The Stress of Game 7

Hello, fellow knitters and hockey freaks...this is what I was working on at sunrise this morning:

http://www.examiner.com/article/knitting-through-game-7-of-the-western-conference-finals

A Game 7 will give even the toughest of sports fans palpitations, but tonight seems even more stressful, for some reason. I have been combatting an economic downturn while in a sales job, tenants who seem to have pipes that do not just flow water from Point A to Point B, accusations of irrational crap like people selling drugs because they are not white (I am not the one doing the accusing or being accused), starting a prayer chain for a woman who hates my guts but refuses to talk to me, and other stuff I would rather have eradicated from my brain.

So, my way of handling things like this is a balance of "handle it" and "turn the karma around." So now is my week to be even more charitable than normal.

I usually do silly things, like buy the Starbucks order for people behind me. Every once in a while, it backfires and fills me with amusement after the five minutes of initial bewilderment. But little teeny weeny random acts of kindness, in my humble opinion, keep the world in balance. So there is that.

This week, though I am actually fundraising, which takes work. It takes promotion, diligence, and a core group who all believe in the mission of the organization. The good news is that you do not have to like me to like my causes. Take Imerman Angels, for example.

http://imermanangels.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&participantID=1701

See, Imerman Angels partners cancer patients, caregivers, and survivors with people who need one-on-one support. They have a database of people based on what type of cancer, the person's age, who was affected, and many other factors, and they use this database to partner with others who will be going through the same struggles, and the matched people offer support for the journey. Just a lovely group. I have been partnered with two people to offer support so far, and I would pretty much promote any event they have.

My fortieth birthday is July 12, and it is a Sunday so I have decided to celebrate all weekend. On July 11, I will be walking in a 5k and raising money for Imerman Angels. If you would like to either walk, donate, or both, let me know.

Then, the organization that has been a piece of my life since I was born will be getting a check from an enjoyable fundraiser I am doing.

http://www.ebay.com/cln/fraudvixen/ahiha-bobblehead-fundraiser/207631305019

The American Hearing Impaired Hockey Association is a non-profit hockey camp for hearing-impaired and deaf kids, and it was founded by two friends of my dad:  Stan Mikita and Irv Tiahnybik. In the past, I have sold raffle tickets and auctioned off the chance to shave my head for them, but this year, I wanted to do something that will benefit hockey fans as well. Through next Friday, I am holding an auction on eBay to raise money for them, and the winning bidder will walk away with one of seven bobbleheads, or a 32" LED flat-screen television.

Hopefully, people will benefit, and I get to feel good for being a do-gooder. Everyone wins! Happy knitting, everyone.