There is no conference happening in NYC some weekend that you need to attend?

A great idea for those looking to spend some of their end-of-year money on a charity or two: Kiva.org, an online lending platform for microfinancing (like the new Nobel Peace Prize winner started, only virtual). For $25, you can help finance a small entrepreneur.

Love this cat's expression! (Also, the one of the little kitten in the background--such a wide-eyed "WTF?")

Oh, Kathy's post reminded me of Modest Needs, a charity whose purpose is to help people who are otherwise financially self-sufficient when they have an unexpected expense that would push them into poverty. They typically give small grants, like paying the utility bill, or paying a mechanic so that a person has a running car to get to work.

People who donate to Modest Needs also can view the applications of people who requested grants and, basically, decide who receives funds.

The Russian intelligence department has a great logo:

[link]

"Hey! We should go to Santa Fe for Christmas!"

You totally should! As a point of fact, the SO & I are currently casting about for what we should do over Christmas. We were thinking about Tucson, maybe, but Santa Fe was on our list, too! We have an invite for Christmas dinner here in town, but we dunno.

Liese, I bought a live potted tree for several years and then donated them to NYC Parks.

How cool is that! Did they grow up nicely? Were you able to know where they were and go see them later?

When I was a kid we had one like that and planted it much later at our home in Ohio. Today they're absolutely massive. I planted them way too close to the others, because I had no idea they'd get that big.

But last year our live tree met an untimely fate. I think I just had watering issues (like, too little followed by too much, repeat), and it never grew when we planted it. I have hopes for this year!

an ornament display centerpiece from Crate and Barrel, but looking at their website, it looks like they're already sold out.

This is also a good idea. Too bad.

Wow, that Modest Needs charity looks neat. It's like the microloan programs in other countries, but scaled for here. What a great idea.

Wow, that Modest Needs charity looks neat. It's like the microloan programs in other countries, but scaled for here. What a great idea.

It's cool -- they do due diligence to make sure that people's requests are legitimate (like asking for copies of past-due bills, etc.), and then they pay the bills directly; they don't give the funds to the applicant. I think they said that 85% of their donations go to applicants (vs. operating costs/administrative expenses/etc.).

I have a plan! Drive to Santa Fe. Check into a hotel. Sleep late. Eat lots of green chile dishes. Walk around Old Town. Eat posole. Drink mexican hot chocolate. Visit a nearby pueblo. Xmas eve, wander old town and oogle the luminarias. After xmas, drive 4-5 hours south and visit me!

Uh, that wasn't what you were looking for, huh?

Oh and sopapillas!

I just crashed my cat into a chair.

Were you driving the cat, Sarameg, or just swinging it around the room?