Project Thanksgiving

I am a blessed man, Gentle Reader.  I’m no Warren Buffet or Donald Trump but in the battle between “wants” and “needs”, the Lord has provided.  I am not rolling in money and I have no gold ingots stashed away yet the lights are still on and my children are fed.  With the molehills in my life that I can turn into mountains I can still recognize – just by keeping my eyes open and looking around me that my “problems”, when seen in comparison to others are not as mountainous as they appear to be.

“May you live in interesting times…” is often quoted as being a curse more often than being a blessing.  It’s a double-edged statement; it cuts both ways.  These are most certainly, “interesting times.”  There is a lot of need out there and Thanksgiving, Christmas and the rest of the Holidays are on deck and waiting to pounce. 

Enter Project Thanksgiving.  This is the brainchild of a friend of mine, Mr. Alex Kaganzev and it is sponsored by the Salvation Army.  Project Thanksgiving is a local turkey drive that provides turkeys to families in the Cumberland County area.  This is a grassroots sort of movement and it is currently for people in the Cumberland County area (Millville, Bridgeton, & Vineland).  Just like an avalanche begins with one too many snowflakes Project Thanksgiving has been gaining momentum and growing too.  As you may have guessed, yes, they could use your help.

“What can I do?”

On Saturday, November 19^th, bring a frozen turkey or a donation to ANY of the four local ShopRite supermarkets in Vineland, Millville, or Bridgeton between 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM.  That’s it.  That’s pretty painless and it has the direct effect of helping someone out.  Not too shabby, I’d say. 

But wait – there’s more!  The Cosmopolitan Restaurant in Vineland has thrown their hat into the ring too.  If you bring a turkey or a $20.00 (or greater) donation between November 10^th and the 19^th you will be given a coupon for 15% off of your next meal at the Cosmo; again, not too shabby.

Chances are you’ve earned a frozen bird or two with your ‘super-saver’ card.  If you happen to have a spare turkey, please consider making room in your freezer and donating it to Project Thanksgiving this year.  These are interesting times – perhaps we can help making these times a little less complicated.

Sincerely,

Evil Chicken

All Hallow's Read

Neil Gaiman, a yarn spinner of great renown (and one of my favorites, I might add), has devised a magnificent new tradition ~ All Hallow’s Read!  He describes it as, “It’s All Hallows Read, a tradition we just made up. You can fancy it up as much as you like. Just make sure you give someone a scary book this Hallowe’en…” That about sums it up.  Here are the gory details: http://www.allhallowsread.com/.  You can also follow all the twists and turns at #AllHallowsRead on Twitter.

I love it.  What a brilliant way to foster a love of reading!  What will you give and to whom?  Poe, Bradbury, Lovecraft, Gaiman?  The possibilities are endless and I am grateful for that.

I encourage you, Gentle Reader, to enjoy All Hallow’s Read!  I know we will be here at Rancho del Evil Chicken.  

National Novel Writing Month 2011

Here is one for the writers out there or for those who out there who want to be.  National Novel Writing Month (i.e. NaNoWriMo) is almost upon us.  That means it just may be your time to shine.  I am seriously thinking of throwing my hat into the National Novel Writing Month ring once again (knowing that if I can do it anyone can) and possibly nudge YOU, Gentle Reader, into joining me on the quest.

“The quest?”  Yes, the quest.  The quest is to write a novel in the month of November – 30 days, 50,000 words.

“That’s not a novel.”

Says who?  Probably all the people who have never written one says I.  Do yourself a favor and push out all that negative energy – you have a novel to write!  To date I have participated in about 4 of them, NaNoWriMos that is.  Twice I crossed the finish line so I know for a fact it can be done.  In days of yore a geocaching friend of mine introduced me to NaNoWriMo and I have spread the love ever since, even in the years that I took off.  I talk to a lot of people; some of them have something to say or a story to tell.  Well, if you believe YOU are one of those people that I am talking about, November may just be the excuse you’ve been looking for.

Tell your story. 

November is coming.  NaNoWriMo draws near.  Make your plans & your provisions; let us Quest together!

Steve Jobs

A man who shaped the world has now left it behind.  Steve Jobs has passed.  He was a wizard who took technology and put it in the hands of the common man.  In 1976, he and Steve Wozniak built something called a personal computer in a garage in southern California and in doing so changed everything.  Here is an excellent piece on his life: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/44794276/ns/us_news/#.To0HenJENNs.

Wikipedia mentions towards the end of Job’s article – just before the reference section that, “After his resignation as Apple's CEO, Jobs was characterized as the Thomas Edison and Henry Ford of his time.”  Yeah, that’s not a bad description.  Full article here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Jobs.  

The 1999 TV film, “The Pirates of Silicon Valley” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0168122/) is in serious need of a sequel.  There is so much more to the story then the pre-iPod time period where it ends.  I would humbly implore whoever makes it to please use the same cast and put it onto BIG screens this time.  Hey, it worked for, “The Social Network” and it would work here too.  Really, it is owed to history to do it right.   

I will leave the poetry and the ponderings to better writers than I; however I will leave you with this quote from Mr. Jobs.  "Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life," he said. "Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important."

I never owned an Apple but I wouldn’t be typing this blog on my beat-up old laptop if it weren’t for the visionary that we have just now lost; a man who changed the world and shaped the future.  Some souls make their mark on history and he was a man who helped define our time.

Godspeed, Mr. Jobs