13/05	1	02888	Shipped

8/14/05	3	77027	Shipped
8/14/05	1	32277	Shipped
8/14/05	1	49113	Shipped
8/14/05	1	21015	Shipped
8/14/05	1	20910	Shipped
8/14/05	1	78748	Shipped
8/14/05	1	25571	Shipped
8/14/05	1	85236	Shipped
8/14/05	1	87122	Shipped

8/15/05	2	91356	Shipped
8/15/05	1	15101	Shipped
8/15/05	1	93063	Shipped
8/15/05	1	74401	Shipped
8/15/05	1	21045	Shipped
8/15/05	1	95451	Shipped
8/15/05	4	23805	Shipped
8/15/05	1	53711	Shipped
8/15/05	1	75961	Shipped
8/15/05	1	30011	Shipped

8/16/05	1	70506	Shipped
8/16/05	2	91403	Shipped
8/16/05	3	97212	Shipped
8/16/05	1	98125	Shipped
8/16/05	1	55397	Shipped
8/16/05	1	06478	Shipped
8/16/05	2	72342	Shipped
8/16/05	2	50010	Shipped
8/16/05	1	25302	Shipped
8/16/05	1	15057	Shipped
8/16/05	2	14513	Shipped
8/16/05	1	53045	Shipped
8/16/05	1	34668	Shipped
8/16/05	3	80020	Shipped
8/16/05	1	49048	Shipped
8/16/05	1	33896	Shipped
8/16/05	1	74137	Shipped
8/16/05	1	30030	Shipped

8/22/05	1	38305	Shipped

8/23/05	1	60031	Shipped
8/23/05	1	35401	Shipped
8/23/05	1	44035	Shipped
8/23/05	1	44035	Shipped

8/24/05	2	12433	Shipped

8/25/05	1	98023	Shipped

8/26/05	1	83854	Shipped
8/26/05	1	60544	Shipped
8/26/05	1	63109	Shipped
8/26/05	1	78749	Shipped
8/26/05	1	76110	Shipped
8/26/05	1	56482	Shipped
8/26/05	2	50323	Shipped
8/26/05	1	37919	Shipped
8/26/05	1	98023	Shipped
8/26/05	4	48192 (48180/48164/48138)	Shipped

8/27/05	1	20170	Shipped
8/27/05	1	64024	Shipped
8/27/05	1	54449	Shipped

8/29/05	1	64116	Shipped

8/30/05	1	77027	Shipped
8/30/05	1	01915	Shipped
8/30/05	1	01915	Shipped
8/30/05	1	06511	Shipped
8/30/05	1	06460	Shipped

8/31/05	2	21666
8/31/05	1	19072	Shipped
8/31/05	1	97218	Shipped

9/1/05	1	75218	Shipped
9/1/05	1	59828	Shipped

9/2/05	1	78259	Shipped
9/2/05	1	91789	Shipped
9/2/05	1	54449	Shipped

9/3/05	1	98056	Shipped
9/3/05	1	93953	Shipped
9/3/05	1	25705	Shipped
9/3/05	1	48080	Shipped
9/3/05	1	48080	Shipped
9/3/05	1	01089	Shipped
9/3/05	3	92243	Shipped
9/3/05	1	06905	Shipped
9/3/05	1	07922	Shipped
9/3/05	1	15101	Shipped
9/3/05	1	98115	Shipped
9/3/05	1	59403	Shipped

9/4/05	1	10036	Shipped
9/4/05	1	02332	Shipped
9/4/05	2	02332	Shipped
9/4/05	1	90026	Shipped
9/4/05	1	47711	Shipped

9/5/05	2	77027	Shipped
9/5/05	1	20910	Shipped
9/5/05	1	30011	Shipped
9/5/05	1	13045	Shipped
9/5/05	1	80033	Shipped

9/6/05	1	27889	Shipped
9/6/05	2	21804	Shipped
9/6/05	3	74132	Shipped
9/6/05	2	74132	Shipped

9/7/05	4	30076	Shipped
9/7/05	1	02468	Shipped

9/8/05	1	89128	Shipped
9/8/05	1	89128	Shipped
9/8/05	2	48197	Shipped

9/10/05	1	44870	Shipped

9/11/05	2	75961	Packaged
9/11/05	1	75961	Packaged
9/11/05	1	20008	Packaged

9/16/05	3	06511	Packaged

9/18/05	1	20895	Packaged
9/18/05	1	92604	Packaged

9/19/05	2	28205

9/20/05	1	02653
9/20/05	1	30011

Sidebar Image

2005-08-10T00:16:00.000-05:00

Yeah, it's too big, I know. I'll edit it tomorrow. Pants need sleep. Update: Fixed.

Honoring Casey and Cindy Sheehan

2005-08-09T21:49:00.000-05:00

Broke and frustrated last night, wishing I could get to Crawford, wishing I had the cash to send to the Crawford Peace House for supplies, wishing there were something I could do other than hit "Refresh" at Daily Kos, I turned to my own hands and made this:

"Casey": Sterling Silver with Blue, Bronze, and Silver Glass (wire-strung)

The Casey bracelet was originally designed simply as an outlet for me. I intended to wear it every day the President refused to talk to Cindy Sheehan (I'm wearing it now), even if, perhaps, I'm still wearing it in January of 2009. When I mentioned it at Daily Kos, however, several people were eager to buy one for themselves, both to honor Cindy's current struggle, and to honor all of our continuing struggles to uncover the truth, save lives, and reclaim an America we seem to have lost. Not comfortable with making money off of the Sheehan's loss, I initially said no, but after some thinking, and some cost calculation, and some prodding from Kossacks, I've come up with this solution:

My goal is to use this space to allow people to order a Casey bracelet, knowing that every bit of the profit is distributed to Gold Star Families for Peace* and the Crawford Peace House*. [Update: Should a legal defense fund become necessary for Cindy and her supporters in Crawford (and it looks like a real possibility at this point), the donations will go there as well.] To offer this sort of transparancy, I will be doing my best to document everything here on this blog: costs/receipts, orders (anonymized for privacy, of course), and payments made to GSFP and CPH. I should be able to produce an intial run of 100 bracelets for a material and shipping cost of just under $5/bracelet. That means each Casey bracelet sold for $15 should result in $10 or more going directly to GSFP and CPH. (But, you can keep track with me!) Payment can be made with Paypal. I will do my best to send an acknowledgement of the order as soon as possible (understand that I have a day job, though). Each bracelet is made to order by hand, so your patience is appreciated. Tomorrow evening I will post my anticipated cost calculations and links to the online catalogs where I purchase my supplies so you can see exactly how much I'm spending. ** Gold Star Families for Peace is Cindy Sheehan's organization. Here is their mission statement:

We as families of soldiers who have died as a result of war (primarily, but not limited to the invasion/occupation of Iraq) are organizing to be a positive force in our world to bring our country’s sons and daughters home from Iraq, to minimize the “human cost” of this war, and to prevent other families from the pain we are feeling as the result of our losses. We are also hoping to be lifetime support for each other through our losses.

The Crawford Peace House is a small but mighty peace-advocacy organization in the President's "backyard" in Crawford, Texas. They have been instrumental in helping Cindy and her supporters with their August standoff.

Tuesday Dumbassblogging

2005-08-09T06:12:00.000-05:00

Poison is so awesome
Originally uploaded by The Marc.

Friday Drunkblogging

2005-08-05T18:13:00.000-05:00

think i have a drinking problem
Originally uploaded by Paulus Wad.

Wednesday Burgerblogging

2005-08-03T18:21:00.000-05:00

hexawhopper
Originally uploaded by bazille.

Tuesday Cubicleblogging

2005-08-02T18:26:00.000-05:00

work_view
Originally uploaded by Eric's Cellphone Photo Extravaganza..

Monday Idiotblogging

2005-08-01T17:50:00.000-05:00

Good times..
Originally uploaded by Burgoon.

Don't eat... uhhhh...

2005-07-31T00:19:00.000-05:00

Toni & the Laker Girls
Originally uploaded by djwhelan.

Don't eat that.

2005-07-30T18:10:00.000-05:00

Wob 013
Originally uploaded by PTMoore.

Oh, you know...

2005-07-30T15:38:00.000-05:00

CIMG0196
Originally uploaded by Miss Belle.

Don't eat that.

2005-07-30T00:36:00.000-05:00

HPIM3697
Originally uploaded by jef1947.

Don't eat that!

2005-07-29T21:05:00.000-05:00

100_1156
Originally uploaded by Onil.

Don't eat that.

2005-07-28T22:00:00.000-05:00

A Hand o' Cucumbers
Originally uploaded by Hell'sCook.

Don't eat that.

2005-07-27T22:57:00.000-05:00

Jake_CA_0705 018
Originally uploaded by JakesDad.

Don't eat that.

2005-07-27T20:53:00.000-05:00

Forbidden City John-0072
Originally uploaded by Prius.

Mmmm

2005-07-27T05:31:00.000-05:00

Pants