Update

I managed to get the money order off to Bevie's family . . . Monday. Probably should have taken Lisa up on that extension, but I tried to get it out Friday. On my way to the Post Office I received an e-mail from my professor about some last-minute deadlines, so I had to turn around and go home (skipping a lesson to boot) and finish those up.

I went ahead and made the money order for an even $500, and sent it via Priority Mail along with insurance and delivery notification. According to the tracking site, the package was delivered to its destination, but we've not yet received a confirmation from Bevie's family whether they received the money.

In other news, I'm in the last few stages of moving. Or I should be, anyway. Too much to do and too little time. Also feeling really nostalgic and lamenting the lack of time I have to visit old haunts and check out new places in Chicago I've not had a chance to visit. Like the Lyric Opera, for example.

Sigh. There's never enough time.

Together . . .

. . . we raised just shy of $500 ($498.08) to help Bevie's family. The button is now down. To all who donated, THANK YOU - especially those who donated and didn't comment. You didn't get a thank you yet - until now. : )

I'm off to get the money order!

The Help Bevie's Family Deadline

Hey folks! If you've not yet made a donation, you have roughly 48 hours to make it. I'll be closing down the donation button at 2:00 p.m. U.S.A. Central Time ("Chicago time"). I need to do that in order to have enough time to get the money order and mail it out to Bevie's family. Thanks!

EDIT:If you stray over here after the deadline and still want to make a donation, Fairyhedgehog or I would be happy to send your e-mail address along to Bevie's family. Thanks for thinking of that, Fairy!

Help Bevie's Family

Bevie often spoke at length about his financial woes, which were no doubt a result of his health issues. It can't be any easier for his family now. With their permission, Fairyhedgehog and I have set up a Paypal donation button. We had to wait a couple of days to work out the details*, but it's up now (see left). We'll have the button up for a week, then whatever's there I will send to Bevie's wife. Please help if you can. I'm matching the first $35 in donations.

*The money will deposited into my bank account, and I will issue a money order to Bevie's wife, as it was agreed that this is what would be most helpful to them.

To Infinity . . . And Beyond

We're almost at the end. We're in the last week of school. I'm overcome with nostalgia and excitement. Still have a lot to do, but once I get these assignments knocked out of the way, it will be packing, finding a car (that's going to be the toughest part), and all the other stuff that goes with ending school. We're getting info on our internships, and it's exciting.

I've been checking out apartments in the L.A. area, and they're about what you would pay in Chicago. Only I like Chicago's apartments much better, what with all the dark wood and Greek-style architecture. I'm finding L.A. has its charms—just not in the apartments for the price I can pay. They look like carpeted prison cells. You get the one window with the venetian blinds. In some cases the stove and refrigerator are listed as amenities. As in optional.

Oh yeah, and then I have to find work. Checking out the want ads and the temp agencies.

Lucky

Lucky is a cat whose paw and tail were cut off by some cruel individual who shall remain nameless . . . mostly because Lucky can't name the person who did this to him.

He was found by Bin, and yesterday she took him to the vet to be examined and treated. She posted pics, but I'm only going to link the post to pics of him after he was treated. If you want the other pics you'll have to find them on the blog yourself.

He's now (it's a he, I think!) resting semi-comfortably, and I'm posting this because Bin is accepting donations for his vet care (she didn't ask me to repost; I'm just doing it.) He's probably going to need a lot of it over the coming months. You can donate here.

Stop by Old Kitty's blog and thank her for posting. Her post instigated the donations.

Grammar Nerd

I cribbed this from Janet Reid's blog. It's hilarious.

It's Official

Well, it's official. I'm definitely "on" for L.A. I was finally approved for the rest of my financial aid, which means I'll now have the money to complete the internship, which in turn means I'll be graduating.

No excitement yet. Just relief and a touch of pride that I managed to pull this off.

The Feminista Files

A month or so ago, I found this great blog by Ericka K. It's called "The Feminista Files," and I think it was originally launched to support her novel of the same name. But she does all these great posts on pop culture that make me think more deeply about the images and messages we're bombarded with every day. Check it out. She's funny as hell*.

*Be forewarned that she's not exactly work safe. Woman has a potty mouth - something I appreciate.

Wish I could do a longer post, but I'm really behind now from being sick.

Hmmmm

Occasionally I check out my profile to see how many views I have. Last time I checked it was 1200. Today it says "0." Anyone else having this problem? Just curious . . .

Favorite Movie Quotes!

My favorite movie quote: "I guess I have a lot of borderline health disorders that limit me politically when it comes to eating." — Joyce, American Splendor

Tell me yours!

Also, found out Ricky Martin is gay. Just a wee bit disappointed. Is that wrong?

Day Whatever

Well, the no-cream in coffee is a bit of a habit now, I'd say. Yay for me.

Losing tiny bits of weight. Can get certain jeans up over my ass (a good goal in Operation Ass Reduction), but can't yet get the jeans closed. Maybe that will happen next week.

Here's a fun link to tide yourselves over for the next couple of days.

New Site

Okay - new site where you can listen AND download my music. For videos posted in the blog section, leave a comment to request an mp3 or a copy of the video. FREE (for now).

There are only three samples right now, but more will come. Links will be added, etc. etc.

I have another website, www.stacychambers.com, but currently it's not possible to download anything.

Comment Moderation is ON

I keep receiving these weird comments that I assume are spam comments, despite the word verification. So I'm going to turn on comment moderation and see if that helps.

Not Much Difference

This is so true.

And if you writer folk ever wonder if my job as a composer is different: it's not. I sit in my chair and I stare at a piece of paper and then write something down. Some days I write something, anything, to get the juices flowing. There are days when I'm amazed at how much this job has in common with sweeping the floor or digging a ditch. It's work, and it's hard.

But I like that it's hard. It beats anything else in the world that I've done. Except writing stories, but I never seem to finish those. Still, writing prose has made a difference in my composing, because I can talk to people in terms of the story and drama.

Also, I'm really happy the health care bill passed. There's a "tunnel at the end of the tunnel" in the words of Paul Krugman, but we're on our way.