Mary Versus the Trumpeting Legions of Apathy

I flew in to Minneapolis yesterday--my plane arrived at 12:00, I got to my hostel by 1:15--but my conference doesn't start until noon today, which means I have a little bit of time to do what I will. I hit the grocery store and then... THE MALL OF AMERICA. I had a really great time, but I'm glad I'm a short girl instead of a tall swarthy man because otherwise riding such rides as Jimmy Nuetron's Atomic Collider and Backyardigan Swing Along (hey, I love the giant swings) because, otherwise, I would have really come across as a creeper. I went shopping at H&M, and I guess there were some other stores there (psh...I guess!) and I had a grand old time. I got home too late to visit the Institute of Art, but too early to go to bed but that was perfect for... TALKING TO HOSTEL FOLK. (Which is very different from talking to hostile folk.) A Swede. A Welshman. An Australian. A Tamil Indian. And me. I told them I was the boring one, but actually, talking to them, I'm no...

So some people have been asking what these projects are that I'm doing. I'm thrilled to give you the low-down on what good you can do. Here's what your money gets you: $12--Soccer ball and materials for an orphanage or residential school $35--Crafts for a school $45--A handwashing station for communities with poor sanitation (only about half of Belize has adequate sanitation) $125--A course in sanitation so that principles can be re-taught by mothers and fathers and teachers. $200--A community-use toilet. It sounds silly, but many diseases are spread by lack of good toilets. $250--An adobe stove to safely let out the lung-aching smoke of fire cooking. Whether you just like to know what the money goes for or if you want to sponsor an entire project (say, a toilet for your annoying brother), these numbers give you an idea of what it costs to make HELP projects a reality. In fact, if you donate these amounts and send me an email (or just post here), I'll make you up a han...

Everyone on this blog needs to know about this blog . I guess it also wouldn't hurt if they knew about this donation site, too. Le's do some gud!

I hate it when I lose my planner. I have the vague sense that I have a lot to do, and an undefined worry that I've already forgotten something. Nuts.