Making the most of the least.

As I've said way too many times in recent days, I had a major Work Thing postponed late last week, which would've consumed today, the three previous days and probably the next two. It will rise like a drunken phoenix later, but today, I have nothing scheduled.

(I almost had Moving scheduled for the kids today, but they've decided to make that big push tomorrow. So I'll be meeting Emily at close to 7 tomorrow morning to sign out the U-Haul, and then joining them later in the day to actually haul large things from one place to the other.)

So I've decided to spend a good portion of this day on connections- making the news, and tending the olds.

----

In response to my lament about the slowdown of blogging last week, one of my newer and kinder Friends offered to start a Friendzy.

Wot she has.

I've never participated in one before, much less hosted one, and I'm a little unclear about the Netiquette behind the effort, but I will be commenting there with a brief intro to me, us and this- and we'll see what happens.

----

Meanwhile, I've also been mindful about keeping up closeness with some of those people who don't seem to post here- as much, at all- who I'm still just as concerned about and with. So if you lurk, and get the odd PM or email from me today with a "hey, how's everything going?" That's why. (Well, the why is "Y? Because we love you." But the "when" is because I was given a gift of a day without commitment and I want to share it.)

So if you're one of them, or one of the Friendziers, come say Hi. Because you're missed- even if we haven't met yet.

Hopefully this won't scare the n00bs too much....

You've likely heard about the Ice Bucket Challenge. Quite possibly, you've done it. Somehow, despite commenting on numerous posts by other acceptors of the quest, and even recording our neighbor doing it, I'd yet to be challenged as of yesterday.

Then I needed the ice, because my blood was boiling:

The Newark [N.J.] Archdiocese has told North Jersey pastors and Catholic school officials that holding Ice Bucket Challenges, a wildly popular fad that has raised millions of dollars to combat a crippling illness, conflicts with church teachings by funding embryonic stem-cell research.

The warning was issued Thursday in a letter from a church official and with the blessing of Archbishop John J. Myers. It said some of the research funded by the ALS Association, which receives much of the money from the Ice Bucket Challenge, involves embryonic stem-cell research, which is opposed by the Catholic Church because of conflicts with its antiabortion mission.

...The archdiocese sent the letter Thursday to principals at all 94 Catholic schools in the archdiocese, and to pastors and religious education staff at 218 parishes. It suggested sending donations to organizations that don’t use embryonic stem-cell research.

The ALS Association responded to the warnings with a statement saying it primarily funds adult stem-cell research, which is not opposed by the Catholic Church. The statement went on to say that the association is funding one study that uses embryonic stem cells, and that research is funded by “one specific donor who is committed to this area of research.”

“In fact, donors may stipulate that their funds not be invested in this study or any stem-cell project,” the statement said.

It was unclear what impact the archdiocese’s letter would have. Catholic schools won’t be back in session for another week and a half. Pastors were sent the letters for informational purposes, said archdiocesan spokesman Jim Goodness, but it’s up to them to decide how or whether they will share that information with parishioners.


(Jim Goodness? Really? That's a punch line in search of a setup if I ever heard one.)

So that was enough to get me to the icy table. I waited for a challenge, and sort-of got one: ellettra tried to "nominate" me, but it autocorrected to "minibar." Then, elbiesee, who's doing it today, promised to list me, but I told her I'd already committed: to doing it, to making the donation, and to making my three nominees: Pope Francis, the Archbishop of New York, and the Bishop of Buffalo.

Holy water is optional. Brains, however, would be appreciated:

Watch on YouTube

(And that's the introduction to the several people just friended off of ecosopher's Friendzy. You get my craziness, face and voice, all on Day One. If we make it through THAT, we'll get along fine:)