Signal boost: Connery Beagle

Doranna Durgin is doing a fundraiser for her beloved and amazing dog, Connery Beagle (connerybeagle or @ConneryBeagle) with a collection, The Heart of Dog (dog-themed specfic stories by Durgan and a bunch of other nifty people, suggested donation $2.99).

To be clear, unlike with the Ben Jonson Memorial Fundraiser, Connery Beagle is alive and struggling with a horrifying array of medical problems. So donations will help keep him alive and able to keep doing the things he loves. And this seems to me like a very good thing.

another signal boost: Red Cross

I just got email telling me that:

Severe winter weather throughout much of the United States has caused the cancellation of nearly 23,000 blood and platelet donations nationwide through the American Red Cross since January 1.

There is a critical need for donors now. All blood types are needed, but there is a special need for donors with type 0 negative, A negative and B negative blood.

Now, this email is asking me to donate, and it drives me nuts that I can't, especially since I'm A negative. But I need to get this stupid iron deficiency thing sorted out. So I'm doing the next best thing, and posting this.

If you can donate, this would be a great time to do it. Go here to find a blood drive near you and schedule an appointment.

The Red Cross estimates that every donation they get helps save three lives.

Let's go three for three: signal boost: Con or Bust

con_or_bust, the annual fundraiser to help fans of color attend sf conventions (primarily WisCon), is up and running. Very cool stuff, very cool cause.

Project Valkyrie: waterlog

40 minutes, 29 laps.
302 miles, 31 laps.

Plus fifteen minutes chipping the mastodon out of the glacier . . . I mean, de-icing the car.