A Way to Make the World Better

Today I found a wonderful website. Kiva.org coordinates microfinance loans, enabling anyone to make loans as small as $25 to very small entrepreneurs in painfully poor areas of the world. If you've got $25 and a Paypal account, you can help a man or woman in Africa, Samoa, Asia, etc, build or expand his/her small business, a business that often supports entire families that currently live on only a few (or maybe even 1) dollars a day. It's ingenious, heartwarming, and incredibly easy! I'm now the proud financier for two different women, struggling to grow their businesses in Ghana and Ajherbazhan (sp?).

It's a wonderful feeling to know that in only minutes, I've made a positive difference in the lives of these women, that I've helped and encouraged them to make their lives better. Kiva makes it so easy ~ they've done all the work to find these people, to find local financial groups that will disburse the loan funds and collect the repayments, to keep you informed on how they're doing, and to manage the repayment of the loan. All you really have to do is find someone to loan your $$ to(just surf through their postings), and Kiva does the rest. It's incredible, truly.

I've put a button on this blog ~ click on it and it will take you directly to Kiva.org. See for yourself how much good you can do with as little as 5 minutes and $25. Please ~ take the time. It's soooo worth it!

Oh, no!

There must be some weird karma going around. I spent weeks down because Blogger malfunctioned. I finally get up and running, visit my friend's, Catbookmom, blog, and now she's got Blogger troubles! Her blog disappeared! What is with Blogger lately? I've heard all sorts of complaints in the past couple of months. Is it all because of the change over from the old version to the new? Seems to me the new Blogger blogs should still be okay, but mine was always the new version, and I had trouble, too. Makes life interesting, as in the Chinese curse interesting.

In other news, perhaps my time in the doldrums is beginning to end. At least, I can feel my interest beginning to return. (yay!) I'm sitting here staring at some E. Lavold Angora (just "oats" color, a nice warm beige), and there's a tweedy blue wool that's trying to attract me.

I guess I don't do seasonal knits. I knit wool year round, cotton year round, pretty much anything anytime. Maybe that's the SoCal influence. We don't really have seasons here (well, there's Fire Season, and Mudslide Season, but I don't think those really count), so I don't knit seasonally. (What sort of knit is appropriate to Fire Season?? And all that orangey-red fire color is just not me!) I wonder if I'd knit differently if I lived somewhere with real seasons. Dress differently, for sure, but knit differently? Hmmmm.

Anyway, here's hoping Blogger is more responsive to my friend, and her blog is back and working really soon.

My first quiz!

I found this over on Catbookmom's site, and couldn't resist. Heh. Found out I'm stuck in the middle! LOL

You Are 50% Left Brained, 50% Right Brained

The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning. Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others. If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic. Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet. The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility. Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way. If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art. Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.

Are You Right or Left Brained?

No thanks to Blogger

Well, I would have been blogging along merrily several weeks ago, but Blogger malfunctioned. Letters to them required more than a week before they responded, and the first one I got from them clearly showed they hadn't even read my letter before responding. It just told me to do all the things I'd already done, and told them I'd already done. The next letter needed 9 days before they could respond, and then, again, they told me to do the things I'd already done.

So, I just started messing around with my computer, not doing anything they suggested, and after restarts, deletions, renamings, and various changes to settings they'd said would work but didn't, voila ~ I can now resume blogging.

Of course, I'm not sure that will be true the next time I want to sign on, but I'm crossing my fingers. (Any prayers/good wishes/black magic would be welcome, as well. God knows, Blogger won't help)

On the knitting front, not much is going on right now. I've been consumed with work and with a flare up of my arthritis (both knees, traumatic kind since my 20s), so I haven't been knitting much at all. The scarf I posted about is only about 4 inches longer. I've wound my wonderful ribbon yarn into balls, but haven't cast on yet. I've made a start on seaming a sweater I did in Noro Silk Garden, but I haven't finished that, either. Between problems with my DSL provider, problems with Blogger, problems with my knees, and too much work, I think I'm just feeling the doldrums.

Hopefully, that will end soon. Maybe Spring will revive me (yeah, I know, in SoCal, our winter is very much like everyone else's spring, but still~). Maybe more daylight hours (remember, Daylight Savings Time begins this Sunday!) will help. Something will, soon. Maybe just looking at that partially constructed Silk Garden sweater will motivate and inspire me.

So, if I disappear for a long time, again, you can pretty much figure it's Blogger problems again, and not me just gone missing. And, with any luck, next post will have some pictures of at least a Silk Garden sweater (completely put together and wearable!).